HEPPENSTALL ASKS FOR MSA’S HELP TO SAVE HISTORIC RALLYING

Organiser urges governing body to help halt gravel rallying slump

Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship manager Colin Heppenstall has called on the governing body to help stem the decline in gravel-based historic stage rallying.

Heppenstall says that the change to event running order, imposed by the Motor Sports Association, has had a major impact on the number of historic cars competing on gravel and had led to the Category 1 field, for pre-1968 cars, being almost wiped out. However, the problem carries forward into later categories and the 2016 BHRC witnessed a 25-30 per cent reduction in entries for gravel rallies.

“Options to increase participation in historic rallying have been proposed to the MSA to keep this section of the sport healthy and to keep it within the Rally Futures agenda,” said Heppenstall. “I hope the MSA will grasp this chance to keep historic rallying alive on gravel while keeping people safe. The MSA has to decide if it wants to help this branch of the sport continue.”

Historic competitor response to road conditions experienced further down the overall field has been very negative and a growing number of car owners are switching to asphalt events.

Heppenstall says that the introduction of Category J2 for cars from up to 1990 into the MSA regulations for 2017, to bring the MSA in line with the FIA, will not help the current challenges facing historic rallying.

“The BHRC does not need four-wheel-drive cars bringing the problems and issues that happened in the late 1980s and we will not be including them in the BHRC.”