PREVIEW / BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2025
18/02/2025WORDS BY JACK MORRIS
2024 saw a raft of changes for the Probite British Rally Championship, a different look to the calendar, a new title sponsor, highlights programmes on ITV & ITVX and a highly competitive field of competitors.
The 2024 season was played out over a mix of gravel and asphalt, after a tense season the title fight went down to the wire on the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally where the crown was taken by Chris Ingram and Alexander Kihurani in the Melvyn Evans Motorsport ran Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Fast forward to 2025 and this year’s season looks to have all the signs to be another closely fought season across the categories. The title will be fought out over 6 rounds, with a similar calendar to last season, the only event changes being the opening round switches from the North West Stages to the East Riding Stages and the inclusion of the Carlisle Stages which takes the place of the Severn Valley Stages on Saturday 12th April due to the ongoing storm damage clearance work in the Welsh Forests meaning that the Severn Valley Stages will not go ahead this year.
THE CALENDAR
News broke on February 3rd that the 2024 Champions, Chris Ingram and Alex Kihurani will not be returning to the championship to defend their crown, with the crew putting a focus on International Events, this means that we will have a different name on the trophy come season end, but will it be one of the BRC regulars or one of the new guns to the top flight of British Rallying, only time will tell!
THE CLASSES
Here is an outlook on the different categories, crews and cars you’ll be seeing during the 2025 BRC Season, we also got the chance to gather some exclusive insights from several of the drivers across the categories about their feelings on the upcoming season!
BRC1
BRC1 is set to be once again extremely competitive with returning regulars William Creighton & Liam Regan changing from their M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 to a MEM Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 for 2025, Creighton narrowly missed out on the overall title last year.
Keith Cronin & Mikie Galvin also make the switch from a Ford Fiesta Rally2 to make a return to the championship in a Citroen C3 Rally2, Cronin is a 4-time champion so will be on the hunt to make it 5 in 2025!
M-Sport are back fielding two crews in BRC1 with Garry Pearson & Hannah McKillop and Romet Jurgenson & Siim Oja in Ford Fiesta Rally2’s.
Photso: Left: Romet Jurgenson – M-Sport | Right: Garry Pearson By Andrew Scott
Jurgenson and Oja won the 2024 Junior WRC Crown and have competed on a wide variety of WRC and International events, coming off the back of a 7th place in WRC2 at Rally Sweden 2025, it will be very interesting to see how this crew will stack up!
We spoke with the M-Sport duo to see how they were feeling in the run-up to 2025.
“Looking forward to the season getting started, we’ve worked hard behind the scenes to prepare for this year so we’re in a good place and hope to make that count over the first few events.”
Garry Pearson
“Really happy that we got the chance to do the BRC as well beside a WRC2 program with M-Sport. It will definitely develop me further as an all-round driver on both surfaces. I think we have quite a lot to learn at the first round at the East Riding Stages as it’s going to be my first tarmac rally in a Rally2 car. Once we are settled in properly, for sure I’d like to be a contender for the top spots at some point during the season. Looking forward to it!”
Romet Jurgenson
Photo: Meirion Evans – By Andrew Scott
Meirion Evans will also once again be competing in a MEM ran Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, Evans will have Dale Furniss alongside him for the 2025 Season.
Meirion gave us an insight into his hopes for 2025
“I think the aim for the first round is to try and get on the podium, we had a tough year last year, we had a new car and mostly new rallies for me, so it took some adapting and we ran into a few problems too. I think the car is in a good place now and has moved on a lot over the last year, I also have Dale Furniss in for the first tie who brings a lot of experience with him, so I’m hoping we can get off to a good start.”
Meirion Evans
Other notable names throwing their hat into the ring for 2025 are James Williams & Ross Whittock in their Orange Amplification Hyundai i20N Rally2, Max McRae & Cameron Fair are also back for 2025, and will pilot a Citroen C3 Rally2.
Photos: Left – James Williams – By Andrew Scott | Right: Max McRae – BRC
We spoke to James on his clear targets for 2025
“My aim for 2025 is to win the British Rally Championship. I think given that we’ve had a solid learning year with the Hyundai i20N Rally2, we now have a strong platform to build on what we’ve learned and convert the pace we showed in 2024 on a consistent basis.
