Friday, 16 November 2012
Monday, 15 October 2012
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Kershaw wins Walters battle as Rochelle takes title
The event organisers laid on a very challenging course in the Walters Arena complex largely made up of offroad sections with a few Cat 1 sections and a large watersplash described by one driver as a boating lake! It was Kershaw who was quickest on the opening run in his Milner R5 although Justin Birchall was just two seconds behind with Rochelle in third.
These three dominated the leaderboard throughout the opening day’s seven runs although steering rack problems caused Birchall to drop some time which allowed Rochelle into second. Birchall enlisted a spectating Jonny Koonja to sit in the car and steer using the fiddle brakes as he caught up on his runs at the end of the day.
Although Birchall replaced the steering rack overnight it failed again after the first run of day two’s six runs forcing him out of the event. Kershaw continued to extend his lead over Rochelle who, with a need to finish in the top three to take the championship, was driving cautiously over the tough terrain.
Rochelle’s tactics paid off as he brought his Millington Phoenix home in second to win the BCCC title for the second time.
“It
has been a very anxious weekend,” said Rochelle. “We’ve not been racing
at all today, we just wanted to get to the finish and take no risks. I
am very pleased and relieved to get here and delighted to win the
championship again. It has been a great season, it doesn’t get much
better than this!”Although happy with the win Kershaw was disappointed not to have won the championship: “We have won all the events we have finished so it’s a shame a couple of mechanical problems have cost us the title. I’m pleased to have broken my bogey at the venue though, I’ve not had much luck here before. Congratulations to Ian on the title.”
Mike Moran continued his great form in 2012 to round of his championship with third place in his AT 4x4 Challenger.
“It’s been a great event and a fantastic course, full-on offroad action! It was a case of driving to the conditions and I’m very happy with third. The championship has been great this year as has the organisation and marshalling. I shall be back next year!”
In the Trophy championship Alan Thomas was victorious ahead of Paul Harris. Paul Garner won the Clubman event after Mark Hones retired during day two and Nick Lines won the Freelander Challenge.
BCCC Results:
1. Richard Kershaw/Andy Lees (Milner R5) 2:25:54
2. Ian Rochelle/Chris Hammond (Millington Phoenix) +7m 15s;
3. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger) +9m 32s;
4. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206) +10m 11s;
5. Ryan Cooke/Chris Cooke (Land Rover Defender) +15m 32s
6. Andy Powell/Richard Heath (Simmbugghini) +15m 58s
7. Andi Skelley/Laura Shepherd (3M Land Rover) +20m 06s;
8. Greg Morris/Bob Moulding (Bowler Wildcat) +23m 17s;
9. Phil Ibbotson/Will Jefferson (Metro 6R4 Evo) +30m 03s;
10. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Bowler Tomcat) +40m 45s;
BCCC Trophy winner: Alan Thomas (Warrior Gemini)
Freelander Challenge winner: Nick Lines (Freelander)
Clubman winner: Paul Garner (GSR V10)
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Crews set for BCCC title showdown
Presently leading the championship is Warrington’s Mike Moran on 360 points. Moran’s BMW-diesel powered AT 4x4 Challenger has been fitted with new propshafts after problems with the front one on the last round meant he did most of day two in rear wheel drive, emulating a Mk2 Escort on several of the courses corners.
Moran commented: “Walters can be a car killer but ours has a robust frame which can handle the bouncing off banks and ditches that we’ll have to do to try and keep up with the more powerful petrol cars. We’ll be going flat out to get a trophy!”
In second place currently, on 337 points, is Paul Myers from championship sponsor Britpart. Myers has put in consistently good performances on every round this year in his Land Rover Special and he is looking to finish off the season with another good result.
2011 champion Ian Rochelle is in an excellent position to defend his title. He lies third after round five on 335 points but after a retirement earlier in the season he will be able to count all the points he gets at the weekend whereas Moran and Myers will have to drop points. A win at Walters would see him triumph in the title battle.
“We’ve fitted a cam seal retaining kit so the problems we have had all year with the seals popping out cannot strike again,” said Rochelle. “It’s great that the title battle has come down to the last round and I am massively excited about getting out there again.”
In the Trophy championship Alan Thomas leads the title race on 406 points ahead of Mark Jacques on 358. Adam Bridgman hopes to be contesting round six but he faces a last minute battle to get his car ready as the gearbox is still broken from the previous round.
