It’s a Civic Cup showdown at Brands Hatch this weekend (31 October-1 November) as Dave Marshall and Alistair Camp go head-to-head in the 2026 championship decider.
After seven months and 15 races so far, it all comes down to a double-header around the 1.2-mile amphitheatre in the Garden of England. Marshall holds the advantage coming into the weekend, with a 16-point lead at the top of the standings. But with 88 points still on the table, it’s all to play for. Who will take the crown in, arguably, Britain’s most competitive one-make tin-tops category?
Both drivers compete aboard the FN2 Civic, the newer of two models eligible for Civic Cup. Marshall, who runs his own car under the DMR with KA Car Sales banner, took the plunge to build a new car for this season. It has paid off handsomely, transforming the popular County Durham racer from being a regular frontrunner to a genuine title contender. Four race wins have followed, marking Marshall as the man to beat.
Camp, whose FN2 is prepared by multiple championship winners Area Motorsport, is the experienced campaigner who has seen it all before. He took the title in 2021, and this year looks set to be his seventh consecutive season ranked in the top three. His two wins in 2026 take his career total to 20, a Civic Cup record.
Each driver took a win last time out at Oulton Park as Camp nibbled into Marshall’s points lead with better positions in qualifying and the other race. Perhaps crucially, the fact that Marshall won the second contest in Cheshire means he carries maximum success ballast into qualifying and the opening race at Brands Hatch. Camp’s FN2 will be 30kg lighter than his rival’s throughout Saturday which could be pivotal around the undulating, tight confines of the Indy circuit.
Should the leading pair slip up, the driver most likely to pip them to the crown is Motion Motorsport man Matt Wilkins. But, starting the weekend 38 points in arrears, in would take a dramatic turnaround for Wilkins to hit the jackpot. Irrespective of the outcome, it has been a fine sophomore campaign for the Reading racer who only contested a half season last year. Wilkins has taken his EP3 model to two wins and three further podiums; a second place at Oulton Park leaves him lumbered with 30kg of success ballast this weekend.
Also still mathematically in contention is Ben Sharpe Racing’s Wilf Butler. But his more realistic route to silverware is in the Paul Winfield Trophy, for rookies and other less experienced drivers, where he currently leads the way. The teen sensation will have fond memories of Brands Hatch, having won a race on his Civic Cup debut there back in April.
Butler’s closest PWT rival is Sean McGovern (Area Motorsport), 13 points adrift. The Irish young gun is also an overall race winner but his overall title chances were derailed by an incident-filled weekend at Oulton Park.
Completing the overall top six is Josh Bromley (Bromley Motorsport) who will be eager to finally break his duck and score his first Civic Cup race win this weekend.
Others who are knocking on the door of a first victory include a trio of Butler’s BSR team-mates. Jake Renshaw and Aidan Mitchell have really hit form towards the end of their sophomore season – the pair qualified first and third last time out and both recorded podium finishes. Spencer Stevenson has been a perennial frontrunner with multiple podiums but his championship challenge faltered with a tough Donington weekend. Having skipped Oulton Park, he’ll be fresh and raring to go as he aims to end the season on a high.
The BSR squad is completed by two more young guns in Charlie Constable and Freddie Ingram. Both have been making strides, Ingram having a real breakthrough weekend at Donington, but will be aiming to more consistently challenge among the top 10.
Camp and McGovern’s team-mates at Area Motorsport include rising star Wesley Swain who will certainly be one to watch as a winner at Brands Hatch earlier this year. Charlie Budd, arriving at Brands on the back of his two strongest weekends yet, and young gun Francisco Howitt complete the five-strong outfit.
Among the smaller squads, Ben Bateman (MWB Motorsport) has his dander up after coming agonisingly short of breaking into the top 10 with a pair of fine drives at Oulton Park. It was Graham Ross (GR Motorsport) who denied Bateman a reversed-grid pole position in Cheshire, and the Scotsman capitalised by recording a popular maiden podium. The Perth and Kinross-based driver faces a monumental journey to Brands Hatch, but it’s a circuit he goes well at, so don’t be surprised if he shows strong pace again.
Ross is eligible for the Goodyear Diamond Award, for drivers aged 40 and over, but, having missed a number of rounds, is not in contention for the crown. Barring disasters, that looks set to head the way of Mark Hughes (DMR with KA Car Sales) as he returns from injury looking to seal a successful title defence.
Some 61 points adrift, Anthony Gannon (Detail Car Care Racing) is Hughes’s closest rival but had yet to confirm his Brands Hatch entry at the time of writing. Adam Jackson (AMW Motorsport) will look to give his former MG sparring partner Ross and Hughes a run for their money in the category.
Former short oval racers Daniel and Jamie Petters (Team Petters Racing) have had a tough time since Dan’s breakthrough win at Snetterton mid-season. They will hope to put some wretched luck behind them and get back to mixing things up among the established frontrunners.
One-time MG Trophy champion Joe Dalgarno (Motion Motorsport) has also had some rough fortune, just as he was taking a step forward in terms of overall competitiveness. But you’d be hard pushed to find anyone with more bad luck than Adam Parker (ADS1928 Racing) who must have run over several black cats in a past life.
Harry England (HER with DMR) and Will Butt (Buttsy Racing) return to the fray after missing Oulton Park, while there is another outing for 2026 newcomer Callum Eynstone (AT Motorsport).
On-track action begins with Qualifying on Saturday (31 October) morning at 1005hrs. Round 16 of the championship is scheduled for 1452hrs start that afternoon. The title will be decided in the season finale, Round17, on Sunday (1 November) with a scheduled start time of 1227hrs.
The TCR UK Touring Car Championship, British Truck Racing Championship, Mini Challenge Trophy and Pickups all have their title deciders at Brands Hatch too in what looks set to be an unmissable weekend of action. There’s even a gigantic firework display on Sunday. Advance tickets are available online – 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.
Stay tuned for news and updates regarding the 2026 Season Finale via our website and social media channels:
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