Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography One tenth of a second. One championship point. These are the statistics that are making Fredrik Ahlin's trip home to Sweden from the Isle of Man a nightmare. Rounds seven and eight of the 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship did not disappoint. Fredrik Ahlin and Torstein Eriksen have appeared to have had the BRC under control for a number of events now. After two mechanical problems on the bounce for Osian Pryce, the poor start for Keith Cronin and the inconsistency of CA1 Sport team mate David Bogie, the Swede was almost in a class of one. Certainly on gravel, notching up three of the four event wins on the loose. Heading to the double-header on the Isle of Man that closed out the season, all Ahlin needed was a third and a second on the two legs to become the first Swedish British Rally Champion since 1983. And that was providing title rivals Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvie won both legs. However, given the Irish crew's form on the tarmac rounds this year, this was very likely. Storming to victories in both Ypres and at home on the Ulster Rally last month, Cronin had revitalised his dwindling championship hopes. Also in the frame: Matt Edwards. The Welshman's step up to the R5 this year has been impeccable, and he too still had a mathematical chance of becoming British Rally Champion, but the emphasis was on mathematical. Sure enough, Cronin was the one to beat as the action got underway in the challenging lanes of the Manx. He took the opening leg of the rally to notch up a third win of the season - drawing level with Ahlin on that score - despite a scare on SS7 that left his Fiesta R5 looking a little battered. Matt Edwards upset the form book by slotting in second ahead of Ahlin's Fabia; the Welshman's title dream now over but his performance excellent. Ahlin struggled for confidence in the slippery conditions with a gearbox issue compiling his woes. It therefore all came down to the final round and the final day of the season. And it was Edwards and co-driver Darren Garrod that were the ones looking the hungriest, eyeing up their first BRC win. Ahlin was struggling to keep up with the Fords, with his championship aspirations now resting on Edwards' performance. If Edwards beat Cronin, the title would be Ahlin's. But a win for Cronin would send the title to Ireland. Going into the final stage, Cronin's factory M-Sport car headed its Swift Rally Team rival by 9.5 seconds. The season had reached its crescendo. First through, Cronin wasn't sure if his performance would be good enough. His answer came in the form of Edwards' approaching Fiesta, who stopped the clocks 9.4 seconds faster than his rival, but it could've been more with Edwards' R5 cutting out at points in the final test that finished outside the famous TT grandstand. Luck of the Irish? Either way, 0.1 seconds was enough to hand Keith Cronin a fourth British Rally Championship title to the disbelief of Edwards who wanted the win and the dejection of Ahlin who was visibly upset when crossing the finish line. The man that many expected was destined to win had fallen short, by just one single point. Cronin's success cements him as one of the all time greats in BRC history. Four titles elevates him above Mark Higgins and level with Roger Clark, but incredibly all of Cronin's wins have come at the wheel of four different cars by four different manufactures. He won the 2009 title in a Mitsubishi Evo IX, 2010 in a Subaru Impreza, 2012 in a Citroen DS3 R3 and now 2017 in a Ford Fiesta R5. The other real winner from the weekend was M-Sport. The Skoda Fabia R5 has been considered the best all round R5 package for a while now, and that was being proved at the start of the year with the Czech machine winning four of the first five rounds. But since the Evo 2 package came out, it has been a different story. From Ypres onwards, the only event Keith Cronin didn't win was the Nicky Grist Stages, and Osian Pryce's similar car was in a commanding position before retiring with a fuel issue. Couple this with the car's recent performances in WRC2 and Matt Edwards' sublime second half of the year, it is clear that M-Sport have made progress with their R5 model. As for Ahlin, how he will be trying to forget the RSAC Scottish Rally where he retired from second place on the final stage with a punctured radiator. Had he come second or beaten home hero David Bogie there, the complexion of the championship could have been very different. But as you'll often hear drivers say: "that's rallying." Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography The fight to become Prestone Motorsport News British Junior Rally Champion was equally as exciting on the Manx International Rally, with Callum Devine (Opel ADAM R2), William Creighton (Peugeot 208 R2) and Oscar Solberg (Ford Fiesta R2T) all heading to the island with a shot at the title and the £30,000 prize fund that went with it. Much like the overall honours, the man that won was the man who started round seven of eight second place in the standings. The battle ebbed and flowed, but Callum Devine would ultimately rise to the top with impressive, controlled driving with William Creighton suffering with a puncture on the second day. Either would have been a deserving champion, with both pushing each other hard all year. The pace of the Juniors has been phenomenal all year; let's hope Devine can now prove that more effectively than Rob Duggan has this year with DMACK's budgetary issues. Thanks to Cronin and Devine, the British Rally Championship belongs to Ireland. It will be fascinating to see who returns next year; 2018 has a lot to live up to. Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
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Photo Credit: American Rally Association (ARA) [Alex Wong] Thirteen major rally championships including a monumental seven American titles and one back home in Britain, Manxman David Higgins has had a very successful career. At 44, Higgins is still as competitive as ever, and has enjoyed fruitful relationships with many manufacturers such as Peugeot, Mitsubishi and most famously Subaru. Despite all this success, 2017 was to be a year of disappointment after a climactic championship battle. Heading into the season, Higgins hadn't been beaten in America since 2011, and was looking to make it seven titles in a row and eight in total in his Subaru Rally Team USA Impreza. After a season long battle with team mate Travis Pastrana, it all came down to the penultimate stage of the championship, re-branded the ARA Championship. Higgins struck a chicane on the first of the two runs through the super-special that concluded the Muscatell Ojibwe Forests Rally. This handed him a 15 second penalty, and due to the tiebreak rule in place that meant it all came down to finishing positions on every stage across the season, Pastrana denied Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew