Duckworth to return to BCCC in Milner LRM-1

Ben Duckworth is aiming for podium finishes as he returns to the Britpart MSA BCCC this season. Duckworth will use the Milner LRM-1 which he used to take three wins in the 2015 championship. He also won the 2016 Borders Hill Rally in the car.

“I’m looking forward to a good season,” said Duckworth. “There’s some strong competition this year with some very fast drivers and cars entered.”

“We’ve made a couple of changes to the car and hopefully we’ll be able to compete somewhere near the top.”

Birchall aiming for BCCC title challenge in 2017

Justin Birchall will return to the Britpart MSA BCCC in 2017 with a modified car and a new co-driver as he targets a championship win.

Birchall will again use his Lofthouse Freelander which is powered by a BMW M3 engine. The engine has been rebuilt after suffering major damage at the final round of last season.

“We’ve had to rebuild the engine and we’ve also had new rear suspension fitted,” said Birchall. “Jonny Koonja, who drove in the BCCC last year and co-drove Dan Lofthouse to the title in 2013, will co-drive for me.”

“We’re aiming to build on the win I got at round one last season and keeping it tight and tidy, hopefully we’ll be a position to challenge for the title and have a good season.”

To see pictures and video from last season please visit www.jboffroadrally.co.uk.

BCCC and BCC Trophy regs - get your copy now!

Regulations for the 2017 Britpart MSA BCCC and BCC Trophy can be downloaded by clicking here.

BCCC return for Bartletts Racing

Weymouth-based Bartletts Racing will return to the Britpart MSA BCCC in 2017 and they'll use their Bartletts 3M 206 for the first time since 2013. 

The car will be driven by Ian Bartlett and brother Gary will navigate. Following an accident at the end of the 2013 season the team embarked on an extensive programme of modifications to the 206, including a lot of work to lighten the car.

"It's been a hard slog," said Ian. "We've done a lot of modifications and, finally, the work is almost complete. It just needs a bit of testing now! I'm looking forward to competing in the BCCC again".

For pictures of the rebuild please visit the Bartlett Racing Facebook page.

X3 Racing announce BCCC campaign

The newly formed X3 Racing team have announced their plans for 2017, including fielding cars in the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship.

The team, based in Silsden in Yorkshire, will be backed by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) who are a world leader in the design, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorised recreational and utility vehicles. They will race the new Can-Am Maverick X3 in an association that is part of the team's strategic investment and development plan, which aims to create new jobs and opportunities in Silsden and the surrounding area.

The Can-Am Maverick X3 vehicle to be driven during the season will comply with FIA regulations. It is powered by the 154 HP turbocharged and intercooled Rotax® ACE engine that has been developed by BRP’s engineers to provide the vehicle with high-end power no matter what the terrain.

Adam Evans, founder of X3 Racing, commented: "The team’s drivers will be myself and Simon Adams. We have a vast amount of experience racing two, four, six and eight wheeled vehicles including riding in the Dakar rally so we’re confident our expertise will assist us in winning races with the Can-Am Maverick X3. We are also looking forward to promoting the capabilities of BRP’s Can-Am vehicles to a wide-ranging audience that attend the events and see our exploits on a variety of social media platforms.”

Paul Wood, BRP Commercial Manager UK and Ireland, added: “The Can-Am Maverick X3 is a high-performance vehicle and the association with X3 Racing is a significant platform to highlight the vehicle’s power and performance in some of the toughest terrains and races. As a brand, we look forward to cheering on the vehicle that will driven by two talented and experienced drivers throughout the season and, fingers crossed, it will be the star of the show.”

Gould going for BCCC title double

Martin Gould will return to the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship this season to defend the title he won in 2016.

Gould debuted his Buxton 4x4 Rivet-BMW at round two last year and went on to take four victories on his way to the championship crown. The car became the first one to win both the French and British titles.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge," said Gould. "As well as the competitors from last year it looks like we'll be up against several quick new drivers and cars too, it promises to be a great season."

"The car is almost ready which is a first for us! We're planning on doing some testing in March to prepare us for the opening round - it looks like we will need to be very quick out of the blocks this year if we want a chance of retaining the title."

"We've done a few modifications to the car, it's a bit lighter and has a bit more power compared to last year."

Please visit www.buxsport.co.uk for pictures and video of Gould's title-winning season.

Powell to start a BCCC Revolution

It will be all change for Andy Powell in this year's Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship when he drives a Walker-Adams Revolution 4x4 for the first time.

