PRESS RELEASE: 27th September 2008

Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship

Trackrod Rallly Yorkshire

IWILKS EXCLUDED AFTER WINNING IN YORKSHIRE

In a repeat of his dominant performance in 2007, Guy Wilks took victory on every stage of Rally Yorkshire, beating title rival Mark Higgins by a minute and thirty seconds at the end of the penultimate rally in the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship.

However, the result was overturned soon after the finish ceremony, when a protest relating to his Mitsubishi was lodged, leaving Mark Higgins and Rory Kennedy classified as provisional winners. At time of going to press, the results are still provisional as the statement below explains.

“Prior to the results of International Rally Yorkshire being declared final, a valid protest was received regarding a technical infringement relating to car No.1. After interviewing all parties and considering a technical report from the BRC eligibility scrutineer, the event stewards excluded car No.1 from the results.

Notification of intent to appeal was subsequently received and consequently the results of International Rally Yorkshire 2008 remain Provisional until the outcome of the appeal is known.

Until such time as the event results are declared final the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship tables reflecting the overall driver and co-driver, the teams and class Rally 4 will not be published.”

The result of the rally will therefore not be known until an appeal is posted and decision on the outcome made. Mitsubishi Motors UK has ten days from the date of the event in which to lodge an appeal.

The start of the rally was foggy, but stunning sunshine broke through soon after, bathing the competitors throughout the ten fast stages. The battle between Wilks/Moynihan’s Mitsubishi and Higgins/Kennedy’ Subaru got of to a reasonably close start, but Higgins dropped over a minute when his gear linkage broke, meaning a chase was fruitless.

Even if Wilks’ appeal is successful and he is re-instated, Higgins would still take over the joint lead of the Championship alongside his brother David, who snatched third from Darren Gass/Neil Shanks, the reigning Pirelli Star Driver having problems on the final stage which dropped from third to sixth on the final road section. His eventual eleventh place after penalties was certainly not representative of his performance on the stages.

Taking the Rally 3 class win were Brian O'Mahony/John Higgins in the front wheel drive Clio S1600, although they suffered all day with the same down-on power engine that had plagued them on the Ulster Rally. [

Also in Rally 3 was Fin McCaul who took his sideways BMW to victory in the BRC’s Diesel Rally Cup after Steve Graham retired his Astra with transmission problems. The result also secures the Diesel title for McCaul for the second year in a row, even with two scoring opportunities remaining on Rally GB.

Rally 2 was won by a Pirelli Star Driver nominee Adam Gould with Seb Marshall alongside. Shaking of early flu-like symptoms, Adam’s text-book victory also put them just one place behind O'Mahony overall, taking tenth place in the BRC.

Driving a storming event and finishing just two places behind Gould were Luke Pinder/Kim Baker, despite a broken gear linkage in the Puma. The youngster was rewarded with the fifth Pirelli “yellow jersey”, putting him in the end of season shoot-out for the fully funded Pirelli Star Driver prize in the 2009 BRC.

The Citroën C2R2 Cup was won by Jason Pritchard/George Gwynn, over a minute clear of Matt Cotton/Anthony Godden, but Andrew Hockridge/Rich Mills still lead the series with Cotton two points behind.

Suzuki Swift Sport Cup drivers occupy all the places in Rally 1, and it is in that series that a new champion has been crowned. Mark Gamble/Steve Link had suffered a puncture early on, but then took chunks of time throughout the day to lie second after the penultimate stage.

Gordon Nichol/Emma Morrison had led after Gamble’s puncture, but their event and Championship chances were dashed on the start line of the final stage. The clutch cable snapped, dropping them from first to fourth and gifting the title of inaugural Suzuki Swift Sport Cup to Gamble.

Coverage of the event is on Sky Sports Xtra at 19.00 tonight (Monday 29th). Listings of all Sky Sports coverage of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship are available on the BRC website HERE

News, championship points, reports from the stages, photos and more audio interviews with the top drivers are available at www.rallybrc.co.uk

 

PRESS RELEASE: 24th August 2008

Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship

Todd's Leap Ulster International Rally Report

MARK HIGGINS MAKES IT THREE IN A ROW

Mark Higgins and Rory Kennedy held their nerve to take victory on the Toddsleap.com Ulster International Rally round of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship with a winning margin of over a minute from rival Guy Wilks.

“We had a decent lead after Guy’s off but we’ve still been pushing fairly hard to keep the concentration up.” He said at the final service before the finish ramp. “It is a fantastic result for the Atlas TEG Sport team and the second BRC win in a row in Ulster, I’m delighted.”