I’m thrilled to announce some fantastic new and returning partners for my 2025 campaign, it just would not be possible without the support of all of them to make it happen. I’m motivated and in the best shape ever to start the year strong, string some solid results together and put ourselves in the best possible position. There will be some new things to learn, however I’m really excited to get going on the 23rd of February! Finally, I’d like to say a huge thank you to my team for the hard work over the winter to prepare the car for battle in 2025. Hopefully we will see the Orange Army out and supporting on all events this year!”
James Williams
There are also some names, who people that are familiar with UK National Rallying scene will recognise which will be also competing in the BRC1 category.
Neil Roskell will be back in his striking ND Civils Ford Fiesta Rally2, this time having Rob Fagg alongside him, Roskell finished 11th in BRC1 in 2024 so will be likely looking to break that Top 10 in the Overall Championship in 2025.
Photo: Neill Roskell – By Andrew Scott
We spoke with the ever-entertaining Neil to see how he was feeling ahead of 2025
“Well where do I start! Looking forward to getting back out and doing the BRC and Protyre. East Riding as the first round is going to be great, they always put on a good show! I’ve done it every year now, so hopefully I can get out of the blocks quick, but the lineup is mega, and I don’t envy Mark Kelly being Car 1! As for this year I am really looking forward to having Rob Fagg in and hopefully we can get dialled in early in the season.
Ihave put a lot more into my fitness and the notes for this year. As being one of the old boys I have to work twice as hard against the young lads! I feel I need to up my game and really work at getting better results, keep my head clear and go and enjoy the year. Hopefully my pace will improve then too! If I can see my pace improve from last year, I will be happy. My quote is- Looking Old, Feeling Young, Hoping to Drive Faster!”
Neil Roskell
2024 Motorsport UK Tarmac Champions, Callum Black & Jack Morton will also be names to watch out for in their Ford Fiesta Rally2. With Callum’s pace on tarmac and experience in BTRDA Gravel events in previous years, having been in the BRC Open class last year, Black will be reverting to the 32mm restrictor to join the BRC1 Category.
Photo: Callum Black – By Andrew Scott
Callum shared his thoughts about 2025
“I never really had massive intentions of rallying this year to be honest. We’d exhausted our budget over the last coupe of seasons and the spending exceeding what we could manage, so it was going to be a quieter year.
However, we got approached by some sponsors and when the calendar came out it made sense for us to give it a go! We still have the Fiesta and M-Sport have been great with their support, plus we did the East Riding last year, so we are confident that we can use that experience well on this year’s event.”
Callum Black
Four-time Welsh Forest Rally Champions, Matthew Hirst & Declan Dear are making the leap to BRC1 for 2025, they will be taking on the championship in their Skoda Fabia R5.
Photo: Matthew Hirst – By Andy Cook
We spoke with Matthew about his step up to the BRC for 2025
“I’m eager to hit the ground running on the East Riding Stages and see how we stack up against such as competitive field. We’re not putting too much pressure on given our experience on tarmac, we’re being realistic. It was eye-opening seeing the pace at the front of last year’s event and I’m confident this year will be even faster.
The car hasn’t changed much aside from switching it to tarmac spec for the event and dialling in a setup based on what we learnt last year. Sunday morning’s tyre choice will be crucial after we get a read on the weather and road conditions.
With more top drivers this year, I’m expecting a lot of mud to be dragged out on to the stages, which will definitely throw in a extra variable! Something to watch out for on the second loop!”
Matthew Hirst
A familiar name also returns to top-flight UK Rallying for 2025, with the return of Jason Pritchard, Pritchard is a two-time British Historic Champion and three-time Motorsport UK Tarmac Champion. Pritchard will be joined by his long-standing co-driver Phil Clarke and will be taking on the BRC1 category in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Photo: Jason Pritchard
Jason shared his thoughts
“My aim is to go and enjoy myself, get some miles in the new car and learn about the car and try different things. Having not competed in over 12 months I’m looking forward to getting back out there with a great team around me.”
Jason Pritchard
BRC3
With 2024 BRC3 Champion, Stephen Waugh’s Ford Fiesta Rally3 currently up for sale, it remains to be seen whether Stephen will be making a return to the Championship in 2025.
2024 Junior BRC Champion, Robert Proudlock will be making the jump to the BRC3 Category for 2025, he will be switching his FWD Peugeot 208 Rally4 to the 4WD Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo and will be joined by Daniel James for the 2025 season.