the chance of lifting the championship trophy. "It was a very disappointing way to end the season," Higgins admitted. "We won the same amount of events, I led the series from start to finish on the same amount of points and had almost double the amount of stage wins across the season. It was only the strange tiebreak rule that was invented just before the last round that stopped us taking the championship. "The rally didn't start well as there was a miscommunication in the team which led to us being on the wrong tyres for the first loop, but worse still we hit a rock on stage 1 which broke a wheel. This meant we had already used five of our 10 allocated tyres for the event with over 130 miles left to run. "We also lost two minutes on another stage when a GoPro got stuck in the wiper blades so we had to stop and clear the windscreen. The rest of the rally was great with some very big stage wins, more than a second per mile faster than Travis in the wet conditions." Higgins won three rallies across the six round series, and showed fantastic pace on all six. But small, niggling issues ultimately prevented him from taking the title with the new tiebreak rule in place. "This year has been tough," he said. "We have had some small issues that didn't affect our overall results, but lost us time on individual stages which affected our stage position and that's what it all came down to with the tie break rule. For example we had broken the turbo pipe on two super specials less than a mile long, lost 20 seconds and finished the stage down in 29th, so we lost 28 points to Travis in there yet still won the rally." Rallying isn't the main sport you think of when it comes to America, nor is it something that's particularly well known in the UK. Who better to give us a guide than a man who races there year after year? "Every events is very different and I guess you can expect that given the size of the country," Higgins explained. "I love the way events are a little more old school with lots of night stages, but for some reason this year that's not been the case. I do hope they get back to that. "As for competition it's a hard one to judge, as the rules allow 'open' class cars it's hard to know what the competitors' cars are like compared to ours. There definitely isn't a huge depth in the field, so if you have a big problem the time gap back to say fourth or fifth is big enough that you don't drop too far down the order. We are also in a good position that we are in the best team that do it properly. When we've had drivers like Bryan Bouffier over, they have been shocked with the pace of the front guys. Ultimately we need more manufacturers like Subaru for it to grow again. "The car is amazing, just like the full WRC car, but this year they added a weight penalty to our cars and reduced the power of the turbo so that took a lot of fun and the driving skill out of the car. It also gave crews a great beating as the weight meant we bottomed out over bumps and crests much more so all our backs and necks took a fair battering." Battering or no battering, Higgins is more than likely returning to the United States once again next year, with he and Subaru working towards a new long term deal. "My contract is up at the end of the year but they do have an option for me in 2018, and we are also working on a longer term deal. So I guess it's safe to say I'll be with the team again in the USA, but we are unsure of the exact programme just now." To many of us of a certain age, David Higgins is a name of nostalgia. Not least because his brother competed in the British Rally Championship too and won it thrice, David was on the scene for a while and clinched the BRC title in 2004 driving a Hyundai Accent WRC after a year long battle with the then defending champion Jonny Milner. But what does the Manxman who lives in Wales think of the BRC in its current guise? "I think it's going the right way," Higgins said. "There's some good battles and lots of R5 cars which is nice to see. I find the events are still a shadow of their former selves though as they aren't nearly as long, but that's all down to cost. "Ideally it also needs some factory teams or supported drives as at the moment it's all down to who can find budget for it. And then if you find the budget to compete you have to justify it. Back in the day it was worth doing to get noticed by the works teams as there were always drives available." The last time we saw Higgins rallying on UK soil was Wales Rally GB 2015 (pictured above). He ran the livery that donned Colin McRae's Group A Impreza 20 years beforehand when he won the World Championship. A return like his brother's on the Manx lnternational last year seems unlikely however. "There is nothing in the pipeline," he explains, "and a return is hard for me as I am contracted to Subaru and they don't have a car that fits with the BRC at the moment. Maybe the RAC Rally in a historic Legacy... "Looking back on my career, I don't really have any special moments that I'm most proud of as every season has its own challenges and I always give 100% on every event I do. Maybe when I stop competing I will look back and have more of an idea but for now my eyes are firmly fixed on the future." And not just on his own future. David is a karting champion in his own right, and now his daughter Alicia and son Matthew are following in those footsteps. "I am now getting a lot of satisfaction from watching and helping my kids Alicia and Matthew who are both doing very well in kart racing. I now start to get a picture of what Mark and I put our parents through over the last god knows how many years!" I would like to say a special thank you to David Higgins for agreeing to this and taking the time to answer my questions. I grew up as a fan of rallying when he was competing in the British Rally Championship making this rather surreal for me! Keep an eye on This Is Rally for more interviews, previews and reviews from the world of rallying.
Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography He was always likely to excel. Tarmac is his speciality, Irish tarmac his forte. But defending Irish Tarmac Rally Champion Keith Cronin didn't excel on round six of the 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship: he breezed it. He may have finished Friday's first leg of action just 0.9 seconds ahead of fellow Fiesta R5 charger Osian Pryce, but the Irishman was never headed on the Ulster Rally to take his second win of the season on this, the second asphalt event of the year, setting up a title thriller with Sweden's Fredrik Ahlin on the Isle of Man next month. Cronin and co-driver Mikie Galvin took a while to adapt to the M-Sport Fiesta R5 after switching from the Citroen DS3 R5 that brought them little success in the BRC last year. But once the serious hit the tarmac in June for the Ypres Rally, the three-time champion came to the fore. He was just as dominant on home soil, mastering the treacherous conditions in commanding fashion. He has now leapfrogged Pryce as Ahlin's main challenger ahead of the final two points scoring rounds (with the Manx split in two), and with the added injection of a Joker to play, Fredrik can't be resting on his laurels. As it was, Ahlin was happy to take second, albeit almost a minute down on Cronin; content with his progression on the black stuff. Another podium finish following wins on the Border Counties, Pirelli International and Nicky Grist Stages cements his status as title favourite, but the Skoda man knows he won't have it easy on the Isle of Man. The consensus is though that it's his to lose, and the CA1 Sport pilot will be more than aware of this. Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography Osian Pryce however will feel that he should be the one heading to the infamous island in control of the British Rally Championship. Mechanical failures are of course part of this game, but had it not been for fuel issues aboard the Welshman's Spencer Sport Fiesta R5 on both the last two rounds, the championship lead could well have been his. Pryce retired from his home event while leading the rally and the championship, so was looking to make amends on the BRC's second overseas trip of the year. Switching from DMACK to Pirelli tyres, he and co-driver Dale Furniss ended Friday's action less than a second off the lead but would get too excited on Saturday's opener, clipping a wall. However, when lying second, what is suspected to be a fuel related issue sidelined the crew once again; a cruel blow for Pryce who has finished second in this championship twice before. It is still mathematically possible for the Welshman to bag the title, but he would need some cruel luck to befall Ahlin and Cronin. Pryce's retirement elevated the rest of the pack up a place, allowing Marty McCormack to take another podium back in his Skoda Fabia R5 after a one-off outing in a Fiesta on the Grist. This moved him back up to fourth in the championship ahead of Matt Edwards and Rhys Yates who both retired their Fords, with a fourth place on the event after costly punctures seeing Desi Henry lie ninth in the standings. The Juniors also provided plenty of interest. Title protagonists William Creighton (Peugeot 208 R2) and Callum Devine (Opel Adam R2) were expected to be the ones fighting it out in the Irish lanes, and indeed they were, with both using local knowledge to defy the tricky stage conditions. Devine however was sidelined with an alternator issue which paved the way for the impressive Creighton to take a second win of the year and an important one at that. He now holds a 13 point lead over Devine without considering drop scores, but crucially still has his Joker to play. This one will go down to the wire. As will the main battle. But perhaps the destiny of the 2017 BRC title is a little more clear cut. Stranger things have happened, but ever since Ahlin saw off Tom Cave on the opening round of the season, he has always seemed in control of this championship and he would be the deserving winner in Douglas if things go his way. Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography Rallying; adjective: having the effect of calling people to action. It was all looking rather familiar for Sweden's Fredrik Ahlin on the Saturday night of the Nicky Grist Stages, round five of the 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship. Blindingly fast, but perhaps unlucky, and a rapid Welshman with WRC experience ahead of him in a Ford Fiesta R5. A couple of things had changed from this year to last. The Swede, still with CA1 Sport, had switched to the Skoda Fabia R5 from the M-Sport machine campaigned previously, and swapped Morten Erik Abrahamsen's voice for Torstein Eriksen's. He also had been at the top of the championship for the first time in his BRC career, but four and a half rounds in and it was looking like Ahlin was experiencing something the French would call deja vu: already seen. Running second on the road behind Osian Pryce should have been an advantage in the Welsh wilderness. Pryce, now at the top of the championship thanks to a strong run of four podium places, was having to sweep the loose gravel from the sandy stages as expected, but was emerging from each with a much clearer view. Dust was hanging and struggling to clear, severely hampering Osian's rivals who could do nothing to respond to the Welshman's pace. For the second loop, the gap between cars was increased from one to two minutes, which let Ahlin back into the game, but Pryce still held a 20 second lead going into Sunday's tarmac tests on the legendary Epynt military ranges. Ahlin had proved his pace on tarmac but was yet to bag the result to go with it. A clipped kerb on the Circuit of Ireland last year and a crash in Ulster came before an incredibly unfortunate slow speed roll last time out in Ypres which let the consistent Pryce by in the championship race. Conversely, Pryce had the result, third in Ypres, but with the Belgian event being his first on the black stuff in an R5, his pace was less of a guarantee. The stage was set. Twelve demanding stages and two competitive drivers squabbling over a rally win and the bigger prize of a national championship. Pryce has come close to a British Rally Championship title more than once, coming second in the series behind Jukka Korhonen and then Daniel McKenna in the R3 days. A win on the Nicky Grist Stages, his Joker nominated round, would have put him in a great position to finally get his name on that illustrious trophy. Instead, Pryce's dreams and our entertainment would be cut short by a fuel sensor issue, which sidelined the Spencer Sport Fiesta and paved the way clear for Fredrik Ahlin to take his third victory of the year and move into what now looks like a comfortable championship lead barring any serious trouble. Gutting for Pryce, who just one week ago suffered the biggest accident of his career in treacherous conditions on WRC Rally Poland. For Ahlin however, he will feel that karma has paid him a handsome visit. Or, to link back to my top line, he was called into action with a smattering of good fortune. Fredrik's BRC career has been plagued with bad luck. Were it not for a stone that punctured his radiator on the final stage of the Scottish Rally, we may not even be contemplating the prospect of a championship showdown at all. But with Pryce out the way and the expected challenge of Ypres winner Keith Cronin ending in a ditch, all Ahlin had to do was bring his black and gold Skoda to the end in Builth Wells. It will take a brave man to bet against Ahlin now, who is vying to become the first foreign driver to call himself British Rally Champion since Korhonen in 2013. He has been the out and out pace setter in 2017, with many feeling he would have got the better of Pryce over Epynt even if the Welshman's Ford hadn't expired. Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography Title chasers aside however, the real story perhaps comes from the remainder of the podium.