The result puts them closer to a fourth British Rally Championship title, closing to within two points of his brother David who finished fifth, but the teams and drivers will be starting to look at dropped scores, with three points scoring opportunities remaining. Atlas TEG sport has extended the lead in the Teams Championship, now thirteen points clear of Team TQ.com

Wilks and David Moynihan had problems with the rear differential, costing them around thirty seconds, which was compounded by an off which tore off a wheel, dropping them even further back. They could not close the gap once the rain came, so settled for second place ahead of their new team-mate.

Gwyndaf Evans had been drafted in to replace Phillip Morrow in the second Mitsubishi Motors UK Lancer. He was joined by Paul Nagle and a clean run saw them take a creditable third place after a ten month lay-off for the 1996 BRC Champion.

But it was Morrow who took the fourth position in the Pirelli Star Driver shootout at the end of the year, impressing the judges with a mature drive in his new Atlas TEG Sport team. He also took fourth place in the BRC in a mature drive on home soil. Current Star Driver, Armagh’s own Darren Gass had been fourth, but a roll and subsequent steering failure put him out of the event.

The Rally 3 class was settled in favour of Brian O’Mahony, his Clio Super 1600 struggling all rally with a down-on-power engine. He nearly lost the gearbox too on the final loop of stages, then bent a rear wishbone, but he still managed sixth overall in he BRC.

Rally 2 was blitzed by the Jim Clark Rally and International Pirelli Star Driver nominee again, Adam Gould’s less powerful Clio taking eighth, a minor indiscretion with a bank the only evidence of any excursions.

The Citroën C2R2 Cup was also dominated, this time by Martin McCormack, who also took honours in the Irish Cup. It was his first finish in the BRC without using the Super Rally regulations, about which he was delighted.

The Suzuki Swift Sport Cup also threw up a dominant performance from Ross Forde, beating round one winner Gordon Nichol by a whisker over four minutes. The result leaves the Championship wide open as the crews all head off to the next round, Rally Yorkshire at he end of September.

The final class winner was Fin McCaul in the Diesel Cup, his BMW proving a match for the Astra of Steve Graham.

Provisional drivers points after round four
1 David Higgins GB 62
2 Mark Higgins GB 60
3 Guy Wilks GB 56
4 Jonathan Greer GB 48
5 James Wozencroft GB 39
6 Stuart Jones GB 31
7 Phillip Morrow GB 30
8 Dale Robertson IRL 28
9 Brian O'Mahony GB 26
10 Wyn Humphries GB 23

Provisional Teams points after round 4
1 Atlas TEG Sport 132
2 Team TQ.com 119
3 Mitsubishi Motors UK 113
4 Revolution Wheels 79

PRESS RELEASE: 19th August 2008

Neath Valley Stages 16th August 200

Round Six preview

The compact route of the Neath Valley Stages was a very different test from the previous Silverstone Tyres BRC Challenge round on the asphalt of the Isle of Man, but the overall winners were the same, David Harrison and Glyn Thomas taking their fourth straight victory.

Three runs in some of the best forest stages in Wales were repeated, with a service splitting the two loops, making a six stage sprint for the crews.

A fine mist and damp conditions greeted the drivers on the opening Walters stage, Richard Sykes setting the pace in the Fiesta, with a time just four seconds clear of main championship rival David Harrison. Tony Simpson brought up the rear in his Citroën, stating, “We know we've no chance of getting close to the guys at the front, but I'd like to get a clean run after the Manx.”

As the crews headed to Rhondda, a battle royal was in prospect between Sykes and Harrison, but at the end of the stage it was clear something was amiss. Harrison explained, “We dropped a load of time in that stage. The car went a bit too far sideways in a low speed corner and nosed into the ditch on the inside. I can't believe it; we could have had a great battle with Richard!”

At service after three stages, the potential battle was underlined by the closeness on stage three, both drivers setting identical times. “We knew David had dropped time on stage two,” explained Sykes, “but it was a tricky one for us too. I forgot my driving boots and my foot slipped off the brake, we slid between some log piles and I was sure we would hit them; very lucky.”

Simpson held third as the cars headed back to repeat the loop of stages, having fun back on gravel and leading the N1 class on the rally to boot. But it was this stage where the battle for the lead effectively ended.

Sykes broke a driveshaft, dropping seventeen seconds to Harrison’s Peugeot, but the road section to stage five would see the Midlander’s rally over, the car’s differential crying enough after struggling with one-wheel drive.

