MG Cup
Home of MG Rover Club Racing
About
The home of MG Rover Club motorsport….
THE MG CUP is proud to be the biggest race series to encompass all MG & Rover models with the MGCC. It is the only series that caters for all MGs ranging from Midgets, MGB’s, MGC’s, MG Metro’s, MG Maestro’s, MG Montego’s, MGF’s, MGTF’s, MGZR’s, MGZS’s to MGZT’s, Rover BRM, Rover Tomcat, Rover 216 GTI and MG3. With in recent years it has become the home home of MGZR160/170/190 doing battle with MGZS180, MGF/TF160, Rover 216Gti and Rover Tomcat’s.
What better place to take centre stage with the biggest grids, the cleanest in the MGCC. There are classes for race modified, modified and road going cars.
It is truly the only one make club championship, offering high quality close racing with options for equally competitive front wheel drive or rear wheel drive cars and all on same tyre’s supplied by Toyo
With a simple class structure for standard, modified and full race cars and clear regulations designed to keep costs to a minimum, the series is suitable for both novice and experienced drivers. Every year we have novices and we are pleased to have father & son/daughter competitors. The ability to share a car further reduces cost.
Under 21 receive half price entries which again supports those wishing to get into motorsport.
You will not find a series with a more helpful bunch of competitors who really do add to the race weekend experience. We are friendly and helpful while very competitive on track, but with a keen eye on driving standards we have grown to be the biggest series within the MGCC
Meet the team behind the MG Cup
Co-Ordinator Mark Baulch
Chairman Peter Burchill
Treasurer Ian Boulton
Secretary Ashley Woodward
Social Secretary Dan Jones
Class Reps who can offer help and advice
A Steve Tyler
B Ian Boulton
C Richard Buckley
Meet the Sponsor – Cherished Vehicle Insurance Services
We understand that when it comes to insuring specialist vehicles, one size doesn’t fit all. We like to think we have the people, service and products to really meet the needs of today’s specialist vehicle owner.
At Cherished Vehicle Insurance Services, we are truly passionate about specialist vehicles. This is why we offer a range of insurance covers, aimed at providing a flexible and tailored approach.
At Cherished Vehicle Insurance Services, we utilise our real depth and breadth knowledge of specialist vehicles.
Championship History
Established for over 34 years, the MGCC MG Cup is the UK’s most popular MG racing series and is the only championship for which any MG model is eligible. The MG Cup caters for any MG, ranging from post war T-Types through to sixties classic Midgets, MGBs and MGCs to more recent MGFs and Z series and current production models such as the MG6 GT.
In 2017 the championship allowed the Rover Tomcat Turbo cars to enter.
In 2018 we introduced Rover BRM and Rover 25 Gti
In 2019 we introduced the Rover 216 GTi
There are classes for race modified, modified and road going cars, front and rear wheel drive. If you want to race an MG, we’ll find a way of helping you get on track.
The series started in the late 1980’s as the Phoenix Challenge when David Doulin and Phil Thompson first pitched the idea of a multi-class MG race series to Charles Butler, then Commercial Director at Phoenix Petroleum. According to Doulin, “For months, we didn’t even know if we’d get any takers, so we were quite flexible in who we let apply. The first grid was a cold spring day at Snetterton and the front row (grids of 3 in those days) comprised a Metro 6R4 (Scottish Rally Champion winner being driven by his navigator) on pole, a supercharged T Type and a Midget. Two MGA twin cams and a B were on row two. As normal for Snetterton, (if you can’t see the Church it’s raining, if you can see the Church its about to rain), the race was greeted with a downpour; the 6R4 vanished into the distance, but being a gentleman and only there for that race, the driver handed the laurel to Mark Ellis (the Midget) who came in a very distant second, a couple of laps down.
Video links from the MG Cup can be found below
The racing has got a bit closer since then, but despite various change of sponsor over the years and growing beyond its East Anglia birthplace, the series remains true to its original philosophy of providing good value competitive racing to any MG owner and is now the only place where MGs of any type are welcome to race against each other.
Whilst the competition to become champion and hold the Phoenix Challenge Trophy will be as intense as ever, it is still a friendly and sociable series where drivers will assist each other. The mix of cars now ranges from 1300cc metros to V8 MGBs, plus several K series engined models.
The rules and point structure ensure that in whichever class you compete, you have an equal chance of success, as driver ability is far more important than budget. The diverse mix of cars (and competence) continues to provide excitement and spectacles from top to bottom of the grid with no guarantee that a year long race winner will be champion at the end of the season.
In addition to ensuring that the rules create a level playing field, regardless of your vehicle, the series also strives to offer value for money. To this end, in addition to developing agreements with suppliers to provide the best deals on parts, lubricants and the like, we also try to get the best possible value from race days. This means that our 12 races are spread over 6 meetings, with 2 races per meeting, but you had no doubt figured that out already.
MG Cup 