2015 MSA British Historic Rally Championship

TV partners confirmed for British Historic Rally Championship

Posted: January 27, 2015 11:18 AM

The line-up of TV partners for the 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship has been confirmed ahead of the opening round of the championship, the Red Kite Stages (Sunday 1 February).

The 90-minute programmes on Motors TV will cover the full story of both the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship and the West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship.

Olly Dickinson will lead the project and will present the programmes and on-event interviews, and the coverage will start with the Red Kite Stages, which is provisionally scheduled for broadcast on the evening of Friday 27 February. Exact schedules will be confirmed nearer the transmission date.

Each championship round will be covered in detail in a 90-minute programme on Motors TV with multiple repeats to give the championship around 50 hours of TV coverage. Initial broadcasts will run in prime-time slots, typically three or four weeks after the rally.

Alongside the TV coverage, the entire Championship will again be available on iRally. The free iRally App is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices and offers an incredibly popular rally video channel. The programmes will also be available via the championship’s YouTube channel.

Support for coverage of the 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship comes from TV partners Chris Browne Builders, JD Garage Equipment, Jordan Road Surfacing, Rally and Competition Equipment, Robinson Road Planing, Sherwood Engines, Swift Leisure and Wales Motorsport Fabrications.

The 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship and the West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship start on the Red Kite Stages on Sunday 1 February.

Barrett commits to BHRC campaign

Posted: January 24, 2015 9:47 AM

Northern Irishman Paul Barrett has confirmed plans for a serious assault on this year’s Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship.

Omagh-based Barrett, the 2006 BTRDA Silver Star champion, will mount his first mainland title assault in eight years and will field a fresh Ford Escort Mk2 Pinto in a full campaign with Welsh co-driver Paul Wakely.

“The car was brand new last year and I’ve only done two rallies in it,” said Barrett. “I broke my wrist in 2007 and I’ve only done three gravel rallies since then.” The class D3 car will run in famous Andrews ‘Heat for Hire’ colours and will debut on the Red Kite Stages on 1 February.

“I’m really looking forward to it and it will be good to have a co-driver with local knowledge,” said Barrett. “Historics is the way to go and the big opposition is in the BHRC.”

A fresh Sherwood Pinto engine is due for round two, the Mid Wales Stages, but while the new unit is completed Paul has hired his old engine back for the Red Kite.

Barrett should be joined by younger brother Ryan in his BDG-powered Escort Mk2 later in the season, notably for the Rallye Isle of Man where Ryan has been an overall winner in the recent past.

The 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship starts on the Red Kite Stages on Sunday 1 February

British Historic Rally Championship partners confirmed

Posted: January 24, 2015 9:31 AM

The full line-up of commercial partners for the 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship has been revealed as support for the championship runs at a very high level ahead of the opening round, the Red Kite Stages (Sunday 1 February).

More than 50 registered crews are already entered for the Red Kite as Britain’s leading championship for historic cars starts a new five-year term under the management of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club.

With Mintex already confirmed as title sponsor for the championship, the four major tyre suppliers in the historic arena have all continued as tyre partners: DMACK, Dunlop, Kumho and Pirelli.

Category sponsors for the coming season are Walker Diecastings (Category 1), Capital Construction (Category 2), RSR Historic Engineering (Category 3), Jondel Engines (Category 4) and Holton Homes (Category K).

The newly-announced Motorsport Auctions Welsh Challenge is a sub-set of the BHRC and runs over the five Welsh events in the 2015 schedule. As well as outstanding gravel rallies, the programme includes the unique asphalt challenge offered by the Epynt ranges.

Meanwhile, the Holton Homes Clubmans Challenge will also run as a sub-set of the BHRC and is for competitors using no more than six tyres per event. The Clubmans Challenge is designed to appeal particularly to the crews in less powerful cars and is an important step towards the reduction of tyre use on gravel rallies.

Specific product awards on each event will be provided by Fuchs Lubricants (Spirit of the Rally Award), Mintex (Best Improvement on Seeding) and the ‘Hard Charger’ award of a 20-litre jerry can from Green Valley Industrial Supplies.

Special end of season awards are supported by Martin Jones Transmissions (most entertaining driver), Weir Laundry Equipment (best under 25 driver) and Rally Xtreme (best over 55 driver).

“Each one of our partners is warmly appreciated for their help in making the championship a success,” said championship manager Colin Heppenstall. “I am confident we will reward them with a fine season of rallying in Britain’s leading historic rally championship.”

The 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship starts on the Red Kite Stages on Sunday 1 February and

Mintex to be title sponsor for BHRC

Posted: January 17, 2015 3:15 PM

Mintex will be the title sponsor for the 2015 MSA British Historic Rally Championship as Britain’s leading championship for historic cars starts a new five-year term under the management of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club.

