BCCC 2015 announcement

Message from Lilian (Entries Secretary): We are pleased to announce that our tender for the British Cross Country Championship has been successful, regulations will be issued asap.

BCCC 2014: The Season in Pictures

Please click here to see the pictures.

Dates for your diary

The championship awards dinner will take place on 9th January. You can download a booking form by clicking here.

The dates for the championship next year are:

R1 - 11/12 April
R2 - 9/10 May
R3 - 6/7 June
R4 - 25/26 July
R5 - 12/13 September
R6 - 24/25 October.

Venues are presently being slotted into dates. 

Images from BCCC 2014 round 6

To see the images please click here. 

Moran takes BCCC title at Walters

Mike Moran won the final round of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship and in doing so took the championship title.

With dropped scores taken into account Moran and Martin Cox were level on points going into the event so whoever finished ahead at Walters would take the title.

Cox’s challenge got off to a bad start with the power steering hose bursting on the opening run, meaning that he was in fourth place, 34 seconds behind Moran. The drama was to continue for Cox, with a banjo bolt breaking and an excursion into a ditch. He ended day one in second place but 1m 45 off the lead.

Moran meanwhile was having a trouble-free day in his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger, setting the fastest time on seven of the day’s eight runs.  In third place overnight was Paul Myers in his Land Rover Tornado.

Moran continued to set the pace early on two day, extending his lead by a further 15 seconds on the opening two runs. Cox was quickest on the final five runs of the event but, despite Moran losing time with a puncture, he couldn’t make up enough time to take the win.

“I’m gutted,” said Cox. “We’ve been quick all year and it’s very disappointing that mechanical problems here and at the last round have cost us the title. The power steering problem cost around 50 seconds and, without any spares, we had to fabricate a replacement on site. We also lost around 40 seconds stuck in the ditch”

“It’s been a fantastic season though with good comradeship amongst the crews”

The victory was Moran’s third of the season and it gave him his first BCCC title.

“It’s a dream come true and totally unexpected,” commented Moran. “. I feel sorry for Martin, he was within one run of wrapping the title up at the previous round but his engine problems gave us a chance which we’ve taken. We were consistently fast this weekend, the development work we’ve done on the gearbox with Lofthouse Motorsport, ACR and PPG has really paid dividends. After Dan winning last year it’s nice that another Lofthouse-prepared car has won the championship.”

“We’ve had six excellent courses this year and it’s been a great battle. Thank you to all the organisers and marshals for a brilliant championship, the competition has been excellent. ”

With Myers suffering a blown engine Andy Powell rounded off the top three in his Simmbugghini, despite navigator Phil Ibbotson being forced out of the event after sustaining an eye injury on the third run.

“It’s been a good weekend and a blinding one for Phil,” said Andy. “I’m pleased with another podium finish, we’ve ended the year well after a poor start to the championship.”

“It was a tough event and the car is ready for some work over the winter including another gearbox rebuild. We’ll hopefully be back for more next year. Thanks to Paul Harris for stepping into the navigator seat.”

Mark Jacques finished fourth in his 3M Challenger with Richard Green taking his Tomcat to fifth. Steve Smith was sixth in the JRG Clio ahead of Ian Bartlett. Jason Sharpe was the final BCCC finisher, battling to eighth after a testing event in the Jewson Isuzu D-Max Rally Team car.

Alan Thomas won the Trophy category in his Warrior with Paul Cumpstone taking victory in the Freelander Challenge. Ian Linford was second Freelander crew despite a broken alternator, damaged gearbox and broken clutch. The result which made Linford the Freelander Challenge champion.

BCCC results:

1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:28:06
2. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 02:29:01
3. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson/Paul Harris (Simmbugghini) 02:38:06
4. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:46:48
5. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:55:02
6. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 02:58:17
7. Ian Bartlett/Gary Bartlett (Tomcat Tornado) 03:01:40
8. Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 03:48:47

The winner will take it all at Walters

 

The final round of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship takes place at Walters Arena in South Wales next weekend with two crews fighting it out for the title.

Both Martin Cox and Mike Moran have taken two wins so far this year and presently, allowing for dropped scores, the crews are level pegging so it will be ‘winner takes all’ at Walters.

Cox was within one run of taking the title at the last round but a large hole in the side of the block resulted in his car being towed out of the course and the maximum time incurred dropped him to fourth place. 

“We’ve fitted a new scrap yard special engine for the final round,” said Cox. “At 300ish bhp it’s not as powerful as some out there but it is enough to do the trick and have some fun. We’ve also fitted a new windscreen after damaging the old one being towed for five miles. The tow rope is still fitted to the car just in case!”

Moran debuted a new gearbox at the previous round and he used it to good effect, taking a final run win after Cox’s problems.

“The new Tremec sequential gearbox was built by Lofthouse Motorsport and ACR Deeside with the assistance of PPG and it completely changed the way the car drives,” said Moran. “For Walters we’ve also fitted a flat-shift so we’ll be looking to close the speed advantage Martin has had on us all year.”

“We’ve looked at every element of the car to give us the best chance of taking the title. Even the driver has been looked at – I’ve lost a fair amount of weight and have been doing stamina training at a gym who have a Dakar rally finisher amongst their clients so they understand the punishment off-road racing gives to the body.”

“Walters last year was a disaster for us, we cut a corner early on and hit a boulder which broke the steering rack and ripped the front tyre off as well as nearly rolling the car. After a miracle repair by the Lofthouse team we managed to finish the event which gave us fourth in the championship.”

