News from: The Pembrey Xmas Stages Client profile: Sara Williams Previews of BTRDA, Gravel Rally Championship, British and Historic Rally Championships African Rally Championship Intercontinental Rally Challenge World Rally Championship
Geoff’s gossip Hello and Happy New Year! Well for those of you who live in caves or just refuse to listen to the news the UK has experienced one of its coldest winters since records began! Here in Wales, we had a good couple of inches of the white stuff and had many hours of amusement watching people attempting to drive up our ungritted hill! The reason the hill was not gritted was because the UK councils and government had managed to run out of salt! Anyway, enough of politics – due to the adverse weather we have already had a couple of events cancelled in the UK and thus I will use this issue of Rally Ramblings to preview some of the championships that we will be attending around the globe in 2010! Rant time! Just before Christmas BF Goodrich announced that it was shelving its scheme of choosing a local driver to contest a fully funded rally in a Kronos run Peugeot 207! Not only was this arrangement a brilliant marketing ploy but it also allowed some talented youngsters the opportunity to shine! And then, in early January, there were rumours that the Pirelli Star Drive scheme might end in 2010! Now at present these are just rumours but one has to hope that they do not become fact! With the World Rally Championship running on a control tyre no one has the opportunity of ‘tyre’ deals which means that the pool of talent is diminished enormously! So what this means is that in the last ten years we have lost tobacco sponsorship (I do not endorse smoking but it is a fact that humans smoke and tobacco companies make sh*t loads of cash out of it!), we have lost the opportunity for tyre wars in a number of rally series and now the brilliant idea of fully funded drives for talented junior drivers is on the verge of disappearing! Rallying struggles to receive the exposure it deserves which in turn makes it harder to attract external sponsorship. The costs of competing on the world stage are extremely prohibitive and if the powers that be are not going to reduce the costs or improve the coverage then they need to find ways of helping the young talent gain the exposure that they need! Quiet frankly this is a big issue for motorsport and it should be at the top of the agenda when the FIA next meets! Anyway, enough of the doom and gloom – we have an exciting season of rallying ahead, and so I hope to see you all out on the stages…
Watkins & Mayes take class podium on Christmas Stages 20 year old James Watkins and co-driver Geoff Mayes overcame clutch issues to stage a giant killing act on the recent West Wales Pembrey Christmas Stages where the pair brought their little one litre Nissan Micra to the finish third in the 1400cc class! James and Geoff were contesting the Carmarthen Motor Club organised rally, the final MSA sanctioned event of the year, in a Geoff Jones Motorsport run Nissan Micra with support from Makefast of Newtown and Rally Marketing of Welshpool. The pair dropped time to their class rivals with a slipping clutch on the opening two stages but a total clutch replacement was completed in time for the pair to return to action on the third test without incurring any time loss. Despite the extremely icy nature of the venue James survived a couple of lurid slides to bring the Micra, the least powerful car in the field, home third in class and a respectable 42nd overall out of nearly 70 starters! What a fantastic day! Many thanks to Carmarthen Motor Club and all their marshals for a well organised day out and many, many thanks to Geoff Jones Motorsport for the rapid clutch change on the Micra! It has been an amazing year with two class podiums in the last two rallies and none of that would have been possible without the support from Makefast or Rally Marketing!
