Autosport’s Top 10 Club Racing Drivers of 2024

Every year, dozens of drivers enjoy championship success in various national racing categories.

But some of these title winners stand out more than others. Whether it’s due to the quality of the opponent they have had to beat or the sheer number of wins they have had throughout the season, there are always extra special performances worthy of special praise.

Here, Autosport’s team of club racing journalists have chosen this year’s 10 most influential drivers.

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Entries by Paul Lawrence, Mark Libbeter, Mark Paulson, Marcus Pye and Steve Whitfield

10. Stephen Primet

CTCRC Pre-’83 Touring Cars (1st)

Another year, another title for Ford Escort Mk1 pilot Stéphane Primatt, who took his 12th Classic Touring Car crown – his ninth in the last 11 years. The Bedfordshire electrician overcame the challenge of Will Davison’s more modern BMW E30 as well as Jonathan Corker’s nippy Datsun 510.

Always immaculate, the Pinto-powered RS2000 was not flawless but, when trouble came, the Primate brought it home with a 100% finishing record and 10 class wins (including seven overall) compared to Corker’s four.

9. Ben Short

750MC MX-5 Cup (1st)

Returning for a full-time campaign in 2023 after contesting only three rounds, Ben Short won his fifth MX-5 Cup title this year in typically impressive style, sealing the crown with three races remaining despite the dropped scoring format. Did it.

He missed out on equaling his win record from 2022, but still took 16 wins from 18 starts, with only one qualifying crash at Cadwell Park and last-corner contact at Silverstone leaving him unbeaten throughout the season. Didn’t give a chance.

8. Samuel Harrison

HSCC Historical FF2000 (1st)

Samuel Harrison’s charge through the historic Formula Ford 2000 field at Donington Park after engine failure in qualifying – with the addition of Ben Sims bought, collected and fitted, he made the grid with seconds to spare – upsetting rival Graham Fenimore. Did it.

Harrison’s lightning speed and fierce overtaking forced the double champion to drop deeper, taking the battle to the final at Silverstone. However, Harrison’s determined focus in the chassis borrowed by Adrien Renard saw Rippon complete a treble of titles in three different categories in three years.

7. Eden Hills

BRSCC Mazda MX-5 Supercup (1st)

Reigning Mazda MX-5 Supercup champion Aidan Hills did not intend to defend his title, instead focusing on driving customer cars alongside occasional outings and a proposed part-time TCR UK campaign.

But, while Patrick Fletcher led for the first half of the season, winning seven of the opening 14 races, Hills kept himself in the competition. When his qualifying Touring Car did not graduate, Hills refocused on the MX-5 and successfully repeated his crown, scoring seven consecutive wins.

6. Ben Timmons

BARC Caterham Seven 270R (1st)

Having taken victory in the Caterham Roadsport category last season, Timmons followed up his success by securing championship glory in the 270Rs in 2024. He won an impressive 11 races during the year, including eight in a row in the middle part of the season, which also included hat-tricks at Silverstone and Cadwell Park.

He made a sensible move at Brands Hatch and achieved three podium finishes, giving him the lead he needed to ensure the title with still one meeting left against a packed field.

5. Joe Thompson

M7RC Mini Se7ens (1st)

After finishing second or third in the championship four times, Joe Thompson finally emulated his father Paul’s Mini Se7N success by taking the crown in a family-run car. Thompson found his stride in the second half of the season, breaking the previous year’s rules for carburettor changes, adding up to six wins in nine races with a solitary previous win.

Perhaps it is more remarkable in such a closely contested category that, barring one non-finish, Thompson finished outside the top two on only three occasions.

4.Bradley Burns

BRSCC Audi TT Cup Racing (1st)

As a TCR Germany podium finisher, it should be no surprise to see Bradley Burns leading the club category. But Burns now races only for fun and did not compete in the inaugural non-championship season of the Audi TT Cup last year.

This put him on the back foot as Area Motorsport teammate Carl Swift won the first four races. Burns had to work hard due to a poor performance at Oulton Park, but eight wins from nine races against quality opposition secured the title.

3. Chris Lulham

MSVR Radical Cup UK (1st)

After winning several virtual races as the sim racing partner of a certain Max Verstappen, 21-year-old Lulham made the transition to real circuit racing look easy in 2024 as he dominated the SR3 championship in the Radical Cup UK.

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Not only did he record 16 wins from 18 races during his first season in the category, but the manner of his victories, particularly those achieved in front of TOCA spectators at Snetterton and Oulton Park, demonstrated his talent.

2. Max Edmondson

BRSCC Civic Cup (1st)

Determined to dispel the notion that the misfortune of others helped him clinch the 2023 Civic Cup title, Max Edmondson returned for another try. He faced a stacked field of drivers with glittering CVs, but only multiple TCR champion and area teammate Josh Fyles could challenge Edmundson, who won nine of 17 races, topped five qualifying sessions and Never qualified lower than third.

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And he didn’t just win from the front – he twice claimed reverse-grid wins from the fifth row, executing perfectly judged overtaking moves.

1.Andrew Hibbard

HSCC Historic Formula Junior and F3 (1st)

Although it took 20 years to finally win a championship, Andrew Hibberd accomplished it in spectacular fashion by winning three titles using three cars. Hibbard had always been a pace-setter, particularly in Formula Junior, but commitments to customer cars meant that a full season was usually impossible.

This year, with father Mike racing less, Hibberd sealed the junior crown with his two Lotuses and added UK and European one-litre Historic F3 titles in an ex-Chris Irwin Brabham BT18. It was a great year for the popular racer/preparer.