Ed Fossey will contest a full year of rallying in 2017 as he commits to the national British Trials and Rally Drivers Association (BTRDA) Championship aboard his Yokohama-backed Toyota Yaris.The 18-year-old stepped up from the Junior 1000 series at the beginning of 2016 winning ‘The Next Big Step’ scholarship and undertook a development plan last year, selecting several unique events to develop his rallying skills with tarmac running and more importantly several events on a variety of gravel surfaces.Class podiums on the loose in Wales and Yorkshire followed by a giant-killing performance on the asphalt of Jersey have given the Bournemouth University student a confidence boost going into his new and exciting programme.“2016 was a good year to develop as a driver as there was no pressure to gain results - it was all about learning,” explained Fossey. “I had never driven competitively on gravel before so I wanted to feed myself in and get used to it. The 1400 class is quite competitive throughout the British Isles and my objective was to break onto the podium – a result we achieved on every event.“I feel at one with the car and Yokohama tyres and I go into the season with some optimism and to have a good run in the championship. It’s a long year and to start off with I want to continue to learn whilst stringing some good results together and by the end I would like to fight at the sharp end in my class.”Sitting alongside Fossey in the co-drivers seat is new navigator Chris Sharpe-Simkiss from Blackpool. Ed is looking forward to working with the 22-year-old in the year ahead.“I am delighted to have Chris joining me this year. Although young himself, his experience is vital as he has done so many of these events before in a variety of different cars with different drivers. He is also hungry to do well and I think we will click quite quickly on the first event.” The Jerseyman will now prepare himself ahead of the season opener – the Cambrian Rally in Llandudno on the 11 February. Ed’s entry has been submitted for one of Britain’s oldest national rallies and the young-gun cannot wait to experience the north Wales stages.“The Cambrian is a classic in the UK. It may only be a one day rally but it packs a great deal of stages and mileage into it,” enthused Fossey. “To sample some of the stages used in the World Rally Championship on Wales Rally GB will be very special and I cannot wait to drive the Toyota on them. There is a great deal of buzz about this event as there will be an incredible entry including top drivers from the British Rally Championship – so it will be quite good to compete on the same stages.”Ed would like to thank Yokohama, The Next Big Step, Caraven-Sites.co.uk, Herock Workwear, Tractor Services and the Jersey Motorcycle & Light Car Club for the continued support.

2017 BTRDA Calendar

Round 1 - 11 February - Cambrian Rally – Llandudno, ConwyRound 2 - 11 March - Malcolm Wilson Rally - Lake District, CockermouthRound 3 - 8 April - Somerset Stages - Minehead, West SomersetRound 4 - 13 May - Plains Rally – Welshpool, MontgomeryshireRound 5 - 10 June - Carlisle Stages Rally - Kielder, CarlisleRound 6 - 8 July - Nicky Grist Stages - Builth Wells, PowysRound 7 - 2 September - Woodpecker Stages - Ludlow, ShropshireRound 8 - 30 September - Trackrod Stages – Pickering, North Yorkshire