“It’s the third shaft in as many events,” shrugged a disconsolate Sykes, “I don't know what I've got to do to win this Championship. David is using my car from last year, which let me down and cost us the win. We went for the Fiesta that was supposed to be bomb proof; now all Dave has to do is finish the next round. I'm gutted!”

Scant consolation for the Stourbridge man is that the result, albeit not what he expected, was sufficient to secure the RC3 class win in the championship for him and Simon Taylor, nobody able to overtake them in the two remaining rallies.

Harrison and Thomas cruised to the finish, safe in the knowledge that even if they allowed Simpson past, he was not a threat for the Championship. “We still had a spin and a big understeer moment on the last two,” he beamed, “I think more through lack of concentration than anything. I'm obviously disappointed for Richard, it would have been great to battle to the end of the year, but we’re so close to the Rally GB prize I can't wait.”

The spin and overshoot unfortunately cost Harrison the Neath Valley Stages class win, but Simpson and co-driver Stefan Arndt held their nerve to take second and win the smallest capacity class, N1, beating several more powerful cars in the tricky conditions.

As Sykes had calculated, Harrison now needs only to finish the next round on the last weekend in September, Rally Yorkshire, to take a fully funded drive on the final round of both British and World Rally Championships, Wales Rally GB.

The victory not only places the pair as favourites for the title, but puts David beyond the reach of any other junior driver, effectively securing the Junior Championship with two rounds remaining. The championship RC2 class title is also beyond doubt, Harrison and Thomas adding it to their tally, as the Silverstone Tyres BRC Challenge heads to the penultimate round, Rally Yorkshire at the end of September.

 

PRESS RELEASE: 21st July 2008

Mitsubishi claims second place after Isle of Man encounter

- Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship
- Round Three – Rally Isle of Man – 17th, 18th & 19th July 2008
- Guy Wilks battles back to score hard-fought second.
- Phillip Morrow’s solid performance interrupted by tricky conditions.

After having to stop mid-stage and change a wheel during day-two of the Rally Isle of Man, Guy Wilks and stand-in co-driver David Moynihan battled back to finish second in round three of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship, which took place on 17th – 19th July.

Mitsubishi team mates Phillip Morrow and Daniel Barritt also had a challenging event: Following an excellent start to hold a solid fourth place, they were caught out by the changeable road conditions on stage 14 and hit a bank. After the team repaired the car, they rejoined the rally for the final day and clawed their way back up to 16th place and, in doing so, scored valuable team’s points.

Starting and finishing from the famous TT Grandstand, just north of the Island’s capital Douglas, the event featured four stages on Thursday evening followed by a further 12 on Friday and seven on Saturday. This makes it the longest asphalt rally in the BRC calendar at 182 competitive miles and therefore, one of the toughest events of the season.

The Isle of Man has a reputation for its changeable weather, a factor that makes tyre choice a lottery – and this year was no exception. Initially, Thursday evening started dry and Wilks blasted into the lead following the first three stages.

However, stage four was a different matter and, although unfazed by the slippery conditions, the reigning British Champion collected a puncture just two miles into the 13-mile run across the hills. Without stopping to change the wheel, Wilks made it to the finish and ended the day in second place, 18 seconds behind Mark Higgins who had now inherited the lead.

Intent on doing a good job for the team, Morrow opted for a steady start. Even so, he concluded the first leg in fourth place and reported a trouble-free run.

With the scene set for another front-line battle between Wilks and Higgins, the uncertain weather forecast made tyre selection critical and a last-minute change saw a 10-second penalty applied to Wilks’ time after leaving the service area a minute late. Even so, because of the pace of the Mitsubishi, the team were confident about the prospect of Wilks catching Higgins.

However, the plan was thwarted on stage eight, the fourth run of the day, when Wilks slid wide and the car dropped into a small ditch – normally not a problem – but a protruding drainage gully broke a wheel, forcing him and Moynihan to stop by the side of the stage and change it. Inevitably over three minutes were lost, which meant they slipped back to fifth place and now had a tough task ahead of them if they were to stand a chance of winning.

Meanwhile, things were going according to plan for Morrow, who continued to set a steady pace and was elevated to third following Wilks’ delay. However, the young Ulsterman admitted that he was not feeling completely comfortable with the handling of his car, this being his first time competing over the Manx lanes in the works Mitsubishi.

As grip levels changed almost from stage to stage, conditions were unpredictable and unfortunately for Morrow, he was the front-runner who came off worse. As he approached an uphill 90-degree right-hand bend halfway through the stage, the car momentarily stepped out and, although correcting the slide, the loss of grip in the braking zone resulted in front-end contact with a solid bank.