Sara Williams Brecon based Sara has only been rallying for three years but already the 20 year old Welsh girl has more podium finishes and trophies than a lot of boys her age! In her first year of rallying Sara contested the Welsh Tarmac Championship at the wheel of a Honda Civic Type R. Despite missing the opening two rallies Sara ended the season second overall, top junior and Class 3 Champion! For 2008 Sara stepped up to the country wide BTRDA Tarmac Championship but chose to stick with the Honda for a second season. Even with the increased opposition Sara still had some impressive results, ending the season fifth overall, second in the 2 wheel drive category, top junior (again) and Class 3 champion… again! 2009 was Sara’s biggest season to date as she moved on to gravel and upgraded to a Subaru Impreza N10! Most people would have been daunted at the massive step but Sara handled the transition with aplomb. Her first rally was a wet and icy Red Kite Stages in January and despite taking it very cautiously young Williams still finished sixth in class! By May Sara had experienced all weather conditions from snow to mud to hanging dust and she loved rallying on the loose stuff. The Severn Valley Rally was only her sixth gravel rally and to celebrate she took her first top ten overall finish! In total Sara contested 12 rallies and finished ten of them – only a broken gearbox and her first ever roll preventing her from a 100% finish rate. Her end of season awards list is pretty impressive! 2009 RallyingUK.com MSA Welsh National Championship Class B13 champion, Under 25 champion, fourth overall 2009 Lico Welsh Clubmans Forest Championship Under 25 champion, ladies champion, second Class 4, fourth overall 2009 ANWCC Forest Rally Championship Novice champion, Under 25 champion, second in Class D and second overall For 2010 Sara makes the step up to the MSA Gravel Rally Championship We wish her all the best for the new season!
The United Kingdom Within the U.K there are more championships, sub championships, one make cups and regional titles than one can imagine! But these are the major rally series; The BTRDA Rally Series Consisting of eight rallies (with your best six results to count) spread fairly evenly around the U.K the BTRDA caters for absolutely anything that the MSA has homologated for rallying. From current world rally cars to one off specials like Andy Burtons V6 powered Peugeot 306 beast, clubman Group N, 300bhp Ford Escorts, crazy 1400cc screamers this championship is one of the best supported in the country. The series also has a specific policy of allowing the under 1400cc cars to run at the front of the field which has proved popular and sees strong entries in these classes. The downside of the 1400cc championship is the single tyre rule for championship registrants but although this limits the number of registered drivers the actual events still attract a strong entry. The BTRDA also caters to the needs of the Rally First and F1000 championships, two innovative low cost series that have created the ideal entry into rallying. The Rally First scheme allows Group N cars up to 1400cc to fight for their own titles, and is additionally appealing due to subsidised entry fees! The F1000 championship is purely for cars with less than 1000cc engines – you won’t win the rally outright in one of these but with the costs for a full season of rallying working out to less than the price of rebuilding the gearbox for a modern WRC you can see the attraction! 2009 Champion – David Wright – Mitsubishi Evo 9 (Class B13)
The MSA National Asphalt Rally Championship The only fully sealed surface championship in the UK comprises of a variety of events, ranging from runs over the infamous Epynt and Otterburn Military Ranges to the high speed Jim Cark Rally in Scotland, the tight and twisty Manx National and even a visit to Ireland. Although there are nine rallies to choose from, it is the best five results to score, making this a financially viable series for 2010. Machinery is as varied as the BTRDA Rally Series, with everything from World Rally Cars to the unique mid engined Audi A3 of David Kynaston, Super 1600’s to very rapid Peugeot 205’s and Ford Escorts. 2009 Champion – Melvyn Evans – Subaru Impreza WRC S11
Formula 1000 Rally Championship The Formula 1000 Rally Championship is the cheapest way into rallying in the U.K. Limited to a maximum of 1000cc engines and running on an affordable control tyre contestants have the option of contesting the gravel or tarmac series – both of which offer great value for money rallies. The gravel championship runs concurrently with the BTRDA Rally Series, thus allowing the little cars to run at the front of the field. The tarmac series is run primarily on single venue rallies, utilising tarmac test venues, disused airfields or race circuits and their perimeter roads. The points structure is very simple – best six scores out of the ten round championship count and the great thing is that the regulations ensure that the cars are fairly closely matched – only minimal modifications can be made to the cars. In 2009 the organisers also received permission to allow 14 – 17 year olds to compete on the tarmac events. This revolutionary idea proved very successful and for 2010 looks set to attract well over a dozen competitors! 2009 Tarmac Champion – Ian Arden – Nissan Micra 2009 Gravel Champion – Mick Smith - Nissan Micra 2009 Junior Champions – Cameron Davies (Nissan Micra) & Ashley Slights (Toyota Yaris)