“We’re in a very strong position and will try our best to win the championship but it will be a tough task.”

Behind the two championship contenders there promises to be a close battle with three crews presently separated by just three points. Jason Sharpe is on 338 in the Jewson Isuzu D-Max Rally Team car, Richard Green is one point behind and Mark Jacques is on 335.

The event is likely to be the last time the Bartletts Racing Bowler will be seen in the BCCC. The car was pressed into action again this year as the team undertook a full rebuild of the 206 they used in 2013.

Team navigator Aaron Burch commented: “We’ve had a great season in the car and have thoroughly enjoyed each event but we are itching to be racing the 206 again next year. All of the Bartletts Racing team would like to thank our sponsors, rustproof.me.uk and Super Pro and thanks to all of the marshals and organisers for making sure we’ve had a superb year of racing.”

In the Freelander Challenge the title race is between the Race2Recovery team and Ian Linford. After a great debut BCCC season Linford will round off his year by competing on Wales Rally GB in his standard Land Rover Freelander.

The event starts at 10am on Saturday with day two starting at 9am. Spectator information is available on www.marches4x4.com.

Images from BCCC 2014 round 5

Please click here to see the images.

Moran takes last-gasp victory at Bovington

Mike Moran took his second Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship win of the season at round 5 in Bovington after long-time leader Martin Cox suffered engine problems on his final run.

It was Cox who set the pace early on, taking a lead of 17 seconds on run one ahead of Ryan Cooke in his Milner LRM-1. Cox and Cooke exchanged fastest times for the first six runs and the scene was set for a close battle between the pair. Unfortunately for Cooke his car then suffered a burst radiator which forced him out of the event.

This promoted Moran to second in his AT 4x4 Challenger with Andy Powell in third. Despite a puncture late on day one Cox held an overnight lead of over two minutes after ten runs of the course.

A further seven runs took place on day two. Cox’s car had been consuming oil at an ever-increasing rate and at the end of the sixth run he was forced to stop as soon as he crossed the finish line as the engine was totally out of oil. The car was filled up again but the engine let go just after the start line of his final run and Cox had to be towed out of the course. The resultant maximum dropped him down the leaderboard and gave the win to Moran.

“It’s been a great weekend and it is a privilege to race at a venue usually used by our Armed Forces,” said Moran. “I feel sorry for Martin, he drove exceptionally well and deserved to win but it’s all about getting points and the result means I still have a chance of the championship.”

“The course was phenomenal with a good mix of fast, extremely fast and rough sections. The car performed well, our new gearbox was only finished on Thursday night and it has transformed the car. Thanks to Lofthouse Motorsport and Roland at ACR for all their work on it.”

Powell continued setting good times on day two to take second place in his Simmbugghini, his best ever racing result.

“I’m elated with second place, it’s a great result for us especially as we’re in a beam axle car rather than an independent. I enjoyed the course, it was certainly a tough test of man and machine.  We had a lot of work to do on the car after the last round including fitting a new transfer box, it was touch and go whether we’d make it to Bovington but all the work has paid off.”

Mark Jacques was another driver achieving a personal best result, overcoming shaft problems on day one to finish in third. 

Cox’s final run issues saw him drop to fourth ahead of Richard Green’s Tomcat. Paul Myers was 6th and the Isuzu of Jason Sharpe was 7th despite having to do some runs in two wheel drive after a driveshaft issue. 

In 8th was Ian Bartlett who towed Cox for almost a full lap in his Tomcat. Birthday boy Steve Smith finished 9th after stopping twice with problems on day one while Paul Harris rounded off the top ten after a troublesome event in his GSR Maxilight, the car suffering from overheating. 

In the Freelander Challenge Ian Linford took the win. Freelander newcomer Andrew Price was second. In third was the Race2Recovery crew of Grant White and Yanto Evans in their Dynamic Metals-supported car, the crew making history by becoming the first amputee pairing to enter and finish an event. Ian Letman was fourth despite rolling the car on day one.

Jon Damrel was once again victorious in the Clubman class in his Tornado.


BCCC results:
1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:29:49
2. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini) 02:32:41
3. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:37:39
4. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 02:38:15
5. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:43:22
6. Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 02:45:38
7. Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 02:51:01
8. Ian Bartlett/Gary Bartlett (Tomcat Tornado) 03:03:26
9. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 03:14:43
10. Paul Harris/Mark Phelps (GSR Maxilight) 03:15:48

BCCC set for Bovington battle

Bovington in Dorset will be the venue for the penultimate round of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship next weekend and a good result for Martin Cox could see him win the title.

Cox presently heads the championship table on 321 points having taken two victories so far this year. Second to fifth place are separated by just 12 points. Cox’s nearest challenger is Ryan Cooke who has overcome several issues with his car to lie in second place on 273 points. Two points behind is Jason Sharpe who is having a fine BCCC debut year in his Isuzu D-Max.

A consistent season in his Bowler Tomcat sees Richard Green in fourth on 267 while Mark Jacques is  fifth on 261 after stepping up from the Trophy championship last year.

“We’ve had a good season so far,” said Jacques. “We finished fifth at the last BCCC round in Radnor but the weekend before that we used the car on the Welsh Hill Rally where we finished 6^th overall so it had quite a battering, including doing the last stage with a collapsed wheel bearing.”

“We’ll have new axles and revised suspension geometry for Bovington. We’re also planning on having a flat-shift fitted which will hopefully be ready in time.”

