The MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series hasn’t included the stages in the south of Scotland or Tweed Valley forests in its itinerary for many years but now, with the addition of the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally to its 2022 calendar, there will be some crews visiting what, for them, is an entirely new area.
In the race for the MRF Tyres BTRDA Gold Star® Championship crown – which, thanks to the efforts of Euan Thorburn and Garry Pearson, has remained north of the border since 2019 – Matthew Hirst / Declan Dear (Fiesta R5) arrive in Jedburgh as current leaders. Their win last time out on the Rallynuts Stages puts them marginally ahead of Perry Gardener / Jack Bowen (Fiesta R5) and the Skoda Fabia of Ian Bainbridge who is reunited with co-driver Will Atkins once more.

                                                                                                                               Perry Gardener / Jack Bowen >>>

With two Top Ten finishes already, Tom Llewellin / Ross Whittock (Mitsubishi Mirage) maintain a watching brief and, with six events still to run, are ideally placed to mount a serious challenge as the season progresses.
Title photo is of Matthew Hirst & Declan Dear (Fiesta R5) – BTRDA Gold Star Championship Leaders on the Rallynuts Stages

Meanwhile, with mixed fortunes to date, 2017 Gold Star Champions Stephen Petch / Michael Wilkinson (Fiesta – 1st/DNF) and Elliot Payne / Patrick Walsh (Fiesta Rally2 -DNF/2nd) also have ample time to move their campaigns forward. That said, a good result in the Borders would, nevertheless, be very welcome!…

The Mitsubishi Lancers of Russ Thompson / Steve Link and Richard Hill / Pat Cooper are inseparable at the business end of Class B13 and, while Ian Joel / Graeme Wood (Escort Cosworth) and Pat Naylor / Ian Lawrence (Lancer EVO9) posed serious threats on the Malcolm Wilson Rally, neither crew made the finish of the Rallynuts Stages. All four vehicles are reporting for duty on Round 3 and, thus, a battle royal can be expected as this one moves a step closer to sorting itself out.

<<<<  Russ Thompson / Steve Link (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) – Joint Class B13 Leaders

        Trevor Gamble / Phil Kenny trying a bit too hard!   >>>

The Escorts of Nick Dobson and Grant Inglis / Gavin Chisholm hold sway in the MRF Tyres BTRDA Silver Star® Championship, with the 2.5 litre version of Rob Wright / Mark Fisher uncomfortably close as we move into the second quarter of the season. Neither David Crossen nor Michael McDaid – maximum points scorers on Rounds 1 & 2 respectively – are making the journey across the Irish Sea on this occasion but, with considerably less miles to travel, Middlesbrough’s Andy Davison and co-driver Tom Murphy have replaced the wheel that went AWOL from their Talbot Sunbeam VXR and caused retirement from the Rallynuts Stages, and will be hoping for a return to the form shown on the Malcolm Wilson Rally!
Following a fraught – and foreshortened! – outing in Cumbria, Tom Naylor / Tom Bishop renew their attempts to bring a front-wheel drive car to the fore in the 2WD category of the BTRDA Rally Series on the Border Counties Rally. Their Fiesta ST fits the bill, but they’ll be mindful of the old adage ‘to finish first’ etc, etc!…

Grant Inglis / Gavin Chisholm’s Escort leads the Jordan Road Surfacing BTRDA Historic Cup, while the return of Malcolm Wilson Rally class winners Alex Waterman / Glyn Thomas in their Datsun 1600 SSS adds spice – not to mention variety! – to the category. Having failed to make it back to Penrith on the season-opener, Ernie & Patricia Lee’s BMW 325 is having another attempt at opening its scoring this time…

<<<<<<<<<<<  Grant Inglis/Gavin Chisholm (Escort) – BTRDA Historic Cup Leaders on the Malcolm Wilson Rally 

After two rounds, the BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup sees Yaniv Bar / Osian Owen (Fiesta) a handful of points ahead of the Peugeot 208 of Scott & David Sloan. A brace of Fiestas crewed by Tony Simpson / Ian Bevan and Jonathan Jones / Jez Rogers finished just two seconds apart last time and, so, it’s fair to assume that at least one of them will be trying to reverse the order in Scotland!

