FOR the second time this season, the British Racing & Sports Car Club descends on Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire with another action-packed programme totalling a mammoth 19 races spread over two days over this weekend.

After their successful inaugural visit to Croft last year, the popular TCR UK Championship and Dunlop Touring Car Trophy series returns to headline proceedings.

Drivers will go head to head in cars driven in recent years in the British Touring Car Championship with a number of star drivers set to take to the track.

Local driver Max Coates, from Scorton, fresh from his double success at Croft in the BTCC-supporting Renault Clio UK Cup a couple of weeks ago, hopes to be back in TCR UK action following a recent guest drive in the series at Donington Park.

Coates currently tops the Renault UK Clio Cup championship rankings, and hopes to make it on to the full BTCC grid next year.

There are some popular BTCC names at the top of this weekend’s championship standings, with James Turkington topping the drivers’ championship table, ahead of Henry Neal. Coates currently sits in third, although the North Yorkshire driver will be hoping his local knowledge gives him an edge.

As well as the TCR UK action, the BRSCC race programme will also see thrills and spills from a host of other popular series.

The Avon Tyres National Formula Ford Championship is one of the highlight attractions, along with action from the Volkswagen Racing Cup, Disklok Civic Cup, BRSCC Alfa Romeo Championship, Toyo Tires Porsche Championships and Nankang Tyres BMW Compact Cup.

The BRSCC Mazda MX-5 SuperCup always serves up competitive fare, and there will also be races in the DDMC Northern Sports & Saloon Car Championship.

Qualifying gets underway at 9.30am this morning, with the first of eight races starting at 1.50pm. Action starts at midday tomorrow, with the remaining 11 races taking place.

Adult admission is £15 on the gate today, and the same price tomorrow. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free on both days, and there is free car parking and free paddock access on both days of racing.