The rallycross history of Kevin Procter, who is eyeing rallycross return

Former European Rallycross Championship event-winner Kevin Procter is eyeing a return to domestic rallycross following a break from the discipline.

The Yorkshireman recently drove his Ford Fiesta Supercar in a pre-season test at Lydden Hill, reigniting his enthusiasm to compete. With a week to go until the opening round of the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy at Lydden Hill and the entry list yet to be released, Procter could still feature in the first round of the series at the Kent circuit.

“I enjoyed being back in a Supercar,” said Procter at the test. “It put a smile back on my face which is what I wanted to do. It’s made me think about maybe doing a couple of rounds. Obviously we’ve had a few reliability issues with the car and you’ve got to justify the cost and when you’re not annoying it it’s difficult. We’ve done a bit to the gearbox and the car went really well, it’s sat in the shed for two and a half years but it was faultless really.”

The 2012 French European Rallycross Championship round winner completed around 20 laps of the Kent circuit in testing. However, if he does return next Saturday, with the second round held on the Monday Bank Holiday clashing with the Neil Howward Stages rally at Oulton Park, Procter is unlikely to compete in round two even if he does race in round one.

Originally a rally driver, Procter has intertwined rally and rallycross events since first racing in rallycross at Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland in 2003 with a Ford Escort.

Procter’s first bespoke rallycross car was the Mike Dresser-built Lotus Exige in the Super Modified / Supernational category.

He also continued racing four-wheel-drive machinery, with rally car-based machines, like with his Subaru Impreza at Blyton Park in 2005, on the same day that he also raced the Lotus.

But it was with a Ford Puma, another adapted rally car, with which Procter really took rallycross seriously, racing in British Championship and Super Series events in the UK. He impressed by taking fight to rallycross legend Kenneth Hansen at the then annual Rallycross Superprix, at his home circuit, Croft.

In 2008, Procter made a huge step up. With the Puma adapted into European Rallycross trim by Harry Hockly Motorsport, he embarked on an international campaign. But, the effort didn’t return the results desired.

The Puma was replaced with an ex-Jos Kuypers Ford Focus by the end of 2008, Procter winning in his debut with the car, run by Tony Bardy Motorsport, in the British Rallycross Championship at Pembrey, his maiden British RX victory. He raced the car through the European campaign in 2009, scored a best result in Poland and finished 12th overall at the end of the year.

In 2010, Procter only just missed out on a Euro RX A Final start in his home round of the series at Lydden Hill, while he claimed another win in the British series at Blyton.

A result of an accident in Hungary in 2010, the Focus was rebuilt over the winter before the 2011 season. Procter again used the Puma to win at Blyton in the British Championship, while he returned to the European series for the latter half of the campaign. Then, in the French round of the European Championship in early 2012, at Dreux, Procter made rallycross history.

Having qualified for the C final, he won both the C and B finals to make the main-event A final, where he claimed an emotional win.

Procter was joined in the winners circle at Dreux by two familiar faces, Derek Tohill (TouringCar) and Andreas Bakkerud (Super1600).

In 2013, Procter claimed his first of two British Rallycross Grand Prix wins at his home circuit, Croft.

His second British Rallycross Grand Prix win, in 2014, was with a new Super2000-derived Ford Fiesta Supercar, run by ATM Engineering, here pictured racing the car in the French round of the World Rallycross Championship at Loheac.

He continued to race the same car until 2018, winning British Championship events at Croft in 2015 and 2016, and Pembrey later the same year, but was often hampered by reliability issues.

Along with his Supercar exploits, the Yorkshireman also raced a Suzuki Swift in a British Championship event in 2007 at Lydden Hill (below), but it’s with the revised Fiesta Supercar that he may well return to the Kent venue this year, and should he do that, would be a welcome addition to the 5 Nations BRX field.