Last weekend saw a successful return for motorsport on British shores, as competitive action resumed once again. 12 events signalled the resumption of motorsport on the opening weekend, after 110 days since the sport was stopped in its tracks by the coronavirus pandemic.

Proceedings got underway on Saturday 4 July with Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers waving the green flag at Castle Combe for the Castle Combe Racing Club meeting. Further racing action took place at Snetterton and Cadwell Park circuits, with wheel-to-wheel Karting competition at Forest Edge in Winchester and Sorel Point in Jersey. After his visit to Castle Combe, Hugh Chambers hotfooted it to the South Oxon Motor Club meeting for the first Autotest in the country since the restart.

Adding to the rich variety of the weekend, a classic car tour was held in Lincolnshire as well as five Cross Country events across England, with competitors enjoying the thrill of competition once more.

Further afield, there was more good news from the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, where British team McLaren were at the sharp end of the proceedings. Lando Norris claimed his first podium for the team, and also became the third youngest F1 driver in history to stand on the rostrum.

In Formula 2, Team UK member Callum Ilott won the opening race of the season, sealing all 27 points in the F2 feature race around the Spielberg circuit. That win also gets his championship season off to a flyer as he tops the standings by five points. In Formula 3, Clément Novalak led the British charge as he clinched a podium in the second race of the weekend.

Hugh Chambers, Motorsport UK CEO said, “We were delighted with how the first weekend went for UK motorsport, and it was great to see the response from the community at the different events we attended. Motorsport has to be run a little differently, but I must applaud our clubs for adapting so quickly and showing events can be successfully staged in the current climate. We hope this will increasingly inspire others over the coming months.

“I must also commend all the British teams and drivers for representing the country in such a positive way at the weekend in Austria. Our congratulations must go to Lando Norris on his first F1 podium, Callum Ilott for the first win of the season in F2 and Clément Novalak for a rostrum in F3. The future looks bright for British motorsport, both nationally and internationally.”

All attention now switches to next weekend as yet more events take place across the country, allowing Motorsport UK members to get their long-awaited competitive fix. If you are volunteering or competing this month, we would love to see your stories. Follow us on social media @OurMotorsportUK and use #BackOnTrack