DONNELLY TO BTRDA IN IMPREZA WRC JACK BENYON

NATIONAL RALLYING EDITOR “Rallies are the cause of BRC excitement”

Mark Donnelly will join the fight for the BTRDA Gold Star crown on this month’s Malcolm Wilson Rally.

He follows in the footsteps of fellow Ulsterman Connor Mccloskey in registering for the all-gravel series.

The Omagh driver will pilot an S10-spec Subaru Impreza with on-event support from Crozier Motorsport.

Donnelly – the 2013 Pirelli Star Driver and a former member of the MSA’S Team UK initiative – took part in last weekend’s Omagh Fivemiletown Spring Rally ahead of the BTRDA’S second counter on March 12.

“We’ll be doing the whole championship starting with the Malcolm Wilson Rally,” said Donnelly, who’ll be navigated by Barry Mcnulty.

“How the S10 shapes up against the other cars remains to be seen, though.

“I’m still learning about the Impreza and adapting to four-wheel drive, so a top-five finish would be a good result. It would be a good start to the season and give me a real chance of fighting for the drivers’ title.”

Donnelly also plans to enter rounds of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship but says the priority this season is the BTRDA. “There are some great events,” he added. “I’ve heard a lot about them and from a driver’s point of view they look really enjoyable. I’m really looking forward to getting going. It’ll be a lot of fun.”