With a broken radiator – plus considerable damage to a number of other components – the once pristine Lancer was going no further for the rest of the day. Once it was taken back to the service area, the team then worked into the small hours to get it ready to run under SuperRally regulations for Saturday’s stages,

Although having set a string of fastest stage times and fighting back to third, the drama of day-two was still not over for Wilks, when the rear of his Lancer clipped a bank on the exit of a corner on SS11. This bent the rear suspension and caused the car to handle strangely, until the problem was fixed at the service halt before the last loop of stages.

Realising that unless Higgins was to have a problem a win would be out of the question, Saturday saw Wilks focus on overhauling Mark’s brother David in second place - and on stage 17 that’s exactly what he did. Following another batch of fastest stage times, Wilks managed to reduce the final margin between him and the leader, but eventually had to settle for second on this occasion.

For Morrow the final day was one of consolidation, as to rejoin under SuperRally rules sees a 10-minute penalty applied for every stage missed. Therefore, a trouble-free run on Saturday resulted in a final of position of 16th, not the result he was looking for, but a finish and points towards the team’s championship nonetheless.

The whole team was delighted that, other than accident damage, both of its Lancer Evolution IXs ran faultlessly, the cars built by Chesterfield-based ADR Motorsport, who also provide the on-event technical support.

The team is sponsored by Lovell Group and Virgin Money, together with its technical partners: HKS, Sparco, Speedline Corse, PIAA, Ricardo, and Performance Friction Brakes.

Team Quotes
Guy Wilks
“We knew what we had to do this weekend and everything started well but luck was not running with us. We again proved we had the pace to win and to finish second even after changing a wheel is not a bad result. We therefore need to put the record straight for the remaining rounds to keep our title hopes on track. I have to thank David (Moynihan) for doing a good job and stepping in at the last minute in place of Phil (Pugh), who is currently suffering from back problems.”

Phillip Morrow
“I knew how important it was to do a good job for the team this weekend and, although I wasn’t feeling completely comfortable with the set-up I had chosen, it was so frustrating that the only real moment I had was punished in such a dramatic way. The team did a great job in fixing the car and getting me back out for the final day and, although the final result was not what we wanted, at least we collected points for the team’s championship, which I know is a priority for Mitsubishi.”

Paul Brigden
“Following the result from round two, we came to the Isle of Man with a strategy to get our crews to the finish in strong positions. Even though we again proved that we have the quickest cars, things did not go according to plan, so once we have had a de-brief to assess our position in the team’s and driver’s championships, we will decide on what our strategy will be for the forthcoming Ulster Rally and for the rest of season in order to keep our championship hopes intact.”

Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship
Positions after round three
Drivers
1 David Higgins 48
2 Mark Higgins 40
3 James Wozencroft 39
4 Guy Wilks 38
5 Jonathan Greer 37
6 Stuart Jones 31
7 Wyn Humphreys 23
8 Darren Gass 19
9= Dale Robertson 18
9= David Meredith 18
9= Juho Hanninen 18
12= Hugh Evans 15
12= Phillip Morrow 15

Teams
1 Atlas TEG Sport 97
2 Team TQ.com 92
3 Mitsubishi Motors UK 78
4 Revolution Wheels 67

PRESS RELEASE: 11th July 2008

Challenge Rally Isle Of Man 18/19th July 2008

Preview of Rounds 4 and 5

The Rally Isle of Man Challenge event is unusual in that it encompasses two rounds of the Silverstone Tyres BRC Challenge. With a full points’ scoring opportunity on Friday and again on Saturday, the crews will have to play it tactically to ensure finishes on both days of one of the fastest rallies in Europe.

After a surprise retirement by Richard Sykes & Simon Taylor on the previous round in June, the Midlands driver will want to put that behind him and pick up last years Rally Isle of Man form.

The 2007 event saw the pair take back to back victories as that weekend also counted for both round four and five. They cross the Irish Sea as Championship leaders, having won the opening two events, but their Fiesta engine let go, leaving them sidelined on their home rally.

Picking up the Rally of the Midlands challenge were David Harrison & Glyn Thomas, who reeled Sykes in after a slow start. They took the lead which see-sawed between them until Sykes engine succumbed to the pressure. Harrison will want to keep that pressure up in his 1400cc Peugeot and he has as good a chance on his home Manx tarmac.

Like Harrison, James Watts and Oliver Ettlinger lead their class, but the Polo runs in the smallest capacity category, so they will struggle to match the outright pace of the front pair.

