News Stories
Classifieds
Shop
TV Guide
Links2008 MSA British Historic Rally Championship & Historic Stage Rally Challenge
Posted: December 9, 2008 5:32 PM - 10035 Hits
- Smith and Nichols confirmed as BHRC champions
- Edgingtons wins Shekhar Mehta award
- Moon wins BHRC Revolution Wheels 'driver of the year' award
- Calvert and Cookson take gravel and asphalt awards
- Historic rally cars for Oulton Park demo
- BHRC chalks up 100 registered drivers
- BHRC gets television opportunity
- Older News..........
Smith and Nichols confirmed as BHRC champions
Posted: December 9, 2008 5:31 PM
Steven Smith and John Nichols have been confirmed as winners of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship title.
Their Porsche 911 was initially denied points from the Tour of Flanders in September over a technical eligibility issue, but last week the MSA's National Court ruled that their points be re-instated.
"I'm delighted that we can now celebrate and that our position has been vindicated," said Smith, who previously won the BHRC crown in 2005.
Edgingtons wins Shekhar Mehta award
Posted: November 27, 2008 9:11 PM
Husband and wife rally crew Gary and Jane Edgington have been announced as the third winners of the 'Shekhar Mehta Spirit of Rallying' award in recognition of their performance in the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
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 Edgington's, from Corwen in North Wales, have extensive rallying experience but were new to the BHRC at the start of the 2008 season with their 1-litre Singer Chamois.
They took part in every round but one and finished first of three Imps in the championship in 2008. During the season, they tackled rallies on Epynt and in Belgium for the first time as well as returning to one of their favourite events, the Isle of Man Historic Rally.
"Their season wasn't without drama in that they lost a wheel on the Pirelli Rally in April in front of the TV cameras," said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. "They had to swiftly swap engines (from another Imp in the garage) between events after limping the car to the end of the Rally Isle of Man. They then flew round the Tour of Flanders and won the admiration of the local fans with their pace.
"As befits the 'spirit of rallying' award, they were always swift to help out their class competitors with advice and practical help on events, particularly those crews just starting out with the rear engined cars."
Moon wins BHRC Revolution Wheels 'driver of the year' award
Posted: November 19, 2008 6:01 PM
Darren Moon has been announced as the winner of the Revolution Wheels 'driver of the year' award for the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
The special trophy presented by Revolution Wheels recognises an outstanding performance from a driver in the championship and the judging panel considered Yorkshireman Moon to be a worthy recipient after his debut season in the BHRC.
"Darren is well deserving of the award and typifies what the award stands for," said Warren McKiernan of Revolution Wheels. "I look forward to presenting Darren with the 'driver of the year' trophy at the HRCR awards' dinner in February."
Moon had rarely rallied outside his native Yorkshire before the 2008 season and had never competed in Wales. Despite his lack of experience of many of the stages in the BHRC, Moon and regular co-driver John McNichol were real pacesetters in the hugely competitive class D5, despite running a less-powerful Holbay specification engine and a four-speed gearbox in their Ford Escort Mk2.
Darren's leading results included category wins on the Pirelli Historic Rally and the Tour of Flanders, along with second places on the Severn Valley Stages, Mid Wales Stages and the Harry Flatters Rally on his first ever trip over Epynt. His performance on his first visit to the Tour of Flanders in Belgium was another outstanding result.
"To finally clinch the nomination, Darren is a thoroughly personable individual, one of those quiet people whose talent behind the wheel does his talking," said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks.
Calvert and Cookson take gravel and asphalt awards
Posted: November 15, 2008 8:21 AM
Neil Calvert and Arlene Cookson have been announced as the winners of both the Water End Properties Asphalt and Gravel Cups after a great season in their Lotus Cortina in the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
For the first time, one crew has won both of the special awards, one presented for the best performances on the three asphalt rallies and one for the five gravel rallies.
Calvert and Cookson have been dedicated followers of the BHRC in their familiar Lotus Cortina and had a great season in 2008, with a 100% finishing record on the demanding eight-event schedule.
"I suppose we can put our accomplishment down to consistency, we have finished all eight rounds and we have had class wins on six of them. Neil has stripped, checked and rebuilt the car between each event. The car is the star; she has now competed on 148 rallies," said Cookson, who says that 2008 is her last full season of co-driving. "To now be told that we have won the gravel and asphalt cups is fantastic, and has made the commitment all the more worthwhile.
"What we do not have to forget here is luck," said Cookson. "We have had quite a bit of that on our side, especially on the Tour of Flanders where we were 20 seconds from being OTL after service and we limped back at the end of the rally and over the podium with a broken diff. We have thoroughly enjoyed our rallying this year. We have had some great fun and plenty of laughter!"
