The 2007 TVR Car Club Challenge Cup/Dunlop Tuscan Challenge kicks off this Saturday where the 2006 competition finished with a double header at Oulton Park in Cheshire. Will TVRCC Competition Secretary and current series champion Graham Walden begin this season with the same consistency that he showed all through 2006, or will he succumb to the power and might of the stunning new Sagaris V8s that have been testing through the winter?  

Many of last years stars have changed cars and moved up a class including our own TVR Sprint Deputy Editor Howard Bryan who moves from Class C where he took class honours last year in his Tasmin and this year will pilot a Tuscan. We hope to have the full list of competitors for this year's competition on the Motorsport Page in the Members' Area soon - 26 are registered so far - but in the meantime we have the timings for this Saturday for those who are planning to cheer on their favourite drivers.
Qualifying is from 0910 until 0925. Race one is due to start at 1300 and race two at 1615. So come on, get along to Oulton and let's get our support behind the TVRCC Challenge Cup drivers. ​

This weekend sees the first round of the 2007 TVRCC Speed Championship which starts on Sunday at North Weald Airfield, Essex.
Organised by the Borough 19 Motor Club, North Weald in March is going to be cold - especially noting the forecast of possible snow showers for the eastern half of UK for this weekend - but the Speed Championship always have a good turnout at this one. First practice stars at 0915.
Please note though that this is a non-spectator event although it may be possible to gain access by arrangement - please contact series coordinator Steve Cox if interested in attending.
For more details about the Speed Championship, click here 

For the rest of this month, the 1962 Le Mans Grantura, restored between 2000 and 2003, will take pride of place in the main display at Alfred Dunhill in Jermyn Street London.
Dunhills have long had an association with motorsport and the car has been loaned to them by its present owner, City Region RO, Daniel Nash.  

As a result of some overall changes to the BRSCC calendar announced at the Autosport Show, the provisional TVRCC Challenge Cup dates have changed. In short, Silverstone has dropped off the programme, Pembrey has moved into May, and there are additional rounds at Oulton Park in August and Brands Hatch in September. Full details can be found in the Motorsport pages.  Please note however that these dates remain provisional.

After 20 rounds spanning the length and breadth of the country, the TVRCC Speed Championship title for 2006, and with it the Colin Parry Cup, goes to Simon Cole.

​With 199.78 points, the Yorkshire based 350/460 driver took the title from second placed entrant Paul Edwards piloting a T350C by just two points. Third, and leading Class A competitor home, was Steve Dennis in a Vixen S2.

Despite starting in 9th place on the 5th row of the grid, it was Andy Holden (Tuscan#6) who took the chequered flag at Oulton Park in the final race of the 2006 Dunlop Tuscan Challenge/TVRCC Challenge Cup today. But the title goes to Graham Walden, who despite finishing in 5th position, managed to hold off the challenge from Marc Hockin to take the title and Class B honours by just 7 points.

Thunder Sunday at Rockingham brought two wins out of two for V8 Sagaris driver Tim Hood ahead of Andy Holden and Steve Glynn. In class B, TVRCC Competition secretary Graham Walden took the honours ahead of Marc Hockin and Kevan Gore, whilst in class C victory went once again to TVR Sprint Deputy Editor Howard Bryan. 

Congratulations must also go to rookie driver Mark Freeman, who, in his first outing in any form of motorsport, finished both races but despite the official timing showing that he had also set the fastest lap in Class C in his first race, this turned out to be a trick of the timing gear as he had outbraked himslef, gone straight on at a chicane and missed the hairpin thus shaving 18 seconds off his best time!

​The next opportunity to see the cars in action will be in demonstration runs at Back Home in Blackpool next Saturday. The next race is at Mallory Park on 20 August.  