The start of the 2015 season heralds a new era for the BHRC and the partnership with Mintex is perfect as the company has an outstanding heritage. Mintex brake pads are the most popular choice within historic rallying, with many competitors enjoying a long association with Mintex through distributor Questmead Ltd. Mintex is a brand of TMD Friction UK Ltd.

Lawrence Bleasdale from Mintex said: “I’m very pleased to confirm this partnership with the new-look BHRC. We are delighted to celebrate our heritage by supporting the championship in what seems certain to be a very well-supported and highly competitive season.”

The new partnership renews some long-established links between the two organisations. The origins of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club are within the De Lacy Motor Club and Mintex was title sponsor of De Lacy’s major international rally for many years in the 1970s.

“We’re delighted to welcome Mintex as our key commercial partner for 2015,” said championship manager Colin Heppenstall. “I hope this is the start of a long and mutually beneficial partnership. Mintex is already the brake pad of choice for many competitors in historic rallying.”

Mintex has been at the forefront of braking technology for more than 100 years and is the world’s leading supplier of brake friction. The brand’s on-going success is based on technical excellence, consistent quality and innovation through intensive research and development. Mintex produces more than one million products each day from manufacturing sites spanning four continents.

Comprehensive media package for BHRC

Posted: January 17, 2015 3:12 PM

The 2015 MSA British Historic Rally Championship will enjoy extensive TV and media coverage as it begins a new era under the management of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club.

Headline exposure for the championship and its competitors will be through TV coverage on Motors TV. Produced by Olly Dickinson, the coverage will include hour-long report programmes on each of the eight rallies that make up the 2015 schedule. In addition to the coverage of the BHRC, each 90-minute programme will then switch to a dedicated half-hour review of the concurrent R.A.C. Rally Championship.

The really good news for historic rallying is that Motors TV is now available on the Freeview platform (channel 71) and this will make the coverage accessible to many more viewers.

Supporting the prime TV schedule will be extensive coverage on YouTube and via the free iRally App, which is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices and offers an incredibly popular rally video channel.

Hand-in-hand with the TV coverage will be a comprehensive website and social media campaign, led by Steve Higgins, which will cover both the MSA British Historic Rally Championship and the R.A.C. Rally Championship.

Details about the BHRC can be found at the new website: www.historicrallying.org, while the R.A.C. Championship will continue at www.racrallychamp.org

News from the 2015 MSA British Historic Rally Championship

Posted: January 17, 2015 3:10 PM

Two regional challenges will be organised within the 2015 MSA British Historic Rally Championship, with separate competitions based around both the Welsh and Northern events.

As the championship heads into a new era under the management of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club, individual Welsh and Northern Challenges will be aimed at giving the championship as broad an appeal as possible and ensuring that crews with limitations on time or budget, or both, can compete for end-of-season awards.

Welsh Challenge

The Welsh Challenge will run alongside the MSA British Historic Rally Championship but will have a different scoring system: it will be a class and category-based challenge, allowing crews from any of the four categories to be the Welsh Challenge champions.

The championship runs concurrently with the BHRC and competitors can scores points in both series. The Welsh Challenge will be contested over the spectacular gravel and asphalt roads in Wales, the majority of which have featured in past Lombard RAC and Wales Rally GB events.

The rounds of the Welsh Challenge are:

• Sunday 1 February, Red Kite Stages (Llandovery)
• Sunday 1 March, Mid Wales Stages (Newtown)
• Saturday 30 May, Severn Valley Stages (Builth Wells)
• Sunday 26 July, Harry Flatters Rally (Brecon)
• Saturday 15 August, Neath Valley Stages (Resolven)

Northern Challenge

With four rounds in the North of England, the BHRC will incorporate a Northern Challenge.

The Northern Challenge will run alongside the MSA British Historic Rally Championship but will have a different scoring system: it will be a class and category-based challenge, allowing crews from any of the four categories to be the Northern Challenge champions. The championship runs concurrently with the BHRC and competitors can scores points in both series.

The rounds of the Northern Challenge are:

• Saturday 25 April, Pirelli Rally (Carlisle)
• Thurs/Fri 17/18 September, Isle of Man Classic (part 1)
• Fri/Sat 18/19 September, Isle of Man Classic (part 2)
• Fri/Sat 25/26 September, Trackrod Historic Cup (Pickering)

Clubman Challenge to continue in BHRC

Posted: January 17, 2015 3:09 PM

The 2015 MSA British Historic Rally Championship will feature a Clubman Challenge for crews using no more than six tyres on each round of the championship.

As the championship heads into a new era under the management of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club, the Clubman Challenge is an important initiative to contain costs for competitors and help reduce damage to forest roads.

To be eligible for the Challenge, drivers must use no more than six tyres per rally. Any punctured tyres will count as part of the six-tyre allocation. For each car competing in the Clubman Challenge, six tyres will be marked at scrutineering at each event and only these tyres may be used during the rally. Any tyres from a previous event that the competitor wishes to use must be taken to scrutineering and re-marked as part of the set of six for that event.

