The MG Car Club, MG Motor UK and SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre are jointly developing a new low-cost race car based around the MG3.
SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre Interns have been building the concept car as their Internship Project and will be unveiling the car in the early part of 2019.
The concept behind the car is aimed at providing a low-cost entry route into saloon racing with the budget for the project to convert a road going MG3 into a racer set at just £5,000.
The regulations have been produced to allow any MG3 model to be converted and get on the grid; not just the All-New MG3, which went on sale earlier this year. This provides potential competitors a chance to race the most up-to-date MG models on track, which has not previously been possible within the Car Club’s championships.
For some championships, sourcing heritage MG donor cars in good enough condition to be converted has been a challenge and a barrier to entry for new and young competitors alike. By allowing MG3 to compete, this barrier to entry has been removed with a wide variety of MG3s available on the market for affordable prices and in appropriate condition.
As an additional strategy to encourage participation from young competitors, the MG Car Club also offers half price entries to any competitor 25 and under for the 2019 season, meaning entry fees for a weekend could be as little as £300.
MG3 will be able to race in the invitational class of the MG Cup during 2019, providing a first season of testing and development at the UK’s best race circuits before a full points scoring campaign in 2020.
The MG Cup has been running for over 30 years, with a simple structure and regulations designed to keep costs to a minimum and provide a challenge for new and experienced drivers alike.
Adam Sloman, General Manager of The MG Car Club commented “We are delighted to be involved in bringing the latest iteration of MG cars to race circuits up and down the country. Motorsport is a huge part of MG and the Club’s heritage, and we are very much invested in bringing new cars, drivers and young competitors to our grids in the future.”
Joanna Burland, Intern at SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre commented, “The Intern Project has provided a great opportunity to work on something slightly different, and gain valuable experience of helping to develop a new low-cost race car and work with MG Motor and MG Car Club to make the project a success.”
