RACE OF REMEMBRANCE

After teaming up with Mission Motorsport to run the prestigious event for the very first time in its history, the BRSCC was delighted to once again play its part in running the incredible Race of Remembrance on November 11-13 2022. The Race of Remembrance was conceived by Mission Motorsport in 2014, originally run as a track day but eventually turning into a 12-hour endurance race broken up into three parts. Scott Woodwiss was impressed.

Saturday had racing from the afternoon into darkness before the race was paused overnight, then resumed until just before 11am on Remembrance Sunday when a special service is held to remember those who gave their lives in conflicts of recent history, then resuming until the cumulative 12 hours is completed. It was created by Mission Motorsport, a special charity that works year on year to help those affected by military operations to rehabilitate and retrain into the motorsport and automotive industries. To date, over 2000 ex-servicemen and servicewomen have been engaged through recovery sport, proving just how valuable a cause it really is.

For the 2022 edition of the 12-hour race, a record entry was present with no fewer than 55 teams lined up to compete, the largest number since RoR began. Over the course of the weekend, Mission Motorsport also supported its largest group of service personnel and veterans including those that had travelled to compete from Canada and the USA, showing just how far and wide their efforts are helping those in need around the world.

After the usual pre-race activities such as SuperCar Saturday, a special RoR ClubSport Trophy race and the wonderful Biathlon of Foolishness in which the BRSCC’s own Sporting Manager Luke Souch took part, the teams lined up for 12 hours of total competition headed by the defending champions Rob Boston Racing in their Lotus Elise.

Initially, the RBR Elise with former MX-5 dominator Tom Roche at the wheel managed to pull away from a three way scrap for 2nd between the Caterhams of Williams Motorsport and RAF Motorsport, and ES Motorsport in their own Lotus Elise. This quartet were well clear of the rest of the pack, ending up a lap ahead of everyone else by the first hour before Williams Motorsport dropped back as pitstops began to allow Rocket Racing’s Caterham to pick up second from the BS Motorsport MX-5 ending hour two. Alternator issues pushed the RBR Elise down to 18th by the completion of hour three with RAF Motorsport’s Caterham back out in front by a lap, but thanks to some strong driving the Lotus climbed back to sixth despite a two-lap penalty for exceeding driving time. On the overnight halt at the end of part one, Williams Motorsport headed a Caterham one-two from RAF Motorsports, with ES Motorsport’s Elise, Unlimited Performance Consulting’s Caterham and 360 Motor Racing Club’s MINI completing the top five.

Overnight, Rob Boston’s team changed the engine on their Elise which helped them rise back to fourth by the end of part two on Sunday morning, still chasing the two leading Caterhams and the ES Lotus ahead of them. However, RAF Motorsport’s race was run not long after their first pitstop of part three, when a blown engine forced them out. Then Rob Boston Racing was handed another penalty for an alleged yellow flag infringement, forcing them to come back once again from a lap behind to battle the Williams Motorsport Caterham for the outright win. With the race result decided on the aggregate timing of the race’s three parts, both Boston and Roche charged along to regain all of the time lost via the penalty and eventually took the chequered flag first by just over eight seconds on aggregate, retaining their RoR title in truly dramatic fashion. The Williams Caterham of Andrew Perry and Steve McCulley had to settle for second place ahead of Michael and Bailey Edwards in the ES Motorsport Lotus in third, while the other RAF Motorsports/ Turn 7 Caterham of Callum Macdougall, Neil Huggins, Lloyd Huggins and Andrew Jebson wound up in fourth. Completing the top five was another Caterham, this being the Unlimited Performance Consulting car of Benja Hedley, Neil Perry and David Rooke.

James Cameron, the outgoing CEO of Mission Motorsport, was delighted with the whole event, stating on the ROR website: “Year on year, Race of Remembrance continues to grow in popularity and this year to see a record number of entrants on the grid at Anglesey is amazing! BRSCC, Anglesey Circuit and Thruxton Circuit have been instrumental in making this possible and we are incredibly grateful for all their help and support.”