NGK BRCC hosts single make pocket rockets!

The 2013 NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge (NGK BRCC) will not only again feature the Fiesta SportChallenge, but will see also see the introduction of a new series, the Clio 172 Rally Cup.

The NGK BRCC provides competitors with some of the best value stage mileage in the UK, it runs in front of the BRC field on gravel rallies and has a massive £7000 end of season prize fund, has heralded fantastic competition and is shaping up to be even better this season.

Brand new for 2013 will see the inaugural running of the Clio 172 Rally Cup. Promoted by Rallyschool.co.uk and based on a Renault Clio 172 Cup road car, the series is intended to provide a low cost solution that packs plenty of performance.

BRC Media Day kicks off the season

The MSA British Rally Championship and NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge will hold a pre-2013 Media Day on Friday 22nd March, giving an opportunity for manufacturers, teams, competitors, press and sponsors to get together two weeks before round one kicks off the new season with Rally North Wales.

NGK BRC Challenge Champion Richard Sykes Q&A

2012 NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge champion driver Richard Sykes has been involved in four wheeled motorsport for a long time. But the Midlands businessman still loves it and took time to chat about his championship winning season ahead of defending his title.

Q: It has been some years since you won the BTRDA Rallycross championship in a Mini. What made you switch to rallying?

A: I had been Rallycrossing for about four years and initially really enjoyed it. There are only a small number of circuits, but two things spring to mind that made my mind up to try something different.

NGK Spark Plugs continues BRC Challenge support

NGK Spark Plugs has confirmed that it will continue to support the BRC Challenge in 2013, the ninth year of the MSA British Rally Championship’s successful support series.

The interest for next year’s NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge has never been higher, which bodes well for an exciting season ahead. Apart from adding the classic Scottish Rally, the regulations remain practically unchanged, a minor tweak to the technical regulations making it easier to enter.

As in 2012, five rallies will count, but this year there are eight scoring opportunities including the Ulster double-header. Points and a half on the final round should keep the interest right to the end of the season in the Dorset and Hampshire forests of Rallye Sunseeker.

2012 BRC points table final: Award winners announced

Following the stipulated seven days following final publication, the classifications for the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship (BRC) and the NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge (BRCC) are now final.

Keith Cronin and Marshall Clark are the indisputable BRC victors with a third title for the Irishman, while Citroën UK are declared champion manufacturers and Richard Sykes with Simon Taylor take their first ever major UK rally crown with their BRCC title.

There are plenty of other award winners throughout the classes & single makes and although all the battles are now over on the stages, there are some major awards still to be decided.

Thompson calmly takes Yorkshire by storm

Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy took a well deserved win on the final NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge event of the year, after another close fought battle on the gravel roads of Yorkshire. The Renault Clio duo has had an up and down season but finished it on top.

The Rally started in the darkness enshrined Dalby forest in what would prove to be a challenging opener to any event. The fast long gravel straights and tight corners need near perfect concentration from both driver and navigator in order to post a quick time.

Sykes guns for Challenge hat-trick in Yorkshire

The NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge crews return to action again this weekend as the final round of the Championship takes place in the forests of North Yorkshire. The Scarborough based event with its fast gravel stages that have begun to define the rally, has thrown up some spectacular end of season action over the years. And this year promises to be no different with plenty of overall and class positions to be decided.

The drivers and co-drivers championship titles have been secured but there is still plenty to play for. A tense ending to round six in Ulster saw the Citroën pairing of Richard Sykes and Simon Taylor crowned NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge Champions for 2012. Having secured the drivers and co-drivers title alongside the RC5 class honours for the year, the pair are looking toward for a third successive rally victory on round seven.

BRC Challenge Champion Sykes aims to end season on a high

Stourbridge’s Richard Sykes is aiming to finish his championship-winning BRC Challenge season on a high next weekend when he contests the Trackrod Challenge rally in Yorkshire.

After a double-success on the last round in Ulster Sykes took an insurmountable lead in the BRC Challenge title race to take the championship crown ,and he is looking for another win in the final round to round off a fantastic year in his Bathams Brewery, G I Sykes Ltd, Boroughbridge Marina and Silverstone Tyres-supported Citroën C2 R2 Max.

2013 BRC calendar announced

The MSA British Rally Championship will move back to a seven-round format in 2013, with the Scottish Rally back in the calendar after a seven year break.

The new-look calendar will also see Rally North Wales back as the opening round of the series, with Rallye Sunseeker playing host to the season finale in October.

The inclusion of the Scottish Rally plugs the summer gap in the calendar and with the start of the season in Wales in April, the events are spread relatively evenly across the season with plenty of time early in the year to prepare cars and finalise budgets.

Sykes storms to championship win after double Ulster success

Stourbridge’s Richard Sykes is celebrating after victory in both BRC Challenge Championship rounds last weekend in Ulster gave him an unassailable lead in the championship standings with one round to go.

The first event of the weekend got off to a very close start, Sykes faster than championship rival Simon Moore by just 0.2 seconds after the bumpy and tight rollercoaster roads of the Torr Head stage.