Nick Lines still leads the Freelanders going into round six despite missing round five. Chris Ratter is in second place.
The action will start at 10am on Saturday with a full day of competition. Sunday’s runs will start at 9am. More information is available on www.marches4x4.com.
Monday, 10 September 2012
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Title battle down to the wire as Rochelle wins again
Rochelle took an early lead in the Ednol Hill event, leading Kershaw’s Milner R5 by 16 seconds after the opening run. He continued to lead throughout the opening day despite numerous problems with a damaged seal which was causing oil to leak from his Millington Phoenix.
Kershaw’s challenge ended near the end of day one after suffering engine problems leaving Rochelle with a lead of over four minutes from second-placed Martin Cox after 7 runs.
Rochelle obtained parts to enable his car to be properly fixed ready for the start of day two and he maintained his lead over the day’s six runs to claim maximum championship points.
“The problem we had on day one was the same we had at round three but fortunately we were able to get it fixed throughout the day and then do a proper fix once we got new parts,” said Rochelle. “With Richard out of the event and a good lead over Martin day two was a case of driving for the finish and I am very pleased we achieved that, it sets up a great battle for the final round. It was a phenomenal course, it had a bit of everything to test the cars and the crews.”
Cox remained in second despite a last-minute scare when the fuel pressure warning light came on right at the end of his final run.
“I’m very pleased with second, I don’t have the pace of the top guys and I’m still learning the new car but it’s a good result and I enjoyed the weekend” commented Cox.
In third place, taking his best ever BCCC result, was Richard Wynn-Williams in his AT4x4 206. Paul Myers was fourth in his Land Rover 100 with Mike Moran, who did half of day two in rear wheel drive, rounding off the top five.
“We were like Roger Clark in a Mk2 Escort doing fantastic powerslides for the last three runs as I’d to remove the propshaft after a few problems,” said Moran. “My times weren’t much slower so I wonder why I bother with four wheel drive! The course was excellent and I’m a happy bunny with a smile on my face after the result – it’s not bad for an old bloke in a diesel.”
Paul Harris took his GSR Maxilight to a win in the Trophy class with Chris Ratter the top Freelander Challenge driver. Michael Hannak won the Clubman category in his Milner R5 with a time that would have won the event overall had he been entered in the championship. The 2012 championship will conclude at Walters Arena on 13/14 October.
BCCC Results
1. Ian Rochelle/Chris Hammond (Millington Phoenix) 1h 46m 55s
2. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206) +4m 06s;
3. Richard Wynn-Williams/ Ian Jones (AT 4x4 206) +6m 20s;
4. Paul Myers/Andrew Walker (Land Rover 100) +7m 19s;
5. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger) +9m 09s;
6. Phil Ibbotson/Will Jefferson (Metro 6R4 Evo) +12m 50s;
7. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Bowler Tomcat) +19m 57s;
8. Greg Morris/Alastair Moore-Myers (Bowler Wildcat) + 34m 47s;
9. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Clio) +38m 15s;
10. Paul Waldron/Neil Waldron (TMC) +52m 12s
BCCC Trophy winner: Paul Harris/Claire Harris (GSR Maxilight)
Freelander Challenge winner: Chris Ratter/Barney Gillespie (Freelander)
Clubman winner: Michael Hannak/David Hannak (Milner R5 V8)
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Monday, 30 July 2012
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
BCCC crews rev up for Radnor
Richard Kershaw presently leads the championship having won all three rounds so far in his Milner R5. Warrington’s Mike Moran is in second place after putting in good performances in all the events. At the last round in Scotland Moran was running a slightly higher and stiffer suspension on his AT 4x4 and he will use the same set-up for Radnor. The car has had a mid-season stripdown by the famous offroad car builder Lofthouse Motor Services with numerous components changed and a complete clean and respray.
Moran said: “We are delighted to be in second spot, especially as the car is a lot heavier than our rivals. We’ve changed a lot of parts and are leaving nothing to chance. We may be slower than other crews but we are gaining on reliability and good looks! It will be maximum attack at Radnor, we know the forest and tracks quite well so we’ll be aiming for another podium finish.”
The Radnor entry will be boosted by three of Moran’s friends from the Tuareg Rally in Morocco who are entering the Clubman category in their QT Wildcats.
2011 champion Ian Rochelle is hoping for better luck at Radnor after a problematic first half of the season. He retired from round three with engine troubles but during the mid-season break the engine has been out of the car and fully repaired. Rochelle will be looking to improve on the 7th place he currently holds in the championship.
