BHRC makes bumper start at Gaydon Open DayThe Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship got off to a flying start at the annual HRCR Open Day at Gaydon on Saturday (16 January 2010).The Open Day is the start-off point for the coming season as championship registrations open and crews start to firm up their plans for the year ahead. In one day, championship manager Simon Marks took 28 driver and 11 co-driver registrations, a higher number than in previous years. "It was very busy; we took more registrations on the day than ever and it was particularly encouraging to record that 10 of those registrations were from new competitors."Most of the eight events in the 2010 BHRC were represented and all reported strong interest from existing and new competitors. One leading organising team commented that they had been inundated with enquiries about their event.A number of development for the BHRC were unveiled at the Open Day:1) Championship supportersAlongside title support from Dunlop and WONAGO.com, the BHRC enjoys additional backing from six organisations. The BHRC management team is delighted that the support of Mintex, West Wales Rally Spares, Richard Egger Insurance and Water End Properties continues in 2010. Meanwhile, new for the coming season is support from Minilite and Passmores Classic Timber Garages.2) Assisted travel package for UlsterThe organisers of the Ulster Historic Rally (20/21 August) have announced a special package deal for registered BHRC contenders. With the support of Tourism Ireland, a special price of from £595 will cover the event entry fee and a return ferry crossing for a car/van and trailer plus two people. 3) 2010 television packageAll eight rounds of the championship will be televised in 2010, with dedicated hour-long programmes on Motors TV following each round. The new deal for the championship has been arranged by Acceleration Television and Video, the company headed by David Winstanley. With the support of 'My Life Story', this year's BHRC will benefit from unrivalled TV coverage as well as DVDs of each round, an end of season compilation DVD and brief post-event web reports4) Under 25 awardsThe achievements of young drivers will be marked in the 2010 championship following the announcement of a series of awards for the best driver and co-driver under the age of 25. The HRCR Under 25 Award will be supported by Dunlop, West Wales Rally Spares and XS Racing and will reward the best class points' score by a driver and co-driver. 5) Gravel and asphalt mini-series The 2010 BHRC will feature two dedicated mini-series for gravel and asphalt rallies, with five gravel rallies in the Water End Properties Gravel Cup and four asphalt events qualifying for the Water End Properties Asphalt Cup. Both series are already attracting considerable competitor interest and the development has encouraged some crews to return to competition after a break.