2009 MSA British Historic Rally Championship

Shooter and LeGood win Mehta Award

Posted: February 22, 2010 9:52 PM

Chris Shooter and Bev LeGood have been announced as the fourth winners of the 'Shekhar Mehta Spirit of Rallying' award in recognition of their performance in the 2009 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship. The award was presented at the annual HRCR awards evening on Saturday night (20 February) in Daventry.  

The special 'spirit of the championship' award is a cast bronze Cheetah on a plinth and was given to the BHRC by Yvonne Mehta in memory of her late husband, one of the legends of rallying and a true ambassador for the sport. It is presented annually to a BHRC crew, selected by a panel of judges at the end of each season.  

The Loughborough couple are regular BHRC contenders and are front-runners in class D3 with their Pinto-powered Ford Escort Mk2, which is always immaculately prepared by Chris at his Sparrow Hill Cars business.  

"Chris and Bev work hard to afford their rallying and they are good people to have around the championship," said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. "They are proper club competitors and they will help anybody out if they can.

BHRC gets more TV for 2009

Posted: January 29, 2009 9:23 AM

At least five rounds of the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will be covered on TV this year thanks to Dunlop's increased backing for the championship.

After two successful pilot programmes in 2008, covering the Mid Wales Stages and the Trackrod Historic Cup, the BHRC's arrangement with Pit Lane Productions has been extended to cover at least five rallies.

This major development for the BHRC comes at a time when historic rallying is booming and becoming ever more popular among rally fans, both out on the stages and at home in front of TV screens. It underlines the BHRC's place at the pinnacle of UK historic rallying and the scene is already set for a tremendous season in 2009.

The initial plan is to cover all five gravel events, while at the same time efforts will continue to add coverage of some of the asphalt events. However, either due to filming rights issues or event locations, the three asphalt events are significantly more expensive to film.

"This is one of the first enhancements made possible by Dunlop's increased support for the BHRC and is excellent news for all the competitors," said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. "We would like to add to the five events agreed so far."

Greater underbody protection introduced for historic cars

Posted: December 5, 2008 3:45 PM

Competitors in historic special stage rally cars will be able to protect bodyshells to a far greater extent than ever before following a new ruling from the Motor Sports Council.  

For the start of the 2009 season, it will be permitted to fit a fibreglass guard to the area between the car's axles in a move that is designed to help reduce damage to increasingly rare and valuable bodyshells.  

The amended ruling allows that a fibreglass guard moulded closely to the vehicle floor, fixed by adhesive or bolts, may be fitted. It must not extend beyond the front and rear axle centre lines and the outer 100mm on each side must not cover the vertical section of the outer sills.  

As well as cars contesting the 2009 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the change will also benefit cars in the HRCR Historic Stage Rally Challenge and the Northern Historic Rally Championship.  

"This has been lobbied for by many competitors and we are very grateful to the MSA committees for making this rule change possible so quickly," said BHRC championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. "It is a very good step in looking after increasingly rare bodyshells."  

The ruling has already been met with widespread approval from competitors. "It's a great idea; anything that prolongs the life of bodyshells is a good thing," said BHRC contender Mike Barratt, the owner of a Mini Cooper S and a Sunbeam Stiletto in stage rally specification.  

"Even running first on the road, my Mini took such a hammering in the forests, so being able to protect it is fantastic. This is a very positive move and it may encourage more of the older cars to come out again, especially the smaller cars that are lower to the ground. I'm sure the damage sustained to the bodyshell is one of the reasons they are now so few Minis competing in the forests."

Trackrod Historic Cup to complete 2009 BHRC calendar

Posted: November 19, 2008 3:46 PM

The Trackrod Historic Cup will once again be the deciding round in the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship next year as the classic Yorkshire forests play host to the eighth and final event of the season on Saturday 26 September.  

The season-closer will take crews into the Yorkshire forests, always some of the most popular stages of the season.  

"The 2009 event will follow the format of the well-received 2008 Trackrod Historic Cup with 45 miles of stages for a competitive entry fee including first on the road runs through Dalby, Cropton, Gale Rigg and the Showground," said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. "With plans already well advanced for an atmospheric finish we are looking forward to rounding off the 2009 BHRC in fine style."  

