Croft Mazda RX-8 in Class C Race Report 26 April 2025
750 Motor Club Roadsports Championship 2025
Croft Mazda RX-8 in Class C Race Report Saturday 26 April 2025
Croft Race Report – 26th April 2025
Roadsports with 750MC
To tell the story of this race, I need to rewind to two weeks earlier. I was skiing with the kids in Tignes when I received an email from 750MC informing me I was on the reserve list for the Croft event. Due to the circuit’s grid size limitations, I hadn’t secured a confirmed spot. This came as a real shock and a huge disappointment—it was supposed to be my first-ever race, and I’d been counting down the days with excitement.
In the week leading up to the event, I signed on as normal after hearing there was a good chance of withdrawals. I was third on the reserve list. However, by Friday afternoon I still hadn’t moved up. I asked the club to let me know by 17:00 whether I had a spot or not. That time came and went with no news—so I called work, cancelled my leave, and headed to Colchester Fire Station for a night shift.
Then everything changed. At 18:40 I got a call—someone had dropped out and I had a grid spot if I could get to Croft. The problem? I’d already cancelled my hotel, my leave, and was at work. Croft is a 5–6 hour drive from Essex. I asked the club to give me five minutes. I found a last-minute hotel in York and luckily got permission to re-submit my leave. I dashed home to grab my race kit and license upgrade card, then hit the road, arriving in the early hours.
After checking in, charging my cameras, and trying to catch a bit of sleep, it was race day.
Race Day – 26th April
I arrived at the circuit around 08:00, just a 40-minute drive from York. I grabbed a quick coffee and bacon sandwich from the burger van before heading to the paddock to meet the team and finally see the car I’d be driving.
There I met Craig, team owner of Rocketdog Racing. Craig is a top guy working to make motorsport more accessible. While it’ll never be cheap, his “arrive and drive” package is definitely on the more affordable side. My weapon of choice for the six-round season? A Mazda RX-8 (more on the car later).
We jumped straight into seat fitting and prep. The car runs in Class C of Roadsports, where the power-to-weight ratio (without the driver) is capped at 180bhp/tonne. Ours is around 155, maybe slightly less—but the RX-8 shines in the corners. I was on a mixed set of Toyo R888s: new fronts, used rears. Most of the field runs faster A052s or Direzza DZ03Gs, but budget constraints are real.
Still, just 24 hours earlier I wasn’t expecting to race at all—I’d never seen Croft, never driven this car, and never raced competitively. So while I wanted to be competitive, my main focus was learning and gaining experience.
Novice Notes – What to Expect at Your First Event
If you’re prepping for your first race, this part might help:
As a novice, I had to attend the new driver briefing, hand in my license upgrade card, and get my helmet and HANS device scrutineered (stickers cost £3 each, so £6 total).
Then came the exciting part.
I got suited up and drove down to assembly. This is where all cars for a session wait together before heading out. At 11:40, we took to the track for qualifying—25 minutes to set our fastest lap.
With a full-capacity grid, getting a clear lap was tough. I kept catching slower cars in other classes, or getting passed by quicker Class A and B cars. On Lap 2, while pushing to find the car’s limits, I found them—spinning at Sunny In after losing the rear. A quick pirouette later, I was pointing the right way again. “Limit found—and exceeded.”
I also discovered just how strict track limits are. Even one wheel over the white line results in a violation. My fastest lap was deleted, costing me two spots on the grid. I qualified P30 out of 40, and P7 in class. Still, given the tyre and power disadvantage, I was happy with the time.
The RX-8 is an absolute blast to drive. It revs like a race car, handles brilliantly, but it really lacks torque. You’ve got to keep the revs high to keep it alive.
Race Time
Back to assembly for the race. Roadsports has a rolling start—one warm-up lap and then it’s go-time when the lights stop flashing.
At the start, I immediately noticed the RX-8’s lack of low-end grunt, and the R888s needed a few laps to come in. I went side-by-side with a BMW into Turn 1 but came out just behind. I passed it into Tower, but it blew past again on the run to Jim Clark S’s.
End of Lap 1: I’d lost two places, but stayed out of trouble. A small win. The tyres came alive two laps in, and I reclaimed one spot at Tower with a committed move. Learning from earlier, I held the inside line into Jim Clark and kept position.
The BMW and I stayed close for several laps. All the Class C cars were still bunched up, and no one was really making moves. I was keeping up but couldn’t quite mount a real attack. Then the Class A cars started lapping us—three of them came past us and no one else in Class C.
Then came the twist: the safety car came out, but picked up the leaders. That meant all the Class C cars that hadn’t been lapped were now stacked up behind us. Bad luck.
It got worse. In Roadsports, you’re required to complete a 1-minute stationary pit stop between minutes 15–30. On our first trip past the pits under the safety car, the window was closed. But the cars now at the back of the train did get a chance to pit. So we got shuffled backward again.
Once racing resumed, I was right behind the same BMW again. We had a brilliant battle until the final lap, where I managed to make a move stick into Tower. Great fun and clean racing all around.
Final Thoughts
An incredible weekend and a massive learning experience. To be in the thick of it battling with other drivers—and not just cruising at the back—was a huge confidence boost for my first race.
With a more competitive tyre setup, I think I’d be right in the fight. From what I’ve seen, the A052 is significantly quicker than the R888. I’m exploring options to upgrade for the rest of the season.
Final Result:
P27 overall (out of 40)
P7 in class
Stayed out of trouble, made good moves, and had a blast. Can’t ask for more from a debut race weekend
Related links
Croft Circuit, a 2.1-mile race track located near Dalton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, England, is a popular venue for various motorsport events, including the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and club-level racing, with a history dating back to the 1920s