With Desi Henry and Jonny Greer away back home in Ireland competing on the clashing Sligo Stages, no Tom Cave and David Bogie not able to compete with such a short time window between the Ypres Rally and the Nicky Grist Stages to repair his Fabia R5, the door was opened for some other drivers to hog the limelight on the rally named after Juha Kankkunen and Colin McRae's former co-driver. Matt Edwards had already stolen his moment of glory a fortnight ago. With many falling by the wayside in the demanding Flanders fields, the Welshman picked his way through the tightening junctions and notorious cuts to take an incredibly emotional second in the BRC. This result earned the dubbing of "the best result of my career", but fast forward the clock 14 days and he was back again, second overall on a British championship event to move him up to a sensational third place in the championship. For a driver who only has a handful of events under his belt in an R5 car and has to settle the repair bill himself, that is an incredible achievement and one that shouldn't go unnoticed. Standing one step below on the podium and for the very first time in the BRC was Chesterfield driver Rhys Yates. Five years ago Yates had never started a forest event before, but in just his second season in the BRC he is now a podium finisher, but he had to work for it. Work hard. Nobody wants Marty McCormack breathing down their neck on a tarmac rally, but that's exactly where Rhys Yates found himself heading into the final stage of the Grist. His Irish rival, using Alister Fisher's Fiesta R5 as his Fabia R5 was in need of a re-shell after its battering in a Belgian field, managed to cut his deficit to the Englishman but it wasn't enough. In the end, 3.7 seconds was all that separated the pair. It will be fascinating to see how both Edwards and Yates feed off these results in the future. But it's worth noting that both were without their regular co-drivers Darren Garrod and Carl Williamson in Wales. The British Rally Championship now faces a break of just over a month before the penultimate round in August, the Ulster Rally. Plenty of drivers will be heading over on the ferry with their eyes fixated on the win, but will Fredrik Ahlin be one of them? Drivers will always tell you it is much easier to drive at 100% than it is at 95, but the Swede now has the points luxury of being able to back out of an intense fight in the interest of bagging championship markers. It's his to lose, but stranger things have happened. “Right three into long crest 150, slowing into deceptive left five don’t cut…” may just be a random collaboration of instructions and numbers to you, but it’s the fine line between success and failure for any rally driver. After ten years behind the wheel, Kinross rally driver Blair Brown has hung up the keys to his Ford Fiesta R2T and taken a step back from his rallying career. A career that began racing quad bikes as a young boy soon evolved into driving rally cars at national and then international level. And that’s no real surprise; the Brown name is well known in the service park. Dad, Paul Brown, competes alongside Scottish Championship competitor Steven Clark in a Mitsubishi Evo, so naturally Blair was always destined to get involved in some capacity. “My dad is a co-driver so I was always around rallying,” he recalls. “I started racing quad bikes when I was 11 until I was 16 and about to enter the adult class. That’s when I started the Junior 1000 Rally Championship in 2012. I’d only driven a car four times before but it went really well. “I then moved straight onto the 205 Ecosse Challenge in the Scottish Rally Championship, doing two years in the series. From then on we focussed on the British Championship and looked at trying to make a career out of rallying. It took a long time for us to get the Ford Fiesta R2T so we didn’t compete much in 2015, but we did the full Junior British Rally Championship in 2016. It was ten years in the making to get to this stage so it’s been quite a long journey.” A long and successful journey by all accounts. Since switching to rallying Blair’s progression has been superb. He’s taken on a very steep learning curve but has accumulated plenty of accolades including 1st Ecosse 205 Challenge teen driver in 2013 and 14, 1st Ecosse 205 Challenge junior driver in 2014 and second overall in his class during the 2014 Scottish Rally Championship, also picking up the RSAC New Talent Scholarship that lasted throughout those years. Moving to a turbocharged car and international rallying was a big step up, both in terms of the competition and financially. “We got good backing from QTS for our first year but it was mainly self-funded,” Blair explains. “We didn’t have a big budget to go and test so we were just doing the events, meaning I turned up for the Mid Wales [round one] having only driven the car once on gravel. I was pretty chuffed to get sixth considering our competition, but it was a massive step up.” Brown’s British Championship campaign was a learning one. Two sixth places in Wales and two fifths at home in Scotland and on the Isle of Man were highlights, but mechanical issues in Ireland, inexperience with creating pace notes in England and a final stage crash on the penultimate event meant he finished up ninth in the championship. “Throughout the BRC year we did get a lot quicker, but the biggest problem was our budget made it harder to compete. The Circuit of Ireland in particular we were away for ten days, and then there was stepping up to international licenses so it was a mammoth task without even driving the car a mile. We had the right tyres and fuel but that was the story of the season for us. We probably had 50% of the budget that the guys ahead of us had.” And it’s that budget that has ultimately seen Blair cut his international rallying career short. “I work for the family building business and always have done, so I understood where most of the money to go rallying was coming from. The stress of my family putting money towards it had played on my mind but it never really got to me until the BRC where what we were putting in just wasn’t enough. If you don’t have enough money to do that championship properly there’s no point in doing it at all. I’d be working from 6am-6pm and then spending my evenings into the early hours in the garage working on the rally car, and I wasn’t even getting enough time to properly work on my pace notes. If I did get enough sponsorship then I would’ve been able to take time off work and do it all properly, and would more than likely have been much further up the leader-board than I was. “The big focus for me now is making the family business successful and hopefully then I can come back to rallying in a few years’ time at a more enjoyable, clubman level; maybe in a decent four wheel drive car where I can have a bit of fun! I’ll look at doing more selected events, potentially next year but definitely in three years’ time.” The M-Sport machine Blair has campaigned is now up for sale, but the 21 year old is satisfied knowing he gave rallying his ‘best shot.’ “A lot of people say to me ‘it’s such a shame you’ve had to stop it’; but I don’t have to, I chose to. This was my decision to stop because I simply don’t want to put my family at risk or make myself miserable doing something I love. I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world to have been able to rally, and I did so at a high level as well, so I appreciate how lucky I am and I never will regret any of it. I won’t regret stepping away either as I gave it my best shot.” If money was no objectBlair Brown is a quality rally driver, potentially good enough to beat a man who was running as high as third in WRC-2 on Rally Poland, Gus Greensmith, if he could compete financially. “When I was in my second year in the 205 we had a big budget for our championship, so did fourteen events that year,” he explains. “We went down to the Pirelli to do the BRC as a clubman competitor and our times against the juniors in an R1 specification car were strong; we were beating Gus in our little 205. In the same space of time he has managed to become an international rally driver. It’s a good comparison as with the extra money he’s been able to put a lot of time into it.” The thrillPushing the limits on a challenging piece of road is always enjoyable for rally drivers, but doing that against the big names was what Blair really derived pleasure from. “We finished our season on a big high on the Isle of Man last year, the last event I’ve done in a rally car. I had Steven Clark co-driving for me which made a big difference to push me on. We were in the mix with everybody else and posted some seriously quick times, keeping up with all the top boys it was very, very fast. “But just competing at that sort of level was tremendous. Sitting waiting to get into a stage and there were 70 or so cars waiting to start and that’s the first real buzz you get that you’re competing in an international rally, the names there are just massive. It was crazy competing 20 and 30 cars behind names that you’ve idolised. It was such a good experience, I’m really appreciative that I was able to do it.” Special thank you to Blair Brown for agreeing to this interview. The piece was submitted as part of my 'Sports Journalism' module at university, hence only now can I publish it after its marking has been completed. The story is no longer particularly newsworthy but I hope you still found it interesting. I wish Blair the best of luck, and hope to see him out in a car some time soon!
Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography The dust has settled from the first three gravel rounds of the season, and now it's time for the suspension to be lowered, the brakes to be beefed up and the driving technique to be changed as the 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship handbrake turns its way into the second half of the season later this month, predominantly staged on tarmac. With Britain's national rally championship in limbo between events, what better time to reflect on the season so far and what we can expect come the close of play in September? And as ever, with this being a BRC article on This Is Rally, expect some strong nostalgia... Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography The title of this piece may have grabbed you. I flirted with the idea of calling it New era, same old story, but that makes the year's action seem somewhat boring when it has been anything but. In fact, I think this season, which was billed as a tough one for Iain Campbell, Ben Taylor and the team given the success of the series' comeback last year, has been even better than the last. The championship is well and truly up for grabs, and a title battle no matter how many contenders is always a tantalising prospect. You can read about 2017's importance here. With three rounds gone and four to go, the race for the 2017 British Rally Championship title is hotting up and could go right down to the wire. Returning this year but in a Skoda Fabia R5, Fredrik Ahlin partnered with Norway's Torstein Eriksen heads the standings with a meaty 55 points, but only 30 points covers the top six with several drivers down the lower half of the table promising much more than they have so far delivered. Ahlin spent most of 2016 as eventual champion Elfyn Evans' closest rival in terms of pace, taking the lead from the Welshman to everybody's surprise in his backyard on round one, but ultimately driver error, mechanical issues and the sheer class of the WRC star would shine through leaving Ahlin in the shade. Out went the Fiesta R5 and in came the Fabia, and the Swede duly took the Skoda's first BRC win on the Border Counties before notching up his second consecutive Pirelli win on round two. Both events were won in different fashion and showed a new side to Fredrik. He was the pick of the bunch in the Scottish Borders, winning comfortably on his debut in his new machine, before taking the win in Kielder despite only winning one of the eight stages. He managed the event from the event, an important trait for any championship contender to possess. The RSAC Scottish Rally could prove to be the sea-saw in the battle to be 2017 British Rally Champion. Ahlin began the event as the one to beat with two wins to his name having expertly played his Joker too in Carlisle to sit on a maximum 55 points from 55. Living up to his pre-event billing, the Swedish driver headed into the final stage of the third round a mere 0.1 seconds behind team mate David Bogie who was gunning for a popular home win. However, just one CA1 Sport Fabia would emerge from that final test, and it wouldn't be Ahlin's; the Swede parked up after a stone had burst through the radiator of his black and gold machine. Game over. Ahlin insists that this lost him second place rather than a win, but no matter the intentions and beliefs the points don't lie and a non score was disastrous for Fredrik. A healthy championship lead had been surrendered, blowing the 2017 title race wide open. Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss were the crew to benefit the most. The Welshman, who has twice finished a runner-up in the BRC, secured a late deal to drive the Spencer Sport Fiesta R5 in order to keep him sharp for his WRC2 prize drives in a DMACK car later in the year, underlining the strength of the rejuvenated BRC. Despite punctures and other niggling issues, Pryce bagged a third place finish in the Tweed Valley before coming within four seconds of a first BRC win in a four wheel drive car in Kielder, only for a handbrake issue to force him to cede the spoils to Ahlin. Another consistent performance in Dumfries & Galloway saw him run in the top group, and he was there to profit when Ahlin's luck turned. Just four points behind in the championship and yet to play his Joker, Osian Pryce is a real threat to finally get his name on the BRC trophy. But if the fastest man out there is to win the championship, right now you wouldn't say it was going to be Pryce. Two candidates spring to mind here: Tom Cave and David Bogie. Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography Cave was the man who in the end took second spot in the championship behind the imperious Evans last year, improving as the season progressed. That elusive win escaped his campaign however, so the Welshman was keen to rectify that on the Border Counties Rally that kicked off 2017. Strapping himself into a Dom Buckley prepared Fiesta R5, Tom waded into the battle with Ahlin at the front after the Joker-playing Bogie damaged his steering on an inside rock. Bogie's retirement may have meant one less contender, but it left Cave first on the road and sweeping the loose gravel, so he decided to take advantage of the rally's regulations and hang back in a road section to let his Scandinavian rival do the cleaning. The tactics backfired as he still lost time to Fredirk's Skoda, meaning Cave ultimately had to settle for second. The stage was set heading to Kielder Forest, with Cave debuting the Hyundai i20 R5 in the BRC. The combination looked good in pre-event testing, and that promise translated into stage times as Tom and co-driver James Morgan opened up a good lead after the first two stages. However, a suspension issue would stop him on the third stage, but a marker had been set. On to the Scottish, and it was a strong sense of deja vu for Cave. Blasting through the two stages on Friday in fading light, the Hyundai took the scratch time on both tests to lead the chasing pack. But stage three would be its downfall once again, with the i20 appearing at the stop line minus its rear right wheel. The potential is well and truly there, with the car's strong tarmac reputation sure to play into Cave's hands in Ypres. David Bogie's season has been one of intrigue. The multiple Scottish champion got his season underway with a dominant win up in Inverness on round one of the Scottish Rally Championship. Heading down to the Malcolm Wilson Rally, the result would repeat itself but this time it was arguably more impressive, bettering fellow BRC contender Keith Cronin on a rally he is less familiar with. But an ambitious cut ended his Border Counties adventure and saw him with zero points on his Joker nominated round. Pirelli time, and a sticking rear brake with no service break on Saturday would see the blue Skoda hemorrhage time and leave the Scot far from amused. It was looking like the bright yellow Prestone stickers were like the plague to his Fabia. But from there, the Dumfries' driver's anger turned into a scintillating performance, destroying his opposition on day two to blitz his way up to fourth overall winning all of the leg's four tests. Bogie's home event was crucial. Make or break if you like. A bad result here and he may not continue