The race for the Freelander Challenge title is close with the Race2Recovery team leading the championship on 124 points, despite heavily rolling their car at the last round. Ian Linford in the Team Sheepie car is in second place on 118 points. Linford and navigator Demelza Scholes have been busy repairing the car following a broken cambelt in Radnor.

Scholes commented: “The engine has been rebuilt after the cambelt incident, the car has also been fitted with new front springs to try and help with the rougher sections of the courses. We’ve also managed to fit in a magazine photoshoot with the car and crew!”

The Clubman entry list is expected to feature the Insanity Racing Tornado of Jon Damrel and the Milner of Andi Skelley.

The event starts on Saturday at 10am with a full day of competition. Day two starts at 9am with the final run taking place early on Sunday afternoon. As the venue is an MoD site the landowner has specified that no spectators will be permitted, the access gate will be manned to enforce this. 

Round 5 - it's not at Epynt anymore

Unfortunately it is no longer possible to run at Epynt for round 5 due to reasons beyond the control of the BCCC organisers. Fortunately an alternative venue has been sourced, despite the short notice. The event will now take place at Bovington in Dorset.

Images from BCCC 2014 round 4

Please click here to see the images.

Cox celebrates victory at tough Radnor event

Martin Cox took his second Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship win of the season at a tough event in Radnor forest.

Cox made a great start, quickest overall by 21 seconds on the opening run in his GSR 206. Paul Garner set the pace on the next three runs but Cox still led by 8 seconds.

With Garner retiring on run 6 it was Mike Moran who was Cox’s nearest challenger with Paul Myers in third. Myers soon joined Garner on the retirements list though, a blown head gasket on his Land Rover Tornado forcing him out.

After day one’s 9 runs Cox held a lead of 1m 40s over Moran with Steve Smith in third in his JRG Clio.

A further 7 runs took place on day two. Cox continued to head the leaderboard and, helped by Moran suffering a puncture, he finished over five minutes ahead of the pack.

“I’m happy with the result, it’s more points in the bag for the championship,” said Cox. “We put in a quick time on the first run and maintained the lead from there. It wasn’t a troublefree event though, we had issues with the power steering fluid leaking and the brake pipes had to be replaced amongst other things. We also found a deer running along the course at one point!”

“ The course was very demanding and challenging, it was a real test of the cars and drivers. Thanks to all the marshals and organisers for a great event.”

Moran was pleased with second place to follow up the win he had at round three.

“It was a tough old course and I was pretty nervous with all the mechanical ailments most cars were suffering from. Other than the puncture on day two we had no issues though. Martin was too quick for me, he deserves the win, I’m pleased with second. “

Smith completed a good event in the V8-powered Clio in third overall ahead of Andy Powell who overcame several car issues to finish fourth.

“We spent a fair proportion of time on Saturday fixing the car,” said Powell. “Issues included a broken steering box, stub shaft and king pins. The intercom was faulty too. To round off a very tough event we did the last two runs with a broken exhaust. I’m pleased to come away with fourth after all that.”

Mark Jacques followed up his sixth place in the Welsh Hill rally with fifth at Radnor. Jason Sharpe was 6th in his Isuzu D-Max.

In 7th was Ryan Cooke who had 2013 BCCC champion Dan Lofthouse in the navigator’s seat. Cooke had a trying weekend with a broken shock absorber on the first run followed by a failed power steering belt on run two. His woes continued on day two with the car having cooling issues but he managed to get to the finish. Richard Green finished in 8th, a higher finish was on the cards before fuel pump problems on day two.

Rounding off the top 10 were Paul Harris and Ian Bartlett. Both drivers suffered from car problems over the weekend including a broken ignition switch for Harris in his Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight.

Alan Thomas was the only entry in the Trophy championship and despite some car issues he successfully finished. There were no finishers in the Freelander Challenge either. The Race2Recovery car retired after a roll caused by broken rear suspension. Ian Letman had major clutch problems on day one. He eventually got it fixed and was able to do some runs on day two but he had too many maximums to be classified as a finisher. Ian Linford looked to be heading for a repeat of his round three win but a broken cambelt early on the second day put him out of the event.

In the Clubman category 2013 BCCC drivers Andi Skelley and Tom Hipkiss entered their Milners. Skelley’s car had a head gasket failure early in the event while Hipkiss did not contest day two. Jon Damrel battled various issues on his Tornado to take the category win.

The next championship round will take place at Epynt in Wales on 13-14th September.

1. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 02:08:30
2. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:13:56
3. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 02:14:54
4. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini) 02:19:23
5. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:23:12
6. Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 02:37:09
7. Ryan Cooke/Dan Lofthouse (Milner LRM-1) 02:44:00
8. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:44:32
9. Paul Harris/Mark Phelps (GSR Maxilight) 02:50:54
10. Ian Bartlett/Gary Bartlett (Tomcat Tornado) 03:02:01

All to play for as BCCC championship race heads to Radnor

With three rounds of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship complete the title race will move to Radnor forest next weekend for round four.

Martin Cox heads the leaderboard at the halfway point on 235 points, just 10 ahead of Paul Myers. Cox’s lead could’ve been a lot more if a broken throttle cable on the final run had not dropped him down the results at the previous round in South West Scotland. 

Myers finished third in Scotland in his Team Britpart Land Rover Tornado to continue his good run of results in 2014.

