Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Bumper entry for Lydden
Motorsport
More than 100 drivers will do battle at Lydden Hill this weekend when the MSA British Rallycross Championship rolls into Kent.
The bumper entry list includes competitors from 12 different classes – capped by 14 entries in the headlining Supercar category.
Series bosses have teamed up with the Belgian Rallycross Championship for the event on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, with more than 50 pilots heading over the Channel to compete.
FIA World Rallycross Championship favourite Liam Doran – son of circuit owner Pat – will race a Citroen C4 in the Supercar class.
He told the British Rallycross Championship website: “I’m looking forward to racing at Lydden Hill this weekend.
“I drove at a test with the team a few weeks ago but that was only for development work and it was a little bit unexpected that I would get this chance.
“I’m not complaining, though. More time in a Supercar always great.”
Doran will join champion Julian Godfrey at Lydden,
is who suffered brake problems at the first round at Croft three weeks ago.
They will share the grid with a number of names, including London-based Irishman Ollie O’donovan, teenage talent Dan Rooke and former British Touring Car Championship racer Dave Newsham.
In the supporting Swift Sport class, Deal pair Rob Maynard and Don Macleod will both be looking to get the better of Pluckley-based Croft podium finisher Nathan Heathcote.
They will be joined by rallycross newcomer Simon Ovenden, who impressed on his debut at Croft.
Canterbury’s Tristan Ovenden – Simon’s elder brother – will tackle the Super 1600 class in his Suzuki Swift, taking on world championship stars Ulrik Linnemann from Denmark and Russian Timur Shigaboutdinov.
In the Supernational category, Faversham-based Stuart Emery will return with a new sequential gearbox on his Peugeot 206.
He will line-up alongside Dartford’s Paul Coney and Sittingbourne’s Paul Maybourne, who will make his class debut in a Renault Clio.
Tunbridge Wells-based Graham Rumsey will join the Hot Hatch championship.
Action gets under way at 10.30am on Easter Sunday and 9am on Bank Holiday Monday.
Tickets start from £15. Accompanied children aged 12 and under are admitted free. For more details visit www. lyddenhill.co.uk