My Motorsport: Javelin Trackdays Sprint Series

Today we're looking at the Javelin Trackdays Sprint Series (JTSS) - a series where drivers do single-lap runs against the clock.

We spoke to Tom Jeffries, who competed in the Oulton Park round, to find out more.

What's the motorsport series?

Javelin Trackdays Sprint Series (JTSS).

What's your car?

I compete in my Renault Clio RS197. It's had a few adjustments - coilovers, rear spoiler, front splitter, bucket seats with harnesses, and a strut in place of rear seats - but so far no changes to the engine or power (yet!). It's got a 2L NA engine under the hood which revs up to around 7,500rpm, so there's a lot of play in the revs but I'd love a little bit more power. It can take the corners beautifully though, and I'd rather go fast around a corner than fast in a straight line any day!

What's the race format?

Drivers do seven runs across the day - one practice, then six timed. As it's a sprint series, it's almost a full lap - you start somewhere on the start/finish straight, run a lap, and then finish just before the pit lane entrance.

Each run is from a standing start, so your fuel economy takes a pounding (I got 9.8mpg average across about five runs!) and you can't warm your car or tyres up beforehand, so the start of the lap is usually a bit hairier than the second half.

In 2025 there were eight rounds across six UK race tracks - two at Blyton Park, two at Anglesey, and one at Cadwell Park, Croft, Snetterton and Oulton Park.

Why did you pick JTSS?

There's a few reasons that JTSS spoke to me. The first is that you can compete in road-legal cars (which my Clio is), meaning I wouldn't have to buy a trailer and a car to pull it with alongside the a car.

I also liked that there are so many classes - there are up to 25 classes total in JTSS, with many for track-only cars - but I'm in the highest road-legal class. This is for cars with up to 2L NA engines, or turbo/supercharged cars that are under 1.4L (forced induction of any type adds +40% to your engine capacity).

Another pro was that you're essentially on your own on track. Cars are set off every 30 seconds or so, meaning you don't need to watch your mirrors when you're driving - something I definitely need to do on a regular track day.

It's also just you against you. There are other people in your class sure, but you're not actually battling them in person - you're all trying to fight the clock, and set a faster lap time. It makes it more fun, as it's more about extracting as much as you can out of your car and yourself, rather than trying to pass someone or worrying about carnage.

How much do rounds cost?

So it costs around £200 - £250 per round, which I'll admit does sound expensive when you consider it's basically seven laps around a track. It did put me off initially, but my friend took part in the Croft round and couldn't praise it enough, so I took the plunge for Oulton.

I'm happy to say I was (partially) wrong - it is expensive for seven laps, however it's well worth it. The feeling of competing, having an objective for your driving, having the timing come up so you can measure yourself against other people in similar cars, and having the track to yourself make it so different to a regular track day.

What makes it different to other motorsports?

Being a sprint series makes it different in that you're racing yourself and the clock while also competing in motorsport. When thinking of motorsport you typically think racing against other cars on track, but there's so many more levels and aspects of it that you can get involved in.

There are also so many different classes that no matter what you turn up in, you should be able to compete on a reasonably level playing field. The classes go from cars with engines of less than 1,350cc up to cars with over 500bhp, but you're only ranked against others in your class. I've seen a Nissan Micra and a Hyabusa-engined Caterham at the same meet.

Why should people get involved?

JTSS a great way to engage in some competitive motorsport for a reasonably low cost. It might not be traditional racing, but you still have the chance to bring your car and drive it against the clock on some proper, national-level circuits.

It's also a really friendly grid. Everyone's there because they want to push themselves and their car, and as it's just you on track there's not the animosity that can sometimes come with motorsport.

You also get to see a really interesting range of cars. MX5s, Evos, track day specials - the range of vehicles (and what's been done to them) was a really cool aspect.

The 2025 season of the Javelin Trackdays Sprint Series completed on 8th November 2025, however more information about the series can be found on their website: https://www.javelinsprintdays.co.uk/jtss/