09/06/2022
Motorsport, Rally, British Rally, Web-Zine, E-Zine, E-Mag, Magazine
Motorsport, Rally, British Rally, Web-Zine, E-Zine, E-Mag, Magazine
The Motorsport UK British Rally Championship returned with the Corbeau Seats Rally Tendring & Clacton to carry the honours of opening up the new look 2022 season. After becoming the first closed road stage rally in England back in 2018, the Clacton based event which is organised by the very capable Chelmsford Motor Club would kick start “The Battle of Britain” in the race for new BRC & JBRC Champions.
After six thrilling rallys, the 2021 British Rally Championship reached its climax at the final round on the challenging Northern Irish tarmac roads of the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally.
The Irish have a rich history in rallying and the Ulster Rally began life in 1976, where names such as Ari Vatanen, Billy Coleman, Jimmy McRae and Roger Clark all contested the event. Cast one’s eyes over the roll of honour and ye shall find a plethora of rallying greats which include Arikkala, Blomqvist, McRae, Rohrl, Brookes and Wilson to name but a few.
There was a whiff of Wales Rally GB in the air of North Wales for the penultimate round of the 2021 British Rally Championship at the Visit Conway Cambrian Rally….. but then the sun came out. Heavy overnight rain with some early morning fireworks out on the stages all contributed to this atmosphere, which some likened to the British round of the World Rally Championship that has played out of the very same stages in recent years.
Organised by the very capable North Wales Car Club, the seaside town of Llandudno once again played host to this 66th edition of this top national event. Totalling some 42 competitive miles, the event featured six gravel tests over the World-Class stages of Gwydir Forest, Penmachno and Alwen.
st time since its inception back in 1958, the British Rally Championship arrived on the picturesque Isle of Mull for the fifth round of the 2021 season – The Beatson’s Building Supplies Mull Rally. With 17 stages covering 148 miles, this event was to be one of the longest and perhaps the most individual of events on the calendar this season and would be a challenging one at that.
For an event that began life in 1969 as a club level road rally, it offered up an immense challenge for the handful of BRC crews that had boarded the ferry across the Scottish seas. The rally was spread across three legs and consisted of a real mix of narrow but quick tarmac roads.
Ask any British Rally Fan where “Gods Own Country” is in terms of a playground for rallying and you may receive a couple of different responses. Whilst some will note “Killer Kielder” Forest on the Scottish Borders, many will claim that Wales is the correct answer, but for every Welsh vote, you may well receive a vote in favour of Yorkshire.
Now Yorkshire has ample history in the British Rallying Books and has played its parts in hosting the RAC rally and many National events over the decades. So it is only fitting that the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship made its return to the North Yorkshire based Trackrod Forest Rally after an 8-year absence.
The British Rally Championship headed to North Eastern Scotland for round three of the 2021 championship. The Grampian Forest Rally, which features stages just a stone’s throw away from Aberdeen for the first time since the 1980’s offered up a fresh new gravel challenge for BRC contenders.
Organised by the Stonehaven and District Motorclub, the event which also hosted the Scottish Rally Championship, featured 6 stages totalling 44 miles of competitive action. 13 BRC1 registered crews were joined by a number of other top National Cup crews to take on the fast and flowing Scottish gravel stages in the Durris, Fetteresso and Drumtochty Forests.
The second round of the 2021 British Rally Championship brought with it not only the return to gravel but the long-awaited return for Welsh Rallying. Organised by the very capable Quinton Motorclub, The Nicky Grist Stages offered up a 44-mile gravel rally spread over 8 very popular stages (2 loops of 4 repeated stages) in and around the Epynt Military ranges close to Builth Wells where the rally was based.
Following on from the opening round of the BRC, The Neil Howard Stages at Oulton Park; the battle between a top lineup of English, Irish and Welsh competitors continued to rage on in Wales at the Nicky Grist Stages.
Sam Moffett and Keith Moriarty winners of the 2021 British Rally Championship opener at Oulton Park.
The Motorsport Vision Racing Circuit in the Cheshire countryside is perhaps one of the more picturesque race circuits in the UK and has been hosting rounds of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championships in the form of the Neil Howard Stages for a number of years.
Following the cancellation of the whole British Rally Championships season last year due to COVID, the Championships was itching to get going again this year. Up steps, the Neil Howard Stages