Champion targets a hat trick

British Rallycross Champion Dermot Carnegie starts the fourth round of the championship at Knockhill on Sunday (May 30) aiming to complete a hat trick of event wins.

Engine failure put Carnegie (Dublin) out of the first round of the championship but since then the title holder has fought back magnificently, winning rounds two and three in his Ford Focus WRC.

The winner when the 2003 MSA British Rallycross Championship visited Knockhill, Carnegie's form on the challenging Scottish track is proven but he will need a mix of speed and reliability from his car in order to beat championship leader Lawrence Gibson.

Reliability has been the key to Gibson's year so far, the Banbridge-based racer has brought his MG Metro 6R4 home in second place in each of the first three rounds and holds a commanding 82-point lead at the head of the championship.

Holding second place in the championship, between Gibson and Carnegie is John McCluskey. Another to suffer technical problems in the opening events of the year, McCluskey (Dublin) got his campaign back on course with a third place finish in round three at Lydden on Easter Monday. Heading into the Scottish event with a new engine in his Peugeot 306 Supercar McCluskey is hoping for continued good form: "For me it was a question of getting through the first three rounds and then using the gap in the calendar before Knockhill to get the new engine in the car. We should start being really competitive from now," he said.

The challenge to the four-wheel drive Supercars in the British championship comes from the two-wheel drive only SuperModified category. Placed seventh to tenth overall in the championship, the leading SuperModified challengers are Mike Dresser (Brampton) with his unique Lotus Elise, Mike Howlin (Haverfordwest) and his 2.4-litre rear-wheel drive Ford Fiesta Vauxhall Nova driver Allan Tapscott (Umberleigh) and Des Wheatley (Hartlepool) who returns to the championship at Knockhill with a new engine in his lightweight Rover Metro.

While the headline MSA British Championship is open only to drivers in the Supercar and SuperModified categories, the concurrent BRDA Rallycross Championship pitches drivers from all four categories together in the chase for overall glory.

Having each taken a hat trick of event wins to start the year, Stock Hatch racer Adrian Horsley (Redcar) and Minicross driver John Binks (Gosforth) share the championship lead.

Gibson is best of the Supercar racers and holds third place while the leading SuperModified racer is Tapscott who is just outside the top ten in 11th place overall.

Also on the programme at Knockhill is the Junior Rallycross Championship. Now in its second year, the championship is continuing to gain in popularity and attracted its biggest ever entry of 20 starters to round three at Easter.

Exclusively for drivers between 14 and 16-years-old and driving 1.0-litre Minis with a tightly controlled technical specification, the Junior championship has joint leaders after three events.

With a first, second and third place each to their credit in the championship's opening events, Ash Davies (Cwmbran) and Jonny Greer (Belfast) share the lead of the championship entering round four, where one or other will move into a clear championship lead.

In third place, and best of the novice drivers in the championship, is Andrew Jordan (Sutton Coldfield) who has been in the top five at all three events. Jonny Block (Norwich) and Ashley Simpson (York) complete the top five places in the championship.

The Junior championship is the only place where Scottish drivers currently compete on a regular basis. Ross Chalmers (Inverness) and Alick Kerr (Glasgow) are both be looking forward to their home event, although neither has yet driven the Knockhill track. Chalmers is currently 10th in the championship having raced in all three events to date, while Kerr is placed 17th (of 20 points scorers) after making his debut in the championship at Lydden on Easter Monday.

Buy one, get one free ticket offerDrivers of Lotus, Mini and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution cars can benefit from a special ticket offer at round four of the MSA British Rallycross Championship at Knockhill on May 30

The British Rallycross Drivers Association, which organises the British Rallycross Championship, and Knockhill Racing Circuit have teamed up to offer drivers arriving at the event in the chosen type of car one free adult admission ticket for each similar ticket bought.The offer is open to drivers of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, Minis and any type of Lotus.

Event detailsMSA British Rallycross Championship, round four, Sunday May 30Knockhill Racing Circuit (five miles north of Dunfermline on the A823)Practice 0900, racing from 1000

Admission: Adults £12, children up to 16 freeSpecial ticket offer: Drivers of Mini, Lotus of Mitsubishi Evolution cars can benefit from a buy one, get one free ticket offer at this event. Info: 01383 723337