Autocross takes place on grass or stubble fields, and is one of the cheapest forms of motorsport with entry fees between £40 & £65 per event. There are seven classes in the North of England championship, these include any car from reasonably standard Metros, Fiestas and Astras to Rally cars, Specials and Modified production cars. Four cars race together around a marked course of between 600 metres and a mile. The North of England is the only place in Britain where competitors still race four abreast.
The competitors race for time rather than position, because each race can contain a mixture of cars from a number of different classes. Each competitor must complete one lap in the practice runs to be allowed to race. They then get three timed runs of which the best two times count. The 12 cars with the best times will then be entered into one of four finals, again there may be a number of different classes in each race. Unlike most motorsport events it is possible for the car to be used by two people, both racing in different runs and having different competitor numbers.
The championship consists of 11 rounds per year, all taking place in the North East of England between Kelso, Newcastle and Whitby, with most events taking place within a 30-mile radius of Newcastle.
Tynemouth and District Motor Club have been organising Autocross events for over 40 years and many members have competed, some very successfully. We organise either 1 or 2 events a year and these are held (more often than not) at Causey Park Farm, just north of Morpeth on the A1. We have had a good relationship with the owner of the land for many years and he always provides us with very good, large and smooth fields to use. The club has twice won the trophy for best organised round in the BTRDA National Autocross Championship as well as being voted best ANECCC Championship round. We have a very healthy number of Autocross competitors within the Club who are always willing to offer assistance on building and preparing cars to match current regulations.