More than 100 drivers will take part in the first round of the 2011 Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship at Lydden this weekend (March 26-27).

The two-day event also includes a round of the Belgian Rallycross Championship bringing a host of Dutch and Belgian racers to Lydden to compete alongside a packed and varied schedule of British championship action.

The British championship events have undergone a restructuring over the winter and will now feature Supercars in the British championship itself with a new MSA Supernational championship introduced for the highly modified two-wheel drive cars. Running alongside the two traditional favourites of Rallycross fans there are five supporting categories, the Swift Sport and RX150 series that have already proven popular and three new groups for 2011: Hot Hatch, BMW MINI and MSA Swift Junior Rallycross, the latter for drivers of 14-16-years-old driving 1.3-litre Suzuki Swifts.

At the top of the championship tree in the Supercar class, the stage is set for an intriguing battle; Pat Doran (Winkleigh) returns to defend the title he has won in each of the last two years and has replaced the Ford Fiesta he has raced for several years with a Focus Supercar. Doran title-winning Fiesta is now in the hands of Julian Godfrey (Heathfield) who has stepped up to contest the British championship after winning the Supernational series last year. Newcastle-based racer David Binks was third in the championship last year but has his sights set very firmly on relieving Doran of the prestigious ‘GB1′ number that the champion carries on his car. Returning to the Supercar class at Lydden is Colin Anson who will give his new Ford Ka its debut outing. Anson, who previously drove a four-wheel drive Saab Supercar, last raced in 2003 and has lovingly created the unique Ka as a spare time project over the last six years.

Source: http://www.britishrallycross.com/?p=2025

Focus for Doran
British Rallycross champion Pat Doran will drive a Ford Focus in this year’s championship. Doran, who won the BRC in 2009 and ’10, has rented his title winning Ford Fiesta Supercar to Julian Godfrey and was without a car for the coming season. He originally viewed the Focus as a favour for another driver, but ended up buying it for himself. “I was in Norway in January and went to look at the car for someone else. He decided not to buy it but I thought it was good value – the car was better than I expected it to be – so with my car rented to Julian I decided to buy it,” said Doran who has acquired the car as a rolling chassis and will fit his own engine to it.
The Focus is the car raced by Sverre Isachsen until 2007 and which has subsequently been used by Norwegian Camilla Antonsen who won the North European Zone championship with it last year. “It’s a bit of a sideways step in someways but the car is very well prepared so I’ll use it this year and then sell it again, it’d be a good car for anyone in the British championship,” said Doran. Read the rest of this entry »

A revised and improved package of events will make up the 2011 Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship. The changes have been introduced as the championship continues to grow and to bring a clear delineation between the MSA series and the BTRDA Clubmans Championship. The two series will continue to share a number of events during the year. “Last year was the first that Lydden Hill Motorsport Club had control over the championship and these changes are as a result of what we learned and experienced, as well as addressing competitor concerns and interests – both in placing a greater focus on the British championship in terms of marketing and publicity at the same time as trying to make sure the Clubman competitor is accommodated at a sensible price point and has the chance to race at BRC events,” said championship promoter Amy Doran.

To read the full story with championship class structure and dates click here

Belgian first for British championship
The Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship will make its first trip to Belgium next weekend when the fourth round of the eight event series takes place at the Duivelsbergcircuit near Maasmechelen on July 11.

With three rounds of the series completed the championship is finely poised, Andy Grant (Barnstaple) two points ahead of defending champion Pat Doran (Winkleigh) with David Binks (Newcastle upon Tyne) a further nine points adrift. The Belgian event is a step into the unknown for almost all of the drivers in the British championship, but Doran has previously raced at the Duivelsbergcircuit (the Devil’s Hill Circuit) in European championship events and thus has experience and knowledge of the track that could give him a critical advantage.

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The championship has already been won but there is plenty to play for in the final round of the Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship at Mallory Park next Sunday (October 18). With four wins in the eight-round championship to his credit already Pat Doran (Winkleigh) has put the championship beyond the reach of his rivals and secured his second British title (adding to his 2005 success) with his Ford Fiesta ST Supercar.

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Mallory Park’s new Rallycross track was used for the first time yesterday (October 1) when British championship front runner Liam Doran completed around 15 laps of the track during a press day for regional media.

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