We spoke with the 2024 JBRC Champion in the lead-up to Round 1
“Kicking off our first season in a 4WD rally car is a dream I’ve had in my mind since my boyhood days, watching my dad pilot his Subaru Impreza in the SRC, I knew that someday I wanted to be doing that!
So, to finally be in this position I’m extremely excited to get that first stage under my belt, but it’s not going to be as straightforward as that. We’ve got a lot to learn, there’s only 1 week to go until the event and still I’ve not driven the car on the road.
It’s been a proper last-minute push to get the car fully sorted so we’ll be lucky to get a small test in somewhere before the event. This year the goal is just to learn the car and pick up the right technique to extract everything I can from it! We won’t be looking too much into times but at the end of the year we would be more than happy to be breaking into the Top 10 and getting in amongst the Rally2 cars.”
Robert Proudlock
JUNIOR BRC
With the 2024 Junior BRC Champion moving up to BRC3, once again we will be seeing a different name on the title.
Kyle McBride & Darragh Mullen will be back in their Peugeot 208 Rally4, with the pair finishing 3rd in the JBRC in 2024, they will likely be a pair to watch in 2025.
We spoke with Kyle about his thoughts for 2025
“Can’t wait for the 2025 season to get started, my first event will be the East Riding Stages which is the first round of the BRC, and I can’t wait to get going! This will be my 2nd year in the Peugeot 208 Rally4, I’ve learnt a tremendous amount of things with the car throughout the 2024 season. It was my first season last year with the new car, new tyres ad new navigator so I’ve learnt a lot through the year.
Thanks to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for helping me to prepare for the events and all my sponsors who make it possible, can’t thank them enough! I’m bringing a lot forward from last season to the season, I feel like I have much more experience gained in the car and I will be able to focus on more things to help me go faster, we want to try a few different things on events in terms of setup of the car.
East Riding looks like it’s going to be very fast stages, very smooth and will be quite challenging if it becomes wet with the surface likely to turn very shiny, so we will have to be careful with the surface changes at the event. New year, new goals, for sure it’s going to be good fun! Again, another thanks to Motorsport Ireland Academy along with some of my new sponsors who have come onboard for the 2025 season, looking forward to working with some new people. I just can’t wait to get going!”
Kyle McBride
They will have some stiff competition from Keelan Grogran & Ayrton Sherlock, Craig Rahill & Conor Smith and Kalum Graffin & Mark McGeehan all in Peugeot 208 Rally4s.
Photos: Left: Kyle McBride – By Andy Cook | Centre: Kalum Graffin – By Andrew Scott | Right: Keelan Grogran – By Andrew Scott
Kalum shared his thoughts about his JBRC Campaign
“I think our approach this year is to go out on the first round and see how we go and then build from that and hopefully we will be fighting at the top of JBRC.”
Kalum Graffin
New to the JBRC in 2025, will be the young pairing of Sam Mason & James Seymour also in their Peugeot 208 Rally4.
Sam spoke to us about perhaps his biggest challenge yet!
“Well, I guess this is a big season for us! We are competing in the Junior BRC in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, a surprisingly sizeable upgrade from our previous car, a Fiesta R2T. East Riding will be my first rally in the car and my first ever tarmac rally let alone closed road rally (other than Junior 1000 but that doesn’t really count!).
There is a lot of learning to do in all aspects of the event for both James & I. James- my Co-Driver has also never done a recce and has only done the same amount of rallying as I have. Round 1 of the BRC will only be my 23rd rally start which means I will have done less than half the rallies than most of our competitors too so this will be a challenge and a race against experience given that some of them do nearly 23 rallies in a year!
The aim for Round 1 is just to learn. I can’t expect to be in the mix to win it because I’ve never driven on tarmac before, but we are hoping to learn lots, and have fun and scoring some points would be a nice bonus of we can! I think one of the best things about the JBRC is the pace. I hope that having several very fast drivers will bring me on to become quicker!”
Sam Mason
BRC4
Charlie Wright & Adam Westerby will be joining the BRC4 fight in their Ford Fiesta R2T, having competed on most of the BRC events last year but not being signed up for the championship, they will have good knowledge of the rallies.
The all-female Scottish Crew of Meghan O’Kane & Nikki Addison will also be joining the BRC4 category in 2025, having been competing in the Scottish Rally Championship the last few years, O’Kane has experience on various events on both gravel and asphalt, they will be competing in a Ford Fiesta R2.
