Binks goes pro with US Best Buy deal

British Rallycross star David Binks will become a professional driver this year as he makes the move to America where he will join Marcus Grönholm in Best Buy Racing’s assault on the Global Rallycross Championship. Binks and Grönholm will drive a pair of OMSE-run Ford Fiesta VIIs in the seven-event GRC, Binks also charged with carrying out test and development driving duties with the team.

Double World Rally Champion Grönholm drove a Best Buy Fiesta in the GRC last year, winning events but ultimately losing the title to Tanner Foust. “That is not good enough, I have always wanted to win every time I get in a car and I have some unfinished business in the GRC,” said Grönholm who raced with Binks in a British championship event at Lydden last August. On that occasion Grönholm won while Binks placed third, but the Englishman, in his first event with an OMSE Fiesta VII, put in times that were directly comparable with those of his illustrious team mate. “This is a dream come true for me, the GRC is where everyone wants to be and to be there with with Best Buy and OMSE is a great opportunity for me to challenge for wins. I will have a little adjustment to US courses and the jump but Marcus was a great team mate at Lydden last year and I look forward to working with both him and Andréas [Eriksson, OMSE boss] again.”

Binks had Best Buy backing last year when he placed third in the British championship after finishing in the top four of every event. The 28-year-old has a dozen years in Rallycross behind him, having started racing in Minicross as a 16-year-old. After winning the Minicross championship in 2001 he moved to the mainstream Rallycross classes with a Supernational ‘BMW’ Mini at the end of 2003. The move to the Supercar class came with a Group N-based Mitsubishi Lancer Evo at the end of the 2005 season, that car replaced with Fiesta ST that was used in 2010 and the first half of the 2011 season until his move to the newer OMSE car.

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