“We’ve made no changes to the car after Scotland, we’ve just done the usual checking and swapping of ball joints as well as sorting out a bent steering rod we suffered after hitting a large rock,” said Myers. “We were very pleased with the round three result as we lost a lot of time on one run with two punctures. Other than that we had a great event, with our Cooper ST Maxx tyres performing and wearing well. We’re looking forward to Radnor.”

Ryan Cooke is in third place in the championship after a fine second place last time out in his Milner LRM-1, his best ever result in the car. Cooke commented: “The car has had a full checkover and the transfer box has been stripped and visually checked. We’ve upgraded the chassis ECU for Radnor and we’re hoping for a good reliable run to build on our performance on the last round.”

Milner R5 driver Andrew West is aiming to get his championship challenge back on track at Radnor after lower arm mechanical issues forced him out of round three. Navigator Peter Widdop said: “We’ve repaired all the damage and also changed the lower arm on the other side of the car as a precaution. The exhaust has been modified slightly too, we’re all set for round four.”

Andy Powell and Phil Ibbotson are another crew looking for a better event than they had in Scotland. After his truck broke down near the venue Ibboton was forced to make an overnight journey home and then back to Scotland, arriving just in time for the first run. Sadly the gearbox on their Simmbugghini broke during the first day.

“We’re hoping for better luck at Radnor after not having much at the first three rounds,” said Powell. “I have rebuilt my manual shift autobox, I’ve never taken one apart before so I hope I’ve not missed anything. Thanks must go to Steve Hiatt for his help on parts and information on the rebuild. I’ve had a very busy time in the workshop but we will be there, Phil has fixed his wagon too. I’m really looking forward to the Fishpools course, it was excellent last year.”

Lying in 10th place currently is Paul Harris who has had mixed fortunes so far this season in his Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight.

“We’ve had a few car issues so far this season so a good clear run is the aim for Radnor ,” said Harris. “After the very wet conditions of the last two rounds I hope we get a dry event this time. I’ll be pushing hard to try and get up the leaderboard. We had major issues on the first run in Scotland which put is down the field right from the start.”

In the Trophy championship Alan Thomas is well on his way to taking the title in his Warrior Gemini despite retiring at the last event. He’ll be looking to return to winning ways in Wales.

The Race2Recovery team presently lead the Freelander Challenge although, after taking a win on only his third Freelander event, Ian Linford is just 6 points behind. With Ian Letman a further 13 points back in third the Freelander Challenge title race is still wide open.

In the Clubman category Andi Skelley will make his long-awaited BCCC return. Skelley crashed his Milner on the Borders Hill Rally last November and work commitments have meant that the repairs have taken several months to complete.

“I can’t wait to get back competing,” said Skelley. “The car needed repairs to the roll cage and a new cab as well as lots of other work and I’ve been extremely busy with my business so it’s taken a while to get the car back up and running.”

“We’re there now though and we’re all set for Radnor. I expect it’ll take a while to get used to the Milner again as I’ve not done many events in it but hopefully we can get a decent result and have troublefree weekend.”

Skelley will be joined by Jon Damrel who won the Clubman class at round three in his Insanity Racing Tornado.

The event starts at 10am on Saturday with the crews racing until around 5pm. Sunday’s action starts at 9am with the final run taking place early in the afternoon. Spectators can park at rally HQ at the Fishpools entrance to Radnor forest and walk to the course. Spectator information is available on www.marches4x4.com.

Profile - Ian Linford & Demelza Scholes



Ian Linford had a long-held ambition to compete at BCCC level after winning numerous accolades in clubman events in his V8 Special. Following much persuasion he took the test to get a National B licence to allow him to compete with the BCCC crews. A 100% pass showed that the skills were there and he decided to put those skills to good use by putting an entry in for the 2014 Freelander Challenge.

The quest to take part in the Challenge started in December 2013 with a search for a suitable motor. An ideal candidate was soon found on ebay in the form of a white 1999 non-running Freelander for £350. The car was aptly named Rudolph.

 

After replacing the engine and gearbox Linford made the long journey from his home in Hertfordshire to Lancashire where Dan at Protection & Performance fitted a roll cage. The car was finished just one week before the first event of the season.

With the car all sorted all Ian had to do was source a navigator. He took a risk with a rookie Demelza Scholes but she makes up for her lack of experience with enthusiasm, encouragement and fearlessness. Ben Brough and Brian Taylor complete "Team Sheepie" as service crew and the team is supported by Polysport.com, who supply Yokohama tyres, and the Brewery Tap in Furnuex Pelham (Ian's local) who, as well as backing the car, provide celebration or commiseration drinks!

 

When he is not competing Ian works as an RAC patrolman in Hertfordshire, a job he has had for many years. Before that he worked in an independent Land Rover specialist in Essex so he has plenty of ability and experience under the bonnet which will prove invaluable in the Freelander Challenge.

The team's season can be followed at www.facebook.com/team.sheepie.

Images from BCCC 2014 round 3

Please click here to see the images.

Every second counts as Moran takes BCCC win in Scotland

After an extremely close weekend of racing Mike Moran won round three of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship by just one second.

The event was held at Forrest Estate in South West Scotland with the crews facing 14 runs of a testing 8 miles long course.

Round 2 winner Andrew West set the pace early on but he was forced out on run 4 when the ball joint knuckle broke away from the lower arm which pulled the shaft from the diff, smashed the inner cv joint and split the brake pipe. Ryan Cooke took over the lead in his Milner LRM-1, closely pursued by Martin Cox. By the end of the nine runs on a very wet day one Cooke led by 48 seconds. Moran, in his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger, was a further 40 seconds back in third.

