EDWARDS: OULTON PARK WILL BE A REAL CHALLENGE
Reigning British Rally champion
Matt Edwards has told MN the new opening round of the series, the Neil Howard Stages at Oulton Park, will be a challenge.
The event, which will also be the third round of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship, kicks off the BRC season on May 31 and marks the first time the championship has hosted a round at a race circuit.
While MN understands some competitors hold reservations about the validity of the rally as a BRC round, Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 driver Edwards – who did the rally in 2019 – is happy to have the season start moved forward and thanked the BRC organisers for offering up the rally to the competitors rather than just telling them it was being added.
“Obviously I’d love a three-day rally on the Isle of Man to be the first round, but I think everybody’s got to adjust,” Edwards said. “I just want to get back in a rally car again. But Oulton Park, the organisers do a good job there, I enjoyed it when I did it and it was a challenge.
“One of the stages has got gravel, it’s got really smooth Tar and it’s got that slippy bit in it so it is a challenge in many different ways.”
MNCRC regular Mark Kelly, who was second on December’s Dukeries Rally in his Ford Fiesta R5, is relishing the prospect of measuring himself against the BRC contingent.
“It’s brilliant, you couldn’t want a better benchmark could you?” he told MN. “I think everyone’s always wondering how they would fare against the British championship boys, so I think it’s brilliant for everybody.”