After an incident packed third round which included a first run roll and a broken diff Dean Sutcliffe and his team have been flat out repairing their Bowler and are hoping to be ready for Radnor.
“We’ve fitted two new front wings and a windscreen after the roll, I really don’t want to have to drive around with no windscreen again, it was very wet, very windy and very noisy! Forrest Lodge was a tough event on both car and crew and we’re hoping Radnor will be kinder.”
In the Trophy championship Alan Thomas presently leads the field ahead of Marc Jacques. In fourth place lies Adam Bridgman who missed round three after breaking a propshaft coupling on round two. The damage is now fixed and Bridgman has also had the rear shocks rebuilt and new anti-rollbars fitted in preparation for Radnor where he is hoping for a good finish to move up the leaderboard.
Nick Lines heads the Freelander Challenge after taking a win in Scotland with Selwyn Kendrick in second place. In third spot is Chris Ratter who had a disastrous round three when a smashed piston found its way into the air filter forcing him to retire. A new engine has been fitted and Ratter is aiming to have the rest of the car ready for Radnor.
A course of approximately five miles is planned in the forest which includes a mix of fast Cat 1 gravel tracks and cross-country sections to fully test the crews. The venue will be signposted from the A488 near Monaughty. Spectators are welcome but they must park without blocking the access road and must not drive into the service area. Further information is available on www.marches4x4.com.
Monday, 16 July 2012
Monday, 11 June 2012
Kershaw wins BCCC battle in the Borders
Kershaw was quickest on the opening run, setting a time 36 seconds quicker than second placed Ian Rochelle. Early casualties included Dean Sutcliffe who rolled his Bowler and Phil Ibbotson who had power steering failure on his Metro 6R4.
Any hopes of a challenge for the lead by Rochelle were dashed when his Millington Phoenix suffered an oil fire which forced him out of the event towards the end of day one. The tough 8 mile course was proving to be a stern test of both car and crew with crews such as Ryan Cooke and Dan Evans joining Rochelle on the retirements list with car problems.
Managing to remain largely troublefree in day one Justin Birchall powered his Peugeot 206 Evo into second place on the overnight leaderboard ahead of Paul Myers in his Britpart Land Rover 100.
Myers lost his podium position on the first run of day two as the belt came off his car’s water pump resulting in a stage maximum which dropped him to sixth at the end of the event. Birchall also had a stage maximum with electrical issues on his Peugeot but he was able to retain second place. Behind Birchall in third place was Warrington’s Mike Moran, taking his best ever BCCC result in his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger.
“I’ve had a really great weekend,” said Moran. “It was a very fast and demanding course but other than a few punctures, which were my own fault for cutting corners, the car has been troublefree and it’s been an enjoyable event. ”
Kershaw remained at the top of the leaderboard throughout day two to make in a hat-trick of wins in the 2012 BCCC.
“It’s been a good weekend, I’m very happy with the result,” said Kershaw. “The course was very challenging, if you try and go flat out at this venue it bites back so a delicate touch is required to keep the car out of trouble. Our only problem was a couple of punctures.”
Rounding off the top five were Andy Powell in his Simmbugghini and Tom Hipkiss in his GSR 206.
After three rounds Kershaw leads the championship on 258 points ahead of Moran on 214 and Hipkiss on 200.
In the Trophy category Paul Harris followed up his round two win with another victory ahead of round one winner Alan Thomas but it is Thomas who leads the Trophy championship at the season mid-point.
Nick Lines won the Freelander Challenge class with Selwyn Kendrick in second.
Four crews entered the Clubman event but only one made it to the finish, 2010 BCCC champion Tim Dilworth winning in a time that would have seen him win the BCCC event had he entered the championship this year.
The BCCC will resume with round four at Radnor at the end of July. Please visit www.marches4x4.com for all the latest championship news.
