Champion Godfrey looks to ERC

Having won the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship, Julian Godfrey is laying plans to tackle a season of European championship events with his Super1600 Fiesta in 2012.

Godfrey has been confirmed as the 2011 Quaife MSA British Rallycross Champion. The points situation was a little clouded following the sixth round of the championship at Knockhill (September 18) in Scotland, partly because the seventh round of the series, scheduled for Mallory Park has been cancelled. With the final round at Croft on November 5 now the only event left to run, Godfrey’s victory at Knockhill has left him with an unassailable points lead.

“I wasn’t sure about the points situation and had to work it out several times, it’s been very close all year so I wasn’t really expecting to be in a position to win the championship before the final round,” said Godfrey who is in his first year racing a Supercar. “I’m delighted to win, it’s been a brilliant year, better than I could have hoped for. Things have not always gone very well for in the finals at events, but I’ve scored points in every round and that’s made a difference. The championship also has five bonus points for setting fastest time and I’ve earned those four times this year which has also been an advantage. It’s great to win the championship early, but I still plan to go to Croft and will race for the win there.”

Godfrey is the first driver ever to win the British championship at the first attempt and also the first driver to have climbed the ladder through different classes, winning at every level: he was Supernational champion in 2010 and Stock Hatch champion in 2006 and ’08.

In August Godfrey became the first British driver to win the Super1600 category, topping the podium in the Belgian round of the ERC at Maasmechelen. Feeling his Fiesta is now fully competitive in the class, Godfrey hopes to extend his programme in 2012. “I could not afford to race a Supercar in Europe but it would also present me with quite a lot of problems because I have so many customers racing Supercars; at a national level it’s not so difficult, but in Europe I need to be there to give service and backup, not to be a rival on the track,” he said, “I don’t have any customers in Super1600 yet and the running cost is much more manageable so it’s an ideal way for me to race in Europe and possibly expand my business. I hope to continue with the Supercar in the British championship too, so I’m working out all the details now.”

Julian Godfrey Engineering supplies engines to competitors in many countries and, in addition to his success as a driver, Godfrey has enjoyed further success as an engine builder this year, winning the European championship for the third year in succession with Sverre Isachsen, powering Jos Kuypers to the Dutch championship title and winning the TouringCar class title in the Belgian championship with Koen Pauwels.

* In the British Rallycross Championship drivers are allowed to drop their lowest points score of the year when the final standing is calculated. Reduced to seven events by the Mallory Park cancellation, the British championship is now contested over seven events which drivers count their best six scores. On the six events run to date, Godfrey has 167 points. There are 35 points available in the final round. Second placed David Binks has 152 and a low of 23, giving a maximum possible of 164. Third placed Andy Scott has 130 but a low score of zero, meaning he has a maximum possible score of 165.

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