Bugatti Owners' Club Championships gear up for an enthralling 2026 season
- Dom Bessell
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
One hundred competitors, over three championships, are set to contest the 2026 season. Visiting Prescott along with some of the most stunning sprint and hill climb venues across the season, the first of which kicks of this weekend where all three of our championships head to Loton Park on the 4th April.
Lets get ourselves properly warmed up for the season with what is in store for our championships this year.
New Barn Cars MOT Speed Championship
Now entering its tenth year of sponsorship, the New Barn Cars MOT Speed Championship, commonly known as "New Barn" is a championship for road and standard cars. Often seen as a fantastic route into the sport, with many drivers over the years moving up the ladder into either the British or Midland Hill Climb Championships.
To defend his 2025 Championship is James Warne, who beat out 2024 Champion Mike Brakes by just a single point following a fantastic final round by the driver of the Fiat 500, both James and Mike are entered into the first round of the season, as is Christopher Heritage, who finished third in the championship last season. Amongst the those aiming for glory once again in 2026 are a fantastic contingent of new drivers. A total twelve novices join the New Barn ranks, David Arrowsmith join in what I am told is a rather rare Vauxhall Corsa, the VXR Clubsport edition had no more than 260 produced, with around 180 left on the road in the UK.
Other varieties in the Championship, Alfie Thomas will campaign a Saab 9-3, the Swedish built cult classic will be a joy to watch on our hills I am sure! Mixed in we have our usual Mini, Mazda and VW's, emphasising that hillclimbing can still be enjoyed even on a smaller budget.
FASSI Classic Speed Championship
One of the most popular and most regarded Speed Championships for classic vehicles is the FASSI Classic Speed Championship, the Championship now amassing well over 50 competitors over its five classes.
Overall Champion David Fripp once again returns to defend his crown. The driver of the Red and Yellow Fiat 124 Spider took a narrow victory over Steve Akers, the two being the clear standouts of the Championship in the overall standings. Having missed out on the overall Class 2 win on points to David Fripp, Steve Akers moves over to Class 1 for a new challenge. Ditching the Lotus Elan for a first generation Morris Mini Cooper S. Though weirdly he is not the only Class champion to do this, Simon Braithwaite won Class 3 in an immaculate BMW M3, that now has been swapped out for a Class 1 effort in a Ford Escort RS1600. Clearly Class 1 is going to be hotly contested this year.
The fan favourite duo of Daniel Carroll and James Stott return in Class 4 with their rebuilt MG B Roadster, we'll see who gets the better of each other this year... And similarly the shared Lotus 51A from Colin Richards and Richard Morris return, with Richard looking to defend his Class 5 title against Colin.
Bugatti Owners' Club Rally Car Speed Championship
After it's debut year in 2025, the first and only MSUK Speed Championship for rally cars returns in 2026! Overall Champion Rob Jones and Class B Champion Kevin Knight are in for the opening round at Loton Park, joined by some new faces in the Championship. Perhaps most exciting of which is Nigel Gilbbard, who will pilot a Darrian T90 GTR. We've seen a non GTR spec version of this car at our Rallye Prescott, and if it's anything to go by, this car will be a monster, especially at Rallye Prescott where an overall top 10 will be on the cards.
What is to Come?
All three of our Championships kick of at the Deer Park, Loton Park being a historical home for the first round of our Championships. To make things more exciting it is also a double header! New Barn and FASSI will head to Shelsley Walsh on Saturday and Sunday respectively while the Rally Car Championship heads over to Harewood for their first of two visits this year. To close out the month, New Barn comes back home to Prescott to join in with all the excitement that will be the first round of the British Hill Climb Championship.
Get Involved
Both FASSI and New Barn cater for standard and road going vehicles. "Get it out of the garage" is a strong motive for a lot of drivers in these two championships. New Barn accepts any vehicle that is unmodified and road legal, where as FASSI brings in the classic cars, any vehicle Pre-1991 is eligible for the classic championship.
Have something modified? FASSI and the Rally Car Championship welcomes MSUK Modified category vehicles, with Sports Libre welcome in with the Rally Cars. Pre-1994 Sports Racing and Racing Cars have a separate class in the FASSI Championship.
Best of luck to all our competitors this weekend and this season! We'll be back in the Summer with a mid-year championship update!
Thumbnail Photo: Luke Fenton