BCCC Results:
1. Richard Kershaw/Andy Lees (Milner R5) 1:50:25
2. Justin Birchall/Louise Birchall (Peugeot 206 Evo) +16m 49s;
3. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger) +18m 13s;
4. Andy Powell/Richard Heath (Simmbugghini) +21m 46s;
5. Tom Hipkiss/Rich Hipkiss (GSR 206) +23m 04s;
6. Paul Myers/Alastair Moore-Myers (Land Rover 100) +26m 48s;
7. Richard Wynne-Williams/Ian Jones (AT 4x4 206) +30m 12s;
8. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Bowler Tomcat) +36m 42s;
9. Dean Sutcliffe/Rob Taylor (Bowler Vengimororda) +54m 28s.
BCCC Trophy winner: Paul Harris/Terence Phelps (GSR Maxilight)
Freelander Challenge winner: Nick Lines/Craig Hutchby (Freelander)
Clubman winner: Tim Dilworth/Anthony Brinkman (Peugeot 206 GTi)
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Monday, 4 June 2012
BCCC title battle to resume in Scotland
For 2012 the organisers have arranged a completely new course from that used in the last three years, with the tracks to the south side of the estate being used for the first time in the BCCC. Although the course is different the same hard-standing service area as last year will be used.
After two rounds of the championship Richard Kershaw leads the title race after winning both events so far in his Milner R5. Ian Rochelle, currently in second place, will be looking for a troublefree weekend after car problems have cost him the chance of challenging for a win on rounds one and two.
In third place going in to round three is Ryan Cooke. After another good performance at Epynt Cooke has had some work done on the engine of his Land Rover Defender and is hoping for another top result in Scotland.
With usual navigator Will Jefferson not available Metro 6R4 Evo driver Phil Ibbotson will have Steven Matthews in the passenger seat for Forrest Lodge while Martin Cox is hoping to be out in his ex-Kershaw GSR 206 after having to use his old Tornado Evo 1 for the opening two rounds. Dean Sutcliffe has fixed the power steering in his Bowler after driving four runs without it at Epynt. With his service truck problems at round one and two he has also bought a new van which will hopefully make the long journey from Norfolk without any problems!
In the Trophy category Alan Thomas will be looking to repeat his round one win in his ex-Ibbotson Warrior Gemini but he will face a strong challenge from round two winner Paul Harris.
After rolling his Freelander off the road at Epynt Harry Sherrard will not be taking part in the Freelander Challenge at Forrest Lodge but it is expected that Chris Ratter, who contested the Jim Clark rally last weekend, and Nick Lines will be competing as well as Alastair Moore-Myers.
At the time of writing there was a single Clubman entry with Robin Izzard competing in his Land Rover 90.
Spectators can attend the event but please note there is very limited parking at the picnic area at the venue. Please do not park on the verges or the access roads to the forest. Remember to bring some insect repellent also! For more information on the BCCC please visit www.marches4x4.com.
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Kershaw makes it two in a row at Epynt
The lead changed several times during the opening day’s eight runs with Kershaw, Justin Birchall and Ian Rochelle battling to be at the top of the BCCC leaderboard. Birchall’s challenge for the win ended with a maximum time on run four after damaging the car on a rock while Rochelle’s day ended badly when his Millington Phoenix stalled at a tight hairpin and would not restart for over three minutes. Dan Evans held second place on the overnight leaderboard after a string of quick times in his Milner.
Evans was the pace setter initially on day two, rapidly eating into Kershaw’s lead but a broken fanbelt lost him time to deny him the chance of a win. It was not to be an easy run to victory for Kershaw though, his car being stuck in rear wheel drive for the last two runs, but he got though to win.
“It’s been a tough weekend but a lot of fun,” said Kershaw. “We had a couple of punctures and the problem with the transmission so I’m pleased to have taken the win.”
Rochelle put his day one troubles behind him to set several quickest times on day two, finishing in second place.
“It’s been a great weekend and I’m happy with second place after the time we lost on the first day,” commented Rochelle. “It was a fantastic course with a bit of everything to test the crews.”
Taking third place was Ryan Cooke in his Land Rover Defender.
“We had a few issues with punctures and a broken drive flange but it’s been a good event and the course reminded me of the hill rallies I used to do, great fun to drive.”
Rounding off the top five were Paul Myers in the Britpart Land Rover 100 and Mike Moran in his AT 4x4 Challenger.
Paul Harris won the Trophy class in his GSR Maxilight while Chris Ratter was victorious in the Freelander Challenge.
In the Clubman category two drivers set a scorching pace with Chris Bird eventually winning and Mark Hones in second. Their times would have seen them finish one and two in the overall standings had they been entered in the BCCC.