the rest of the British Championship season. Fortunately for us, after a slightly cautious start on Friday night, Bogie was a man possessed. It was almost all or nothing for the 2011 BRC Champion. Given just a small whiff of the win, he'd go for it. And that he did. With Cave out the way, he set about hunting down his team mate Ahlin and the pair had a ding-dong battle which saw them continuously trade seconds and swap positions at the top of the leaderboard. The punishing stages took their tole on Ahlin's R5 which gave way, leaving Bogie free to take a first BRC win in six years, but you just get the sense that this win was always going to be David's. He now heads to Ypres as the series' form man. But is he the favourite for the BRC's Belgian round? No, as many are tipping fellow Skoda man Marty McCormack for success based upon his previous experience on the European event and his stellar start to the season. Yet to play his Joker, the Irishman sits fourth in the standings in the Tiger Risk Fabia R5 having switched to the turbo charged motor after competing in a now out-dated S2000 last year. McCormack scooped up a podium on both the Pirelli and the Scottish despite his lack of R5 experience, so is a real dark horse for the rest of the season. As is fellow Irish driver Keith Cronin. The triple BRC Champion and defending Irish Tarmac Champion is yet to really show his hand in 2017. It's obvious Cronin has the ability; three British Rally Championship titles in three different cars speaks for itself. But it hasn't quite clicked for Keith and his M-Sport team thus far, with Cronin's lack of genuine gravel experience in recent years hindering him among other things. With the vast majority of the season now on tarmac, expect his serious and expected challenge to come at the BRC's best like a tonne of bricks. Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography Those are your main six contenders, but others such as Rhys Yates, Matt Edwards and Desi Henry are bound to have their say in proceedings as the season wears on. And what a season it promises to be. The pace is electric, the cars impressive, the events superb and the fight intense. Like all good British Rally Championships gone by, the best of Britain is taking on the Scandinavians and being joined by other competitors and championships (Scottish Rally Championship, Belgian Rally Championship, Irish Tarmac Championship) along the way to add some gin to the tonic. Just as it should be. Question is, will Fredrik Ahlin replicate fellow Scandics Hannu Mikkola, Pentti Airikkala, Ari Vatanen, Stig Blomqvist, Tapio Laukkanen, Marko Ipatti and Jukka Korhonen in beating the Brits on their own turf?
Staring into my crystal ball, I think ultimately his sheer pace matched with his approach and consistency makes it hard not to jot Fredrik Ahlin down as championship favourite. But it will largely depend on his tarmac pace as it isn't the Swede's preferred surface. Osian Pryce has an ace up his sleeve in a Joker, and is likely to be quick everywhere so could throw a real spanner into the works. It's hard to look beyond these two, with Bogie perhaps a little too inconsistent and Cave a bit too far back to make enough gains. But one thing is for sure: I can't wait to watch this one unfold over the coming months. Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography The 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship is fast reaching its mid-season with the third of three rallies contested either side of the Scottish/English border taking place this weekend in Dumfries & Galloway. The RSAC Scottish Rally has been a long stay in the BRC calendar for a number of years, and this year could prove to be the key event in the title race.
Why? The balance is finely poised, and Fredrik Ahlin holds all the cards. The Swede has taken the first two victories of the year in his Skoda Fabia R5, with his relationship with new co-driver Torstein Eriksen working wonders thus far. Ahlin's Border Counties win where he was predominantly the fastest man out there was in stark contrast to his victory on the Pirelli International where he was fastest on just one of the eight special stages. But the ability to be blisteringly quick and yet consistent when necessary shows strong championship potential. The man himself however knows he won't have it easy on the Scottish. Tom Cave is perhaps Ahlin's biggest threat. After an event long battle with the series leader in Jedburgh at the wheel of a Fiesta R5, the Welshman switched to Hyundai power, debuting the i20 R5 in Britian's national rally championship. This could be a match made in heaven, and the split times certainly suggested so with Cave winning the first two stages of the rally in the car. Sadly, a suspension issue sidelined him and meant he scored no points but the marker had been laid. Similarly, Cave's compatriot Osian Pryce is another that is getting better rally on rally. The Spencer Sport driver is using the BRC to obtain extra R5 experience ahead of two prize drives in a DMACK Fiesta in the WRC courtesy of his performances in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy last season. Third place on the Border despite a puncture was followed by second place in Kielder despite a late handbrake problem. Will it be a case of third, second and then first for Pryce? The final driver likely to be causing Ahlin headaches is the man just a few metres along the service park within the CA1 Sport camp. David Bogie, five times Scottish champion and 2011 British champion has had a difficult start to the year in his Fabia R5. Despite largely dominating the national events (Snowman, Malcolm Wilson & Speyside Stages rallies) he has entered this year, it just hasn't come together as soon as the bright yellow Prestone banner has gone across the windscreen of his Skoda. A loose rock ended his round one adventure while brake issues with no service break on day one destroyed his Pirelli. The Scotsman did recover impeccably however, claiming all four stage wins on the second leg. The Scottish is Bogie's home turf, so there's arguably no better place for him to notch up that first win since the championship's relaunch last year. Keith Cronin (Fiesta R5), Marty McCormack (Fabia R5), Desi Henry (Fabia R5), Rhys Yates (Fiesta R5) and Matt Edwards (Fiesta R5) have all had contrasting seasons thus far in 2017, but all are capable of grabbing a spot on the podium. The stages this year are looking very smooth and flowing, which will be a blessed relief after the sharp and rocky affair last year. Fredrik Ahlin is the man to beat, it's now up for his rivals to hunt him down and knock him off his perch. A third Ahlin win from three would be disastrous for the chasing pack. Just a matter of miles from the finish of the 2016 Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally, a Ford Fiesta R5 had cried enough. Garry Pearson's Scottish Rally Championship dreams were in tatters. That could be enough to deter plenty of young drivers, but it did nothing to dampen Pearson's confidence or determination as on his first competitive day of action back in the very same car since last September, he was lying fourth overall on the Pirelli International Rally Unfortunately, a "silly" mistake on Sunday's opener meant the