EV rallycross car makes debut, Ward claims BTRDA crown and Jones makes RX return

THE world’s first electric rallycross car made its competition debut in Austria last weekend, at the annual Race of Austrian Champions. Driven by Manfred Stohl, the STARD built cars ran on tyres that were not optimal for the conditions in the early stages of the wet event, but switched to different rubber after the qualifying races and set the third overall lap time against rallycross Supercar and WRC machinery. Hermann Neubauer (Ford Fiesta WRC) won the event, while Luca Waldherr (Opel Adam) won the two-wheel drive rally category. Alois Holler (Ford Focus) was the best of the four-wheel drive rallycross Supercars.

FORMER Supernational racer Michael Boak won the final round of the BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire, campaigning his Super1600 Citroen C2, coming out on top of a battle with MSA Supernational Rallycross Champion Tony Lynch in the Supermodified final. Todd Crooks (BMW Mini) finished third, with 2014 BTRDA Champion Keiran Curran (Vauxhall Corsa) fourth, autocross racer Alex Fawcett (Vauxhall Tigra) fifth and top BMW Mini category finisher David Bell in sixth. The Clubman Supercar category also raced at Croft, where British Championship competitor Mad Mark Watson (Citroen Xsara) won the final, ahead of top Production 4×4 runner James Lyon (Nissan Pulsar) and Supercar racer Simon Horton (Subaru Impreza). The overall BTRDA Clubmans crown was claimed by reigning champion John Ward (Peugeot 106), who dominated the Production final, finishing over five seconds ahead of Graham Rumsey (Citroen Saxo) and Martin Peters (Citroen Saxo). Gary Simpson (BMW E30) won the Historic final ahead of Lance Foster (Mini Clubman) and Ryan Stuchbury (Peugeot 205). Leonardo Lyon (Vauxhall Corsa) won the Autocross final, and Tom Constantine (Suzuki Swift) claimed the Junior final.

THE BTRDA championship also announced its 2017 calendar, which follows a similar schedule to 2016, the seven-round series starting at Blyton in March for a pair of mid-year double-header events at Pembrey, and then returning to Blyton Park for the penultimate round. The finale will again be held at Croft in November.  

ALBATEC Racing has announced that it will field a Peugeot 208 Supercar for 2016 Finnish Rallycross Champion Jere Kalliokoski in the FIA European Rallycross Championship next season. The squad has already tested with the 19-year old, at Dreux in France last month. “The recent test went very well. My approach was to learn and get a good feeling for the car,” he said. “I did ten runs and between them we made small set up changes. Every time I went out I was faster and did my best lap on a last run. The Peugeot 208 RX Supercar is a modern, top league RX car with all bells and whistles and lots of power and driveability, it feels really good and there is more to come. I just need more seat time to make it more suitable to my driving style.”

FORMER Group N and Nova Challenge racer Nick Jones will make his return to the driving seat, 22-years after becoming the last British driver to win his home round of the European series, driving a Ford Escort Cosworth. Jones will race JRM Racing’s Mini RX Supercar at the final round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Rosario in Argentina, having worked for the team over the last two years as number one mechanic. Reinis Nitiss will also compete in Argentina, taking the place of Niclas Gronholm who will miss the event, while Timo Scheider will fill Nitiss’ old seat at in the Munnich Motorsport team for the third time in the last four rounds.

RALLYX Nordic Supercar Lites champion Thomas Bryntesson will take on Petter Solberg, Marcus Gronholm and Kenny Brack in the Scandinavian Race of Champions Factor final at the Friends Arena in Stockholm this weekend. Having made the last two of almost 400 entrants, Bryntesson will be competing for a place in January’s Race of Champions event in Miami.