Club column: Stephen Lickorish

With Rockingham closing to motorsport events from next year, the effects are already being felt, but the circuit’s loss could have big benefits for club racing

“ROCKINGHAM CEASING ITS MOTORSPORT ACTIVITIES WILL AFFECT CLUB RACING”

The phrase‘it’s a shame to lose any motorsport venue’has been used quite a lot in the couple of weeks since Rockingham’s demise. And there’s definitely a strong element of truth in it, especially with a circuit that was as unique as the Northamptonshire speedway.

Although British Touring Car Championship bosses apparently saw this coming and planned its 2019 calendar without Rockingham, the track ceasing motorsport activities will have much more of an impact on the world of club racing.

Discounting the BTCC and British GT meetings – and the planned November farewell event (detailed on page 64) – there are 10 club racing events on the 2018 Rockingham calendar. Six of those are British Automobile Racing Club events (including the two Citroen C1 24-hour races that will now need to find a new home), two are British Racing and Sports Car Cluborganised and there are solitary meetings for the 750 Motor Club and Motorsport Vision Racing. Rockingham’s closure will therefore create a logistical headache for all these clubs and BRSCC competitions manager Dominic Ostrowski admits he is surprised that the circuit will shut down so soon.

“Rockingham has never been everyone’s cup of tea but it’s one less circuit for us to go to now,”he adds.“it’s a problem, really, we normally have two or three meetings there. We need to think about where we go – we are just starting the long and arduous process of booking dates.”

And Rockingham’s demise has another knock-on effect on this complicated process. To compensate for the loss of Rockingham, the BTCC has added a second Thruxton date to its 2019 schedule. But the Hampshire circuit is restricted to just 12 days of racing a year. With four of those now taken up by the BTCC, two likely for British Superbikes and two for a planned historic event following this year’s successful anniversary celebration, that leaves space for just four days of club meetings.

Given the circuit is operated by the BARC, you would expect two days to be dedicated to the club’s own championships, meaning one of the 2018 visitors (the BRSCC and Classic Sports Car Club) will probably be left out.

Therefore it’s no wonder the BRSCC is looking at other venues and, for example, could make a first visit to Pembrey since 2011. And that is one of the positives that can emerge from Rockingham’s closure: other small circuits could receive a boost. Ostrowski has named Mallory Park, Croft and Pembrey as three examples of this and the BARC’S Ian Watson says the club is also looking at alternative venues.

Another beneficiary could be Mondello Park. The circuit’s general manager Roddy Greene says there is a renewed focus on club racing at the track and is working to tempt UK championships and clubs to make the trip to Ireland. The Rockingham news can only help that process. It could also be a boost to the proposed Lake Torrent circuit in Northern Ireland, which – all being well – is due to open at some point next year.

But, more significantly, Ostrowski says the BRSCC could run fewer meetings next season, condensing its series into a slightly smaller number of more profitable events. If replicated across the major clubs, that could be a very good outcome indeed.

Autosport has long since argued that there are far too many club meetings. Competitors, marshals, officials and spectators are spread too thinly and a smaller number of meetings should lead to improvements across the board. By running fewer meetings, the quality and entries should rise with competitors offered slightly less choice.

If the number of events is indeed reduced, this will put track time at more of a premium and will turn the attention to which series run.

And that’s another gripe with the club racing world – there are too many championships, some of which attract small entries. There are several series known to be on the brink of being axed and joining the already-ousted Renault UK Clio

Cup Junior series on the scrapheap this year. This could be an ideal opportunity for clubs to take action as they can’t afford to have poorly supported categories clogging up a reduced number of meetings.

That is not an impossible challenge as grids for some series could be amalgamated, and there could be a reduction in the number of allcomers races, which often have small entries.

It also means that any new series launched for next year will have to justify their place on the packed schedules.

So, while it really is a shame to lose Rockingham, with Ostrowski among those paying tribute its“very dedicated staff”, there are some possible positives to the loss of the first UK circuit since Ingliston shut in 1994. Now it is down to the clubs to look at their schedules and make the tweaks that can help club racing to thrive.