Casualties on day one included Paul Garner who had transmission problems in his GSR V10 and Andy Powell who retired to prevent further damage to a slipping gearbox. Powell’s navigator Phil Ibbotson had travelled overnight to get to the venue after his truck broke down on the A75 on Friday afternoon.

By the third run of day two Cox had moved into a two second lead but a puncture on the fourth run handed the lead back to Cooke. However, as well as suffering a puncture himself, Cooke had also damaged his exhaust and he was forced to back off on the final run of the event. This should’ve allowed Cox to take the win but he had a broken throttle cable and was forced to manually operate the accelerator with a cable through the window to get out of the course. Cox’s misfortune meant that it was Moran who came through to win ahead of Cooke with Paul Myers in third.

“I’m lost for words,” said Moran. “I’ve been sat behind Ryan and Martin all weekend, just keeping on going while they battled for the lead. They were both very unfortunate to have problems on the last runs. It’s unbelievable that after around 115 miles of competition the win was by one second.”

“Martin actually lent me a coilover after I broke one on my car, that shows what sportsmanship we have in the BCCC. It’s been a great event, a very good course with some nice fast sections. We’ve had three different winners in three events so it’s looking like it will be a great championship battle this year.”

The throttle cable issue dropped Cox to sixth as he had to take a maximum time on the final run.

“I was having a great battle with Ryan and I’d just managed to get into the lead but we had the puncture and then early on in the final run the throttle cable snapped,” said Cox. “We stopped and managed to thread a cable into the car so we were able to get to the finish but we had lost so much time we had to take a maximum.”

“It’s gutting to lose a potential win like that, we’ll go home now and lick our wounds and get ready for the next round.”

Steve Smith brought his JRG Clio home in fourth ahead of the Isuzu D-Max of Jason Sharpe. Mark Jacques finished behind Cox in 7^th with Richard Green in 8^th in his Tomcat. The final BCCC finisher was Paul Harris who overcame electrical problems and a broken shaft on his Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight on day one.

In the Freelander Challenge Ian Linford was victorious ahead of Ian Letman, who survived losing a wheel on one run. The Race2Recovery team, who won the first two rounds, had engine problems on the recce lap which prevented them completing a full competitive lap.

Jon Damrel won the Clubman category in his Tornado.

BCCC Results

1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:27 57
2. Ryan Cooke/Lee Channing (Milner LRM-1) 02:27:58
3. Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 02:31:41
4. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 02:33:48
5. Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 02:35:27
6. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 02:41:12
7. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:43:28
8. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:46:37
9. Paul Harris/Mark Phelps (GSR Maxilight) 02:56:38

Profile - Paul Harris

Paul Harris is running at car 11 in the BCCC this year in a GSR Maxilight.

Paul competed in the Trophy championship in 2012 and 2013, winning the category on both occasions. He previously competed in the Midland Offroad Club championship in a Bowler Tomcat.

The GSR is powered by a 4.0 BMW V8 engine and it is supported by Bristol Street Motors, where Paul works as a car mechanic. Additional support comes from Sponmech and Prolinx.

Both driver and navigator Mark Phelps live in Upton-upon-Severn and they've both been competing for 12 years.

 

The team's website can be found at www.offroad-racing.co.uk.





Tight at the top as BCCC battle moves to Scotland

With the top three crews separated by just 15 points the scene is set for tough battle to see who will head the title race as the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship reaches its halfway point next weekend in Scotland.

A win in round one at Pikes Peak and second at round two in Ebbw Vale means that it is GSR 206 Evo 9 driver Martin Cox who presently heads the leaderboard on 166 points.  Only 5 points behind is Andrew West who is looking to build on the win he took at round two in his Milner R5. In third place is Britpart’s Paul Myers on 151 points.

Hoping for better luck at round three is Warrington’s Mike Moran. After clutch problems at round one Moran suffered a broken gearbox on his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger which put him out of round two.

“The clutch issues at round one caused undetected damage to the gearbox which resulted in it stripping second gear within ten metres of leaving the start line of the first run of round two,” said Moran. “We have a brand new gearbox being shipped across from America which should arrive in time for round three.”

“With a fourth place and a retirement we are in a poor place on the leaderboard compared to previous years, we have nothing to lose so will be on the attack in Scotland as we need gold!”

The Freelander Challenge category is led by Ben Gott who has taken his Race2Recovery car to two wins so far. Ian Linford, who is new to the Freelander Challenge this season, was setting good times in his Team Sheepie car  at round two before exhaust problems forced him out of the event.

“I was pleased with the times we were setting at Ebbw Vale,” said Linford. “Unfortunately the exhaust developed some issues on the later runs of day one and it got steadily worse. With no spare we had to retire. We also damaged the rear bumper. Both the exhaust and bumper have been fixed and Team Sheepie is ready to rock in Scotland!”

After two events in Wales, Forrest Estate in South West Scotland will be the setting for round three. The venue has been a fixture on the BCCC calendar for many years and it has a mix of fast gravel tracks and tough quarry sections which always test car and crew to the maximum. Forrest Estate is located near St John’s Town of Dalry, postcode DG7 3XS.