Billy Grew (Fiesta R2 pictured right) was less than a minute behind Yaniv Bar on the Rallynuts Stages and leads the BTRDA Rallye R2 Junior Cup, while Midlanders Lucy Wigley / Emma Cooper (Citroen C2 R2) are following up their maiden outing in Wales with a trip to Scotland.

Pete Gorst / Mark Twiname’s 1400cc Vauxhall Nova proved to be the class of the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Championship field on the Rallynuts Stages but, as that was its first outing this season, it not unnaturally finds itself behind a number of other crews who’ve racked up two scores so far, namely Lewis Hooper, Edward James / Charlie Mason and Richard Garnett / Stefan Arndt. The Alfasud TI of Dale Glover / Sean Ward is set to join the regulars in Scotland with the express intention of showing the above trio of Nissan Micras a clean pair of heels!

Lewis Hooper’s mastery of the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally First Cup (two maximums from two starts) is such that, whatever happens on the Border Counties Rally, his position at the head of the table is safe – for the time being at any rate!…

                       Lewis Hooper (Nissan Micra) – BTRDA Bronze Star Championship & Rally First Cup Leader    >>>>>

The Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally takes in six special stages, totalling approximately 45 miles, and the first car leaves the start in Jedburgh at 8.30am on Saturday 14th May.
Prospective spectators should consult www.bordercountiesrally.co.uk/spectators/

AH 07/05.   All photos © Kevin Money & Malc Almond

Running as the final round of the 2021 MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series last November, the Rallynuts Stages returns to its traditional April date this year and prepares to welcome a bumper 150-car entry to the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells.  Following their victory on the Malcolm Wilson Rally, Stephen Petch / Michael Wilkinson [main photo] in their Fiesta Rally2 head for mid Wales as MRF Tyres BTRDA Gold Star® Championship leaders. It goes without saying that they’ll be hoping to consolidate their advantage but defending Rallynuts winners, Elliot Payne / Patrick Walsh (Fiesta Rally2), have yet to open their current account and will be aiming to steal a march on their rivals. Then there’s Ian Bainbridge / Will Atkins, whose Fabia R5 was runner-up in the Lake District after setting a couple of FTDs during the day, and Perry Gardener / Jack Bowen (Fiesta R5) who arrived at the Penrith finish of the opening round a mere 8s behind the Skoda after 44 miles of stages….

                                                                                                                                             Perry Gardener / Jack Bowen >>>>>

A few crews have been doing some extra homework prior to the BTRDA Series’ first trip of the year to Wales by contesting the recent non-Championship Rally North Wales – Matthew Hirst / Declan Dear (Fiesta R5) won it and Tom Llewellin’s R5 Mitsubishi Mirage was 3rd.  So, when it comes to match fitness, they should each be on top of their game!… Richard Hill / Pat Cooper (Lancer EVO9) claimed the early-season advantage in Class B13 but, at the same time, won’t need reminding that Russ Thompson / Steve Link (Lancer), Ian Joel / Graeme Wood (Escort Cosworth) and Pat Naylor / Ian Lawrence (Lancer) were all in close attendance by the finish. Likewise, they’ll not be far apart as they leave Builth Wells at the start of Chapter 2….

For Ulsterman David Crossen’s assault on the MRF Tyres BTRDA Silver Star® Championship, the journey from his home in Lisbane to the Malcolm Wilson Rally was one of the shortest of the season. However, it proved to be well worth the effort as, by the time he boarded the return ferry, he’d taken a class win by nearly a minute-and-a-half and his Escort was sitting atop the Championship points table! David’s presence in Builth Wells for the Rallynuts Stages requires a considerably longer road trip, but the object of the exercise is exactly the same!

< David Crossen – MFT Tyres BTRDA Silver Star Championship leader

Rob Wright / Mark Fisher >>>>

Rob Wright / Mark Fisher (Escort Mk2) and Andy Davison / Tom Murphy (Talbot Sunbeam VXR), his nearest challengers in Cumbria, will be of a similar mind and, among others, they’ll be joined by former Silver Star runner-up and Champion Ashley Davies / Sam Fordham in their Escort Mk2.

