Saturday 4th November 2023 will be a day that goes down in Northern Ireland motorsport history, as it will see many of the top drivers from across the UK and Ireland go head to head at the inaugural Ronnie Trouton International Autotests.
The event is seen as the Ultimate Autotest Team Challenge, celebrating both Expert and Clubmen competitors. The Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs Autotest Specialist Committee have been in discussions regarding the event for some time now and are delighted to finally reveal their plans in conjunction with the NI Autotest Championship Clubs.
The event’s namesake, Ronnie Trouton MBE, is a past Secretary of Dungannon Motor Club and the Secretary to the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs and in the role of NI representative at National RAC Meetings in London, convinced the Motor Sport Council that Autotests deserved their own specialist committee. He became the first Chairman of that newly formed committee, a post he would hold for 19 years.
Ronnie’s passion for the sport saw Autotest grow in popularity across the Nation, and nowhere more enthusiastically than here in Northern Ireland. Over the years he watched many newcomers to the sport become great Autotest Champions and reflects fondly on the high success rate our NI teams have shown at the Ken Wharton Memorial. Ronnie has always been, and continues to be, a great ambassador for Motorsport in general, and Autotest in particular, and it is fitting indeed that his name be associated with this event.
The event will see Expert teams of four drivers and Clubmen teams of three drivers from the different regions, tackle tests at the Transport Training Services premises at Nutt’s Corner, Antrim with competition due to get underway at 9:30am.
With entries opening on Saturday 16th September at 7:00pm, there has been a frenzy of chat about what teams and competitors will make the trip to the shores of Northern Ireland for the event. There has been a number of Scottish and English competitors confirm their attendance already, and it is hoped that more will follow suit.
Spectators are in for a real treat at this event, and it’s definitely not one to be missed! So put the date in your diary and get down to TTS to check out the action.
