British Stock Car Association

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The British Stock Car Association is widely known as "BriSCA" or "BriSCA Formula One", and is an association of promoters.

BriSCA is the governing body of Formula One Stock Car Racing in Britain and has associations with stock car racing organizations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the USA. All drivers competing at BriSCA Formula One events are members of the British Stock Car Drivers Association (BSCDA).

The smaller BriSCA Formula Two stock cars are governed by BriSCA F2 Limited, which is a separate organisation to that of BriSCA.

BriSCA Formula One Stock Car Racing can trace its roots to the first stock car race in Britain, which was held at the New Cross Stadium in London on Good Friday, April 16, 1954.

Originally, the cars were slightly modified saloon cars, hence the term stock as opposed to race cars. (F1 stock car racing is a racing division, but contact is allowed and even encouraged.) Most of the cars were American models with a V8 engine, although some were larger European cars. The cars were standard cars with wheel arches (or fenders) removed and with bumpers and roll bars added.

During the 1960s the cars developed from these "stock" cars into specially built cars with fabricated chassis and race-tuned V8 engines. While NASCAR also races specially built race cars, they retain the appearance of a stock car, unlike the BriSCA F1 which now bears no resemblance to a stock car. A BriSCA F1 is a race car with front engine, rear-wheel drive, and open-wheeled with the driver located centrally within a robust roll-over/safety cage. Most cars make use of an aerofoil mounted on top of the roof that is similar to those found on American Sprint cars. In the mid seventies, a group of southern based drivers broke away from the BSCDA(British Stock Car Drivers Association)and formed their own association,called SCOTA(Stock Car Oval Track Association). They raced for Spedeworth International(Europes largest Oval Racing Promoter),in cars exactly the same as BriSCA F1. In 1980, the southern drivers and Spedeworth decided to introduce a five litre limit,and make the cars slightly smaller. The 1980 formula is still running today under the name of Spedeworth V8 Stock Cars.

Stock-car races are normally held on short oval tracks, either tarmac or shale. Heats usually consist of 16 laps, with meeting finals lasting 20 laps. Special events (such as world championships) are held over 25 laps. The number of drivers per race has no upper limit, but in general falls between 20 and 30 cars. Each driver is graded according to past results, their roofs painted accordingly: Gold for the World Champions, Silver for the Points Champions, then Red, Blue, Yellow and White for the rest of the field. The lowest rated drivers start each race at the front of the field, the better graded drivers then having to progress to the front of the race.

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