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As I had hoped last year, this year’s Severn Valley Rally will again be 60 stage miles:
https://britishrallychampionship.co....valley-stages/
After a few years in the doldrums it appears British rallying is steadily regaining its health - and not going too ambitious after one good year either.
I’m also glad to see the end of the name ‘Rallynuts Stages’. I’m sorry but when the BRC needed some cache, class, whatever you wanna call it - that name just sounded too amateur to me :D
It had a few names, which never helps; I recall the Kerridge, Mutiny, then Severn Valley, and Rallynuts.......(We see the same in horse racing, and cycling with races/ team names by the sponsor name only)
Maybe he's just using it as a warm up rally for a possible WRC2 event.Quote:
Originally Posted by hutchie
I'd be a bit surprised if he did the BRC again.
When was the last time Keith Cronin and Donagh Kelly were on a reserve list?!
I make it 3 Junior BRC and 2 BRC1 crews on the reserve list. Not really ideal, hopefully the BRC organisers can get them a run, as I believe the entry selection process has already happened.
They will all get runs as trust that is a condition of the event being part of the BRC. It was always going to be an oversubscribed event and expect there will be mutterings of favouritism. For rally fans though its going to be a belter, just hope it runs more smoothly than the NW Stages in '24!
I hope that is what happens, the event regulations seem pretty clear about how the reserve list works.
Will be a cracking event anyway! The stages are a lot easier than the NW stages, so there shouldn't be as many blockages.
Cronin has swapped to a Citroen C3 this year. Maybe he's using it as he will in the ITRC, for the prize money.
This on FB...Quote:
Originally Posted by archie106
A friend who shall be nameless but a leading rally organiser told me that some Irish entries don't think the normal rules apply to them. The particular situation was regarding the desire to only pay the entry fee at the start - and in cash, but be on the seeded list.
Yeah I've just seen that now!
My impression of the East Riding Stages organisers is that they don't take nonsense from anyone, and want to make sure that the clubmen competitors still get a top event without crews buying their way in.
I suspect that the BRC organisers are currently trying to work things out, we'll see if they succeed!
It's also probably worth mentioning that the order of reserves on the current list (order of entry) is not the order in which spaces will be offered (names out of a hat) so it may be possible for crews to get bumped up.
As a clubman currently on the reserve list, and having been emailed the reserve list order. I will be very annoyed if these BRC competitors who entered after the ballot are given any favouritism. BRC championship and its entries already had opportunity in the ballot to secure entries for those they wanted to as well as the event organisers themselves. It seems bizarre to me that such a big name didn't enter before the ballet closed even if they weren't sure if they would be competing.
Hopefully everything carries on as stated in the regulations and we will get a run. Done every East Riding event so far and it's fantastic both the stages and town centre atmosphere.
Good news :bounce:Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Also his brother Daniel will drive a Citroën :cool:
Reports on Facebook that Ingram will do a full season of BRC...
Interesting if so.
Why particularly ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom206wrc
Source ?Quote:
Originally Posted by archie106
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1L1zjBkjrD/Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
And still they keep appearing. William Creighton now on the reserve entry but as yet no car nominated..!
They must be pretty confident of getting a run if they are putting in entries this late....
Also a bit strange that Creighton is not one of the MSport entries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
It'll be a great opportunity to see a Citroën winning several UK/Irl rallies(maybe even a championship) ;)
CRONIN CHOOSES CITROËN
Keith Cronin will defend his NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title in a Citroën C3 Rally 2. The West Cork driver, who will again be navigated by Killarney's Mikie Galvin, will line up in the French machine for the first time at the opening round of the Tarmac series, the Galway International Rally, which takes place on February 1st and 2nd.
For Cronin, the move sees him return to a marque with which he has enjoyed much success in the past. He won his third of four British Rally Championships in a DS3 R3T in 2012, and in the same model took a WRC3 win at Rally Finland the following year. In 2016, he and Galvin won their first Irish Tarmac Championship in a DS3 R5.