Historic rally cars for Oulton Park demo
Posted: August 21, 2008 10:22 PM
Up to 20 cars and drivers from the MSA British Historic Rally Championship will be in action on the Oulton Park rally stage this weekend, during the Gold Cup race meeting on Sunday and Monday.
The Historic Rally Car Register was invited to provide the cars for annual demonstrations and a cross section of cars from the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will be in action on Sunday afternoon and Monday (24/ 25 August).
Cars ranging from Austin Healey 3000s and Mini Coopers to Porsche 911s, Triumph TR7V8s and Ford Escorts are expected, with notable drivers including Peter Slights, Rikki Proffitt, Will Onions, Adrian Kermode, David Pedley, Jeff Williamson and John Worthing.
The Gold Cup is a major event in the historic racing season, with a crowd of 10,000 to 15,000 expected on Monday and the rally demonstration is a very popular element of the weekend. Oulton Park is near Tarporley in Cheshire.
BHRC chalks up 100 registered drivers
Posted: August 1, 2008 10:09 AM
Registrations for the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship are running at almost exactly the same level as in 2007, as series organisers have just taken the 100th driver registration.
The overall total for 2007 was 106 drivers and 97 co-drivers, making it the first time that over 200 competitors have registered for the BHRC. The final tally for 2008 is likely to be very close to 200.
The BHRC, managed by the Historic Rally Car Register, has three rounds remaining in 2008, with this weekend's Harry Flatters followed by the Tour of Flanders (13/14 September) and the Trackrod Historic Rally (27 September).
BHRC gets television opportunity
Posted: July 10, 2008 2:42 PM
The Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will feature on TV for the first time during the second half of 2008 with several rounds being filmed for broadcast on the 'Rally Fever' programme on Sky Sports.
Starting with the recent Mid Wales Stages, selected events on the BHRC schedule will be filmed by AMTV and broadcast in a half-hour slot within the 'Rally Fever' programme compiled by Andrew Marriott's Pit Lane Productions company.
Made possible by the support of a number of leading competitors, the TV deal is a major breakthrough for the BHRC, which should be a popular addition to television coverage of rallying in Britain.
"We hope that this could be the start of a permanent arrangement to get the BHRC onto TV in 2009 and beyond," said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. "We are indebted to the competitors who have come forward to support this development and we look forward to some great TV."
The BHRC is one of the most popular rally championships in Britain with fans, as it offers plenty of sideways action from cars produced before 1982. The entry typically includes Ford Escorts, Lotus Cortinas, Porsche 911s, Mini Coopers, Sunbeam Tigers and the Lancia Stratos of Steve Perez.
The BHRC is organised by the Historic Rally Car Register on behalf of the MSA.
More details about transmission times will be announced in due course.
Older News..........
Posted: February 21, 2008 10:03 AM
- BHRC partners for 2008 unveiled
- McCormack /Moynihan Collect Mehta award
- BHRC management team plans ahead
- Healeys return for new Historic Stage Rally Challenge
- McCormack/Moynihan wins Shekhar Mehta award
- Good response to new Historic Stage Rally Challenge
- Date change for Historic Stage Rally Challenge
- Amendment to 2008 BHRC calendar - Harry Flatters Rally has been brought forward one week.
- HRCR unveils Historic Stage Rally Challenge
- 2008 BHRC calendar announced
21/02/08
BHRC partners for 2008 unveiled
No less than nine companies have pledged their support for the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
With the BHRC now firmly established as one of the most popular rally championships in Britain, both with competitors and spectators, the support of these nine companies is playing a key role in the success of the championship.
Dunlop Tyres will again be joint title sponsors and will present six free tyres for each event. These will be awarded on a draw basis, with a pair of tyres going to one crew from each of the three championship categories. Additionally, a set of four tyres is presented at another draw at the championship’s Awards Evening each year.
The Gambia, in conjunction with the Kololi Beach Club, continues for a second year as joint title sponsor.
Mintex (Questmead) will reward the crews making the best improvement on seeding on each event. Within each of the three championship categories, a crew will win a set of front or rear brake pads.
Waterend Properties, the Bedfordshire based developer of high quality office buildings, will support awards for the best performance on the asphalt events and the best performance on the gravel events.
Revolution Motorsport Wheels will reward the star driver on each event, as judged by a panel, with a set of five Revolution Wheels in the size and design they are currently using. In addition, Revolution Wheels will present a trophy at the end of the year to the highest placed driver/co-driver using Revolution Wheels.