Leading Jordan Road Surfacing BTRDA Historic Cup driver Grant Inglis (Escort) and codriver Hannah McKillop each resume their campaigns and will be joined by the Escort Mk2s of defending Champions Paul Street / Ian Jones and newcomer James Lepley, codriven by Arwel Jenkins, who, through absence and retirement from the opening round, will be hoping to come away with a suitable haul of points to start the ball rolling!…

Yaniv Bar / Osian Owen (Fiesta) came up trumps in the BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup on the Malcolm Wilson Rally, while Billy Grew / Simon Rogers’ efforts to emulate their success in the BTRDA Rallye R2 Junior Cup were thwarted by a broken gearbox which led to their Fiesta’s retirement.

<<<<<   Yaniv Bar/Osian Owen (Fiesta R2) – BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup Leaders

Scott & David Sloan’s Peugeot 208, which bore the scars of combat by the end of its high-speed run through the Lake District, still managed runner-up spot and now lines up with Lucy Wigley / Emma Cooper’s Citroen C2 and Jonathan Jones / Jez Rogers’ Fiesta in order to challenge the current leaders’ status!

Following the retirement of several of the fancied runners in the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Championship last time out, Lewis Hooper’s Rally First-spec. Nissan Micra grasped the opportunity to claim victory and, now, both car and driver will need to be on top form to produce a repeat performance!  Among those with the avowed intent of preventing them from achieving their goal, Dave & Toby Brick (Nova), Aaron Rix / Abi Haycock (Escort) and runners-up last time, Gary Scott / James Hedges (Proton Satria) will obviously have their work cut out in mid Wales.

Class 1400C is, thus far, the preserve of Nissan Micras, with Alfie Hammond and Richard Garnett showing the others the way home, while a broken engine mounting saw to it that the Ford Ka of Adrian & Matt Walk wouldn’t be joining them on the finish ramp on that occasion. So, seconds out, Round 2….
Lewis Hooper obviously holds sway in the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally First Cup but, at this early stage of the season, there’s still plenty of time for that – and everything else! – to change between now and the end of October…

SPECTATORS : The first car leaves the Showground at 8.00am on the Saturday morning and full details on locations/pricing can be found at www.rallynutsrally.co.uk/spectators/

On-line Registration: BTRDA annual club membership is £30 which gives automatic eligibility to all BTRDA Rally Series and English Rally Championship events. The BTRDA Rally Series registration fee also includes registration for the Motorsport UK 2022 English Rally Championship and is £50 for Drivers and £20 for Co-drivers, BTRDA membership and Rally Championship registration is again FREE to new BTRDA members under the age of 25 on 1st Jan 2022 for their first year of registration.

Log in to the membership website www.btrdamembership.com  In all cases the first part of the process is to join BTRDA (British Trial & Rally Driver Association) and then register for the forest rally championship.

All photos © Kevin Money

AH/010422

The Lake District is bracing itself for the influx of competitors making a beeline for MSport’s premises at Dovenby for the start of the Malcolm Wilson Rally (12th March), the  opening round of the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series and Motorsport UK English Rally Championship in association with Seacon UK. The organisers have attracted a bumper entry which, following the trials and tribulations of the past couple of years, sets a very encouraging precedent for the forthcoming season. From the MRF Tyres BTRDA Gold Star® Championship point of view, by their very presence in Cumbria, there are a considerable number of crews whose sights are set on succeeding Garry Pearson/Niall Burns to the title.

Charlie Payne and Carl Williamson (Fiesta) won the Malcolm Wilson Rally back in 2016 on their way to claiming the Gold Star crown that same year, while fellow former champions Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson (Fiesta) took maximum BTRDA points the last time the event ran in 2020. Ian Bainbridge / Will Atkins (Skoda Fabia R5) have previously led a BTRDA round but are yet to translate their speed into outright victory, while Damian Cole (Fiesta R5+) is a proven winner on asphalt but has still to reach the top step of a Gravel Series podium.
Moving on to a section entitled ‘Sons of their Fathers’, we’ve already mentioned Stephen Petch but we also find Elliot Payne / Patrick Walsh (Fiesta Rally2), Perry Gardener / Jack Bowen (Fiesta R5) and Tom Llewellin / Ross Whittock (Mitsubishi Mirage) each with designs on perpetuating their families’ past success, both within BTRDA and beyond…