Photo: Megan O’Kane – By Andrew Scott
Meghan shared her thoughts on this big jump
“Really looking forward to the season ahead! Excited to be a part of the BRC and to try some new events! I’ve got a new navigator for this year too- really happy to have Nikki alongside me! I’m sure there will be plenty of laughs as well! Can’t wait to get started next weekend with East Riding Stages!”
Megan O’Kane
OPEN
Sam Touzel & Max Freeman will be competing in the Open class in their Ford Fiesta Rally2, Touzel only recently started rallying in a Fiesta Rally2 in 2024 and has since come on leaps and bounds and is likely to be someone to watch!
Photo: Sam Touzel – By Asa Diaper
Sam shared his feelings on the upcoming season
“Super excited to be back rallying and to have Max Freeman alongside me! I’m definitely looking forward to be competing against the best in Britain and aiming to not be a million miles away from the front runners, whilst also remembering to enjoy every rally 100%, win, lose or draw!”
Sam Touzel
Another crew who will be competing in the Open class will be Hugh Brunton & Drew Sturrock in their all-green Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. Brunton finished 3rd Overall in the Open Class in 2024.
Photo: Hugh Brunton – By Andrew Scott
Hugh also shared his feelings with us
“Looking forward to it! I did East Riding last year and was a great rally. We had some really good stages with strong times, but others were a bit scruffy, so looking to try and build on that and try and get a decent result. We will be competing in open to start with anyway”
Hugh Brunton
NATIONAL
The Motorsport UK National caters for a wide variety of 4WD and 2WD vehicles and will once again see a number of competitors across the six rounds competing within the championship.
2024 National Champion, Williams Mains is back in his 1400 Vauxhall Nova and will have Emma Clake alongside him for 2025.
Photo: William Mains – By Andrew Scott
The 2024 National Champion shared his thoughts on the upcoming season
We reached our goals last year as British National Champions so looking to enjoy event with less pressure and try and improve on gravel. East Riding is new to me, so new different challenges also, my 2024 navigator Tomos Whittle has new goals and commitments away from rallying so Emma Clarke will take the seat.
Emma has her father sitting in too with Jason Pritchard in the GR Yaris. Phil has an abundance of experience and events behind him which he has no doubt passed what he can down to Emma.”
William Mains
Nathan Evans & Rhys Edwards have also got an entry in for the 2025 opener in their Renault Clio 3 RS, this pairing will be one to watch after a brilliant result on the 2024 Rali Ceredigion.
Photo: Nathan Evans – By Andrew Scott
Nathan shared his thoughts about the upcoming rounds
“Really looking forward to getting back out in the car competitively since the class win on Rali Ceredigion. I’ve been out testing over winter with new dampers from ALP Racing suspension which have more travel for this year. One thing the car was lacking a little last year. Hopefully I’ll be fighting at the front of 2.0 at East Riding after a good result last year coming 2nd in class on pretty much the first rally out in the new car!”
Nathan Evans
Chris Richmond-Hand & Izzie Holman will be another pairing to watch throughout 2025, they will be competing in Chris’s stunning Toyota Starlet, again another pairing which achieved success on the 2024 Rali Ceredigion.
We spoke with Chris in the lead-up to the 2025 season
“I think the most important aim for us is to enjoy it and go as sideways as possible. On a serious note, we have one goal in mind and that’s to do our damn best. We are very excited for the season ahead and are extremely grateful for the support that we’ve had so far from our sponsors that has made all this possible for us!
The car has had some serious changes since the last closed-road event we did, we only had 200bhp then! I just go with the flow and do our own thing; it will be what it will be. I’ve always said just take one rally at a time!”
Chris Richard-Hand
The pairing of Rob Cotton & Owen Paterson is also heading into the 2025 season looking to claim the National Title, they will be competing in a Subaru Impreza.
Rob shared his thoughts for the upcoming year
“I’m facing my biggest challenge yet in 2025 as I step up to the BRC from last year’s success in the SRC. I’m hoping to claim the National Rally Title whilst also trying to prove my pace and see how high up the overall leaderboards I can get.
My new car is far more advanced than the old one so I will have a lot to get used to, but I’m sure I’ll be loving every second of it.
I’m incredibly grateful for winning the John Easson Award which made the step up to the BRC possible.”
Rob Cotton
The 2025 Probite British Rally Championship season begins on Sunday 23rd February with the East Riding Stages based in Beverley, where 170 competitors will do battle over 10 stages, with the ceremonial start beginning in Beverly Market Place at 9:00 am!