Other companies to be supporting the 2008 BHRC are Richard Egger Projects (motorsport insurance), Fairfield Motorsport (travel for motorsport competitors), Ton Hire (vehicle hire in Kent) and West Wales Rally Spares (rally spares and components).
19/02/08
BHRC management team plans ahead
The management team of the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship met earlier this week (6 February) for a pre-season review and is already considering the 2009 event calendar.
The BHRC, which starts on 8/9 March with the Robin Hood Historic Stages, currently comprises five gravel and three asphalt events in an eight-round programme.
However, as planning for 2009 begins, the HRCR team is inviting expressions of interest from events that would like to be considered as a future round of the championship. Feedback from competitors is also welcomed and can be made by e-mail to classicchallenge@hrcr.co.uk
"We have an excellent programme of events for 2008," said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. "But we are also aware of the need to keep the championship fresh and offer our competitors new challenges. The BHRC is currently very strong and we have a clear agenda to maintain it's high profile, and continue to deliver fantastic rallying for our competitors as well as the growing number of BHRC fans out on the stages."
27/01/08
Healeys return for new Historic Stage Rally Challenge
The stunning sight and sound of two Austin Healey 3000s in action in the Welsh forests was one of the highlights when the new HRCR Historic Stage Rally Challenge, supported by TR Enterprises, started on the Red Kite Stages last Sunday (20 January).
The classic sport cars, immortalised in rallying folklore by drivers like Timo Makinen in the early 1960s, were attracted back into action by the new series, which is open only to Category 1 (pre '68) historic rally cars.
"My car was built for the 1993 London-Sydney," said Graham Goodall, who was co-driven by Peter Gilbert. That was it's first event, so it’s a tough old thing and it's very good on gravel. It's great to have two Healeys out on stage rallies. That's not happened for a long time, but the new Challenge attracted us immediately."
Chris Cox and Mike Gabb crewed the other car and, like Cox, are keen to contest the full six-event schedule, covering three gravel and three asphalt rallies. "We're hoping to do all the rounds of the Challenge," said Cox.
There is now a break before the next event on the calendar, the Welsh Rally on the challenging asphalt roads of the Epynt ranges on 4 May. The pair of Healeys, along with an increasing number of pre '68 cars, should make a fine spectacle on a rally that can trace its heritage back to 1964.
09/01/08McCormack/Moynihan wins Shekhar Mehta award
Martin McCormack and Liam Moynihan have been announced as the second winners of the 'Shekhar Mehta Spirit of Rallying' award in recognition of their performance in the 2007 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
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 young Irish crew arrived in the BHRC in March 2007 and quickly proved their tremendous pace, while showing a truly sporting attitude to the ups and downs of rallying.
They won the Pirelli Historic Rally on their first experience of the Kielder stages and, despite suffering a major engine failure on the Isle of Man in July, re-grouped and came back stronger than ever to win the final round of the championship, the Trackrod Historic Cup.
Their Ford Escort Mk2 was stunningly fast, even though they were learning each event as they went along and had never seen any of the stages before. It was a true family effort, and they earned the admiration of their rivals for their performances.
"Martin and Liam were nothing short of sensational in 2007 and we're delighted that they are the new recipients of this very special trophy," said Simon Marks, co-ordinator of the BHRC. "Given their age and ability, I am sure that they will climb the rallying ladder, but we hope to see them out again on some BHRC rounds next year as well."
28/11/07
Good response to new Historic Stage Rally Challenge
The new HRCR Historic Stage Rally Challenge, supported by TR Enterprises, is attracting an encouraging response from prospective competitors ahead of the opening event in January.
The Challenge has been created to encourage owners of Category 1 (registered before 31.12.67) historic cars to compete in a lower cost, less damaging series of events and will compliment the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
Co-ordinator Steve Suckling reports a good level of interest, with over a dozen crews already looking seriously at the new series. To date, most of the enquiries are coming from crews not currently competing on the BHRC, so the initiative to attract both new competitors and those returning to the sport is on target.
"We've got a good spread of cars among the list of enquirers," said Suckling. "The list includes Saabs, Ford Anglias and an Austin Healey 3000 and we've even got a Ford Mustang being prepared for the series."
To support the older and smaller-engined cars, an additional class for pre '60 up to 1000cc cars has been added to the regulations.
The opening round is the Red Kite Stages on 20 January
24/10/07
Historic Stage Rally Challenge
The new HRCR Historic Stage Rally Challenge, supported by TR Enterprises, will start on the Red Kite Stages in January, rather than the Wyedean Stages in February as initially planned.