The MSA Gravel Rally Championship
In 2009 this championship was hit the hardest by the financial crisis but a number of initiatives for 2010 should hopefully see the series recover once more! Featuring slightly longer rallies than the BTRDA and requiring a National A licence, the MSA Gravel Rally Championship is also the highest level of British rallying that still allows World Rally Cars! Consisting of six rounds, with the best five to count, spread around the U.K. the championship has done away with the unsuccessful ‘control tyre’ rule of 2009 but has also lost the presence of the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge which has frequently boosted numbers in the past. To attract entries the organisers have come up with a number of schemes to entice competitors. A nominal £5 registration fee, separate awards for a variety of classes and some of the best rallies in the country are a small step towards rediscovering the strong entries of the past. Whilst the events are superb there are no special dispensations for lesser powered cars to run ahead of the main field. This, along with the increased entry fees, will see the championship still only attract nominal registrations. But this should not detract from the action on the stages! (Would you rather see five well driven or 15 mediocre cars on the stages???) 2009 Champion – Marcus Dodd – Hyundai Accent WRC Evo 3.5
Historic Rally Championship The fans favourite rally championship has grown from strength to strength recently. Attracting a wide range of awesome machines including Chevettes, Singers, Saabs, a variety of Opels, the sexy Lancia Stratos and many others, the series is also a haven for a lot of Ford Escorts! Featuring eight rounds, including a couple on tarmac, the championship bolsters entries on a number of rallies which also include either the Gravel or British Rally Championships, thus allowing the events to meet the minimum entry requirements! Split into two definitive sections, as well as a number of classes determined on the age of the cars, the series is recognised for not only its slick running but also for a level of camaraderie not found elsewhere in British rallying. And despite the fact that most of these cars are older than Sebastian Loeb they are not driven slowly! In fact on one rally in 2009 the top Historic car would have finished third overall in the British Championship event running over the same stages! (And the BRC boys had the advantage of a recce too!) The series receives dedicated television coverage on satellite channel Motors TV following each round. 2009 Champion – Dessie Nutt - Porsche 911
The MSA British Rally Championship The premier division of British Rallying is the only championship that allows drivers to recce the gravel events prior to their competitive passes. This along with the increased stage mileages and the ruling which bans World Rally Cars allows the cream of crop to shine through on a multitude of surfaces within the U.K. The six rallies, with the best five to count, are split equally between gravel and tarmac and see the competitors travelling across the ocean to the Isle of Man and Ireland as well as contesting rallies in England, Scotland and Wales throughout the season. Whilst the overall title has remained the home of Group N pilots in recent years the promise of a couple of Super 2000 cars in 2010 has attracted renewed interest in the N4 category. For 2010 the popular Mitsubishi Evo Challenge rejoins the championship. In the past the Evo challenge winner received a year’s fully funded drive in the BRC but the exact prize for the 2010 winner has not been confirmed! The supporting acts from Ford, Citroen and Suzuki have maintained interest in the smaller two wheel drive classes. The Citroen Racing Trophy, Fiesta Sporting Trophy and Swift Cup all offer decent prize money and have thus attracted a lot of interest recently. The championship is not cheap and all registered competitors must run on control tyres but the up side is that series sponsor Pirelli offer a Pirelli Star Drive the following season. On each round the driver who impresses the judges the most wins a nomination. The junior champion in each of the Ford, Citroen and Suzuki camps automatically receives a nomination and all of these drivers enter an end of season shootout to determine who will have the prize drive the following season! The championship also enjoys dedicated television coverage from Sky Sports. 2009 Champion – Keith Cronin - Mitsubishi Evo 9
