First of all, a Happy New Year to all our drivers, preparers and supporters; let’s make 2024 a great season for the 750 Motor Club’s HITEK Alfa Romeo Championship!

Awards Evening 3rd February

Be sure to join us on 3rd February at Brandon Hall Hotel and Spa to celebrate our 2023 season. It will be a great evening in a great venue so if you haven’t obtained your tickets yet don’t hesitate – book here:

2023 Awards

ARCA Panel

Since our final race of the season we have been reorganising the work that needs to be done by our Panel members and others to keep the Championship running smoothly and successfully. Here is a summary of who does what:

  • Andy Robinson: Panel member and Championship Coordinator
  • Matt Daly: Panel member, website manager and social media promotion
  • Keith Ford: Panel Member and Deputy Coordinator
  • Richard Ford: Panel member and Treasurer
  • Davie Peddie: Panel member and Technical Adviser
  • Paul Plant: Panel member and Technical Adviser
  • Graham Seager: Panel member and Trophies Coordinator

Assisted by:

  • Roger Evans: Technical Adviser
  • Edward Robinson: Driver Recruitment and Social Media promotion

If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments on the running of the Championship please contact any of the above. We will listen, respond and take action where appropriate or necessary.

2024 Regulations

Our Regulations have been redrafted, submitted to the 750 Motor Club and sent onwards to Motorsport UK for approval. The most notable changes are as follows:

  • An end to the split grid arrangement that has been in place for the last few seasons – grid positions will be determined solely on qualifying times irrespective of class and all cars will start on the lights;
  • A change to the Power-to-Weight figures for the Power Trophy class – they will now be 195 bhp per 1000 kg for normally aspirated petrol cars, and 175 bhp per 1000 kg for diesel and turbo powered cars;
  • Removal of all the detailed specifications and information for Giuliettas and MiTOs in the Power Trophy regulations – the power to weight criteria simply apply universally;
  • We will now allow Maseratis in our Modified and Power Trophy classes as well as Alfas, Fiats, Abarths and Lancias, so if you know anyone that’s got one in race trim let them know!

The Numbers Game

In the Autosport edition of 7th December 2023 there was a detailed and comprehensive analysis of club motorsport grid numbers across all the racing clubs in the 2023 season. These figures are extremely important as Stephen Lickorish emphasises in his accompanying editorial: ‘Put simply,clubs cannot afford to have small grids. They need to ensure every single category they run is justifying its place and pulling in the entry fees needed to offset [those] increasing costs.’ To illustrate the latter point, Silverstone has increased the cost of hiring the Grand Prix circuit in 2024 by 20%.

Nothing is sacred in this context. For example, grid numbers in the long running National Formula Ford 1600 championship declined by 25% to only 12 in 2023 and as a consequence the BRSCC has axed it. The MG Car Club has organised race meetings for decades but closed its competitions department in 2023 on cost grounds. So how do we stand in all this? The honest answer is ‘precariously’. The 750 Motor Club gave us a strong calendar of premium circuits to help us boost our numbers from the average of 17 we achieved in 2022. We did increase the average in 2023 but only by 6% to 18, the joint second lowest in the 750 MC portfolio which averages 26 overall, the highest of all the racing clubs.

Partly as a consequence we have been reduced from 12 to 10 rounds this season and, along with others, we had to share a grid with another championship at Silverstone in October. Our calendar this season is not so ‘attractive’ and our challenge will be to increase or numbers to ensure we survive despite this. This is why we have instigated a social media bombardment in recent months and why Edward Robinson has been contacting every potential Italian car racer he can possibly identify and get hold of over the winter break to encourage them to come and race with us. If we do get the surge in grid numbers we need there is a chance we could get our ‘missing’ two rounds restored.

We all know that economic conditions are not great and that motorsport is not a cheap hobby but we can only urge our drivers to register for the championship and to enter races whenever they possibly can. Our future is in our own collective hands.

The Autosport Show

The Autosport Show runs at the NEC from this coming Thursday 11th January to Sunday 14th January and we will have a Bianco Motorsport Giulietta on the 750 Motor Club stand. We will be manning the stand with volunteers on Friday and Saturday and hopefully on Sunday as well, so if you are visiting the show please come along and see us.

Andy Robinson
Championship Coordinator