JUNIOR SALOON CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
For Dave Beecroft, championship coordinator of the Citroen Saxo-based
Junior Saloon Car Championship, JSCC’s main selling point is clear.
“It’s an opportunity for young drivers to get on track at the most cost-effective price, we are by far the most cost-effective championship,” Beecroft tells Motorsport News. “The cars are relatively cheap, they’re relatively cheap to repair, they have a long life, it’s just very good value.
“[JSCC] cars are selling for about £10,000, if you look after it you’ll sell it again for £10,000, a lad-and-dad team you can expect to spend between £15,000 and £20,000, certainly no more. The only way you can spend more money is if you’re doing a lot more testing. If you’re running with a team you’d expect to spend £30,000-35,000.”
JSCC has been running in its current guise since 2014 with the British Automobile Racing Club , and this year offers a 24-race schedule across 10 meetings.
“The little Citroen that we use, it’s not too big, not too small, the right amount of power for junior drivers,” Beecroft continues. “It’s front-wheel drive so it’s quite a benign car to drive, it’s a basic H-pattern gearbox so they get the basics, they’re not too heavy for the smaller younger children. They’re very very robust, and that improves the longevity. The engines are bomb proof.
“Last year we had 38 kids registered for the championship, we didn’t quite get a grid of over 30, we’re quite confident that we’ll get a grid of over 30 this year.”
The championship has also become known for its high driving standards, having previously been viewed as poor in this area.
“We have a permanent clerk of the course, Vicky McClinton’s been with us six years,” Beecroft explains, “driving standards are the key thing and if you watch the racing we have kids that can do a whole lap of the circuit absolutely side by side without knocking the door mirror off.
“If there’s no contact everybody enjoys it more, so it’s a win-win situation, and the mums and dads appreciate what we do to get the driving standards up.”
JSCC also has an annual scholarship offering a fully funded season. The latest was won recently by Jack James via the multi-faceted shootout at Croft. “The standard we have in the scholarship it just gets better every year,” Beecroft notes. “We don’t just base it on who the fastest person is, it’s the overall personality.”