Duns driver didn't bag the result on the second round of this year's Prestone MSA British Rally Championship, but is pleased with the giant-killing pace he showed. "We were pleasantly surprised to be fourth." Pearson said. "We never fully got up to our true pace until Sunday morning where we were feeling much better and getting to grips with the car. Sadly, we made a small error and it cost us dearly. "It would have been nice to finish on the podium or in the top five, but we can't complain at our pace. We effectively were fighting with some of the best drivers in the UK and Ireland at the first time of asking." After having competed in the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship last season with events typically consisting of around 45 competitive stage miles, the 100 mile Kielder forest based rally on 29-30 April presented a different challenge. But for Pearson, who has competed in the British Championship in the past at the wheel of two wheel drive R2 machinery, this wasn't a problem. "The stages were superb!" He explained. "It pays dividends to be confident and sure of the car's ability in the flat out sections of the stages which we didn't quite have, but the longer stages seemed to suit us. I think we set better times in the longer ones. Undoubtedly we struggled to get to our true pace but we can't expect to keep up with the front-runners after six months off." Despite driving the same Fiesta R5 he took to two SRC victories in 2016 alongside Robbie Mitchell, Pearson contested the Pirelli alongside his championship rival from last year, Jock Armstrong's co-driver Paula Swinscoe. "Paula is great." Pearson enthused. "She has a real interest in how we perform and is very competitive which I like." When will we next see Garry Pearson out on the stages? Don't go making any specific plans just yet, as the man himself is unsure where he'll be, but his competition ought to be scared when he comes back later in the year stronger than ever. "We hope to be out later in the year, but we aren't sure where! I'm away to assess on boards, work on my driving and tyre management and we'll form a plan from there." Rallying. There just isn't any other sport quite like it. And that's why last weekend I made the 90 mile trip south-west to Carlisle and the infamous Kielder Forest to spectate surprisingly only my third ever forest event, the Pirelli International Rally which counted as the second round of the 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship.
For anybody that is unfamiliar with the sport of rallying, I encourage you to read on as I hope this review from my experience down near Carlisle will help you understand what spectating a modern rally stage is like. I don't need to explain the thrill to all you experienced heads, and besides the picture above of Eyvind Brynildsen attacking SS6 Black Fell depicts the action far better than I ever could. Sweden's Fredrik Ahlin made it two wins from two starts in 2017, taking his second consecutive Pirelli win by over 30 seconds from Welshman Osian Pryce. Marty McCormack completed the podium in third place, his best result since the BRC re-launched back in 2016. Ahlin was quick all weekend, but wasn't the initial pace-setter. That honour went to Tom Cave, who brought Hyundai's i20 R5 to the BRC for the first time. Edging out Ahlin's Skoda by just 0.7 seconds in the opener, Cave stretched his lead out to seven seconds after the second test in the incredibly quick and punishing stages. Unfortunately that is as far as the Welshman would go on the Pirelli as suspension failure sidelined him in SS3, and the decision was taken to not restart on Sunday as the chance of a good result was gone. Cave's compatriot Osian Pryce took up the role as Ahlin's closest challenger, slashing the Fabia driver's lead to just four seconds three quarters of the way through the event. However, a handbrake issue saw the Spencer Sport driver lose time and ultimately finish behind Fredrik who had the rally under control. The Swedish superstar played his Joker which means he claimed an extra five points on top of the 25 he earned for the rally win, elevating him into a commanding lead in the championship. With the news that Cave will return with the Hyundai on the next round in Dumfries, appetites are whet for what promises to be a huge battle and potentially the championship battle come the Isle of Man. David Bogie's difficult BRC campaign continued on the first day of competitive action in Kielder. A brake issue left his Skoda R5 with only three working brakes which on such demanding and long stages saw the 2011 champion leak bundles of time to his rivals. Having won three national events this year already, Bogie converted his anger at a luckless start into epic driving, winning all four of Sunday's stages to grab fourth overall. Garry Pearson, who lost out on the 2016 Scottish Rally Championship title by just a single point, started his first rally since September in a Ford Fiesta R5. The Duns driver impressed, lying fourth overall overnight but sadly threw it all away on Sunday's opener, making a mistake at a chicane and reversing into a ditch, beaching the M-Sport machine. Keith Cronin rolled his M-Sport car, while Rhys Yates claimed another solid points scoring finish in sixth. Wildcard entrant Eyvind Brynidlsen's weekend was blighted with mechanical issues, but the Norwegian driver looked very quick when he did get out on the stages. And speaking of the stages, what a fantastic place in the world to go rallying. The stages themselves are world famous for their tricky and car-breaking nature. But besides the roads the drivers are testing their mettle on, the countryside and surrounding area in south Scotland and north England is stunning. If you like your cars, there's a high chance that you will enjoy driving, and that is half the fun in spectating a rally. Owning a 13 year old Fiesta, I don't particularly enjoy the rough and tough of the forest tracks but the small B roads around the forests are phenomenal to drive. The roads are not only great, but there's a great sense of adventure looking for your spectator points. Nowadays, there are only a few spectator zones designated per event but on the Pirelli, they were all clearly marked with great guidance on the website on how to get there. The marshals at all spectating points I visited were nothing but friendly, and even helped me park my car! The viewing points were splendid, allowing for great rally action yet crucially from a safe standing point. Given that this was a BRC event, the quality of action was of course mesmerising. The look of awe on my brother's face as Fredirk Ahlin hussled his CA1 Sport Skoda around a square right with the textbook Scandinavian flick could create a good short poem. Attending rallies from the media side as I now do is a very different experience than standing stage-side. The two aren't really comparable and it isn't really a relevant comparison as obtaining a media role isn't something we are all going to do. With TV and social media coverage, you may wonder why you should even bother going to watch a rally. When you can be better informed at home with what's actually going on than you would be standing in a forest, why should you pay your £10 to head out, park