Forces Family Track Day at Croft Circuit
On Wednesday 19 August, Mission Motorsport welcomed the Armed Forces community to Croft Circuit for our 2026 Forces Family Track Day – a day bringing together motorsport, family activities and opportunities to connect with others.
With the support of AutoRARA and by kind permission of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), veterans, serving personnel, reservists and their families enjoyed a day of driving experiences and activities at one of the North East’s best-known motorsport venues.
Croft’s 2.1-mile circuit provided the perfect setting for a day of recovery sport. Beneficiaries and their families enjoyed passenger rides in a fantastic range of cars, with support from the Army Motorsport Team, veteran-run STS Racing, Race of Remembrance team Flying Haggis Racing, AutoRARA’s Lotus Exige and many more, delivering an exciting experience both on and off the circuit.
There were also plenty of opportunities for our younger visitors to get involved. Children aged 10 and over could get behind the wheel and pedals of Mission Motorsport’s dual-control Mazda MX-5, while younger children could take on a course of their own in our split-control Lightning McQueen, complete with manoeuvring challenges.
For one young driver, the experience was a definite highlight: “It was really fun! I liked driving Lightning McQueen and going around the course. I want to do it again!”
But while the motorsport was a huge part of the day, there was much more happening away from the circuit.
Bringing the Community Together
The Families Village brought together almost 30 local charities, organisations and small businesses, creating a space where attendees could discover the support, activities and opportunities available within their local community.
From CPR training, target golf and family activities to veteran breakfast groups, careers advice and support services, there was a fantastic variety of organisations to meet. Local businesses also joined us, including those offering some rather tasty – and, in some cases, very spicy – sauces!
The Families Village plays an important part of the Forces Family Track Day. It provides an opportunity for members of the Armed Forces community to meet organisations that are there to support them locally and discover what is available right on their doorstep.
The day also featured an impressive display of cars. AutoRARA brought along several vehicles, including cars at different stages of restoration, giving visitors an insight into the incredible work that goes on behind the scenes in classic car restoration.
Making It Possible
Events like this take a huge amount of work behind the scenes, and we couldn’t do it without the support of our volunteers, drivers, organisations and partners.
A special thank you goes to AutoRARA, whose support helped make the 2026 event possible. The Derbyshire-based classic car restoration business has deep roots in racing and brings together expertise across engineering, motorsport, business and classic car restoration. Their partnership with Mission Motorsport is a natural fit, sharing our passion for cars and our commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community.
We are also incredibly grateful to BARC for allowing us to use Croft Circuit, and to everyone who brought a car, volunteered their time, supported the activities or helped make the day run smoothly.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who came along. Seeing so many veterans, serving personnel and families enjoying the circuit, trying something new, meeting people and making memories is exactly what these events are about.
The Forces Family Track Day at Croft was a brilliant day of motorsport, but it was also a reminder of the strength of the wider Armed Forces community and the incredible network of people and organisations supporting it.
We’re already looking forward to bringing everyone together again next year.
Images from the event can be viewed here.