LEPLEY SURE HE COULD HAVE BEATEN PETCH IN BTRDA
BTRDA Silver Star champion George Lepley is “optimistic” he could have won the Gold Star title this year despite trailing Stephen Petch by 35 points after two rounds.
But with the series now cancelled, the Mitsubishi Lancer E10 driver has been forced to reassess his plans.
Lepley told MN: “Optimistic as I am, I still thought that we were in with a shot of the championship knowing what we have in the tank. I’m set up for BTRDA so I’ll still try and do the Wyedean if it happens.”
Some UK drivers have entered rallies abroad, particularly in Belgium, Lepley is not sure “how comfortable I’d feel” heading elsewhere with the risk of a second wave of Covid-19. “Next year may be different,” he said. “I might look at doing some Tarmac but we’ll see what happens with British Rally Championship and BTRDA. We just want to get past coronavirus.”
A pair of international drivers have signed up to compete in the Super1600 category of the 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship this year, while the season finale at Mondello Park is in question due to a recent Motorsport Ireland announcement.
Latvian Roberts Vitols and Belgian Nick Snoeys will race a Peugeot 206 and Ford Ka respectively in the Super1600 class. A Latvian Super1600 champion, Vitols raced in the Motorsport UK Junior
Rallycross Championship last year with Peter Gwynne Motorsport and also competed in his home round of the RX Academy series in Riga.
He will drive his own Provento Racing-run 206 in the 5 Nations series this year, basing the car in the UK.
Snoeys, meanwhile, has experience of racing in both the Super1600 and Touring Car categories but will compete in a new Ford Ka in 2020. He tested the car recently at Essay in France.
But they may not get to race at Mondello Park in Ireland in November after Motorsport Ireland announced that “effective immediately, all Motorsport Ireland events will be restricted to competitors and service crew members who are resident on the island of Ireland, until further notice.
Motorsport News understands that Mondello Park remains confident of being able to host the 5 Nations BRX round in November, some four months away.