African Rally Championship Six rounds, spread across the continent, and open to Group N and S2000 cars, the African Rally Championship is not one to be dismissed! In 2009 each rally had a different winner and the series saw its fifth different champion in the past five years! The season begins in Tanzania in February before heading north to Kenya and then Uganda. The Zambian International Rally is in July and sees the championship enter its second half, with Zimbabwe next before the grand final, the Mountain Gorilla Rally in Rwanda. The level of machinery in the championship is both impressive and competitive. With the whole range of Subaru Imprezas’, from N8 to N15, a variety of Mitsubishi Evo’s of various ages and specifications and the odd S2000 intruder the pace is hot on every round of the championship. And with nutty spectators, passionate event sponsors and some of the fastest rally stages imaginable this championship is one of the best for ‘value for money’ action! 2009 Champion – Jamie Whyte – Subaru Impreza N10
Intercontinental Rally Challenge The new age rally series, featuring screaming Super 2000 rally cars, exotic locations and market leading television coverage! The series really moved to new levels in 2009, both in profile and in competition. Kris Meeke helped raise the profile with the British audience but the passion was always obvious with the European fans. The series is by no means cheap to contest, with away events in South America and Russia and the cars are not budget specials with purchases now topping a quarter of a million for top spec cars. Added to this the specialized nature of some events (think Monte Carlo, Ypres and Madeira) and a newcomer is going to struggle somewhat… but with the T.V coverage and passion on the stages your sponsors will certainly get their monies worth! 2009 Champion – Kris Meeke – Peugeot 207 S2000
World Rally Championship The pinnacle of the sport, featuring the most advanced cars in rallying, full of glitz and glamour and incorporating some of the true classics from around the globe. From the snow covered stages of Sweden to the high speed jumps of Finland via Mexico and New Zealand and eventually finishing off in a wet and misty Wales, the rallying equivalent of Formula 1 has all the ingredients of a high quality rally championship. However, the extremely high costs of competing at the top level of rallying have seen not just the privateers disappearing but also a couple of the manufacturers! But with new rules coming into effect in 12 months time the world of rallying could be in for an upheaval. For now the script is the same as last year – Ford verses Citroen and Hirvonen (the underdog) taking the fight to Loeb (with six titles under his belt!) Cameo roles from the world of F1 (Kimi the ice man) and America (Ken Block) are sure to generate as much media interest as the battle for the overall title. But the World Rally Championship is not just about the big budgets with their World Rally Cars – the supporting acts are potentially more interesting. The Junior World Rally Championship is gradually getting weaker and weaker and it is a wonder it carries on, but by stark contrast the Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) for Group N cars is growing from strength to strength. Add in the new Super 2000 class and 2010 is looking to be in rude health! This year also sees the second season for the Pirelli Star Drive scheme, an idea coined up by the FIA in conjunction with control tyre suppliers Pirelli. Five talented young rally drivers are chosen from around the world and given the opportunity to shine in identical Mitsubishi Evo X rally cars. A great idea but there has been discontent at the way the drivers are selected – if the scheme continues the powers that be will need to refine the process. 2009 Champion – Sebastian Loeb – Citroen C4 WRC
Forthcoming events This is a list of events that Geoff Mayes Media will have a representative on – please contact us in advance if you would like photos or video at one of those listed, to ensure we film you! â˜ş February 6 6 13 19-21 27
Galway Stages Eldoret Rally. Wyedean Forest Stages Rally Tanzania Sunseeker Rally, Bournemouth
Irish Tarmac Championship Kenyan Rally Championship BTRDA Rally Series African Rally Championship Gravel Rally Championship
March 6 7 13 27
Malcolm Wilson Stages Roskirk Stages Race Retro Bulldog International Rally
BTRDA/ Fiesta Trophy F1000 Championship Slowly Sideways Group B British/ Historic Championship
April 3 3 17-19 18 23-24 30
Safari Rally Circuit of Ireland Rally Turkey Red Kite Stages Pirelli International Rally Rally Uganda
Kenyan/ African Rally Champ Irish Tarmac Championship WRC/ PSD Welsh Championship BRC/ Gravel/ Historic African Rally Championship
Photo of the Year
Jayant Shaw & Lofty Drews – Datsun 260Z East African Safari Classic Rally