There was great excitement and eager anticipation at Donington Park yesterday (21st February), as MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR) launched its 2023 motor racing season.
This was a fantastic opportunity for our varying championships and series to reveal 2023 challengers, across differing photo shoots and track time on the day. We welcomed new-for-2023 Bellsport Challenge Series and Miata Trophy, along with our existing bustling portfolio of championships and series and a number of media attendees.
Having forged its reputation in recent years as the UK’s leading single-seater championship, the prestigious GB3 Championship will this year become a fully-fledged FIA International Series, with two rounds abroad at Zandvoort and Spa-Francorchamps. Its sister GB4 Championship, launched in 2022, continues to provide drivers graduating from karting or club racing a significantly lower cost route onto the single-seater ladder and acts as a feeder series to higher open-wheel categories – such as the successful GB3 Championship partnered by the BRDC.
Radical’s premier UK & European race series, the Hagerty Radical Cup UK returns with a new, fresh look for its 22nd season. The one-make championship, comprised of six rounds, joins the support package for the 2023 British Touring Car Championship for two weekends and offers a range of format options and levels of competition to satisfy any racer from novice to veteran. GT Cup, an established part of the UK motorsport scene, continues to grow in stature and popularity and spectators can expect strongly-contested racing from six different groups of machinery this year.
The new-for-2023 Bell Sport Challenge Series enjoyed plenty of interest. The series is open to all models of paddle-shift Ferrari Challenge cars - from the 360 Challenge, up to the current 488 (non-Evo) cars, with individual classes for each. The other new addition to MSVRs ranks in 2023, Miata Trophy, also caught the eye. The latest in MSV Trackdays’ impressive racing portfolio will feature the innovative qualifying format ‘SuperPole’ and two sprint races at each meeting, for two classes of Mazda MX-5.
Now in its fifth season, the Ferrari Challenge UK features an impressive grid of 488 Challenge Evo cars all set to battle head-to-head over a tremendous calendar. The Porsche Club Championship with Pirelli will provide the perfect opportunity for competitive racing, for drivers of recent production model Porsches, using standard engines, suspension units and gearboxes, based on a power to weight formula. The Eden Porsche Club Motorsport Open Cup Series joins our ranks and will cater for 996/997/991 Cup, R and RSR cars as well as the mid-engine Cayman Clubsport. Meanwhile, the 911 Challenge is for all 911s from 1965 up to and including 1993. The series will run as an Open format this year. .
The five-class United Formula Ford Championship entertained across seven weekends in 2022 and this is set to expand to eight events in 2023 – offering fantastic opportunities for Formula Ford racers to compete across the best of UK circuits. Meanwhile, the Champion of Brands will again provide the Brands Hatch faithful with a regular supply of Formula Ford 1600 racing throughout the season. The category dates back to 1967 and will be on-track three times at MSVR race meetings during the 2023 season. Further open-wheel action can be found within the Monoposto Championship, which stresses the importance of racing in an inclusive environment with regulations that promote healthy, respectful, competitive racing.
The Sports Racing Car Club (SRCC) Sports 2000 offers both Duratec and Historic Championships and will run for a fourth season with MSVR in 2023. The series allows racers of mid-engined, open-cockpit, full bodied sports prototype cars to compete at some of the UK and Europe’s finest circuits. Also returning for its fourth season with MSVR is the Clubmans Sports Prototype Championship, and it remains a prime championship for those who enjoy developing their racing prototypes with relatively open regulations.
Remaining on MSVR’s roster for 2023 is the hugely successful Toyo Tires 7 Race Series, which often displays large grids of both 420R and 1600cc Caterham’s at circuits across the UK. Focus Cup will once again provide thrilling one-make action from a grid of Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi race cars, which are specifically mapped to 175bhp and 310lb/ft. Z Cars returns with Project 8 Racing and MSVR with an exciting calendar, championship status and an exciting new build support package. The championship will cater for three varieties of BMW’s Z models, plus the New Generation Production BMW E90 325i.
Bernie’s V8s & Historic Outlaws made a home with MSVR in 2022, pitting American V8 muscle cars against their European counterparts to bring big BHP and plenty of noise to UK race circuits in 2023. Snetterton Saloons, formed in 2021, will again encourage local-to-Snetterton talent to race in their two or four wheel drive saloon, coupé or convertible machinery. The ‘run by racers for racers’ Production GTI Championship will continue to provide clean, fair racing in Volkswagen’s iconic Golf GTi.
MSVT Trackday Trophy, the series that has produced hundreds of drivers shows no signs of slowing down this year, with open regulations that enable almost anyone to get started into their racing careers. MSVT Trackday Championship’s championship format allows both new and experienced participants to experience the excitement of a season-long championship battle, whilst maintaining the sociable and friendly atmosphere which has always appealed to MSVT entrants. For a truly unique and inexpensive way to experience the thrill of team endurance racing, with an emphasis on fun, EnduroKA returns for yet another year of Mk1 Ford KA action.
The Lotus Cup UK Speed Championship aims is to introduce more enthusiasts into the world of competitive motorsport and returns in 2023 with three separate championships, one for normally-aspirated production cars, one for forced-induction production cars and one for faster SuperSport cars. Last, but by no means least, MSVR All-Comers series will continue to provide a fun, laid-back chance for drivers to gain experience - and to get those all-important licence upgrade signatures! The series can trace its roots all the way back to MSVR’s inaugural year and we look forward to its continuation in 2023.
MSVR’s 2023 Season Launch day was hugely successful and has done nothing but add to our enthusiasm for this upcoming season. All of us cannot wait to get started.