Tony Simpson returns, having retired on the Pirelli and missed the Jim Clark, the Liverpudlian keen to rejoin the RC1 battle in his Citroen C2. He is joined by the vastly experienced Stefan Arndt who contested the British Rally Championship last year in a more powerful C2R2.

Finally, another local David Radcliffe joins the fray for the first time on home ground. His co-driver is from within 50 miles of Ramsey, but Kendal’s Steve Hartley should have his job made easier by Radcliffe’s home advantage.

Round four starts at 16.20 on Friday, joining the main event and covering forty stage miles over five stages, finishing at the Rally’s base, the Douglas TT Grandstand, at around 20.30 that evening. Round five is a little more conventional, with 66 miles over seven stages, running from 11.00 to 17.30 where the second batch of champagne will be sprayed.

Silverstone Tyres BRC Challenge Rally Isle of Man entries:
201 Richard Sykes & Simon Taylor Ford Fiesta ST RC4 Simon Taylor
202 David Harrison Ramsey &Glyn Thomas, Peugeot 106 RC2
203 James Watts & Oliver Ettlinger, Volkswagen Polo RC1
204 Tony Simpson & Stefan Arndt, Citroen C2 RC1
205 David Radcliffe & Steve Hartley, Suzuki Swift Gti RC2

For news, photos and crew profiles from the Silverstone Tyres BRC Challenge visit: www.rallybrcchallenge.co.uk

Press release: 11th June 2008

Rally of the Midlands 20/21st June 2008

The Silverstone Tyres BRC Challenge moves to the heart of the country for the third round of the British Rally Championship’s support series on the Rally of the Midlands on 20th & 21st June.

Six BRCC registered crews will take part in the sealed surface event, which comprises nearly 100 miles of stages in and around Hinckley and Nuneaton to the north of Coventry.

Local man Richard Sykes leads the Championship in his Fiesta, heading the field after two storming results on the opening two events. He almost won the Jim Clark Challenge Rally outright back in May, but pushed just a little too hard on the final loop, dropping time with a minor off. He still took overall BRCC points though and has a maximum haul from both events, with James Watts holding second place, six points adrift.

Watts also leads both the Junior category and the smallest engine capacity class, RC1, in his 1400cc Volkswagen Polo. He will have competition on the multi-venue event as Tony Simpson returns in his MGZR, having retired on round one and missed round two. David Harrison will journey from the Isle of Man to compete in his locally prepared Peugeot 106; runner up in April, his good run on the Jim Clark ended at the very last moment when he retired near the end of the final stage.

Five of last year’s Silverstone backed series crews have moved to the main British Rally Championship for 2008, including the winner Luke Pinder. But the 2007 winning car will return at the hands of Scot Callum Bendall, hoping to get his Ford Ka to the finish after retiring from the opening two events.

Running amongst the BRC Challenge, which runs ahead of the main event, is the Silverstone Tyres BTRDA prize winner Darren Pinchin. His prize of a fully paid entry on the Rally of the Midlands is part of a scheme masterminded by Silverstone Tyres, his Proton Satria running on the same control tyres as the rest of the BRCC field.

Outside the BRCC, Jason Pritchard is also on the event’s entry list, the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship Citroen C2R2 Cup driver using the rally as a shakedown for the forthcoming Rally Isle of Man, a round of both BRCC and BRC.

The Rally of the Midlands gets under way from the centre of Nuneaton on Friday evening at 6pm with stages at nearby Merevale, Mallory Park and two visits to a stage in the centre of Hinckley.

Ten stages follow on Saturday with the finish back in Hinckley at 4pm, the whole event centred on Rally HQ and service area at Hinckley Football Club, where there will be an after rally party on Saturday evening.

For more information and results, visit www.rallyofthemidlands.co.uk or www.rallybrcchallenge.co.uk

2008 Calendar of remaining events
20/21st Jun – Midlands BRC Challenge Rally
18th July – Isle of Man BRC Challenge Rally 1
19th July – Isle of Man BRC Challenge Rally 2
16th August – Neath Valley Forest Stages Rally
27th September – Trackrod BRC Challenge Rally
11th November - Tempest BRC Challenge Rally

 

PRESS RELEASE: 21st April 2008

PIRELLI INTERNATIONAL RALLY OVERALL

As the cars in the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship made the final run back to the finish inCarlisle, the winners of the opening round, the Pirelli International were Guy Wilks and Phil Pugh for the second year in a row.

