After completing a hat trick of event wins in round four of the championship at Knockhill last month, MSA British Rallycross Champion Dermot Carnegie (Dublin) heads to Croft (June 20) hoping to further extend his winning streak.
With the misery of early retirement from round one of the championship (where the engine in his Ford Focus WRC failed during practice) now well and truly behind him, Carnegie has been busy cutting into the championship points lead of Ulsterman Lawrence Gibson (Banbridge). After taking the championship lead in round two, a useful blend of speed and reliability has kept Gibson ahead of the pack, three seconds and a third place from the first four rounds of the year leave Gibson and his MG Metro 6R4 Supercar on top of the championship tables with 375 points.John McCluskey (Dublin) currently holds second place, but is under pressure from Carnegie who is now just three points behind his compatriot in third place. McCluskey started round four with a new engine in his Peugeot 306 Supercar and, despite not having an opportunity to test the car before the event, finished the day with a season¹s best second place.
The two-wheel drive only SuperModified cars also compete for the prestigious MSA British Championship and best of the pack is Lotus Elise driver Mike Dresser who has leapt up to fourth place overall in the championship after achieving a personal best fifth place in round four at Knockhill. Dresser (Brampton) also claimed his first class win in the British Championship at Knockhill.
Fellow SuperModified racers Mike Howlin (Haverfordwest) and Allan Tapscott (Umberleigh) are close behind Dresser in fifth and sixth places.
BRDA Rallycross ChampionshipCompetitors in all four main classes are eligible to score points in the concurrent BRDA Rallycross Championship and the series lead is currently shared by two drivers who have yet to be beaten in 2004.
With four wins each to their credit, Stock Hatch racer Adrian Horsley (Redcar) and Minicross driver John Binks (Gosforth) share the championship lead heading to Croft which is the home event for each man. Third place overall is held by Gibson who is best of the Supercar drivers in the BRDA series.
best of the SuperModified racers is Tapscott who holds tenth place overall, but remains comfortably in the lead of the competitive two-wheel drive class, 15 points clear of Dresser, Howlin and Mike Sellar (Sittingbourne) who is enjoying a good first season with his unique Renault Clio V6.
Junior Rallycross ChampionshipThe Junior Rallycross Championship completes the programme of events at Croft and, in its second year, the series for drivers between 14 and 16-years-old and driving 1.0-litre Minis with a tightly controlled technical specification continues to grow in popularity with 21 drivers having scored points so far this year.
Leading the championship after four rounds is Ash Davies (Cwmbran) who has finished on the podium in every event so far this year and who edged ahead of Jonny Greer (Belfast) in round four to take the championship lead by 10 points.
Andrew Jordan (Sutton Coldfield) maintained his position as best newcomer to the championship by taking a personal best third place at Knockhill. Behind third placed Jordan is round one winner Joe Powis (Hereford) who continues to make up ground in the championship after failing to score in round two. Victory at Knockhill strengthened Powis¹ hand and he is the only driver to have taken two events wins this year.
Croft is home ground for fifth and sixth placed Ashley Simpson (York) and Tommi Walmsley (Wetherby). Simpson¹s best place to date was fifth in round one of the championship at Kirkistown in Northern Ireland, while Walmsley¹s sixth place at Knockhill stands as his best finish of the season. Both will be aiming to clamber onto the podium at Croft, where fellow Yorkshire racers Luke Sparrow (York) and Simon Pickard (Brough) will also be hoping to put their track knowledge to good use.
Buy one, get one free ticket offerDrivers of Minis or any model of Lotus can benefit from a special ticket offer at round five of the MSA British Rallycross Championship at Croft on June 20
The British Rallycross Drivers Association, which organises the British Rallycross Championship, and Croft 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 any Mini and any type of Lotus.
Event detailsMSA British Rallycross Championship, round five, Sunday June 20Croft Circuit (five miles south of Darlington on the A167)Practice 0930, racing from 1030Admission: Adults £12, children up to 16 freeSpecial ticket offer: Drivers of Mini or Lotus cars can benefit from a buy one, get one free ticket offer at this event. Info: 01325 721815