Matthew Hirst / Declan Dear are another crew pinning their hopes of success on a Fiesta this season, as are 2016 BTRDA 1400 Champions Jordan & Paul Hone, from Northern Ireland, who return for a crack at Gold Star!  A brace of Hyundai i20 R5s for John Wink and former Group N front-runner Roland Llewellin further add to the variety. George Lepley, who made sure nobody else got a look-in when it came to Class B13 last year, has moved on to pastures new – although his younger brother James will be contesting the Silver Star Championship in an Escort… Nevertheless, all the signs are that B13 will be as competitive as ever, with a fine array of Mitsubishi Lancers in the hands of former BTRDA Production Cup winners Russ Thompson (who finished 3rd overall on the 2020 Malcolm Wilson Rally!) and Pat Naylor / Ian Lawrence, plus those of Richard Hill and, back after a couple of seasons away, Petr Krizan / Lukas Sintal. The
Escort Cosworth of 2018 Motorsport UK English Rally Champions Ian Joel / Graeme Wood can never be discounted and there will be a handful of Subaru Imprezas intent on keeping them all on their toes!

For those inclined to take a punt, when it comes to predicting the front-runners in the MRF Tyres BTRDA Silver Star® Championship, there’s quite possibly some money to be made! Owen McMackin’s Escort came good in 2021 but the Irishman’s defence of his title won’t start just yet. So, after such a successful 2019, Andy Davison / Tom Murphy (Talbot Sunbeam VXR) suffered a complete reversal of fortune last year but, undaunted, they’re back to challenge the ever-present Escorts represented by, for example, Rob Wright / Mark Fisher, Terry Pankhurst / Jamie Sparks and Nick Dobson / Phil Sandham.
                                                                                                           Andy Davison/Tom Murphy (Talbot Sunbeam VXR)   >>>

It’s been a while since a front-wheel drive car won the Silver Star title but that doesn’t preclude such a vehicle from doing so again!  The Fiesta STs of Max Utting and reigning BTRDA Rally First® Champion Tom Naylor could prove to be prime candidates when it comes to upsetting the apple cart!..
Based on previous experience, any predictions in respect of the successful runners and riders in the BTRDA Silver Star Championship must include contenders for the Jordan Road Surfacing BTRDA Historic Cup and BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup & BTRDA R2 Junior Cup as well. Baz Jordan / Arwel Jenkins’ Hillman Avenger is joined by the aforementioned James Lepley, co-driven by Liam Whiteley, in an Escort Mk2, 1997 BTRDA Silver Star Champion Warren Philliskirk’s MkI RS1600 and an interesting addition this year in the shape of a Datsun 1600SSS for Alex Waterman / Glyn Thomas.

Fiestas are the mainstay of the BTRDA R2 Cup with Tony Simpson / Ian Bevan, Billy Grew / Simon Rogers and Jonathan Jones / Jez Rogers relying on the Blue Oval, while Scott & David Sloan have opted for a Peugeot 208 and it’s a Citroen C2R2 Max for Lucy Wigley / Emma Cooper.

<<<   Dave & Toby Brick (1400cc Nova)

Dave & Toby Brick return to the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Rally Championship in their flying 1400cc Nova in an attempt to wrest the title that has, thus far, eluded them. Opposition this year comes in various different forms, viz. a Proton Satria for Gary Scott / James Hedges, Dale Glover / Sean Ward’s Alfasud Ti, Edward James / Charlie Mason (Nissan Micra Kit Car) and another Nova for Pete Gorst.

Adrian & Matt Walk, who stole the headlines on last year’s Woodpecker Stages by taking their Class 1400C Ford Ka to maximum Bronze Star points, are back and have Richard Garnett / Stefan Arndt (Nissan Micra) and the Talbot Samba of Mat & Dan Evans for company this time. The MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally First® Cup is also testament to variety being the spice of life! Lewis Hooper (Nissan Micra), Jacob Neal’s Vauxhall Corsa and a Peugeot 107 for James Lightfoot will all take the start in Dovenby.

The Malcolm Wilson Rally is also the opening encounter in the Motorsport UK English Rally Championship in association with Seacon UK and, following the unfortunate curtailment of both the 2020 & 2021 Series, an evenly spread six-round calendar concludes on the Grizedale Stages in early December. All BTRDA Rally Series registered competitors are automatically eligible for the class-based series as the race to succeed 2019 winner Steve Black (1400cc Suzuki Swift) begins.