The Mitsubishi pair took the event by the scruff of the neck as they had in 2007, setting fastest times on all but one stage. Wilks’ march to the top step of the podium was unhampered by anything more serious than acting as road sweeper to the following pack.

Fins Juho Hänninen/Mikko Markkula did not disgrace themselves though, taking a fine second in their debut on the Pirelli International Rally in their Subaru. They finished with a flourish on the final test, their stage time only 2.9 seconds adrift of Wilks’.

In a brand new N14 Subaru and third was David Higgins/ Ieuan Thomas, who were delighted to be on the pace again after swapping to the new car. They spent the rally fine tuning the car setup and were consistently close to the pace.

TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

Mitsubishi Motors UK took the lead in the Teams’ Championship by virtue of Wilks’ win and a fourth place. In that position was team debutant Phillip Morrow who even set a fastest time, beating his Champion team-mate in his first outing in a left hand drive car and just missing the podium by 7.5 seconds. Team TQ.com was second, David Higgins third place making the lion’s share of points while team Principal Hugh Evans dropped to 18th after a frustrating off meant he had to use Super Rally to restart. Atlas TEG Sport’s Patrik Flodin and Wyn Humphreys took fifth and ninth place respectively and ended the event third, a single tantalisingly point adrift of second. Fourth is the Revolution Wheels Rally Team with just Rob Swann scoring points in eleventh. He had a frustrating event but team mate Karl Simmons retired with transmission problems.

PIRELLI STAR DRIVER AWARD

Juho Hänninen was also deemed to be the most impressive in the conditions by the Pirelli Star Driver judges. He took the “yellow jersey” at the finish in Carlisle by virtue of his performance against drivers with much better knowledge of the demanding Kielder stages. He is the first to be put forward to the end of season shoot-out, the eventual winner taking a fully funded drive in the 2009 British Rally Championship.

Reigning Pirelli Star Driver Darren Gass made a sensible start to his prize season, but a rare pace note error, left the Mitsubishi stranded in a ditch. The pair used Super Rally to gain mileage on Saturday, top ten times recovering them to 14th overall at the finish.

CLASSES

Rally 3/Diesel Cup

In the battle for Rally 3, Irishman Brian O’Mahony returned with an awesome sounding Renault Clio, climbing to 13th overall before a rear suspension component failed, leaving him unable to complete the event. He still took points though, classified as a finisher under Super Rally rules. Stefan Davis’ event was fraught with problems from the start, his Puma succumbing to a mystery transmission problem by the end of the first stage.

In the Rally 3 diesels, Fin McCaul not only won the category from Steve Graham, but he took outright R3 victory as well; absolutely delighted with the improvements to his rear wheel drive BMW over the winter break. Astra diesel pilot Graham put up a fight, but a broken transmission joint ended their event, another scoring by virtue of Super Rally.

Rally 2/Citroën C2R2 Cup

Rally 2 is always a hotly contested class, the Pirelli being no exception; Swede Andreas Sjolander being chased by youngster Adam Gould early on. Gould’s Clio challenge faded though, when he clipped a bridge and lost a wheel, but it was fellow Swedish Fiesta Championship runner Joakim Nyman who took victory, when Sjolander disappeared in unlucky stage thirteen, reportedly off the road.

Andrew Hockridge took second in R2 and won the Citroën C2R2 Cup in his debut BRC outing, delighted to take the win on his fist foray into a major rally championship. 2007 runner-up Martin Roberts drove well within himself to take third spot despite punctures, while Martin McCormack used Super Rally to take third in the C2s after his early lead was lost with gearbox trouble.

Rally 1/Suzuki Swift Sport Cup

The Rally 1 battle was all about the inaugural Suzuki Swift Sport Cup from where all the five entries came. The competition was close early on, seconds separating the identical specification cars, but the conditions meant that several runners suffered, not least early leader Danish Niki Bjerg.

The lead changed several times former BRC Stars driver Mark Gamble eking a lead ahead of Bjerg, before falling by the wayside with mechanical problems. Gordon Nichol took full advantage, keeping eventual second placed Nick Rowland at bay when he used Super Rally to complete the event on Saturday. Bjerg took consolation points for third in Super Rally, unable to join the others at the podium finish.

The next round of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship travels to the Scottish Borders in Kelso for the start of the Jim Clark International Rally on the weekend 24th/25th May.

Full stories, championship points are available at www.rallybrc.co.uk as well as reports from the stages, photos and new audio interviews with the top drivers.

