CLUB CORNER
Andy Laurence
Michael Bartlett, Pekka Tulokas and Dave Greenslade – podium finishers in the 2019 Llandow round of the MX-5 Challenge. Michael and Dave now compete in the HSA Speed Championship, both driving Radicals in the Sports Libre class
Andy Laurence
The championship now involves 12 rounds, running from March to October, with events run by Bristol themselves as well as seven other local clubs. They are all within 90 around minutes of Bristol, but it has become so popular that some participants now travel more than 100 miles to take part.
“ It started with around six events, all run by us, to boost our own club numbers,” adds Laurence.“ Over time, it grew to be a bigger championship, but we have had to balance it so that it delivers enough events for people to get in enough rounds to count while still retaining the regular participant pool to ensure it is a strong community.”
Laurence has now been competing for decades and joined the club’ s committee in 2007. Like many of those who are dedicated members in clubs around the country,
56 his involvement has now led to the arrival of the next generation, with both his son and daughter – now 16 and 13 – actively participating in club events.
That was a principal driver behind the club’ s most recent innovation – the Junior AutoSOLO Championship, as Laurence explains:“ They both learned to drive at Under 17 Car Club, which was awesome – my daughter’ s only 13, but she’ s been driving for nearly three years! Then, my son did an AutoSOLO with me just after his 14th birthday.
“ After that, we decided to have a go at sprint competition, but it turned out to be difficult to do. Some clubs mandate fireproof suits, which are expensive, and the rules mean that you effectively need to buy a car that’ s only suitable for two years, so the cost then goes through the roof.
Revolution- March 2026