The Challenge has been created to encourage owners of Category 1 (registered before 31.12.67) historic cars to compete in a lower cost, less damaging series of events and will compliment the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
Initially, it was planned to start the season on the Wyedean Stages, but with entries for that event traditionally at a premium, it was mutually agreed to change the opening round to the Red Kite Stages on 20 January.
The Red Kite, which takes in some of the classic Mid-Wales stages, already has an historic event and the new series is a perfect fit for the Llandovery-based rally, organised by Amman and District Motor Club. The Red Kite Historic Stages is also an ideal pre-season shakedown event for crews planning to contest the BHRC.
The revised calendar is:
1 Jan 20, Red Kite Stages, Mid Wales (gravel)
2 May 3, Welsh Rally, Epynt (asphalt)
3 May 26, Millbrook Stages, Bedfordshire (asphalt)
4 Jun 21, Rally of the Midlands, Nuneaton (asphalt)
5 Aug 16, Neath Valley Stages, South Wales (gravel)
6 Sep 27, Trackrod Historic Cup, Yorkshire (gravel)
16/10/07
Amendment to 2008 BHRC calendar
One amended date has been confirmed to the calendar previously announced for the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
To avoid a date clash with the Brecon Jazz Festival, the date for the Harry Flatters Rally has been brought forward one week and will now run on 2/3 August.
The Jazz Festival uses the same venue as the rally headquarters and fills all available hotel rooms in the region, so the date move for the Harry Flatters is unavoidable.
All other dates remain as previously announced:
8/9 March, Robin Hood Stages (gravel)
18/19 April, Pirelli Historic Rally (gravel)
31 May, Severn Valley Stages (gravel)
28/29 June, Mid-Wales Stages (gravel)
17-19 July, Isle of Man Historic Rally (asphalt)
2/3 August, Harry Flatters Rally (asphalt)
13/14 September, Tour of Flanders (asphalt)
27 September, Trackrod Historic Cup (gravel)
02/10/07
HRCR unveils Historic Stage Rally Challenge
The HRCR has announced the six-round calendar for the new Historic Stage Rally Challenge and has also confirmed that TR Enterprises will back the new series for pre '68 stage rally cars.
The Challenge has been created to encourage owners of Category 1 (registered before 31.12.67) historic cars to compete in a lower cost, less damaging series of events.
The new series will complement the current Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship and the older cars will continue to be a key part of the BHRC. It is hoped that the new series will both bring in new competitors and encourage former competitors to return to the sport.
The HRCR Historic Stage Rally Challenge supported by TR Enterprises will run over six events, three gravel and three asphalt. Competitors will count their best five scores from six events. On the gravel events, the competitive distance will be around 30 miles and where possible events will be compacted into one day. Any competitor who has previously finished in the top three overall positions of the BHRC will not be eligible to compete in the challenge.
Classes
Class A
Open to Cars registered/manufactured before 31.12.1959
A1 up to 1500cc
A2 over 1501cc
Class B
Open to Cars registered/manufactured 01.01.1960 – 31.12.1967
B1 up to 1300cc
B2 1301cc to 1600cc
B3 1601cc to 2000cc
B4 over 2000cc
B5 All Porsches and Ford/Lotus twincam engined cars
TR Enterprises specialises in Triumph TR sports cars, offering parts, restoration, competition preparation, engines and drivelines. More details at www.trenterprises.com
27/09/07
2008 BHRC calendar announced
The calendar for the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship has been announced, with an eight-event schedule covering some of the best rallies in Britain and further afield. For the first time in 2008, the championship will run at National A level.
The full calendar is:
- 8/9 March Robin Hood Stages (gravel)
- 18/19 April Pirelli Historic Rally (gravel)
- 31 May Severn Valley Stages (gravel)
- 28/29 June Mid-Wales Stages (gravel)
- 17-19 July Isle of Man Historic Rally (asphalt)
- 2/3 August Harry Flatters Rally (asphalt)
- 13/14 September Tour of Flanders (asphalt)
- 27 September Trackrod Historic Cup (gravel)
Rounds three and four will take crews back to classic Welsh stages for the Severn Valley Stages and the Mid-Wales Stages during the early summer months.
Next come the three asphalt events, starting with the Isle of Man Historic Rally followed by a visit to Epynt for the Harry Flatters Rally, and the Tour of Flanders in Belgium before the series concludes in the Yorkshire forests on the Trackrod Historic Rally.
The events chosen to form the BHRC are based on extensive and on-going competitor feedback, and developments to the points-scoring system are one of the changes currently under discussion for 2008.
Upcoming