BCCC organisers unveil 2015 calendar

Organisers of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship have announced details of the events which will make up the 2015 series.

Round 1 will take place in April at Pikes Peak in Wales, a venue that has been a popular round of the BCCC for several years with a course that mixes some of the fast gravel tracks used by Wales Rally GB and offroad sections where you wouldn’t want to take a WRC car!

Crews will head to a new venue for round 2 in May, Hafren forest. Hafren is a well-known rally venue and was also used on the Baja GB event but it will be the first time the BCCC has visited it.

Forrest Estate in South West Scotland is the setting for round 3 and it is expected that the course will provide the same tough challenge for the drivers as it has in previous championships.

Round 4 will be in Radnor forest with the organisers making good use of the extensive network of forest tracks at the venue. This is another venue which features roads more commonly used in rallying interspersed with technical sections to fully test the cars and their crews.

After making a debut appearance in the BCCC in 2014 Bovington returns as a venue for round 5 of the 2015 championship. The MoD tank training facility in Dorset proved to be a great hit with the crews with a course including several surface changes, big jumps and a large watersplash.

The season will be rounded off with a visit to the Walters Arena course in October. The venue always provides a testing end to the year with wet weather usually making the course very slippery.

Interest in the championship has already been high with BCCC regulars such as Paul Harris, Richard Green, Steve Smith and Ian Bartlett planning on competing again. Several crews are either planning on their first BCCC season or making a comeback after a break. One such crew is Andi Skelley who is returning after spending most of 2014 rebuilding his Milner. Skelley will be navigated by Laura Shepherd. 

In the Freelander Challenge Ian Linford, who won the title at the first attempt last year, will be part of a two-car team. In the other car will be championship newcomer Louisa Felice. 

To register for championship regulations please contact the BCCC Entries Secretary, contact details are on www.marches4x4.com. The entry fee for the season will be £1,800.

Update as the season approaches will be posted on the championship Facebook page, www.facebook.com/msabccc.

BCCC 2015 Dates:

April 11/12 - Round 1 Pikes Peak
May 9/10 - Round 2 Hafren
June 6/7 - Round 3 Forrest Lodge
July 25/26 - Round 4 Radnor
September 12/13 - Round 5 Bovington
October 24/25 - Round 6 Walters

Isuzu UK unveils 2015 motorsport plans

The Jewson Isuzu D-Max Rally Team has announced that it will be competing in the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship (BCCC) for the 2015 season, using the same Isuzu D-Max pick-up that took it to both Class and Production titles in 2014.

The team survived a steep learning curve in the 2014 season, with much development between each round as the largely showroom-spec Isuzu D-Max was steadily honed into a winning machine. Although many minor components like dampers, tyres and wheels have been upgraded for competition use, impressively, the Jewson Isuzu pick-up retains its OEM chassis, engine and transmission – making the team’s results last year all the more impressive.

Testament to the rugged reliability of the standard vehicle, the Isuzu D-Max was one of very few entrants to finish every round of last year’s championship, despite navigating some of the most treacherous and destructive stages on the motorsport calendar.

The 2015 Isuzu D-Max rally pick-up will again be piloted by experienced rally driver Jason Sharpe, with his nephew Russell Sharpe returning in the navigator’s seat. The team hopes to build on last year’s successes to make the Isuzu D-Max a regular sight on the stages of UK rallying. Competing against purpose-built machines costing five or six times as much, the Isuzu D-Max impressed both drivers and spectators last year in the hands of the Sharpes, recording times on some stages that were impressively close to the tube-framed, fibre-glass-clad rally specials built specifically for the purpose.

To broaden the field in 2015, Isuzu UK is offering a ‘competition only’ deal to any tuner, competitor or official Isuzu dealer that wishes to go ‘toe-to-toe’ with the officially-backed team. Registered competitors can acquire a brand-new Isuzu D-Max for only £15,499 + VAT and Road Fund Licence. Better yet, Isuzu will also fund customers’ 2015 entry fees.  Many of the component and parts sponsors behind the Jewson Isuzu D-Max Rally Team will be offering advantageously-priced upgrades too, helping competitors to build a podium ready vehicle for a very reasonable investment. Even with basic cage, seats and fire systems fitted, it will be possible to get a brand-new Isuzu on the BCCC start line for a little over £22,000.

Commenting on the announcement, Isuzu UK Marketing Manager, Lois Greenidge said. “On the back of last year’s win we’ve not only enjoyed great sales success with the Isuzu D-Max, but we have also received significant interest from competitors asking if we can offer a similar package to enable them to get out on stage. The Isuzu D-Max pick-up is remarkably well suited to success in the BCCC, and we hope that the deal we are offering prospective customer teams in conjunction with our technical partners will result in many more competing in 2015.”

For more details on Team Isuzu, please click to www.isuzu.co.uk

For more details on the BCCC and event dates, please click to http://www.marches4x4.com/bccc.html