Top 5 BCCC results:
1 Richard Kershaw/Andy Lees (Milner R5)
2 Ian Rochelle/Chris Hammond (Millington Phoenix)
3 Ryan Cooke/Chris Cooke (Land Rover Defender)
4 Paul Myers/Martin Gould (Land Rover 100)
5 Mike Moran/Nigel Jenkins (AT 4x4 Challenger)
Trophy winner: Paul Harris (GSR Maxilight)
Clubman winner: Chris Bird (Milner)
Freelander Challenge winner: Chris Ratter (Land Rover Freelander)
Monday, 14 May 2012
Saturday, 5 May 2012
BCCC set for Epynt extravaganza
The opening round of the championship took place at Pikes Peak last month and it was Richard Kershaw who took a commanding win in his Milner R5 ahead of Ian Rochelle. Rochelle’s car suffered several problems over both days of the event causing him to be down on his usual pace.
Dean Sutcliffe and his team have been hard at work fixing vehicles since round one. Not only did Sutcliffe’s racer retire from the event with a broken shaft, his service truck broke down two-thirds of the way into the long trek from Norfolk to Myherin which meant he had to be recovered home before starting the journey again, eventually arriving at the venue at around 5am.
“We’d got to within 100 miles of the venue when the truck broke, we had no option but to get recovered all the way home and start the journey again,” said Sutcliffle. “Both the racer and the truck have now been fixed and hopefully we will have less drama at round two.”
Kevin Groos faces a last minute rush to be ready for next weekend’s event. The transfer box on Groos’ car failed and is presently undergoing a full rebuild but he is hopeful of making it to the start line.
“We made a last-minute decision to fit a 5.3V8 engine in the car before round one and I was very pleased with how it performed,” commented Groos. “Sadly the transfer box broke and forced us out early on day two. We’re working flat out to get ready for round two.”
Paul Myers and the Britpart team have been busy making several modifications to their Land Rover ahead of round two including brake bias adjustments and changes to the ECU of the car’s 4.8V8 engine to improve low down pick up.
A broken propshaft caused the retirement of Paul Harris on the round one while he was leading the Trophy category. Harris has made up a new shaft ahead of what he hopes will be a successful round two.
In the Freelander Challenge round two will be the last time Nick Lines has Keith Tween navigating for a while as Tween is off to Afghanistan as part of his Territorial Army duties. Lines hopes to have a new navigator for the rest of the season.
Event HQ for round two will be at Dixies which is accessible from the A40 at Llywel (between Llandovery and Sennybridge). Action will start at 10am on Saturday with a full day of competition, day two will commence at 9am with the event expected to finish mid-afternoon.
Monday, 30 April 2012
Round 2 venue change
In a letter dated 25th April the MoD informed the BCCC organisers that the Nesscliff B venue was no longer available for competition use even though the venue has been booked for several months.
Despite this extremely short notice the organisers have arranged a new venue for round 2, it will now take place at Epynt in mid-Wales.
Despite this extremely short notice the organisers have arranged a new venue for round 2, it will now take place at Epynt in mid-Wales.
Crews have been emailed and the regs are on the Marches 4x4 site. Just to reiterate, this move is entirely down to the MoD and without the hard work of the organisers over the last few days there would not be an event in two weeks time.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Monday, 16 April 2012
Kershaw kicks off BCCC season with Pikes Peak win
The event was held on a testing course in Myherin forest which featured a mix of gravel forest roads and technical off-road sections. With temperatures just above freezing and snow in the air it was Kershaw who was in the lead after the opening run in his Milner R5 and Rochelle was just two seconds behind. Kershaw continued to build his lead throughout the opening day, his charge for the win only diminished by a broken front shaft on run 4 which lost him some time.
Rochelle hopes for a win were wrecked when his car suffered mechanical problems on the final run of day one which meant Kershaw took a good lead into the second day.
Rochelle’s trouble’s continued on day two with the car running on three cylinders on some runs and several punctures. Justin Birchall moved up to second but he too suffered problems, taking a maximum as his car had to be recovered.
At the front of the leaderboard Kershaw had a troublefree drive on day two’s six runs and took the win by over five minutes from Rochelle.
"It’s been a good weekend and a good course," commented Kershaw. "Other than the shaft problem we had a clear run, we kept it tidy and didn’t pick up any punctures."
Ryan Cooke continued his 2011 form to claim third place in his Land Rover. Steve Smith was fourth with Martin Cox in fifth in his Tornado Evo 1.
In the Trophy championship Alan Thomas took the win with Ben Gott victorious in the Clubman class. Alistair Myers won the Freelander Challenger category.