As usual the event will last two days with the action taking place from 10am to around 5pm on Saturday and 9am to around 2pm on Sunday. Limited spectator car parking is available at the picnic area which is situated at the end of the public road in to the venue. It is quite a walk to the course so be prepared – it is advisable to bring some insect repellent also as the beasties can be a bit vicious! Further spectator information is available on www.marches4x4.com.

Championship points after round 2

The top five in the championship race after round 2 are:

1. Martin Cox  166
2. Andrew West  161
3. Paul Myers  151
4. Paul Garner  139
5. Richard Green  133

Full results and championship positions have been emailed to all championship crews.

Photographs from BCCC 2014 round 2



Please click here to see the photographs. Prints and electronic images are available from the BCCC official photographer, songasport@gmail.com.

West and Widdop win in wet Wales

Andrew West and Peter Widdop battled tough weather conditions to take victory in round two of the Britpart British Cross Country Championship.

The event was held near Ebbw Vale on a hilltop farmland course made up of tracks and moorland. West was quickest on the first run of the event in his Discovery Centre-backed Milner R5, three seconds ahead of round one winner Martin Cox with Martin Gould lying in third place in his V8 Clio.

West continued to head the leaderboard throughout the opening day and he built up an overnight lead of 1m 39s over Cox. With Gould blowing a diff on the Clio it was Paul Garner who held third place going into day two.

The top three maintained their positions on day two with West extending his lead by a further 10 seconds.

“I’m very pleased with the result,” said West. “It’s been a real battle in the wind and the rain and it’s good to take the win. We had to change a wheel bearing overnight but other than that we had no problems. We’re up to second in the championship now so we’ll be pushing hard for another win at the next round.”

Cox took second despite his brakes failing on the last two runs, the result meaning that he keeps the lead in the championship race.

“Second is a great result in the circumstances,” commented Cox. “After a problem-free round one we had a few issues this weekend, wrong tyres for the first three runs, leaking power steering fluid and brakes which starting going three runs from the end and then totally failed on the last two runs. The weather was atrocious and I’m indebted to my service crew and all the marshals who stood out in it.”

Garner claimed his first podium position of the season in his GSR V10. He commented: “I’m happy with third, we were running on part-worn tyres so we struggled for grip in the wet conditions. We also had a rear shaft break which lost us time. We’re working our way up the leaderboard though so that’s good.”

Paul Myers managed to get his car repaired in time following it’s round one inversion and he was rewarded with fourth place. Ryan Cooke fought back from electrical problems on the opening run to take fifth place in his Milner LRM-1.

In sixth was Andy Powell. There was some doubt as to whether Powell would make the event as the new diff he needed for his Simmbugghini wasn’t delivered as planned. However, it finally appeared at 2.30pm on Friday and he got it fitted in time.

Paul Harris was 7^th in the Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight, a good result after his round one retirement. Mark Jacques claimed 8^th in his new 3M Challenger despite a broken trackrod end on day two.

The Isuzu UK D-Max of Jason Sharpe was in 9^th, the team having to borrow a CV joint from their service vehicle to keep the car going. Ian Bartlett rounded off the top ten in his Tomcat Tornado.

Alan Thomas won the Trophy category in his Warrior Gemini while in the Freelander Challenger Ben Gott triumphed in the Dynamic Metals-supported Race2Recovery car.

The BCCC moves to Scotland for the next round with the crews heading to the Forrest Estate course in Dumfries and Galloway.

BCCC Results

1.            Andrew West/Peter Widdop (Milner R5) 01:41:39
2.            Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 01:43:28
3.            Paul Garner/Giles Tinkler (GSR V10) 01:48:09
4.            Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 01:49:41
5.            Ryan Cooke/Lee Channing (Milner LRM-1) 01:55:52
6.            Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini) 01:56:52
7.            Paul Harris/Mark Phelps (GSR Maxilight) 01:59:16
8.            Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:06:45
9.            Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 02:07:32
10.          Ian Bartlett/Gary Bartlett (Tomcat Tornado) 02:09:23

BCCC battle heads to Ebbw Vale for round 2

Crews in the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship (BCCC) will head to Hafod-Y-Dafal near Ebbw Vale next weekend for the second round of this year’s series. The site is a new one for the BCCC and the course is expected to be around six miles of moorland tracks.

Martin Cox heads the championship table on 86 points after taking his first BCCC win in the opening round at Pikes Peak. Unlike his main rivals, Cox had a trouble-free event and he’s hoping for another good run at Hafod-Y-Dafal.
Cox commented: “The car is all ready to go, there was nothing needed fixing after Pikes Peak, all we’ve done is give it a good clean. Bring on the next round!”

Paul Myers finished in second place in round one and has 81 points. Myers faces a race against time to be ready for round two. He rolled his car over the flying finish line and a post-event inspection revealed that more damage had been sustained than initially thought.

Andrew West is in third place on 75 points, a better result than he was expecting after suffering serious cooling issues at Pikes Peak with his Milner R5, including a burst header tank.

Crews hoping for better fortunes at round two include Andy Powell who had a troublesome opening day at round one which included breaking a shaft on one run and a loose brake pipe on another. Powell will once again have Phil Ibbotson in the navigator’s seat. Paul Harris will return in his GSR Maxilight following a head gasket failure.

“We’ve removed the engine and put another in,” said Harris. “Hopefully we can get a good result at round two, I’m looking forward to racing at a new venue.”

Ian Bartlett was another driver who retired at Pikes Peak. His Tomcat has had the damaged oil pipe fixed that caused the retirement and work has been done to try and prevent the problem occurring again. Bartlett is also busy getting his usual 3M 206 ready for a return to competition.

In the Trophy category Alan Thomas is looking for another win in his Warrior Gemini while in the Freelander Challenge the Race2Recovery team presently lead the class ahead of championship newcomer Ian Linford.

The event will start at 10am on Saturday morning with a full day of action. Day two will start at 9am with the finish scheduled for early afternoon. Spectator information is available on www.marches4x4.com.

The story of Isuzu UK's first BCCC event

Isuzu UK have released a video documenting their first BCCC event:

Regs out for round 2

The regulations for round 2 of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship are now available.

The event, on May 10th and 11th, will be held at Hafod-Y-Dafal which is near Ebbw Vale in South Wales.

Clubman entries for the full weekend or either day are welcome.

Please click here to download the regulations.

Photographs from BCCC 2014 round 1



Please click here to see the images.

Cox takes first BCCC win at Pikes Peak

An eventful opening round of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship was won by Martin Cox in his GSR 206 Evo 9 after two tough days of competition in Myherin forest.

Cox got his event off to a flying start, setting the fastest time by 9 seconds on the opening run of the course. Andrew West, making his full championship debut after two Clubman wins last year, was  second in his Milner R5 with Martin Gould’s Audi-powered Clio in third.

Cox continued to hold his lead throughout the seven runs of day one although two fastest times by West meant the advantage was down to 26 seconds going into the second day.

With Gould’s event ending with differential problems early on it was Mike Moran who ended the day in third, setting one fastest time on the way.

Cox kept out of trouble on day two, while still setting a good pace, to end up with a winning margin of over six minutes. West dropped to third after alternator problems and a blown header tank resulted in a maximum time with Paul Myers finishing in second in his Land Rover Tornado despite rolling his car over the flying finish at the start of the day.

Cox commented: “I’m very happy with the result, I’ve been waiting 12 years for today! We had a great battle on day one and then it was a case of maintaining reliability and staying on the road while other drivers were having problems. The course was brilliant, it’s the best in the country in my opinion. Thank you to all of the marshals and organisers for a great event.”

Moran finished fourth after being forced to stop with a broken propshaft on his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger. Richard Green took his new Tomcat to fifth ahead of Mark Jacques, who was giving a BCCC debut to his 3M Challenger.

Steve Smith had an eventful weekend in his JRG Clio V8, which appeared with missing wings on more than one occasion, but he overcame the problems to finish 7^th. Despite setting some quick times Paul Garner finished 8^th after breaking a shaft near the end of the event.

Ryan Cooke was 9^th in his Milner LRM-1, a fastest run time on day one offset by an off on the final run. Former BRC driver Jason Sharpe gave the Isuzu UK-supported D-Max pick up its debut and claimed 10^th place.

Alan Thomas won the Trophy class in his Warrior Gemini while Ben Gott took the Race2Recovery Freelander to victory in the Freelander Challenge category ahead of Ian Linford who finished second on his first event.  

BCCC Results

1.            Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 2:12:12
2.            Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 2:18:59
3.            Andrew West/Peter Widdop (Milner R5) 2:27:53
4.            Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 2:28:29
5.            Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 2:33:01
6.            Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 2:33:40
7.            Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 2:42:08
8.            Paul Garner/Giles Tinkler (GSR V10) 2:54:08
9.            Ryan Cooke/Lee Channing (Milner LRM-1) 2:54:48
10.          Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 2:59:25

BCC Trophy winner: Alan Thomas (Warrior Gemini) 2:35:40
Freelander Challenge winner: Ben Gott (Freelander) 2:55:50

BCCC crews ready to start 2014 title battle

The 2014 Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship will start next weekend with the opening round being held at the popular Pikes Peak venue in mid-Wales.

With 2013 champion Dan Lofthouse having sold his car it will be Paul Myers who leads the field away at car 1 in his Land Rover Tornado ahead of Warrington duo Mike Moran and Tony Coid in their AT Indy Challenger.

Andy Powell starts at car 3 with Phil Ibbotson in the passenger seat of the Simmbugghini. Ibbotson usually drives a 6R4 in the championship but he decided to take a break from driving this year. At car 4 is Ian Bartlett who will be starting the season in a Tomcat as his usual Bartletts 3M 206 is still being rebuilt. Rounding off the top 5 starters is Steve Smith in his V8-engined JRG Clio.

Moving up to the main championship this year after two Trophy championship victories is Paul Harris in his Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight. Joining Harris in moving up is Mark Jacques and Simon Last who will be doing their first BCCC event in their new 3M Challenger after giving the car a successful debut in a club event in March.

Paul Garner will contest his second full BCCC season in his GSR V10 after showing great some strong performances last year. Also in a GSR, a 206 Evo 9, is Martin Cox who will be looking for a better year and mixed fortunes in 2013. Another driver who had a mixed 2013 was Ryan Cooke and he'll again be competing in his Milner LRM-1.

Contesting the championship for the first time will be Andrew West and Peter Widdop in their Discovery Centre Milner R5. West and Widdop won two Clubman rounds last year so they’ll be aiming for a good championship result.

Richard Green will make a full return to the championship this year after missing most of the 2013 events while his new Jaguar-powered was being prepared.

The Isuzu UK D-Max of ex-British Rally Championship driver Jason Sharpe will be making its championship debut at Pikes Peak after being unveiled at the Autosport show in January.