"We looked at various options, and the Citroën came up as the best overall package for us for 2025," said Cronin. "Their current Rally 2 car won over 130 rallies last year on every sort of surface, all over Europe, in Africa and in North and South America, and scored five WRC2 victories in the World Championship. C3 drivers won the French, Danish, Mexican and Ivory Coast Championships. Hopefully we can replicate that type of form with it in Ireland," he added.
The Citroën will be prepared and run by Tom Gahan Motorsport, as was the Ford Fiesta that brought Cronin to the 2024 Tarmac title, and the Volkswagen Polo he drove in 2022 and '23.
Continuing the Gallic flavour, Cronin and Galvin will run on Michelin tyres in 2025.
In addition to committing to their Tarmac Championship campaign, Cronin and Galvin have also entered the opening round of the Probite Brakes British Rally Championship, the East Riding Stages, which falls three weeks after Galway, but they are currently on the reserve list for the Yorkshire closed road event. "We'll have to wait and see firstly as to whether or not we get a start," remarked Cronin. "If we get going, we'll take the BRC on a round-by-round basis after that and see how things progress."
Matt Edwards is working on the funding for another shot at the ITRC in 2025.
Gary Pearaon on Insta test driving a Hyundai i20. Another ruled out of the M-Sport entries ?
Looks to me like he was sitting in with Eric Camilli for a pre-monte test - not sure he was actually driving?
Would be a strange choice to switch to an Hyundai when the Skoda/Citroen/Toyota are far superior.
Good spot.Quote:
Originally Posted by archie106
Maybe he was seeing how the i20 was performing now as it has had a lot of recent development.
Looks like there will be a huge entrylist on the first round of the irish championship at the end of the month(Galway Inter) :)
Can't wait to see it :cool:
By the way, does someone know if in 2025 there will be the irish Citroën C3 Cup again :confused:
On the Stellantis Cup UK/IE website they seem to include it again, but no news during the presentation of the 2025 Stellantis Cup itself :mark:
Will the BRC now look for a replacement following the cancellation of the Severn Valley stages?
Wonder if Rod Parkin will be taking their calls?!!
Gravel options are the Malcolm Wilson or Border Counties which both fit in the gap between the East Riding and Jim Clark.
Don't know what things are like with trees down in the lake district/Scottish borders, hopefully its better than Wales.
I assume its because of this ?
https://xlerate.net/news/news-rallyi...RzTKfiUnXF-lMg
Yeah, there’s a statement on the BRC website about it too: https://britishrallychampionship.co....hip-statement/Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
I wonder if the Manx could step in as it has moved to the same date as the Severn Valley?
British Historics left with an even bigger issue losing two rounds already..
…and the BTRDA
Might have to be some discussions, about re-arranging calendars of various championships........Two events so far, might be more...
Yeah the Plains Rally is still possibly in danger from the wording of the statement. It sounds like everything up until the end of April is out the window, then they’ll reassess things. Access of course might be needed before the end of April for an event in May…
Meirion Evans interview on the 2025 plans the Yaris...
https://www.rallymedia.uk/blog/meiri...or-2025-season
Autosport: Welsh forest rallying in turmoil
https://www.autosport.com/national/n...lled/10690041/
“At present, options for replacement events are being considered and it is believed that there is a particular need for the BRC to meet television commitments with an event on 12 April.”Quote:
Originally Posted by Fast Eddie WRC
Sounds like the options could be limited to the Manx Rally on the same weekend as the Severn Valley Rally was going to happen or the weekend after with the Circuit of Ireland. Realistically both ate unfavourable to the current BRC thinking of staying on the mainland, but what other options are there?
I've said before that the Severn Valley used to be late May/early June - and used forests further south. I don't know the reasoning for the move to April, or the move north........
Other sports would have postponed, and tried to re-arrange for later in the year - but UK rallying can't do this; for a number of reasons.
I think you’ve said it on this forum once for every competitive kilometre this rally tends to run Andy :DQuote:
Originally Posted by AndyRAC
I’m assuming a lot of it comes down to which forests are available and at which time of year. Didn’t it used to be similar forests to the NG stages and only about a month in between? There’s nothing else that annually runs through the Hafren/Sweet Lamb/Myherin complexes at any time of year now anyway since the demise of the Mid-Wales Stages and WRGB…
Why isn't entrylist Galway International Rally available yet :confused: