🏁 BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKENDER – RACE REPORT 🏁

What a huge bank holiday weekend for the formula, as drivers headed down to the South West for one of the biggest events on the calendar – the British Championship.

It all started on Sunday at United Downs Raceway, where qualifying points were up for grabs that would play a massive role in setting the grid for Monday’s British Final at Smeatharpe. Every heat mattered, every position counted, and drivers knew that a good day here could make or break their chances heading into the big one.

Across the day, it was 192 Max Harding and 291 Dan Baker who really stamped their authority on qualifying, both taking heat wins and consistently finishing at the sharp end. 121 Josh Malt and 1 James Faultless were right in the mix all day too, picking up strong points finishes to keep themselves firmly in contention.

But as always, the weekend wasn’t without its challenges…

30 Tim Dyche suffered engine failure in practice on Sunday, which looked set to end his weekend before it had even begun. But in true Modstox spirit, the paddock came together – with the Wilson’s hire car stepping in to save the day and get him back out on track to pick up valuable qualifying points for the big race.

It wasn’t much kinder to 330 Charlotte Dyche, who also hit engine trouble on Sunday. With the risk of further damage, the decision was made to keep the car on the trailer for Monday to save equipment for another day.

Attention then turned to Smeatharpe Stadium on Monday, where not only did the British Championship take place, but drivers had one last chance to grab crucial qualifying points in the opening two heats before the grid for the final was locked in.

Again, it was a fiercely competitive showing. Harding continued his form with another heat win, while Underhill and Worth also took victories as the grid began to take shape. Malt was incredibly consistent once again, bagging a pair of second places to keep himself right at the front when it mattered most.

512 James Bishop had a weekend to forget in terms of luck. After only competing on the Monday, he missed his opening heat due to lorry issues on the way to the track. Despite that setback, he still made it out for the rest of the meeting, only for more car trouble in the final to limit his result. He managed to finish the race but was unable to take part in the all-comers, rounding off a frustrating day.

🏆 BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

When it came down to it, it was 6 Adam Perkins who delivered when it counted, taking the win in the 2026 British Championship Final after a hard-fought race at the front.

However, the final could have looked very different. 192 Max Harding looked set to take the win before contact from two cars sent Harding onto his side against the wall, ending what had been an incredibly dominant weekend in dramatic fashion.

Behind the chaos, 121 Josh Malt capped off an outstanding weekend with a well-earned 2nd place, showing consistency across both days and proving to be one of the standout performers of the entire meeting. 1 James Faultless completed the podium in 3rd, with 73 Craig Underhill and 83 Heidi Clark rounding out a competitive top five.

📊 WEEKEND STANDOUTS

Max Harding (192) – Dominated qualifying across both days and topped the grading points after the meeting.

Josh Malt (121) – An incredibly strong and consistent weekend overall, finishing P2 in the British Final. The only blemish came at United Downs where he found the wall, with the bumper locking the outside front wheel and ending his race early. Aside from that, a top-level performance all weekend.

Adam Perkins (6) – Timed it perfectly to take the biggest win of the weekend – the British Championship.

Dan Baker (291) – Right in the fight all weekend, although not without drama. A carb issue led to what can only be described as a stubborn fire that refused to go out! Huge credit to the team for getting the car sorted and back out on track, where it was flying again.

Heidi Clark (83) – One of the most consistent drivers across the entire weekend, quietly putting together strong finishes in every race and firmly keeping herself in the mix.

Sam Woods (555) – A big milestone weekend, scoring his first points of the year, a moment that will no doubt kickstart his season going forward.

📈 GRADING PERIOD 1 IMPACT

This weekend played a huge role in shaping Grading Period 1, with all results from United Downs and Smeatharpe contributing to the overall points.

192 Max Harding leads the way on 121 points1 James Faultless sits close behind on 106 points121 Josh Malt is right there on 103 points6 Adam Perkins just behind on 102 points

With no national points on offer, this weekend was all about maximising grading scores — and it’s set things up perfectly heading into the next grading period.

🙌 FINAL WORD

This wasn’t just any race weekend… this was also our first meeting at the Autospeed Motorsport Promoters tracks – and it’s fair to say they absolutely blew it out the park.

From start to finish, the whole event delivered – competitive racing, great atmosphere, and a proper championship feel across both days.

A huge thank you to Crispen and the entire team for putting on a weekend to remember 👏

We can’t wait to get back there…

Our next meeting with Autospeed takes us to Taunton in July for another huge weekender 🔥