In the BCC Trophy championship Alan Thomas will be first off the start line in his Warrior Gemini. He’ll be joined by Steve Anning, Nick Pritchard and Steve Holder.

The Freelander Challenge has had six registrations. 2012 champion Nick Lines heads the entries with the Dynamic Metals-backed Race2Recovery team and championship newcomer Ian Linford joining the Challenge battle for 2014 along with 2013 crews Paul Cumpstone, Ian Letman and Alistair Moore-Myers.

The event starts at 10am on Saturday 12^th April and there will be a full day of competition. Day two starts at 9am with the event finishing early on Sunday afternoon. Spectators can access the course via the Myherin Arch, a map showing the route in is available to download from www.marches4x4.com.

Two weeks to go!

There are just two weeks to go until the battle for the 2014 Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship start at Myherin forest in Wales.

Entries have been coming in steadily with a good mix of crews from last year and several new entrants.

Check out the 2014 crew page to get an idea of who you can expect to see at the opening round.

A full preview and spectator information will be published in the week before the event.

Race2Recovery to contest Freelander Challenge

 

Race2Recovery are proud to announce that Hemel Hempstead based company Dynamic Metals Ltd will be their title sponsor for the 2014 season of the British Cross Country Freelander Challenge. 

The Dynamic Metals Freelander will compete in all six rounds of the BCCC and will be the first step on the road to the Dakar Rally for Race2Recovery’s new disabled recruits continuing the incredible story of the unique team based in Hampshire.

Having started on Top Gear in 2011 and formed by injured British service personnel the team have gone from strength to strength taking on the infamous 9,000km Dakar Rally in 2013 and 2014. Now they are opening their doors to the disabled community as a whole with Dynamic Metals taking the lead supporting the training and development of the new tranche of aspiring drivers, co-drivers and engineers on their adventurous goals.

The six rounds of the BCCC are held in Wales, West Midlands and Scotland throughout the year and feature two days of fast, arduous and technical driving through sweeping tracks on forest stages and bone-jarring off road segments, a challenge for the sturdiest of cars.

Speaking at a Race2Recovery corporate experience day founder Tony Harris, 32, said, “We are thrilled to announce Dynamic Metals sponsorship agreement and proud to carry the livery of a company that already do a huge amount for motor sport. Our new drivers will now be able to focus on honing their talents and preparing for the 2016 Dakar with the full support of our sponsors.”

“The sponsorship and support of the inspirational Race2Recovery team represents a huge step forward for us as a company. The injured lads are so full of determination, they go beyond the ordinary and achieve extraordinary things, we feel that this reflects our brand, our ethos and the determination of our team”, said Sam Excell speaking on behalf of Dynamic Metals Ltd.

Having raised over £250,000 for Help for Heroes Race2Recovery are already setting their sights on Dakar 2015 and actively looking for sponsors to support this inspirational team overcome adversity and conquer the Mount Everest of motorsport. They will continue to support fundraising for charity and raise awareness of the incredible charitable work done by Help for Heroes and BLESMA.

Isuzu UK reveal BCCC plans

 

Isuzu UK have unveiled a rally-ready version of its award-winning D-Max pick-up in the build up to the brand’s participation in the 2014 Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship (BCCC).

The BCCC is the country’s premier domestic off-road racing championship, consisting of six two-day competitive rallies across Scotland and Wales. The Isuzu D-Max BCCC will compete in Class 1B, which mandates a maximum engine capacity of 2,500 cc and restricts motorsport enhancements. This will ensure that the rally Isuzu will retain many characteristics of the road-going D-Max.

The Isuzu racer will be driven by former British Rally Championship contender, Jason Sharpe, and co-piloted by his nephew, Russell Sharpe. In addition to the BCCC, the Sharpe family and the D-Max will compete in other one-off events, including several T2 class FIA Rally Raids across Europe.

Isuzu has a proud recent history in the toughest rally of them all, the Dakar, so the company is hopeful that the D-Max will be competitive from the start of the season.

Underlining the robust and trusted underpinnings of the D-Max pick-up, Isuzu sold 4,112 pick-ups to UK customers in 2013 – a record for the brand.

More details on Isuzu UK’s entry will follow in the near future.

Preparations well underway for 2014 BCCC

With two months to go until the opening event preparations for the 2014 Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship (BCCC) are well underway.

The organisers have been busy behind the scenes and they've now published the championship regulations which are available to download from www.marches4x4.com.

The BCCC championship crown, won by Dan Lofthouse in 2013, will be fought for over six events with the best five scores to count. Each event is scheduled to take place on forestry land and the courses will generally be around six miles in length.

As well as the BCCC, which is a National A championship, a National B “Trophy” championship will run over the same six events. A Freelander Challenge, for relatively standard Land Rover Freelanders, will also take place. 

The championship will be supported by extensive media coverage including a dedicated BCCC TV You Tube channel, a full event photograph gallery after each event and a very active Facebook page. Coverage will also be provided in print with such as Motorsport News and Total Offroad carrying event reports.

Round 1 takes place on 12/13 April at the popular Myherin forest in mid-Wales. This venue has been used by the BCCC several times before and is always a favourite with the crews with its mix of fast gravel tracks (as also used in the world rally championship) and technical off-road sections.

Entry to the championship costs £1,700 which can be paid in three instalments. Events can be entered on a one-off basis as a “Clubman” for £300.

Please visit www.marches4x4.com, www.britishcrosscountrychampionship.co.uk or www.facebook.com/msabccc for all the latest BCCC news and pictures.