BCCC Results:
1 Richard Kershaw/Jonny Koonja (Milner R5) 2h 00m 47s
2 Ian Rochelle/Chris Hammond (Millington Phoenix) +5m 35s;
3 Ryan Cooke/Chris Cooke (Land Rover Defender) +12m 30s;
4 Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Focus) +15m 52s:
5 Martin Cox/Paul Carson (Tornado Evo 1) +17m 49s;
6 Justin Birchall/Tom Neathway (Peugeot M206 Evo) +18m 09s;
7 Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) +18m 10s;
8 Andy Powell/Richard Heath (Simmbugghini) +19m 16s;
9 Greg Morris/Emma Garrett (Bowler Wildcat) +19m 46s;
10 Phil Ibbotson/Will Jefferson (Metro 6R4 Evo) +21m 46s
Trophy winner: Alan Thomas (Warrior Gemini)
Clubman winner: Ben Gott (TMC Minx)
Freelander Challenge winner: Alistair Myers (Land Rover Freelander)
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Britpart BCCC all set for season opener
The championship has attracted a good quality entry which should provide another season of close competition. Last year’s champion Ian Rochelle will be defending the title in his Millington Phoenix and behind him are several quick crews who will all be in with a shout of challenging to be at the top of the leaderboard including Richard Kershaw, who finished third last year, and Ryan Cooke who won the final 2011 round on his way to fourth in the championship.
Martin Cox is another driver who is expected to be on the pace after switching to a GSR 206 mid-way through last year. Dan Evans, who contested one BCCC event last year as a Clubman entry and finished with a time which would’ve given him a win had he been entered in the championship, will contest a full season in his Milner R5.
Several BCCC regulars will once again be competing in 2012 including Warrington’s Mike Moran in his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger, Steve Smith in his BMW M3-powered Focus and Phil Ibbotson in his Metro 6R4 Evo. Paul Myers, Managing Director of championship sponsor Britpart, will also contest the full championship this year.
Joining the regulars in the championship will be a few new names including Andi Skelley, who will use his 3M Land Rover and Lee Salt who will be in the Salt Buggy he contested two Clubman events in last year.
The BCCC Trophy championship, for National B/Clubman drivers, has attracted some new crews also including Paul Harris in a GSR Maxilight and Jon Damrel who will use a Land Rover Discovery.
Running alongside the BCCC and BCCC Trophy will be the Freelander Challenge which is for near-standard production Land Rover Freelanders. The Race2Recovery team will use the Freelander Challenge to continue their training for the 2013 Dakar rally.
The action will start at 10am on Saturday with a full day of competition. Day 2 will start at 9am with an early afternoon finish. Spectators are welcome at the event, please visit www.marches4x4.com for more information including maps of the two parking areas.
Monday, 9 April 2012
Spectator information for Pikes Peak
The venue is situated off the A44 approximately 8 miles west of Llangurig.
Action on the opening day will kick off at around 10am with an earlier start of around 9am for day two.
Spectators are welcome at the venue and hot food and drinks will be available from the marquee in the service area. There are two options for parking:
1) At service/event HQ - please click here for a map. It is possible to walk to the start or finish from service.
2) At Myherin arch - please click here for a map. There is an approximately two mile walk to the course. Please do not block the access road as it is needed for emergency vehicles.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Unseeded entry list announced
The main championship has received 17 entries with Andi Skelley, Lee Salt, Dean Sutcliffe and Dan Evans joining 13 other crews who competed last year. 2011 champion Ian Rochelle will defend his title and he can expect tough competition from the likes of Richard Kershaw and Ryan Cooke.
The BCCC Trophy has attracted five crews, all of them contesting the full championship for the first time.
In the Freelander Challenger entries have been received from Harry Sherrard, Nick Lines and Paul Cumpstone.
In addition three crews have entered the Clubman event for round 1.
A seeded entry list will be published next week.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
BCCC crews get ready for new season
Round 1 of the championship takes place in Myherin forest in mid-Wales. The venue was first used last year and proved to be very popular with the crews. The course will feature a mix of cat 1 gravel tracks, some of which were used on Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship last year, and more technical off-road sections.
Nesscliff in Shropshire will be the venue for rounds two and five. Like Myherin this venue was used for the first time in 2011 and the mixed surfaces proved to be a stern test of the crews and their machines. In 2012 the championship will use both the same site as last year as well as another site within the same venue.
