BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER EXPECTS R5 NUMBERS ‘INTO THE TEENS’
Series boss thinks that British Rally Championship’s headline class will flourish when season kicks off
British Rally Championship manager Iain Campbell is anticipating strong competition at the head of the 2021 season with R5 competitors reaching double figures.
Last year’s season-opener attracted nine R5 cars but Campbell told MN he expects numbers to be “into the teens” as “we’re getting a lot of strong interest because the Irish Tarmac Championship’s not running”.
“There’s more interest in the British Rally Championship this year than there has been over the last 18 months, which is great,” he added.
The BRC will remain a sevenround series in 2021 as Trackrod Rally Yorkshire will go ahead as planned on September 24-25 despite falling a week before Forestry England’s access deadline of September 30.
The BRC, BTRDA and British Historic Championship qualifier will run as what’s being called a ‘test event’ for Forestry England as it continues to monitor its visitor demand.
Jack Colston, recreation forester Yorkshire district for Forestry England, called it “a great opportunity to garner insight and provide guidance for other motorsport events as lockdown restrictions start to lift.”
Campbell said: “I’m delighted that it’s still there. Yes, it was a concern we were going to lose a round, it’s why I’ve got grey hairs! There is always that worry, that concern, but every organiser is 100% positive that they will be running.”
Motorsport UK CEO, Hugh Chambers, added:
“With the guidelines and protocols we have created as the national governing body, we look forward to working with Forestry England to demonstrate how a safe and successful event can be run in the forests.
“Following the rally, we hope we can create a model for all future forestry events around the country.”