Oval track racing is one of the largest forms of motorsport here in the UK. Oval racing covers every budget as cars used range from 1100cc hatchbacks all the way up to Chevrolet LS powered purpose built machines. There are hundreds of tracks up and down the country with numerous different surfaces ranging from concrete to gravel to mud.
Autosport International played host to a big display of oval cars and clubs covering a number of different formulas.
Autograss
Autograss is a perfect example of a motorsport you can enter on any budget! The cars pictured above, to the best of my knowledge, are a Class 1 Mini and a Class 2 K10 Micra. Both of these cars were beautifully finished but I reckon you could put together a class 2 car with a few hundred pounds if you have access to a welder 🙂
I’ve watched these racing on YouTube, there is a club local to me (Concord Autograss) but I’ve not had the chance to go up yet, it looks like really close racing!
Of course the more you get into a motorsport the more insane it gets! As you get up the classes the cars get more and more extreme! Production car chassis’ suddenly get replaced with space frames and motorbike engines take the place of rear seats. Classes 8 to 10 are purpose built machine from the ground up!
If you ever get the opportunity to go and watch these things in action do so! Expect wheel stands, power slides and wheel to wheel racing!
Stock cars
I’m afraid I don’t really know as much about stock cars as I probably should considering I live so close to Arena Essex! I remember going to see them with my Dad when I was little and thinking they looked a lot of fun! As with Autograss I’m asuming there are lots of different classes as the Corsas below are modified production cars…
… and this K11 Micra and Mondeo are just silhouettes over a space frame! Beautifully prepared cars!
This looks like a lot of fun!
The pinnacle of the sport is the BriSCA F1 class. The cars are closed cockpit, open wheel, purpose built machines and have no limit on horsepower!
Autosport has definitely opened my eyes to a lot of new things! You will most certainly be seeing some more oval racing on this blog from Concord and Arena Essex! It looks like a tonne of fun and exactly the sort of thing I want to cover!
Thanks for reading!