Powell has previously competed in a Simmbugghini, a relatively heavy beam-axled car with a large engine. In contrast, the Revolution 4x4 has a base weight of 700kg, independent suspension and a small 1.0 engine.

"It will certainly take some time to get used to the new car, it's totally different to what I am used to - I'm going from one extreme to the other," said Powell. "I'd been considering switching to a UTV-style car for a while as they're getting increasingly popular for competition use."

"I spoke with Walker-Adams after seeing their car online and being impressed with it. I was very pleased to be asked to drive and help develop the car for comp safari use this season."

"The car uses Ford's 1.0 turbo-charged Ecoboost engine which generates around 140bhp. Combined with the light weight I think it'll perform pretty well, I'm certainly feeling very positive about the season."

Walker-Adams Director Steve Adams commented: "Our aim for the season is to have fun and finish. As well as Andy competing in the BCCC, I'll be racing the Revolution 4x4 in the SXS championship so it looks like it will be an exciting year."

Bumpy to debut new slippers and pipe locker in BCCC

Double-champion Bumpy Mike Moran will contest the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship this season and he's got some exciting new modifications on his car. 

After his two title wins, which made him the second most famous Warringtonian after Kerry Katona, Moran took some time out last year while his new Lofthouse Evo was built. He debuted the car at round four of the BCCC and also competed in the final round, as well as racing at Rallye Des Cimes in France. With over two months to go until the season starts the Evo 9-engined machine is already prepared for round one.

"As with most old people we like to get prepared in plenty of time, we are ready to race!" said Moran. "We have changed a few ratios in the gearbox and done some minor modifications to ease maintenance."

"We've also tweaked the car's interior, we now have a little locker for our slippers and my navigator Tony can keep his pipe in there also so we'll really feel at home. With our failing eyesight we hope that our new bi-focal windscreen will help us see the course a bit better too."

"We must quantify the word 'we' - it includes our carers at Lofthouse Motorsport."

Championship entry fees announced

Organisers of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship have announced entry fees for the BCCC, BCC Trophy and Freelander Challenge.

The BCCC (Nat A) and BCC Trophy (Nat B) will cost £2,000 if entered by 28th February 2017. Entries received after this date will be £2,200. The fee includes entry to all rounds of the 2017 championships as well as championship registration.

The Britpart Freelander Challenge will cost £325 per round to enter and the registration fee has been kept at the 2016 level of £100 per crew.

Regs for all the championships will be available as soon as the MSA championship registration is issued. In the meantime, if you wish to notify the Entries Secretary that you'd like to enter/pay please contact Lilian Turley (lilianturley@btinternet.com).

Degiulio set for first full BCCC season

After contesting his first BCCC event last year Andy Degiulio has announced that he will be contesting the full championship this season. 

The former AWDC champion will use his usual Milner R5 but it will feature several modifications including a new, lighter bodyshell.

"I crashed out of the event I did last year so I've decided to enter the full championship and try and redeem my reputation!" said Degiulio. "The car will be lighter than last year as I've replaced nearly all the bodyshell since the roll we had at Walters Arena, we're using Milner's latest lightweight panels."

"Paul Jones, who owns UK Fox agents Prolinx Specialised Suspension, will again be my co-driver and he has already fitted a modified internal can in my internal bypass shock absorbers for us to run at round one. Paul will tune and develop the shocks through the season, he's got quite a few new settings and ideas he wants to introduce after detailed data sharing with the guys at Fox in the USA. Insa Turbo are going to supply us a soft compound version of their Ranger All Terrain tyre." 

"Hopefully we will be competitive and I'm looking forward to seeing how I fare against the other teams in this premier championship."

Landranger Deeside to field expanded team in 2017 BCCC

After a successful first season using his Yamaha YXZ1000R, Landranger Deeside 4x4’s Neil Davey has revealed plans to expand his team for the 2017 BCCC.

Davey’s own car has been purchased by George Dray, who will contest the BCCC for the first time. Dray will be joined by two other drivers, both also using Yamahas.

"We enjoyed our first season in the Yamaha, it was pretty different to the car we used before,” said Davey."

"As part of our business building and modifying Yamahas for racing we’ve built two new cars to the same 2017 specification and they will both be used in the BCCC alongside George in the car I used last year. If all goes to plan I’ll be racing a new development FIA turbocharged car as well. 

"The UTV class of competition car is getting more and more popular so there should be a really good battle for class honours this season."

For pictures and video from last season please visit www.landrangerdeeside4x4offroadracing.co.uk.