Launching a new club racing category is never easy – and it’s even more difficult at a time of economic uncertainty. There are so many tricky decisions to be made about the specification of cars, the format of the racing, the calendar, the sporting regulations and so on.
And then there’s the question of how bold to be for that inaugural season. Many clubs opt for caution, wanting to pair a new idea with an existing series for that first campaign as interest builds to avoid the problem of forking out for expensive track time to give the new championship a standalone grid, only for just a handful of drivers to commit. This could lead to huge amounts of money being thrown down the drain and threaten the new concept’s future before it has properly begun.
With this in mind, the 750 Motor Club took a sensible approach with its new-for-2025 Swift Sport Challenge. It had planned for the 2006-11 Mk1 1.6 VVT Swifts to be on the Hot Hatch grid for the first few events before giving the new series its own races later in the year. But it has been faced with a very nice problem, and incredibly strong interest has resulted in a revision of the club’s calendar. Well over 20 Swifts are now expected to be ready for the start of the season, so sharing with Hot Hatch was no longer an option. Instead, the category will get standalone contests from the off at Silverstone in May. Aside from Snetterton in June, when it could still partner Hot Hatch, individual races will continue for the rest of 2025.
Clearly the 750MC is doing something right to have garnered such high interest from the start. And that stems from careful choice of the base car. “One reason I chose the Swift was it fitted the performance bracket we were looking at – not super-quick but sensible track car performance,” explains 750MC managing director Giles Groombridge.
