2015 British Rallycross Championship

[tbtstt]

Press release for the 2015 British Rallycross Championship, including dates:

Originally Posted by British Rallycross Championship Press Release

2015 MSA British Rallycross Championship dates announced

Following appointment by the MSA. LHMC and BARC (British RX) wish to announce the 2015 British Rallycross Championship Dates as follows

March 15th Croft

April 6th Lydden

May 10th Pembrey

June 27th/28th Mondello Park (double header)**

July 26th Pembrey

August 31st Lydden

October 10th Croft

With the MSA Rallycross Grand-Prix taking place at Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire on Sunday October 11th

A spokesman from LHMC said this week “It is always difficult to create a balanced calendar of events when we ideally have to avoid European/WRX date clashes, which are not announced until November. We have worked extremely hard since that announcement to create our own calendar and with the help of Lydden Hill Circuit and BARC have achieved our objectives and it has been completed in record time. We are already seeing the benefit of our partnership with BARC and are looking forward to the further enhancements it will bring. In the next few weeks we hope to make further announcements regarding television, website and other enhancements to the championship.”

In due course the Technical and Championship Regulations will be announced, as will the points scoring mechanism for the 2015 Championship as well.

For those wishing to join a major televised championship there is something for everyone from affordable entry level to top flight Supercars.

MSA Junior Rallycross, Suzuki One Make Championship, Retro Rallycross, Hot Hatch, Minis, Super 1600, MSA SuperNational plus support from the spectacular RX 150's and of course those unbelievable MSA Supercars will all form part of the exciting package for 2015.

Rallycross was made for television and this remains the prime source of promotion. This makes it ideal for those seeking sponsorship or those wishing to get involved for the first time.

More details can be found in due course on our website www.britishrallycross.co.uk as well as British Rallycross social media outlets.

[Hawkesfire]

Great work BRC at getting the dates out early as this will give a lot of people time to ensure they can book time away from work and with 8 rounds plus the GP and also the BTRDA this should give us all some great racing next year..... better get cracking on with the rebuild of the 206 then......

[leonidas]

But still nine classes for about 50 regularly active drivers. It just doesn't make sense.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Hawkesfire

Great work BRC at getting the dates out early as this will give a lot of people time to ensure they can book time away from work and with 8 rounds plus the GP and also the BTRDA this should give us all some great racing next year..... better get cracking on with the rebuild of the 206 then......

Yep - good to get the dates out nice and early. Interesting to see Knockhill has been dropped - I guess that was the least popular with the drivers? Is one of the Lydden rounds going to be combined with the Belgian championship again does anyone know?

Originally Posted by leonidas

But still nine classes for about 50 regularly active drivers. It just doesn't make sense.

In some ways not chopping and changing the class structure does at least provide a bit of stability - but I think I'd have dropped the Minis, they don't seem to ever have the numbers for a stand alone grid and the cars can run in another class anyway.

[chasing cars]

Good that Lydden is back on Easter Monday hopefully with the Belgians again, though as there is no return round in Belgium or Holland then maybe this has been dropped.

Croft getting a second round is also a positive and will hopefully further increase the interest in the sport in the North of England.

Still too many classes but as long as grids are amalgamated where necessary then its not so bad.

[BigNut]

Personally i Would love to see the following grids
1- Supercar
2- modified & super 1600
3- hot hatch & BMW mini
4- swifts
5 -Rx150
6- juniors
7- retro
Any thoughts?

[chunder]

Are they actually series here?

Organising the test day even on the same day?

Really whoever makes these decisions should be shot, what a load of absolute, petty rubbish.

[Sarge]

Have called Lydden but no one seems to have any news on the Rallycross test day.

If anyone hears anything, please stick a note on here. Many thanks.

[Stephen H]

The Belgium calendar has been posted, but sadly no sign of a joint round or a visit Lydden for 2015.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Stephen H

The Belgium calendar has been posted, but sadly no sign of a joint round or a visit Lydden for 2015.

That's a shame - the Belgian meeting at Lydden was a highlight of the year.

[Stephen H]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

That's a shame - the Belgian meeting at Lydden was a highlight of the year.

Totally agree, it has been "the" highlight meeting of the year, and every year since the tie up began. Just have to cross our fingers that a Belgium "supernational" or two or three, are tempted over to join in with the British on Easter Monday

[Sarge]

For those who may still be waiting for news, it appears there will be no British Championship test day for 2015 due to higher than expected circuit hire costs.

[tbtstt]

New toy for Ollie...





...I wonder if that means the ex-Procter Focus will be moving on, or will O'Donovan keep it? (I believe he bought it from Kevin and wasn't just renting it last year?)

[chunder]

I guess having WRX is proving more expensive than they first imagined eh!

What a shame for those that used to maybe have a go there for the first time.