 

PRESS RELEASE: 15th April 2008

MSA BRITISH TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2007 MSA Teams’ title was won by Mitsubishi Motors UK in 2007 and they return to defend their crown on the opening Pirelli International Rally with a two car team. 2007 Champion Guy Wilks is joined by Philip Morrow, having won the prize drive through victory on the Evo Challenge.

Runners up in the 2007 teams’ championship Atlas TEG Sport also return, their driver line-up including Swede Patrik Flodin and Welshman Wyn Humphreys, the latter briefly leading the drivers’ championship in his rookie year. They will field a brace of new Impreza N14s, although their late arrival will mean a one-off appearance by the earlier cars for the opening round.

A brace of new Subaru Impreza N14s is also expected at the hands of 2004 BRC winner David Higgins and team owner Hugh Evans. They are joined in Team TQ.com by non-points scoring youngster Nick Rowland, who will pilot a Suzuki in the inaugural Swift Sport Cup

For the first time the newly formed Revolution Wheels Rally Team will run a three car team too. The driver line-up will be headed by BRC regular Rob Swann, he and team-mate Karl Simmons driving Subaru Imprezas, but while he will not score in the Teams’ championship on the Pirelli, Wozencroft joins the team as the third driver.

MSA BRITISH JUNIOR RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Darren Gass was the 2007 MSA British Junior Rally Champion but he moves aside this year. Limited to two wheel drive, the Juniors are buoyed by an influx of new youngsters, the youngest now being Rowland who is still just 18.

CLASSES

Although the FIA has still not fully adopted the Rally 1, 2, 3 and 4 class structure, these categories were successful for the BRC in 2007 and this format will continue with a couple of amendments.

In a change from 2007 and in line with the FIA’s latest proposals, the Rally 3 class will now encompass turbo diesels, while Suzuki’s one make Swift Sports will move from R2 to R1. The Citroen C2 will be the foundation of the Rally 2 class, but competition has already been entered in the form of an N3 Ford Fiesta from British Rally Elite newcomer Adam Gould and the reigning BRC Stars Champion Luke Pinder will be seen in a 1400cc kit Ford Puma.

The head of the field is likely to be occupied by the Rally 4 class which incorporates traditional turbocharged and normally aspirated Super 2000 cars. Super 1600 runs under the R3 banner, where Brian O'Mahony will return to the BRC to retake his 2005 class title in a Clio, a top five result not out of the question.

CITROËN C2R2 CUP

The BRC’s Citroën C2R2 Cup is now in its second year and has already attracted new and existing competitors to the series. With the support of Belfast ’s Charles Hurst Motors, it will be a big step forward from 2007, with £1750 available on each round in addition to the BRC class fund. The 1600cc Rally 2 class cars’ specification remains unchanged from 2007.

The overall prize for the C2R2 Cup winner at the end of six qualifying rounds of the BRC will be a place at the Citroën Sport shootout to decide a supported drive on a round of the 2009 JWRC. Six cars are expected to contest the Pirelli Rally, with some new faces joining the fray in these front wheel drive flyers.

SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT CUP

This six round manufacturer-backed one make series will contest the first five events in the BRC plus the Tempest Rally. Similar in format to the Citroën series, it will see drivers battling in identical Suzuki Swifts built by Suzuki Sport. The 1600cc Rally 1 class front wheel drive cars will be the same specification as the ones used on the BRC last year by 2006 S1600 Champion, James Wozencroft and 2007 Irish N1 Champion Lorna Smith.

The Swift Sport Cup is part of the Suzuki’s five year world wide marketing campaign and the UK series will be featured in a half hour stand alone TV Series on Sky Sports. In addition to the cash prize fund to be won on each rally, the overall winner will have the option of a fully-funded drive on the 2008 Wales Rally GB in a Suzuki Swift S1600 car. Alternatively a brand new Swift Sport road car and a fully-funded WRGB drive in their own Suzuki Swift Sport Cup car is available.

DIESEL & PRIVATEER CUPS

Once again there will be opportunities for diesel cars to compete in the BRC, the competition in the Diesel Rally Cup likely to be between Steve Graham’s Vauxhall Astra and Fin McCaul’s BMW power. In the Privateers Cup the competition is designed to motivate those who are not part of the Teams battle, opening the door for smaller outfits and individuals to be rewarded.

PIRELLI STAR DRIVER COMPETITION

The concept of the Pirelli sponsored initiative was to assist talented drivers to progress and prove their potential, with a view to moving up in the sport. In 2007 the prize of a fully funded drive in the BRC was realised by 19 year old Darren Gass, following a rigorous selection process.

