New rookie class and British GT appearance for CityCar Cup
A Novice Racer Trophy has been added to the CityCar Cup after the series attracted an influx of rookies, while it will benefit from racing alongside British GT this season.
The British Racing & Sports Car Club category was launched in the middle of last year and features bespoke track-focused examples of the Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo.
Special conversion kits – including a remapped ECU and adjustable suspension – can be purchased, or drivers can buy ready-to-race cars.
Unlike other series for C1s and Ford Kas, it does not feature endurance races.
The CityCar Cup has enjoyed an explosion of interest for its first full campaign, for which it has been granted championship status, and over half of the 39 drivers currently entered for the Donington Park season opener this weekend are complete racing rookies.
This has led to the introduction of the new award, with the top novice in each race and in the final championship standings receiving a trophy.
“We’ve attracted so many, to give them something to race for away from the more experienced racers is one thing, but the volume of novice racers we’ve attracted to CityCar Cup has blown us away,” said BRSCC head of formulae development Greg Graham.
“The goal was to try to get as many new drivers into motorsport as possible and it’s proven, so far, to be quite successful.
“We’ve also got some people who raced 15 to 18 years ago that have come back in this.
“A lot of people think motorsport’s too complex or too expensive, but we’ve tried to answer those questions and make it as easy and attractive as possible by formatting the CityCar Cup the way we have.
“It’s relatively cheap, and also the supply chain we’ve put together is almost a one-stop shop so there’s no chasing around the country to find bits and pieces. It all comes from one central supplier.”
The category initially appeared as a class within the Clubsport Trophy last year before attracting 15 cars for its first standalone event at Croft in October.
Graham describes that as “a massive achievement with COVID”, while the interest for this year has been “spectacular”.
He believes the championship can act as a stepping stone, with drivers progressing on to higher-powered machinery in other series.
The CityCar Cup has had a round at the July Donington Park British GT meeting added to its schedule for this year to replace a cancelled event at Silverstone.
“When we announced that, all the drivers were absolutely buzzing,” said Graham.
“The visibility it will give to that championship is something that can only benefit it in the future.”
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