On-line Registration:  BTRDA annual membership is £30 which gives automatic eligibility to all BTRDA Rally Series and English Rally Championship events. The BTRDA Rally Series registration fee also includes registration for the Motorsport UK 2022 English Rally Championship and is £50 for Drivers and £20 for Co-drivers,  BTRDA membership and Rally Championship registration is again FREE to new BTRDA members under the age of 25 on 1st Jan 2022 for their first year of registration.

Log in to the membership website www.btrdamembership.com  If you have forgotten any of your login details, just follow the on-screen instructions. If you have not been a member before you will need to register a new account.  In all cases the first part of the process is to join BTRDA (British Trial & Rally Driver Association) and then register for the forest rally championship.

For details of the Malcolm Wilson Rally : www.malcolmwilson.co.uk      All photos © Kevin Money

The 69th year of SERIOUS FUN…!
The BTRDA [British Trial & Rally Drivers Association] are pleased to announce the 2022 MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series and confirm that the 2022 Championship registrations are now open.
The 2022 MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series incorporates the prestigious BTRDA Gold Star® Championship, the BTRDA Silver Star® Championship exclusively for 2-wheel drive cars, plus the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Championship for cars up to 1400cc.  There is also the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally First Cup which provides an opportunity for competitors to participate in UK forest rallying at the lowest possible cost. The JORDAN Road Surfacing BTRDA Historic Cup will include cash incentives on each of the championship rounds. The popular Rallye R2 Cup will continue as will the exciting BTRDA Junior R2 1600 Cup. The ST Trophy will also be an integral part of the BTRDA Rally Series in 2022.

The BTRDA Rally Series is the most popular stage rally championship in the UK and will continue to provide competitors and followers with some Serious Fun! The calendar includes eight one-day forest stage rallies, starting with the Malcolm Wilson Rally in March and finishing with the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally in North Wales at the end of October. We are grateful for the wholehearted commitment of all the event organising teams, because without their efforts, especially during the last couple of years, we would not be able to promote such a successful rally championship

The 2022 MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series (Best 6 scores to count)

• March 12th             Malcolm Wilson Rally         Cockermouth
  April 9th                  Rallynuts Stages                  Royal Welsh Showground
  May 14th                 Border Counties Rally         Jedburgh
  June 18th                Kielder Forest Rally              Hexham
  July 9th                    Nicky Grist Stages                Builth Wells
  September 3rd      Woodpecker Stages             Ludlow
  September 24th    Trackrod Forest Stages       Filey
  October 29th         Cambrian Rally                      Llandudno

The MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series is open to all stage rally cars and includes a broad spread of categories and competition classes, so there is something for everyone. The 2022 BTRDA Rally Series Regulations are available in the Competitors section of this website, along with a link to the on-line BTRDA membership and BTRDA Rally Series & Motorsport UK English Rally Championship registration. There is also a copy of the Registration Form that can be downloaded for those who prefer to register by post.

The BTRDA annual membership fee is £30 which gives automatic eligibility to all BTRDA Rally Series and English Rally Championship events. The BTRDA Rally Series registration fee also includes registration for the Motorsport UK 2022 English Rally Championship supported by Seacon UK. The BTRDA Rally Series registration fee is then £50 for Drivers and £20 for Co-drivers, 

BTRDA membership and Rally Championship registration is again FREE to new BTRDA members under the age of 25 on 1st Jan 2022 for their first year of registration. 

Log in to the membership website www.btrdamembership.com  If you have forgotten any of your login details, just follow the on-screen instructions. If you have not been a member before you will need to register a new account.  In all cases the first part of the process is to join BTRDA (the motor club) and then register for the championships.  

(Championship decals will be posted out in early March to drivers who have registered for the 2022 Championships).

Fuchs Lubricants (UK) are the sponsors of the BTRDA Bronze Star [1400] Championship which for 2022 also includes the BTRDA Rally First Cup. Following the relaxation of the regulations governing the running order on events, the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Championship is poised for a strong season as all eligible vehicles, along with all the BTRDA Rally First cars and the older, less powerful Historic Cars will be running within the first group of rally cars through the forest stages on all BTRDA Rally Series events.

The opening round of the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series and the Motorsport UK 2022 English Rally Championship is the Malcolm Wilson Rally on Saturday 12th March, set in the beautiful Lake District.  Regulations and entries for the Malcom Wilson Rally are now available at www.malcolmwilson.co.uk