A1 Raceway, Grantham | 2nd–3rd May 2026
The opening round of the 2026 BRCA 1/10 Off-Road Truck National Series took place at A1 Raceway, Grantham, over the first weekend of May. With 62 entries across the championship classes and competitors travelling from across the country, the event marked an exciting start to the new season.
A1 Raceway's sand-filled, 100% Astroturf circuit provides a fast and technical challenge, featuring a variety of jumps, technical sections and high-speed straights that are equally suited to both truck and buggy racing. Open practice began at midday on Saturday in warm, dry conditions, allowing competitors valuable track time before racing commenced. However, the weather would soon have other ideas, with heavy overnight rain providing a fresh challenge for the campers and setting up an unpredictable race day.
Sunday morning greeted competitors with overcast skies and a damp circuit. The race format consisted of eight rounds of timed practice followed by four rounds of round-by-round qualifying. Racing was contested across four electric truck categories: 2WD Short Course, 4WD Short Course, 2WD Stadium Truck and the increasingly popular Vintage/Rear Motor Stadium Truck class, which runs under Iconic Revival regulations and is restricted to 10.5-turn brushless motors.
Qualifying proved to be a tyre-choice lottery as light rain showers continued throughout much of the morning. Conditions constantly evolved, and while a handful of brave drivers switched to dry tyres during Round 2, further rain quickly arrived to punish the gamble.
4WD Short Course
Qualifying honours in 4WD Short Course went to Mark Everitt, who shared the round victories with defending Champion Eddy Rowland. With both drivers tied on round wins, Everitt's superior time in Round 4 secured Top Qualifier honours, while Dan Staite completed the top three on the grid.
With 15 entries in the class, the B Final saw Phil Birchall take victory by winning Legs 1 and 2. Oliver Swain finished second, Jason Hopkins third, while Haidan Hicks claimed fourth overall and the Top Junior award.
The A Final produced a fitting conclusion to an evenly matched qualifying battle. Eddy Rowland responded with victories in Legs 2 and 3 to secure the overall win, while Mark Everitt finished second. Ben Baxter completed the podium after emerging on top in a three-way tie on points. Baxter, a member of the travelling Eden Park Raceway contingent, is one of several drivers making the switch into the 4WD Short Course category for the 2026 season.
2WD Short Course
In 2WD Short Course, Stuart Carling secured Top Qualifier honours with victories in Rounds 1 and 2. John Yarman Jr lined up second on the grid, with Mark Everitt once again featuring strongly in third.
The B Final was won by Phoebe Birchenough after victories in Legs 2 and 3. Sebastian Birchall finished second and claimed Top Junior honours, while Oliver Swain added another podium finish to his day with third place.
The A Final belonged to Mark Everitt. Starting from third on the grid, he produced a faultless performance to win all three legs and secure maximum championship points. Top Qualifier Stuart Carling finished second overall, while Oscar Morris drove superbly from eighth on the grid to claim the final podium position.
Stadium Truck
The Stadium Truck category attracted the largest entry of the weekend, with 31 competitors entered across both the modern and Vintage/Rear Motor classes.
Qualifying developed into a familiar battle between reigning National Champion Tony Bishop and 2025 Championship runner-up Kit Jones. Bishop secured Top Qualifier honours with victories in Rounds 1, 2 and 3, while Jones claimed Round 4 in the most challenging conditions of the day to secure second on the grid. Jason Potter rolled back the years with an excellent performance to qualify third.
One of the standout performances of qualifying came from Ben Baxter. Taking full advantage of both the slippery conditions and the characteristics of his rear-motor Vintage Stadium Truck, Baxter qualified an impressive eighth overall with his Losi XXT. Running under Revival regulations and restricted to the class-mandated 10.5-turn motor, his performance demonstrated just how competitive the Vintage trucks can be when conditions suit.
This report covers Round 1 of the 2026 BRCA 1/10 Off-Road Truck National Series, held at A1 Raceway, Grantham, and was compiled by Steven Brooke and Tony Bishop.
