BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS

WHERE: THE UK’S STAGES WHEN: MARCH TO SEPTEMBER The British Rally Championship began its third year since a hiatus to relaunch the contest in 2016 in turmoil through no fault of its own, as the Border Counties Rally had to be cancelled due to ‘the Beast from the East’ and the heavy snow it brought to Jedburgh.

The series had gone for a shorter calendar, instead adding the blockbuster Wales Rally GB to the schedule, but the combination of this and rallies being cancelled compromised the calendar significantly.

Further drama snowballed the situation when Rally Isle of Man was cancelled due to a disagreement between the event and the government over road closure permits, the government accused the event of “long-standing personal organisation”, while the event called it an “unavoidable decision”.

The result was a four-event BRC calendar, losing one of the rallies that is synonymous with it in the Manx.

In better news, the Cambrian, West Cork Rally and Galloway Hills have been added in place of the Border Counties and Wales Rally GB in 2019’s calendar.