HIGH SPEED FEATURE ACCESS
“ They get great access because it’ s the sort of meeting where there’ s no restriction on where you go. They can come and sit in the car and do all of that good stuff, and that help from the sponsors means that we can just about afford the budget to do it each year. I think a lot of people who have tried to make their way up the ladder could relate to that story and this is a great series to end up in.”
Duratec racer Tim Tudor, who lectures at the University of Wales Trinity St David, was attracted to the championship by the engineering opportunities it offers. Seeing the opportunity to turn it into a proving ground for young engineers, he began racing with a single car around 10 years ago and has since expanded the project into a two-car team, with F1 aerodynamicist John Iley joining to help the students develop the machines.
“ When I started lecturing, I was very keen on getting students out in the field,” Tudor explains.“ Sports 2000 is ideal for that because it’ s a real-world environment with regular races at decent circuits. The engine costs are quite low, which helps us do it on a budget, and the regulations offer lots of scope for developing the cars – so there’ s plenty of room for clever student engineering to make a difference.”
Competitive Grids
The championship offers huge diversity in machinery, with an attractive grid that is made up of classics resembling the old 2-litre Group 6 cars and modern machines that look like the latest LMP sportscars. In total, there are currently chassis from nine different manufacturers in competition, with MCR, Gunn, Lola and Van Diemen represented in the Duratecs, and Lola, Tiga, Van Diemen, Royale and Shrike in the Pintos.
When the Club’ s President, legendary sports car racer Derek Bell, tested some of the classic and modern machines, he was hugely impressed.“ He loved the historics, in particular the Tiga, which he said was reminiscent of driving his Formula 2 Ferrari back in 1968 / 69,” Steeper recalls.“ It’ s all about carrying the speed and if you learn how to do that, and can drive smoothly, you really can get a lot of performance out of these cars.”
>>>>>
Racing at Zolder Duractec Sport 2000s racing at Oulton Park
CTJ Photography
Revolution- September 2025
57