The Clubman Challenge will run alongside the main MSA British Historic Rally Championship and will be a class and category-based challenge, allowing crews from any of the categories to be the Clubman Challenge champions.

“We are very keen to bring the Clubman Challenge into the BHRC as it brings a degree of rallymanship into the equation as the type of tyres, compounds, tyre pressures and driving style will all come into play,” said Championship manager Colin Heppenstall. “Not only is it important in helping to contain the cost of competing, but it also makes a very worthwhile contribution to reducing the damage that rallying does to forest roads.”

Category 1 and 1600 cars to the fore in BHRC

Posted: January 17, 2015 3:08 PM

Cars from Category 1 and all up to 1600cc cars will run at the head of the field in the 2015 MSA British Historic Rally Championship as the championship starts a new era under the management of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club.

Following a hugely successful trial during the 2014 R.A.C. Rally Championship, the group of pre ’68 Category 1 cars and 1600cc cars from other categories will run first on the road on all gravel events. The move is designed to encourage more cars from both groups to remain active on gravel rallies.

Whilst running the oldest cars in Category 1 in the first group has been an accepted part of historic rallying for many years now, the RACRMC moved the concept on this year by bringing all the up to 1600cc cars to the fore, with the group seeded on anticipated performance. Significantly, the fastest Category 1 cars and the leading 1600cc cars proved to be very even in terms of performance.

Based on the success of this move on a number of gravel rallies this year, it will now be standardised across all gravel rounds of the BHRC in 2015. There has already been a resurgence of interest in 1600cc cars and more are expected out next season now that they can enjoy the best road conditions available.

Championship manager Colin Heppenstall has also confirmed that the historic field will run at the head of the event on all gravel rounds of the 2015 BHRC and 2015 R.A.C. Rally Championship. Entries for the two championships will be seeded on performance.

“We believe that running first on the road is absolutely essential for the on-going popularity of historic rallying,” said Heppenstall. “By putting the Category 1s and 1600s at the very front, we believe we have the best format. We had over 25 cars in this first group on some rallies in 2014 and that also makes it a more workable group for event organisers.”

In summary, the first group on all gravel events will be the Category 1 and up to 1600cc cars from both the BHRC and R.A.C. Championships. After a short gap, usually 10 minutes, the second group will contain all other cars in both the BHRC and R.A.C. Championships. Both groups will be seeded on anticipated performance.

2015 BHRC schedule unveiled

Posted: January 17, 2015 3:07 PM

The calendar for the 2015 MSA British Historic Rally Championship has been unveiled as Britain’s leading championship for historic cars starts a new five-year term under the control of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club.

Six gravel rallies and three asphalt rounds, including a double-header on the Isle of Man will make up a fresh new schedule for the championship and two events, the Red Kite Stages and Neath Valley Stages will run at British championship level for the first time. Many of the events will retain successful formats, while the Pirelli Rally will feature a significantly revised route with reduced road mileage.

The 2015 MSA British Rally Championship will be a National ‘A’ status championship catering for cars from MSA historic Categories One (pre ’68), Two (1968-74), Three (1975-81) and Four (1981-85). Additionally there will be classes for cars from the same periods prepared to FIA Appendix K regulations.

Crews will count their best six scores from nine rounds, which will allow those unable to commit to the Isle of Man trip to still mount a serious championship bid. Championship manager Colin Heppenstall believes that most crews will contest either the Isle of Man Classic or the Trackrod as the deciding events run back-to-back in late September. The Isle of Man will run as a double-header with a full set of points for each half of the rally.

“We wanted to make sure asphalt was part of the championship and we’ve added a great value one-day event in the Harry Flatters as well as a major ‘sail-away’ event on the Isle of Man,” said Heppenstall. “We hope the championship will go down to the wire in September.”

Heppenstall also paid tribute to the event organisers. “We’ve had tremendous support from the events, both from those that have worked with us over the last two years and from those that are new to working with us.”

Competitor interest is already running at very high levels and 2014 R.A.C Rally Championship winner Nick Elliott was among the first to confirm plans to contest the 2015 BHRC. “It’s a great calendar,” said Elliott. “It’s a lot of the rallies I’d want to do even if I wasn’t chasing the championship.”

Championship Rounds

Posted: January 17, 2015 3:03 PM

1 Red Kite Stages - 1 Feb 15
2 Mid Wales Stages - 1 Mar 15
3 Pirelli Rally - (Sat) 25 Apr 15
4 Severn Valley Stages - (Sat) 30 May 15
5 Harry Flatters Rally - 26 Jul 15
6 Neath Valley Stages - 15 Aug 15
7 & 8 Rally Isle of Man - 17-19 Sep 15
9 Trackrod Historic Cup - 25-26 Sep 15

British Historic Rally Championship (BHRC)