If you enjoy the sound of a Honda K24 or K20 engine at maximum revs, then you’re in for a treat this bank holiday Monday as the Racing Hondas Championship takes to Oulton Park’s full-length International circuit.
The event marks rounds 7 & 8 of the championship’s 16-round season and, at Oulton, both races will be held before a likely huge crowd that is expected to roll into the Cheshire venue for the accompanying Tunerfest North modified car show.
After taking both wins at Snetterton, Will Self now leads Class A – the championship’s fastest tier for near-prototype cars. Those results have moved him past Philip Wright (Civic EP3) and Kevin Talbot (Integra DC5), who’d topped the standings since Cadwell Park’s opening rounds in April.
Self and Talbot have three wins apiece with Wright on two in their fierce fight for supremacy at the front and Self’s lead over Wright at the top of the table is just one point – it’s that close.
But several others are either still in the mix or capable of stealing away valuable points as the season enters its second half…
Liam Collins (Integra DC2), who at Oulton last year set the qualifying and race lap records and took a win, is somehow yet to taste victory this season – a pair of seconds, two thirds and a pole position are his best work so far in 2025.
Tommy Knight (Civic EK) and Bob Barron (EG) have also been on the podium, whilst Dave Buky, Fraser McNeill, James Alford (all in EGs) and James Kiff (Integra DC5) are always top three contenders.
All the above pretty much use the high-revving K24 or K20 engines from Honda which will surely be on full song along Oulton’s high-speed stretches (Self’s believe it or not is originally from a roadgoing Honda Accord)! Expect a wonderful sound…
With seven wins from eight rounds, Dan Thackeray’s command of the EP3-dominated Class B has given him a healthy outright championship lead from Motion Motorsport team-mate Ryan Cunningham.
Both, though, are being pushed hard by their nearest opposition which includes Ben Sharpe Racing pair Sam Linssner (who split them at Snetterton) and Lewis Barker, Sammy Mileham and Spencer Fortag in his lone Civic FN2. Luke Krassismenou is also getting closer to the pace in his EP3 with the new Reg Plate King team.
Should there be rain, do not be surprised if one or more of the top-placed Class B cars threaten a giant-killing act against the Class A machinery – last year at Oulton, Matt Hewlett managed the feat with a third place outright and, in wet conditions at Donington earlier this year, Thackeray ran in P3 for a number of laps before the A cars got the measure of him.
After two exciting duels at Snetterton, Matt Rowing (EP3) and Callum Houchen (FN2) resume their battle in Class C. Rowling has had the upper hand so far but expects Houchen to prove more difficult to conquer from here on in.
