Why there are reasons for optimism as the 2026 club racing season finds its feet

The start of a new season is always a nervous time for clubs. Yes, there is excitement at returning to their core business of running race events, but trepidation too about how many drivers will appear at those initial meetings. Will the hard work behind the scenes in the off-season have paid off? Have external factors caused numbers to take a surprise hit? 

Clubs have faced extra, unforeseen challenges at the start of several recent years, including the coronavirus pandemic forcing racing to be halted on the eve of the 2020 campaign, or Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years later that triggered spiralling inflation.

And there is once again reason for clubs to be a little jittery at the start of this year. The conflict in the Middle East is casting a shadow as uncertainty surrounds fuel supplies and price rises, leaving organisers to monitor developments. 

“We have to look at things meeting by meeting and liaise with the circuit owners and Motorsport UK,” says Historic Sports Car Club CEO Andy Dee-Crowne in the event of a deterioration of the situation. “We have to work collegiately on getting to grips with a crisis should it emerge. Some areas of motorsport are not as volatile as others. For example, if you have an F1 car, the price of fuel isn’t a determining factor to whether you race or not.”

However, for now at least, the club racing marketplace appears relatively buoyant. Of the 114 English series to have commenced by the end of April that have comparable data, an impressive 55 have enjoyed a larger grid than their 2025 average, while a further 11 have matched this figure. In total, these two groups account for 58% of all categories. Yes, it must be noted that uptake is often strong from enthusiastic competitors after a long winter, but it is still an encouraging start.

The HSCC’s Snetterton event is not usually its most popular fixture, but Formula Ford numbers – of the 1600cc and 2000cc variety – were strong. And Dee-Crowne is particularly impressed by the entries already gushing in for its next meeting at Donington Park. “The numbers four weeks out for Donington are ridiculous, we haven’t seen this for years,” he says. “We’re already in reserves for some races – Road Sports has gone mad and the Alfas. There seems to be a resurgence in racing.”

Yes, the HSCC’s Mutton Grand Prix grid in Norfolk was minuscule – just three cars participated, with Dee-Crowne saying the “Mutton Grand Prix on tour [idea] didn’t really work as well as at Silverstone, when we sold out” – but there have been some bountiful entries elsewhere. 

750 Motor Club reports bumper grids – can this trend be maintained?

Photo by: Gary Hawkins

A staggering 28 categories have achieved standalone grids of 30 cars or more, with the 750 Motor Club’s Roadsports division leading the way on 51 entries at Croft, the Yorkshire venue not exactly a traditional hotbed for bumper grids! Other massive fields have come from the Bernie’s V8s & Historic Outlaws and United FF1600 contests at Silverstone with MotorSport Vision Racing, while CityCar Cup leads the way for the British Racing & Sports Car Club at 41 cars. 

“CityCar Cup is just bursting at the seams to the extent we can’t fit them all on one grid,” explains BRSCC head of commercial strategy Greg Graham. “We’ve adopted a group strategy where we do a maximum qualifying and, depending on the circuit and its capacity, we split them into groups A/B/C. It allows us to offer as many people as possible a chance to race.”

Fiesta Junior has also enjoyed another abundant start, with 30 cars for its Snetterton opener. “That’s not happened by accident – there’s been a massive amount of effort, not just from within the club but from the race teams themselves,” Graham adds. “They’re as instrumental as anyone and it’s been nice to see.”

“We’re not complacent at all and you can’t be when things are so fragile. We just have to do what we do as well as we can and hope that people keep spending their money to go racing” Greg Graham

While the BRSCC has so far matched or exceeded its entry forecasts, Graham is taking nothing for granted. “We’re not complacent at all and you can’t be when things are so fragile,” he admits. “We just have to do what we do as well as we can and hope that people keep spending their money to go racing.”

Ultimately, it is too early to say whether events in Iran will have a significant impact on UK motorsport. “That’s got a knock-on effect for everybody, not just in motorsport, and these are things we can’t influence, and we don’t know what effect they’re having – we don’t know who is going to be affected the most,” says Graham. 

But, for now, there are still plenty of reasons for optimism, even if club organisers will continue to be anxious beyond this first month of the season.

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the June 2026 issue and subscribe today. 

Packed grid for Fiesta Junior Snetterton season opener has “not happened by accident”

Photo by: BRSCC