The scheme, which continues in 2008, still allows any registered BRC driver, irrespective of class or nationality, to be eligible for the scheme. It will choose one person from each of the six events to go forward to the end of season Pirelli Star Driver Shootout. A team of adjudicators will be appointed to evaluate and nominate the candidate who will be presented with the Pirelli “Yellow Jersey” at the finish of the event.

In addition to this, the highest placed junior drivers in both the Citroën C2R2 and Suzuki Swift Sport Cups will also take part in a final selection competition, when the winner will secure a fully funded drive in the 2009 BRC. The 2007 prize of an Evo 9 was deemed an appropriate step up for young Darren, but the prize car will be announced depending on the eventual winner’s aptitude and experience.

PIRELLI INTERNATIONAL RALLY IS SET

The Pirelli International threw up a surprise for triple BRC champion Mark Higgins in 2007 when Wilks tore up the rule book. But with the series attracting even more scintillating talent, those rules are there to be broken again, in what promises to be one of the British Rally Championship’s vintage years.

The BRC’s half century kicks off in Carlisle City centre from where the cars head to the infamous Kielder forest complex. Friday evening’s dark stages will help sort the pack, crews who make it through the murk emerging on Saturday for a full day’s rallying. They return to Carlisle on Saturday evening for the now traditional finish ramp celebrations.

For more information, photos, profiles and links to the events’ websites visit www.rallybrc.co.uk or the rally's own website at www.pirelliinternationalrally.co.uk

 

PRESS RELEASE: 21st February 2008

BRC Events commit to Shakedown

All the events in the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship have made a commitment to provide a shakedown before the start of their rallies. The aim is to give competitors a chance to re-familiarise themselves and fine tune their cars before the start of the event.

Drivers contesting the season opener, the Pirelli International Rally in April, will be most eager to get some mileage under their belts before attacking the famous Kielder Forest in earnest. The event’s organisers have planned a shakedown to help blow the cobwebs away after a break of over four months, or to give newcomers a chance to sample Kielder’s fierce reputation at first hand before the start.

The Jim Clark Rally has previously used Floors Castle as a shakedown and spectator stage, but this year the focus will be on testing rather than playing to the crowd. There will be a three mile test stage situated close to the event’s Service Park at Charterhall, which is more representative of the area’s fast but, particularly in the wet, extremely slippery roads.

In 2007 the Rally Isle of Man shakedown stage was a huge hit with competitors who flocked to the short section of road, using it well over a hundred times in just a few hours. This will be repeated in 2008 and it is hoped that allowing competitors to blow off some steam will reduce the number of early event incidents.

The Ulster Rally also has plans to run a shakedown within two miles of the event’s Armagh City base, which is likely to be around 1.5 miles long, with a selection of straights and flowing bends.

Rally Yorkshire will try to engage a section of forest nearer to the stages than the private tests organised in previous years, as the particular character of the North Yorkshire forests is unique.

Finally Wales Rally GB opened up its shakedown to privateer drivers in 2007 with some success, a strategy that the UK’s round of British and World Rally Championship plans to repeat in 2008.

Mark Taylor, “We are finding more and more that competitors are seeking a full weekend of sporting experience for their money which includes reconnaissance of the stages, promotional opportunities, enjoying fun and camaraderie and now, an opportunity for a pre event shakedown of their cars. It proves again that qualifying rallies of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship are providing competitors real enjoyment and a value for money experience.”

Shakedown Dates:

Pirelli - Thursday 17th April
Jim Clark - Friday 23rd May
Isle of Man - Wednesday 16th July
Ulster - Friday 22nd August
Yorkshire - Thursday 25th September
Rally GB - Thursday 27th November

 

PRESS RELEASE: 13th February 2008

Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship

BRC adopts WRC style numbers

The Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship will adopt World Rally Championship style door and rear window numbers for 2008, the first time this style has been used in the UK outside the WRC.

The move is intended to give competitors more space for their own advertising and has been welcomed by the events too.

“We have been lobbying for this change for some years now,” said BRC manager Mark Taylor, “and we think it will please both competitors and events alike. The smaller door numbers allow a bigger area for both event and competitors’ sponsors, while moving the large numbers onto rear windows helps keep track of the cars more easily on the stages.”

This style of numbering has been used in the WRC for several years now, so the rectangular style, positioned towards the top of the doors, should not be too difficult to get used to. The sizes will be as per FIA/WRC regulations to maintain parity between the championships.

“All the BRC cars at the Autosport International show in January sported the new style plates and we had some positive comments during the show.” concluded Taylor.

For more information and news on the BRC visit www.rallybrc.co.uk