The crews will head to South West Scotland for round three with a return to the Forrest Lodge venue near St Johns Town of Dalry. This is another venue which tests the crews with a mix of fast straights and tricky quarry sections.
The popular Radnor site will be used for round four with the event again being based near Bleddfa village. The course will run entirely in Radnor forest both on the forest roads and through the numerous off-road tracks that link them.
The championship season will be rounded off with a trip to the South Wales venue of Walters Arena. With recent wind turbine work at the site being completed there are several new tracks available for competition use and, with the likelihood of very variable weather at the hilltop venue in October, crews will face a challenging end to the season.
Several crews have already said they are planning to compete in the championship this year. 2011 BCCC champion Ian Rochelle will return to defend his title in his Millington Phoenix and he is likely to face tough competition in the form of Ryan Cooke and Martin Cox, both of whom showed strong pace last year. After taking the Trophy championship in 2011 Greg Morris will move up to the main championship in 2012 in his Bowler Wildcat and he is looking to repeat the good performances he put in last year which included finishing 10th on the Borders Hill Rally.
Mike Moran is planning to team up with former BCCC driver Tony Coid to do the championship in his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger while Phil Ibbotson will also contest the championship after finishing 10th last year in his Metro 6R4 Evo – although at the time of writing his car was still in many pieces following a winter rebuild! Karl Gudgeon and Pete King are aiming to build on the second place they got at last year’s final round in their GSR Evo X.
The Race2Recovery team will again use the BCCC to help with their training programme for their Dakar 2013 challenge. They are aiming to bring two cars along this year to contest the Freelander Challenger. The team will also be contesting other events through the year including the Tuareg rally in Morocco in which they will field three QT Wildcats. Last year’s Freelander Challenge champion Chris Ratter will also return to try and win the title again.
Regulations and entry forms are available from www.marches4x4.com or from Entries Secretary Lilian Turley at lilianturley@btinternet.com or on 01594 810161.
Friday, 17 February 2012
Pikes Peak challenge to open 2012 BCCC season
Located high in the hills between Llangurig and Aberystwyth amongst towering wind turbines Pikes Peak provides a dramatic setting for a course that will mix gravel forest tracks and cross-country sections to provide a tough test for the drivers and their cars.
The 2012 championship will once again comprise six rounds with events in England and Scotland as well as Wales. All six events will have competition over two days with crews able to stay at the venue overnight to enjoy the on-site catering.
The best five scores from six will decide the BCCC title. National A competition licence holders can enter the main championship while National B and Clubman licence holders can enter the Trophy championship which runs on the same events.
The Freelander Challenge will also take place again in 2012 with crews counting scores on any four of the six BCCC rounds. Challenge crews use standard production road-legal Freelanders and the only modification allowed is the addition of safety equipment such as a roll cage and competition seats.
For crews not wishing to commit to a full championship a Clubman event will run at each round which allows drivers to compete on one or both days of competition.
2011 champion Ian Rochelle has already committed to defending the title this year in his Millington Phoenix: "I'm very excited about the new season, the championship last year was brilliant with some extremely close battles at the top of the leaderboard and I am looking forward to more of the same. The BCCC uses some great venues and the Pikes Peak round is especially good - racing under the windmills is a real fantastic experience."
"I'll be using the same car again, after a difficult few years with it we've now got the pace and reliability to run at the front so there won't be any major changes made before round one, I really can't wait to get back out competing in it."
Spectators are welcome at all six rounds, spectator information will be posted on the championship website prior to each event.
Please visit www.marches4x4.com for further information or contact Entries Secretary Lilian Turley at lilianturley@btinternet.com or on 01594 810161.
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Date announced for 2012 Britpart MSA BCCC
The opening round in April will see the championship return to the Pikes Peak venue in Mid-Wales. The crews head to Shropshire for round 2 at Nesscliff, a venue also used for round 5 although there will be two completely different courses.
Round 3 will take place at Forrest Lodge in South West Scotland before a return to Wales for round 4 in Radnor forest.
The season will be rounded off with a trip to Walters Arena for round 6.
2012 Championship Dates:
14/15 April R1 Pikes Peak, Mid Wales.
12/13 May R2 Nesscliff B, Shropshire
9/10 June R3 Forrest Lodge, SW Scotland
28/29 July R4 Radnor, Powys
8/9 September R5 Nesscliff A, Shropshire
13/14 October R6 Walters Arena, South Wales