[tbtstt]

Short write up on Mark Flaherty on Autosport...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117173

...great news he is planning to run the full British Championship, hopefully he will be another driver who can give Godfrey a run for his money.

Interesting that his choice of car is yet to be finalized, I wonder what other options there are aside from LDM?

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Interesting that his choice of car is yet to be finalized, I wonder what other options there are aside from LDM?

If you have the money for a LDM car I am sure there are other options.

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by FIRE

If you have the money for a LDM car I am sure there are other options.

Originally Posted by chunder

Fire you missed a word out.

Other "more reliable" options

I did wonder if the price to hire a LDM DS3 might have dropped based on the car reliability/technical infringements this year.

In addition, if there is only going to be one LDM run team next year (anyone know what Tohill is doing?) then perhaps they might be keenly priced to have the cars running rather than sitting around?

[geordiecriag101]

Just to add a little something extra, but at the last round of the British series at Croft, Flaherty was running the spare LDM DS3 which was being supervised by Liam, tho by the general state the car was in it seamed like it hadn't run for sum time.

Also that car has been up for sale since mid year, tho asking 135K seams a tad steep.

http://rallycross.com/sales_db/viewo...4748&lang_id=0

[chunder]

Fire you missed a word out.

Other "more reliable" options!

[Hampton Caught]

Originally Posted by chunder

Fire you missed a word out.

Other "more reliable" options!

You pipped me to it. I was also going to add the word 'reliable' there.

I spoke with Mark at Lydden and he was not happy that the car wasn't ready for the free practice nor the first qualification runs. Always on your back foot when the first time you're out competing in a new car to you is when everyone else you're competing with has 'warmed up' already.

Then at Croft, Mark told me the car was down on power. Again, not what you want!

I have no idea how much Mark was paying LD Motorsport for use of their car, but in other circumstances, for service like that I'd be looking for a hefty discount!!

Ultimately, and most importantly, those experiences haven't hurt his enthusiasm for the sport. Good luck to him, I say, and I hope he's able to find a suitable vehicle for 2015. The ex-Proctor/ O'Donovon Focus would be a useful tool in Mark's hands.

Cheers, Steve

[tbtstt]

For those who haven't seen it, a post from the British Rallycross Championship Facebook page concerning this weekends Autosport show and the 2015 Championship:

Originally Posted by British Rallycross Championship Facebook Page

This years Autosport Show once again, had many visitors to the NEC to see the latest in what is new for 2015. Rallycross featured much more this year than in recent events, with news for this season from the likes of Ollie O’Donovan, Jake Taylor, Steve Hill and Craig Lomax to name but a few.

The attraction for most visitors was the presence of World RX Champion Petter Solberg, who attended the show for all four days, carried out numerous interviews on stage, and was on hand to provide action in the Live Arena to the thousands of Motorsport fans that tuned up.

This years MSA British Rallycross Championship is already shaping up to be one of the best for some time. Former British Champion Ollie O’Donovan will swap the ex-Kevin Procter Focus for a new R5 based Ford Fiesta, run by Tony Bardy Motorsport and will be seen at the opening round of this years series at Croft on March 15th.

The Irishman will team up with Yokohama for this year, and speaking at the show head of Motorsport at Yokohama HPT Ltd, Mark Evans, said; "I am delighted to be working with Ollie to support his entry into the Supercar category of the 2015 British Rallycross Championship. We have known him for some time and with his experience, this car and the Yokohama ADVAN A005 tyre, I am sure that we will enjoy a successful year. In addition to competing with Yokohama, Ollie will continue to provide Yokohama tyres to the Rallycross community through RX Racing, including the new tyre to competitors who wish to use it alongside him in the Supercar class."

For O’Donovan it is the kind of backing needed to sustain a challenge at this year’s title and he is looking forward to 2015 indeed and said “The partnership with Yokohama is very important to both myself and Team RX Racing in Rallycross. We have used the tyres on the RX150’s for many years, and have proved how good they are, so to have them on the car as well is superb.” He went on to add “Team RX Racing will contest all the rounds of the MSA British Championship this year, as well as up to six rounds of the World Rallycross Championship, so it is going to be a busy year, but one the team and I are looking forward to.”

Elsewhere Jake Taylor confirmed that he will make the move up to the Suzuki Swift Sport category in 2015. JT Motorsport announced “After a strong 2014 debut season, gaining valuable experience in the Swift Juniors, Jake will be making the leap up to the ultra competitive Suzuki Swift 1.6 Sport category.