you car and watch the action live? The answer to that one is simple. Spectating is an experience. It's an adventure. It's exciting. The sounds, the smells and the potential drama. The sense of satisfaction of watching your heroes negotiate a tricky stretch of road after the sacrifice you've made to get there. It's something you will only truly understand if you go out and do it. And the Pirelli International Rally is a very good place to go do it. The only real issue with the experience was the lack of entries compared to other rallies, but with it being a BRC event with over 100 competitive stage miles the entry fee was higher than your average UK national event so clubmen drivers were less likely to come and compete. But the flip side of that is you get to watch better quality drivers. I flirted with the idea of going to watch this event time and time again this year. I'm mightily glad I did. The 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship is just days away with the season kicking off in the Scottish Borders on the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally. Last season was a re-development year for the BRC, so this season the onus is on continuing to establish the series' credentials as one of the best national rally championships. In theory, 2017 promises to be even better than last year with a much closer title fight expected with Elfyn Evans returning to the WRC. Below I have placed the top drivers under playful tags with all the information you need to know heading into the season opener this weekend. The one to beat: David BogieDavid Bogie and Kevin Rae start the Border Counties as car 1 being the only previous winner of the event among the top entrants, and based on pre-season form they have to be considered the ones to beat. The Skoda Fabia R5 is one of the most competitive packages out there, expertly run by CA1 Sport to boot. Last year the Dumfries driver pushed for wins rather than bagging championship points, but don't expect that approach this time around. With Evans gone 2017 is a real chance for the 2017 Snowman and Malcolm Wilson Rally winner to claim his second British Rally Championship title. The intriguing one: Tom CaveTom Cave and co-driver James Morgan finished second in the 2016 BRC behind compatriots Elfyn Evans and Craig Parry, so in theory are the ones in the best position to take the mantle from Evans and Parry in 2017. There's no reason to suggest that Cave is not capable of that, but the big question mark is whether he will complete the whole season. He has entered the Border Counties in a Dom Buckley Ford Fiesta R5, but excitingly will contest round two, the Pirelli International, in a Hyundai i20 R5, thus making the car's debut in the BRC. It is understood the Hyundai package is Tom's preferred option so let's all hope he can find the sponsors and the money to run that deal until the end of the season because it would be a fantastic ingredient for the 2017 title race. The one with a vengeance: Fredrik AhlinPerhaps surprisingly, the Swedish sensation is back with CA1 Sport in the BRC for a second year, but there are three important changes that could see him become the first non British or Irish driver to win the series since Marko Ipatti in 2000. Firstly, he has switched co-drivers to the highly rated Torstein Eriksen. Secondly, he will campaign a Skoda Fabia instead of the R5 Fiesta he drove in 2016, but most importantly he now has knowledge of all of the rounds bar the opener in Jedburgh, but only Bogie, Cave and Euan Thorburn can claim to have experience there. The Swede was incredibly quick last year but mistakes and mechanical issues blighted the second half of his season. Make no mistake Fredrik is back in Britain for one reason only: to become British Rally Champion. The one with a point to prove: Keith CroninKeith Cronin and co-driver Mikie Galvin are a fascinating addition to the Border Counties and 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship entry list. The Irish driver dovetailed last year's BRC with an assault on the Irish Tarmac Championship, which he duly won. But his BRC campaign was cut incredibly short after a difficult start at the wheel of a Citroen DS3 R5, perhaps not best suited to the gravel UK forests, but Cronin is back this year and excitingly back in an M-Sport prepared Fiesta R5. Keith's speed is undeniable as a triple British champion, and he will be going for his own little piece of history in 2017, vying to become the first man to win the British Rally Championship with four different manufactures (Mitsubishi, Subaru, Citroen, Ford). The one to watch: Osian PryceThere was a lot of speculation regarding #5 on the Border Counties entry list, but today it was revealed that Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss will be completing the full British Rally Championship season in a Spencer Sport Ford Fiesta R5. The young Welsh driver has won BRC events in an R3 Citroen DS3, finishing second in the championship in 2013 and 2014, so there is unfinished business here for Pryce. He has the added bonus of two rounds in a DMACK Fiesta R5 in WRC2 to keep his hand in, so expect him to be very quick in 2017 and among the title fight. The dark horse: Desi HenryDesi Henry provided the quote of the season on the RSAC Scottish Rally last year where declaring his delight at finish on the podium along with Elfyn Evans: "He's a World Championship driver, I'm just a builder!" From then on though the Irish builder's season really kicked on as he acclimatised to the R5 Fabia he had acquired to replace his S2000 Skoda, claiming another podium on the mixed surface Nicky Grist Stages and improving his stage times. Henry didn't have the best of warm-ups on the Malcolm Wilson Rally last weekend, but he is heading into the season with confidence feeling comfortable in his weapon of choice. All I'll say is watch this space. And don't forget: Thorburn, Greer, McCormack, Anderson, Yates , Edwards & LaffeyThe quality of the BRC1 field is once again top quality in 2017, with 13 R5 cars from Ford, Skoda and Citroen taking the start in Jedburgh on 18th March. It is unclear whether Thorburn will commit to the full championship, but as a BTRDA and Scottish Rally Champion he is a proven threat, while Jonny Greer is one of the most consistent and experienced drivers out there. Marty McCormack steps up to an R5 after using an S2000 Fabia last year, while Jamie Anderson has joined the CA1 Sport team in an upgraded Fiesta R5. Rhys Yates will begin his second year of rallying in a four wheel drive machine having made fantastic progress throughout 2016, with Matt Edwards throwing his hat into the ring in a Fiesta R5 after having done last year in a Mitsubishi Evo, winning BRC2. Alex Laffey looks to continue his transition to gravel rallying as Keith Cronin's team mate in the M-Sport fold.
Predicting a champion is a tough call, but if they all do the full season for me your contenders are Bogie, Cave, Ahlin, Cronin and Pryce. Scotland vs Wales vs Ireland vs Sweden. Skoda vs Ford vs potentially Hyundai. Man vs man. Man vs machine. It's going to be brilliant! |
BRITISH RALLYINGArticles covering rally in Britain, looking at the MSA BRC Archives
September 2017
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