wartamoro.com, etelah penantian panjang, musim balap pendukung British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) akhirnya akan dimulai akhir pekan ini di Donington Park. Empat kategori utama — Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Sprint Challenge GB, British Formula 4, dan Mini Challenge — siap menggebrak dengan persaingan sengit.
Meskipun kejuaraan baru TOCA Junior yang direncanakan harus ditunda peluncurannya hingga 2026, minat terhadap empat kategori yang ada tetap tinggi. Berikut adalah rangkuman para pesaing utama yang patut diperhatikan.
Porsche Carrera Cup GB: Sang Juara Bertahan dan Penantang Baru
George Gamble, juara bertahan, masih tersenyum mengingat kemenangan dramatisnya musim lalu di Brands Hatch dalam kondisi hujan berat. Musim ini, ia kembali membela Century Motorsport, mempertahankan nomor #1 di mobil Porschenya, dan bertekad mengulang sukses.
"Balapan penutup itu bahkan kini ditayangkan di semua dealer Porsche," katanya bangga. "Itu jadi kenangan yang akan saya simpan selamanya."
Namun, Gamble tidak akan sendirian. Rival utamanya, Will Martin, bergabung dengan tim baru Eden Motorsport. Meskipun musim lalu sempat tergelincir di Brands Hatch, Martin percaya musim ini ia lebih siap:
"Balapan itu lebih banyak tentang frustrasi daripada kesenangan. Tahun ini, saya ingin fokus menikmati prosesnya."
Selain itu, ada Andrew Rackstraw, pembalap Formula Ford yang kini menjadi rekan setim Gamble, serta James Wallis, pembalap binaan program Porsche Junior yang membalap untuk JTR. Wallis menegaskan, setelah bergabung dengan program junior dan bekerja dengan psikolog olahraga, ia kini lebih fokus dan percaya diri.
Tak kalah menarik, tiga besar dari Sprint Challenge GB tahun lalu — Seb Hopkins, Will Jenkins, dan Max Coates — kini naik kelas ke Carrera Cup, memperkaya persaingan di kategori Cayman.
Porsche Sprint Challenge GB: Trice dan Zelos Siap Bersaing
Porsche Sprint Challenge GB
Trice (in the center) has had much better preparation for the approaching Cayman campaign.
Photo by: Porsche
The statistics related to Toby Trice’s head-on crash during the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB event near Copse in 2023 are truly remarkable. As a front-runner in the championship, Trice collided with the barrier at an astonishing speed of 135 mph, resulting in a massive G-force impact measuring 53g. Despite escaping serious injury such as fractures, he had to sit out from competing in the final race at Brands Hatch due to this accident, thereby losing his chance for the championship title. This setback led to prolonged rehabilitation—impacting him significantly throughout the following season when he secured a delayed contract with the team Clean Racing.
“I didn't get to train over the winter because I was injured from the accident but, I'm not going to lie, it took a good two-three weekends of racing before I really got Toby back,” he admits. “It was an incredible, strange and scary experience but that's all behind me now.
“Last year we signed the deal really late in the day – Friday practice was our first drive in the new RS [upgraded Cayman model]. This season, however, me and my sponsors have drummed together with a proper pre-season plan, which is brilliant – I've never had that luxury before of pre-season testing. I'm coming with a lot of fitness behind me, I've been working hard over the winter, a fresh head and all focused on the outright title.”
Trice is understandably keen to hit the ground running after failing to score a podium last year as he finished seventh in the standings. And, although many of the 2024 frontrunners have moved on, two-time race winner Joe Marshall has switched to Team Parker Racing and will pose a major threat. Then there is triple Mini Challenge conqueror Dan Zelos, who has entered the world of rear-wheel drive for the first time .
“My driving style is going to have to change massively in these cars,” explains the Graves Motorsport driver. “There's a lot more power, the engine's behind me rather than in front and the weight distribution is completely different. So I'm not expecting to light up the times straight away, but we're here to learn – it's the first day at school again.”
However, given the manner in which Zelos rapidly got up to speed during his British Touring Car cameo last year, it is unlikely to be long before he is challenging Trice, Marshall and co. at the front.
