World & Euro drivers to Silverstone British RX. Loeb says team will race World RX in 19

12 March European and Irish rallycross champion Derek Tohill confirms that he will take part in the opening round of the British Rallycross Championship at Silverstone. Tohill’s former Euro title-winning TouringCar Fiesta will be used in the same event by compatriot Peter McGarry who previously raced the car at Holjes last year.

13 March Speaking to Auto Hebdo Sebastien Loeb says his team will return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2019. SLR ran a single Peugeot 208 for Gregoire Demoustier in the 2018 World RX season, but is not a permanent entry this year. Loeb said he team has two cars ready to go and that it would be at “several rounds” this year. “We are convinced that this discipline is promised a great future and we will remain present … The championship has refocused a little more on fans, but this championship will have a future with the electric because this technology suits perfectly races and it will eventually work. It is also a project for our team,” said Loeb.

14 March The list of permanent entries for the FIA European Rallycross Championships is published. The entry list for Supercar is led by 2014 champ Robin Larsson (JC Raceteknik Audi S1), four-time Andros Trophy champion JB Dubourg (DA Racing Peugeot 208) and multiple Swedish champ Peter Hedstrom (Hedstroms Motorsport VW Polo). A quintet of Audi A1s from Volland Racing head up the Super1600 field, Tedak Racing (Alfa Romeo Mito) returns to the series for a full time assault with Hungarian David Gerencser driving while British champ Jack Thorne steps up with his Renault Twingo and Junior racer Ole Henry Steinsholt graduates with a Skoda Fabia run by David Nordgaard. Super1600 begins at Barcelona at the end of April, the Supercar season gets underway at Silverstone in late May.

15 March Xite Racing will be the first of the 2019 World RX teams to run its car in public after placing an entry to run its unique Mini in the opening round of the British Rallycross Championship at Silverstone next weekend. Preparing for its first full World RX season, the team will run the car for Oliver Bennett prior to it being sent to Abu Dhabi for the World RX opener on 5-6 April.

15 March Rally X on Ice adds Andreas Bakkerud and Oliver Bennett to the roster of drivers who will take part in the reprofiled series at Are in northern Sweden next week. Bakkerud will race Team Faren’s RX2 car in the Saturday round of the week-long event. English racer Oliver Bennett will also race and is due to drive the Team Faren machine in Monday’s opening event. The driver for the Wednesday race is still to be announced.

Obituary We are saddened to record the death on 1 March of Jackie Jenkins (70). Drawn into rallycross via Minicross where her husband Terry had raced and officiated, Jackie became a key part of British rallycross through the 1990s and early 2000s, chiefly as secretary.