The Civic Cup heads to East Midlands venue Donington Park for the first time in almost 18 months this weekend (8-9 August) for the latest instalment of one of the closest title fights in championship history.
With 10 races down and only seven more to go, this weekend’s triple-header could play a big role in deciding who will succeed Liam McGill as Civic Cup champion.
With dropped scores now applied, privateer Jake Hewlett leads the standings following a superb opening half of the season. The introduction of success ballast this season means that consistency is proving to be more important than ever and the Mill Street Motors-backed driver has managed that better than anyone. In seven of the past eight races he has scored points for top-six finishes, and he now leads the way by 17 marks.
Incredibly, there is currently a three-way tie for second in the standings. Dave Marshall (DMR with KA Car Sales) is the man in form, having won the opening race at each of the past two weekends in his FN2 model Civic. Without an unfortunate licence endorsement last time out, Marshall would be even closer to nipping at Hewlett’s heels.
Championship stalwart and Donington local Alistair Camp (Area Motorsport) is also riding high after some setup changes to his FN2 helped him secure his first pole position last time out. He went on to be the leading points scorer over the weekend.
Young gun Wilf Butler (Ben Sharpe Racing) completes the trio. The Berkshire Turbo-sponsored driver lost a little ground at Snetterton last month, but the teenager still kept his points total ticking over nicely, which is the foundation that championship challenges are built upon.
Daniel Petters (Team Petters Racing) arrives on the back of securing a popular maiden win on home ground at Snetterton and completes a championship top five all operating from different awnings – showing just how competitive the category is.
BSR is the only team with more than one driver in the championship’s top six but Spencer Stevenson will be looking to bounce back after a difficult weekend at Snetterton. Also in a youthful BSR lineup, team-mates Aidan Mitchell, Jake Renshaw and Charlie Constable may have lacked consistency to match their undoubted pace. But strong seasons overall leave them third, fourth and sixth in the Paul Winfield Trophy standings for rookies and other less experienced drivers, where Butler currently leads the way.
Early-season overall points leader Matt Wilkins (Motion Motorsport) has slipped to seventh in the standings after a couple of trying weekends. Wilkins will feel he didn’t get the rewards his efforts deserved last time out, after being hampered by a gearbox failure in qualifying then picking up an unusual drive-through penalty when on course for victory later in the weekend.
Eighth overall, and second in the PWT, is the best of Camp’s Area Motorsport team-mates, Sean McGovern. The Irishman has impressed in his debut campaign and can’t be far from a first overall victory. Team-mate Wesley Swain, who like Camp drives an FN2 rather than the more common EP3, lost a victory to a jumped-start at Snetterton so will be keen to get back to winning ways. Charlie Budd and young gun Francisco Howitt complete Rob Baker’s crack Area squad.
Racing on home ground in front of an entourage from backers Box Construction, Derby racer Josh Bromley (Bromley Motorsport) is targeting a maiden victory this weekend. Four consecutive top-six finishes, including a couple of podiums, suggest that it is surely only a matter time.
Other potential frontrunners to watch out for – especially if they can break into the top 10 in the weekend’s opening race, then benefit from the grid reversal for the middle contest – include Jamie Petters (Team Petters Racing), Louis Austin (Austin Autosport), Harry England (DMR) and Jack Ruddell (MJB Sports Car) who will be looking to bounce back from a nightmare double DNF in Norfolk.
In addition to the Paul Winfield Trophy, another sub-category for those not necessarily in overall contention is the Goodyear Diamond Award. Aimed at drives aged 40 and over, defending champion Mark Hughes (DMR with KA Car Sales) has a healthy advantage over Anthony Gannon (Detail Car Care Racing) after Gannon missed the races at Snetterton.
Making their belated seasonal debuts in the GDA this weekend are former MG racers Adam Jackson and Graham Ross.
Adding to the entry list is the former TCR UK podium finisher, Luke Sargeant. Having made his debut in the series back in 2023 with Area Motorsport, Luke re-unites with the Rob Baker-led outfit as he returns to the Civic Cup in an Area-run EP3. Following several excursions racing in Europe during the first half of 2026, Luke is back to see how he will fare against the current crop of Civic Cup talent.
A busy weekend at Donington features three Civic Cup races. First on-track action is Qualifying at 1105hrs on Saturday (8 August). Round 11 of the championship takes place later that day, with a start time scheduled for 1815hrs. Two races follow on Sunday (9 August). Round 12, the reversed-grid contest, should get under way at 1125hrs, then lights out on Round 13 is timetabled for 1525hrs.
Nothing beats being trackside; with action also coming from TCR UK, for which Civic Cup is the official feeder series, Audi Cup and the British Truck Racing Championship, why not make the trip to Donington Park?
But if you can’t make it in person, fear not; all the action is streamed live for free on The TCR UK YouTube channel.
To find out more about the Civic Cup, visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/ for more info and how to get involved.
To find out more about the events on the 2026 Civic Cup Calendar, visit https://civic-cup.co.uk/2026-season-calendar/ for more info.
Stay tuned for news and updates regarding the 2026 season via our website and social media channels:
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Useful information
DONINGTON PARK ENTRY LIST
DONINGTON PARK TIMETABLE
DONINGTON PARK SATURDAY LIVESTREAM
DONINGTON PARK SUNDAY LIVESTREAM