British Formula 4: Era Baru, Banyak Talenta Muda
British Formula 4 musim ini diprediksi penuh kejutan. Dengan mayoritas pembalap top 2023 naik ke GB3, banyak pendatang baru yang berpotensi bersinar.
Tommy Harfield dari Chris Dittmann Racing, meski baru saja pulih dari cedera tangan, yakin sekitar 15 pembalap bisa meraih pole position. Sementara itu, Jimmy Piszcyk — setelah sukses di Australia — kembali ke Inggris dengan ambisi besar bersama Rodin Motorsport.
Leo Robinson, yang musim lalu meraih tiga kemenangan, kini membela Hitech bersama Red Bull Junior Fionn McLaughlin dan Thomas Bearman, adik dari pembalap Haas F1 Ollie Bearman.
Di sisi lain, Martin Molnar tetap setia bersama Virtuosi setelah memenangi Jake Cook Memorial Award sebagai pembalap paling berkembang.
Dari kalangan rookie, bintang Ginetta Junior seperti Ethan Jeff-Hall, Henry Joslyn, dan Chase Fernandez siap membawa persaingan ketat.
Fernandez menegaskan bahwa transisi dari mobil Ginetta ke F4 tidak mudah:
"Sedikit saja melenceng dari racing line, konsekuensinya sangat besar di F4."
Molnar is one of the few F4 drivers with continuity as he stays with Virtuosi for another campaign
Photo by: JEP
Meanwhile, Martin Molnar remains with Virtuosi and is buoyed by a confidence-boosting Jake Cook Memorial Award win where F4 team bosses selected the Hungarian as the most-improved driver during last year. Rowan Campbell-Pilling is also back for another attack having finished 10th last term and swaps Argenti for JHR. “We got an offer from every team on the grid last year, which is incredible,” says Campbell-Pilling, who is “not leaving a stone unturned” in his pursuit of the title, including having lost weight over the winter.
Among the new entries, three standout drivers from the Ginetta Juniors are expected to be strong competitors. Last year, champion Ethan Jeff-Hall had an "incredible" campaign where he not only excelled in international kart racing but also gained support from Mercedes. He is now competing with Argenti. His rival, Henry Joslyn, joins Fortec’s team, while another leading contender, Chase Fernandez, will spearhead Xcel Motorsport’s enhanced effort this season as they enter their second year in the championship.
Fernandez believes that the three drivers have had significant adjustments to make coming from their previous experience with G40 cars: "Their approach to driving has changed dramatically—the Ginetta Junior is much more accommodating compared to the formula car, which penalizes even minor deviations from the optimal racing line."
And so the list of potential leading contenders goes on. Suddenly it is not hard to see why Harfield reckons there could be 15 drivers all featuring at the front.
Mini Challenge: Era Baru Setelah Dominasi Zelos
NAPA Racing UK memperkuat lini mereka dengan empat mobil, dipimpin oleh Jamie Osborne, ditemani Lewis Selby, Alex Solley, dan Cameron Richardson.
Di kubu Excelr8, Nathan Edwards dan Tom Ovenden — dua pesaing kuat musim lalu — akan memimpin upaya mempertahankan dominasi tim.
Sementara itu, ada pendatang baru menarik seperti Max Edmundson, juara dua kali Civic Cup, dan Harry Hickton, juara Cooper tahun lalu, yang kini naik ke kategori JCW.
Menambah keseruan, 2024 juga menjadi debut kategori baru JCW Sport, yang bertujuan mengisi celah antara JCW dan Cooper dari segi performa dan biaya.
Salah satu yang akan bersaing adalah Henry Howarth, jagoan dari Fiesta ST240 Challenge.
Dengan deretan nama besar dan talenta muda yang haus prestasi, musim 2024 dari ajang pendukung TOCA ini menjanjikan drama, kejutan, dan aksi luar biasa. Dari pertarungan hujan di Porsche Carrera Cup hingga rivalitas segar di Mini Challenge, satu hal pasti: dunia balap Inggris akan semakin panas mulai akhir pekan ini di Donington Park.
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