Supported by Autopoint Specialist Engineering, Jake will compete in the 2015 British Rallycross Championship With over 20 years experience in World, European and British Rallycross , Jake will be in very capable hands with Graham and Kieran at Autopoint Specialist Engineering for his next stage of development, and it is a challenge that we are really looking forward to.”
Jake will be racing behind the wheel of the famous championship winning Suzuki Swift of Graham Rodemark and work has just started preparing the car for the 2015 season, featuring a new colour scheme and new artwork.
Speaking at the show Jake said "I know it’s a very tough category to be racing in with the adults but I'm committed to keep on developing and improving in 2015" he added "With the fantastic support of the team at Autopoint SE and the MSA Academy tutors I'm incredibly excited about the challenge ahead, I cannot wait to get behind the wheel again".

Other news from the show is that James Grint is working hard on a deal that should see him in the Championship once again, while Craig Lomax will be back in his new Citroën C2, the Xtreme Motorsport driver present in the Live Action Arena at the show.

Steve Hill confirmed that he will contest the full Championship in 2015 in the rapid Mitsubishi Evo, while Steve Harris confirmed that he too was working on a deal that would see him contest the series once again.

This years dates were released just before Christmas and are as follows

Croft – 15th March
Lydden - 6th April
Pembrey – 10th May
Mondello Park – 27/28 June
Pembrey – 19th July
Lydden – 31st August
Croft – 10/11 October

The Mondello Park round features a ferry deal for crews and teams, and more details will be announced this week.

I really like the latter generation Fiesta rallycross cars, so it will be great to see one in the UK this year. My only minor concern is that Ollie was sure to be competitive from the outset in the Focus, I hope the switch to a new car doesn't slow him down too much.

[BigNut]

Taken From The British RallyCross Facebook Page

MSA British Rallycross news update 2015
The British Rallycross Championship is pleased to announce a confirmed calendar of events for 2015 that consists of eight rounds with one dropped score. The championship is open to anyone who is a member of either LHMC or BARC
Round 1 Croft – 15th March
Round 2 Lydden - 6th April
Round 3 Pembrey – 10th May
Round 4 + 5 Mondello Park – 27/28 June ( See ferry deal)
Round 6 Pembrey – 19th July
Round 7 Lydden – 31st August
Round 8 Croft – 10th October
MSA Rallycross Grand Prix Croft Oct 11th
8 rounds one score dropped.
_________________________________________
Offer Details for Mondello Park
A fantastic ferry deal has been organised by Ian Watson of BARC and the Mondello team which will make the trip to Ireland very appealing.
Booking details and costs below
Offer Details:
British Rallycross Championship
*Car plus three adults plus Trailer up to 3.9 metres long
*Return Cruise Ferries only Irish sea Daylight Sailings
*Bookings made up to and including Tuesday 30th June 2015
*Travel from Tuesday 23rd June 2015 to Tuesday 30th June 2015
*Telesales bookings only – no telephone fee
*Bookings can be emailed to www.clubdeals.co.uk
*Total Cost £190 return – Inclusive of Car plus 3 Adults including trailer
(up to 3.9mtrs)
If you have any Artics, we also have a deal with Irish Ferries freight, but that has to be booked separately through the Dublin office but is very competitively priced at €200.00 each way plus Vat and a fuel surcharge of circa €30.00 each way.
On today’s exchange rate, that’s approx. £364.00 for an Artic return assuming they can claim the Vat which is mega competitive.
Further details and booking reference will follow
________________________________
Classes will be as follows for 2015
MSA Supercar
MSA SuperNational/ Super 1600. Will run together but separate heats and finals will be run if sufficient numbers of each class at the discretion of the COC
BMW Mini/ Hot Hatch Will run together but separate heats and finals will be run if sufficient numbers of each class at the discretion of the COC
Suzuki Swift Sport Championship
MSA Suzuki Juniors
Retro Rallycross
RX150
Various television deals are in discussion and further details will follow.
Despite substantial increased circuit costs entries have been kept down to £250.00, which is only £5.00 more than 2014. For the new double header at Mondello entry for both days will be £375.00, which represents excellent value
A spokesman for the joint organisers LHMC and BARC said “We are excited by the high levels of support promised for 2015. We are expecting increased numbers across all classes but especially in the Supercar class that looks like being the most competitive for many years. The recent rise of the popularity of Rallycross on a World stage has been plain to see, and we are now benefiting from that in our own British Rallycross.”
More news will be announced in due course.

[chunder]

It seems to be a one year on, one year off kind of deal to be honest.

[FIRE]

Is this a new car?

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Is this a new car?

There is a bit of blurb on the car on Facebook, but its a bit vague...



...however I just noticed that one of the comments for the picture on Facebook says:

Originally Posted by Mike Goodbun

Saw it at NEC today. Rollcage had Wales Rally GB scrutineering sticker on. So an ex-rally machine... But don't know who rallied it.

Unlikely I'll be going there myself, but perhaps a forum member going to Autosport can verify the above if they see the car.