Colin Voyce has secured the 2026 Historic Thunder Championship, completing a standout season in his Mountune powered Ford Escort Mk1 at the championship finale at Silverstone.
Voyce arrived at the BARC Saloon Showdown on the Silverstone International Circuit with the Historic Thunder title still to be decided. Another strong weekend in the #21 Escort was enough to complete the job, adding the 2026 championship to an impressive season of class victories and front running performances.
A season at the front
The Escort has been a consistent presence at the sharp end of Historic Thunder throughout 2026.
At Cadwell Park, Voyce overcame the challenge of running on older tyres to take Historic Thunder honours in both races, while subsequent rounds at Oulton Park again saw the Escort emerge as the leading Historic Thunder car.
By the midpoint of the season, Voyce had established himself as the driver to beat in Historic Thunder.
Thruxton continued that form. Against an eclectic field of highly modified machinery, Voyce took Historic Thunder honours in both races aboard the Mountune powered Mk1.
One of the standout performances of the season followed at Snetterton.
Qualifying just fractions behind the leading Classic Thunder cars, Voyce put the Escort’s performance to full use in the opening race. He passed both of the leading BMWs within the opening three miles and built a two second advantage at the head of the field.
The newer machinery eventually fought back, but Voyce still crossed the line second overall, taking another Historic Thunder victory as well as the Classic Thunder Class B win.
Even an incident in difficult wet conditions the following day could not prevent him from fighting back through the field and collecting valuable championship points.
It was another weekend that demonstrated both the outright performance and consistency that had put Voyce in championship contention heading into the final stages of the season.
Championship secured at Silverstone
The season concluded on the Silverstone International Circuit on 3 and 4 October, with Voyce once again competing among the combined Classic and Historic Thunder field.
With the championship on the line, Colin delivered the result needed to secure the 2026 Historic Thunder Championship, bringing a season of consistent class success to a fitting conclusion.
The final weekend also provided an opportunity for Colin to highlight one of the less visible parts of the Escort’s success throughout the past two seasons: its reliability.
Speaking live on the BARC broadcast following the race, Colin thanked Mountune and revealed that the engine had now completed two seasons of competition without being opened or requiring even routine items such as spark plugs.
In Colin’s words, the engine remains simply “on the button.”
BTCC foundations in a Mk1 Escort
Under the bonnet of Colin’s Mk1 Escort sits an extensively modified turbocharged Ford EcoBoost engine.
While significantly adapted for its application in the Escort, including a dry sump lubrication system and increased boost, the engine has its foundations in technology developed through Mountune’s extensive experience in the British Touring Car Championship.
It makes for an unusual combination. A Mk1 Escort competing in Historic Thunder, powered by an engine with its roots in a considerably more modern era of Ford motorsport.
Throughout the season, that combination has allowed Colin to do more than simply compete for class honours. The Escort has regularly mixed with the leading cars from the wider combined grid, including considerably newer machinery.
Snetterton provided perhaps the clearest demonstration of that performance, with Colin taking the Escort into the outright race lead before eventually finishing second overall.
Congratulations to Colin and everyone involved with the #21 Ford Escort on a fantastic season and a thoroughly deserved title.