Trackrod Clerk of the Course, Rod Parkin said: "We are all delighted that the prestigious British Historic Rally Championship will return to sample the fast flowing, compact stages. Historic cars have a special place in our hearts; probably since most of the organising team can remember owning one!   

"We look forward to once again welcoming all competitors and, new for 2009, the event will feature a finish ceremony inside the main Exhibition Centre in Pickering."

2009 Calendar

Posted: November 19, 2008 3:40 PM

1. Bulldog Rally (gravel) 28 March 2009
2. Pirelli Historic Rally (gravel) 17/18 April 2009
3. Severn Valley Stages (gravel) 30 May 2009
4. Mid Wales Stages (gravel) 20/21 June 2009
5. Isle of Man Historic Rally (asphalt) 10/11 July 2009
6. Harry Flatters Rally (asphalt) 1/2 August 2009
7. Tour of Flanders (asphalt) 12/13 Sept 2009
8. Trackrod Historic Cup (gravel) 26 Sept 2009

The Cambrian Rally on Saturday 17 October has been nominated as a reserve event to cover any unforeseen circumstances.

BHRC goes Dunlop for 2009

Posted: September 18, 2008 5:20 PM

The Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will switch to a single make of tyre for 2009, with Dunlop becoming the championship's tyre of choice for at least the next three years.

All cars registered for the 2009 BHRC will be required to use Dunlop tyres, unless there is not a suitable tyre size available in the Dunlop range for that particular type of car. In such instances, by agreement with the championship eligibility scrutineer, alternative tyre types will be permitted.

"This is great news for the BHRC," said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. "This is something that we have been working very hard to conclude and it secures the well-being of the championship for at least the next three years. Although, globally, we are facing uncertain times, this major commitment from Dunlop will allow us to consolidate and continue building the hugely successful BHRC."

Currently, around 80% of the BHRC field already uses Dunlop tyres, including those who choose to run second-hand tyres, and this option will continue. Pricing controls have been built into the agreement to ensure competitors continue to receive value for money.

Dunlop's commitment to the BHRC has already run for a number of years and it has been joint title championship sponsor for 2007 and 2008. A total of 300 tyres have now been given away to 110 crews via the Dunlop Bonus Scheme. Once again in 2008, three crews ? one from each of the BHRC categories - are drawn from a hat at each round to receive a free pair of Dunlop tyres.

This new three-year agreement builds on Dunlop's outstanding support for the BHRC and will allow the championship organisers to pursue a range of enhancements for the championship and its competitors, including increased TV coverage.
Further details about the agreement will be announced over the coming weeks.

Early 2009 BHRC dates announced

Posted: August 21, 2008 10:31 PM

The calendar for the first part of the 2009 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship has been confirmed, including a new opening event as the championship returns to the Bulldog Rally.  

Simon Marks of the Historic Rally Car Register, co-ordinator of the BHRC, said: "We're delighted to have the Bulldog Rally as the opening round of the 2009 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship. We look forward to seeing a large number of historic rally cars tackling the classic stages in North Wales."  

The BHRC organisers also paid tribute to the work of Lindholme MSC, organisers of the Robin Hood Forest Stages, for providing the opening event of the season for a number of years. The Robin Hood is being rested from the calendar for 2009.  

The four confirmed events to date are:

28 March; Bulldog Rally (gravel)
17/18 April; Pirelli Historic Rally (gravel)
30 May; Severn Valley Stages (gravel)
tba July; Isle of Man Historic Rally (asphalt)

  The remaining four events making up the 2009 programme will be announced over the coming weeks.  

The BHRC organisers were sorry to learn over the last couple of days that the Mid-Wales Stages will not run in 2009 due to work and family commitments for the key organisers. The event has been a very popular date on the schedule and will be greatly missed by the BHRC crews.  

The events chosen to form the BHRC are based on extensive and on-going competitor feedback, with major emphasis on providing the best quality gravel stages available in Britain.