Although the detailed results of the third and final race of "Plateau 4" have not yet been posted, the overall results of the Classic Le Mans have and therefore we are delighted to offer our sincerest congratulations to City region RO Daniel Nash for finishing a highly creditable 20th overall from 70 starters in the 1962 Le Mans Grantura. Daniel, together with co-driver and fellow TVRCC member Kingsley Marten, finished with many supposedly much faster cars - including three Porsche 911s, four E Types, five GT40s and a whole bunch of Ferraris - behind him 

​Even his raw position before "compensation" was very respectable in 28th. Sadly it was a disappointing day for fellow TVRCC member Phil Hooper whose Grantura was placed only 61st out of the 70. The "plateau" was won overall by a Lotus Elan driven by Frenchman Jean Marc Merlin. 

All in all it was a pretty disappointing day for TVR racing. The expected field of 15-17 cars did not materialise for a number of reasons. Cars not ready, one with a serious electrical problem the day before, and problems during testing the previous day. Iain Jones was unable to qualify or race following a blown head gasket.
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But with joint Class A leader Tim Hood retiring on the first lap, fellow class A leader Darren Dowling racing but not qualifying due to a failed transponder and class B/overall championship leader Marc Hockin also retiring, it left the field wide open. Dean Cook was thus able to claim his first victory in the 2006 Dunlop Tuscan Challenge/TVRCC Challenge Cup. 

After 2 seasons in the TVRCC Challenge Cup racing a Turbo TVR Tasmin, the partnership of owner/driver Cliff Jobson and Constructors Track Car Solutions Ltd have embarked on a new race car project for the 2007 season, a TVR T350.

​Having campaigned successfully the current Twin Turbo 24 valve TVR Tasmin and developed it as far as possible within the constraints of the original factory chassis, the team have moved their focus towards its more modern replacement. 

History has been made at the La Sarthe circuit this weekend with the first ever win in Le Mans by a diesel powered car. After 24 gruelling hours and 380 laps of the 13km circuit, the Joest Audi No 8 of Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner crossed the finishing line 4 laps ahead of second placed No 17 Pescarolo Sport or Eric Helary, Franck Montagny and Sebastian Loeb. Third was the second Joest Audi.   

The TVR race is at 5.45pm, but several of the TVR drivers are also competing in the 'Special GT' race at 3pm. Qualifying starts at 10amCastle Combe is a hugely friendly circuit and probably one of the best from a spectator perspective - raised banking enables the spectator to see far more of the track than at many circuits.

The TVR field includes full Tuscan Challenge spec cars, Tim Hood's new Sagaris V8, and a variety of other racing TVRs including a Griffith, Chimeara and numerous Tasmins.
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The paddock is open to spectators and the drivers are all happy to spend time with club members talking through the cars and where that ellusive last 10th of a second is likely to come from! The race will also be shown on Motors TV

Congratulations to Tim Hood who this afternoon took the chequered flag at Silverstone in the V8 Sagaris in only its second outing in the Dunlop Tuscan Challenge.
Just 3/10 second behind was championship leader Darren Dowling in a Tuscan who was nearly a lap ahead of third placed driver Dean Cook, also in a Tuscan. Class B honours were taken again by Marc Hockin's Griffith ahead of Cliff Jobson's Tasmin. Unfortunately, the only entrant in Class C, Sprint Deputy Editor Howard Bryan, retired after 10 laps. 
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With thanks to Middlesex RO Adam Davis for the photo. 

Congratulations to Darren Dowling for his victory in the inaugural Dunlop Tuscan Challenge at Oulton Park at the weekend. Congratulations also to winners of Class B Marc Hockin and Class C Sprint Deputy Editor Howard Bryan. 

The first test of the first true racing V8 Sagaris built by Tim Hood, Terry Lee & Grantura Engineering took place yesterday and the Club believes that these are the first pictures of it shown to the public.This is a highly modified shell with a removable front (clam shell) which will accommodate most V8 engines with a well proven Tuscan race chassis. In testing yesterday at Silverstone, it had only a few very small probles which were all sorted out by the end of the test. First reports are that it handles far better than a Tuscan with the advantage of being more aero dynamic with down force. For futher details contact John Reid.