NAPA UK’s Jack France is Star Grade
08 Jul 2022
With several trophies and the British Championship title still up for grabs, we catch up on how the BriSCA F1 season has been unfolding.
On 2nd May, the BriSCA F1 stock cars returned to the recently revamped Odsal Stadium in Bradford. Being the home track of the #216 NAPA stock car driver Jack France, hopes were high, especially after stepping up from ‘A Grade’ (blue roof) to ‘Star Grade’ only days earlier.
Competing against a line-up of the sport’s finest drivers, the challenge and stakes were higher than ever for France. A promising start saw Jack fly out of the starting blocks into an impressive 4th position during heat 1, with the #216 NAPA blue machine maintaining momentum for a podium finish of 3rd place in heat 2. Entering the Grand Final, spectators were gripped by a race full of drama but unfortunately for Jack, the #216 fell victim to a puncture. In a race where only 10 cars finished, it was the #16 Mat Newson who lifted the trophy.
Racing forward to May 21st, the NAPA-sponsored team travelled to Kings Lynn for what France described as, “a tricky event with the other hard-charging red tops”. After coming 10th and 9th during the heats, and a solid 6th place in the Grand Final, the championship points racked up for France.
By May 28th, it was back to Bradford for another opportunity to race on the highly regarded track at Odsal. Tactical moves from Jack, combined with a bit of luck, saw him finish a respectable 10th in the heat and 9th in the Grand National. Jack commented, “We got tangled in someone else’s accident and then another puncture held us back, but we salvaged some valuable points”.
June proved to be a rollercoaster for the team. Whilst racing at Sheffield on the 12th, engine trouble began to set in. Despite the car not running as it should, the #216 competed well to finish in a steady 9th place. With the car back at the workshop and the engine removed that evening, it was over to the engine specialist to assess the highly tuned Chevrolet engine of the BriSCA F1 car. The prognosis was not ideal, and the race was now on to source and ship the US-manufactured replacement parts before the next meeting!
Eyes now on the mid-season title at the blue-ribbon event The British Championship (also known as The British) on June 25th, Jack and the team had to be race-day ready. With parts for the #216 still in transit, a spare car kindly loaned by Graham Robson proudly sported the NAPA colours. Jack put in an impressive performance despite racing an unfamiliar car, picking up a notable 6th place finish in the heats to qualify for the British Championship Grand Final. Although a challenging month with engine setbacks and some bad luck on the track, Jack started in 7th row of the grid. It was a hard-fought race for the #216, with reigning title holder, #197 Ryan Harrison, taking victory to retain the British Championship title.
With the cross-over between BriSCA F1 and the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Croft Circuit on June 26th, Jack had the opportunity to support the NAPA Racing UK drivers, reigning No. 1 champion Ash Sutton and No. 9 Dan Cammish. “Having had date clashes between BriSCA F1 and BTCC races, I was really pleased to watch the races in person at Croft” commented Jack, “I even got a sit in Ash Sutton’s car, but the seat wasn’t in the right position, so I gave it back!” he joked.
As we enter July, the stock car team continues to maintain ‘Star Grade’ (red roof) status and looks forward to welcoming motorsport enthusiasts to future fixtures.
Visit napaautoparts.eu/en/napa-racing for more information.
