Fast Finn Korhonen dominates on DS3 debut on opening Citroën Racing Trophy UK round!

Former Pirelli Star Driver, 28-year-old Finn, Jukka Korhonen, took a dominant victory on the opening round of the Citroën Racing Trophy UK. Citroën DS3 R3s took an amazing top five places on this opening MSA British Rally Championship round in the forests around Carlisle. The Pirelli Richard Burns Foundation Rally was in honour of the former World Rally Champion.

Eleven crews ready for an epic Citroën Racing Trophy UK 2013

Following the cancellation of the opening British Rally Championship event in Wales, due to inclement weather, the Citroën Racing Trophy UK will finally get underway this weekend on the forestry special stages of the Pirelli Rally.

Thanks to the generous support of Citroën Racing, Total, Pirelli and Citroën UK, the Trophy boasts a serious prize fund with the aim to help the stars of the future in rallying. For each of the seven rounds €4000 in parts vouchers will be handed out for a BRC round win, €2500 for second and €1500 for third. An additional €1000 will be awarded on each round for the first junior driver (under 23) home.

New-look Rally of North Wales will save time & money

:: Weekend format – Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 April – reduces time away from work.
:: National ‘A’ status allows more UK drivers to compete and foreign participants are welcomed.
:: MSA BRC entry fees start at £800 for R1 cars.
:: One-day National events entry fees start at £515.

By moving to a weekend format, the opening round of the MSA British Rally Championship (MSA BRC) will save participants both time and money, while the later start on Saturday enables many volunteer officials to support the event without the cost of overnight accommodation.

The new format retains the high-quality Forestry Commission stages which have gained the event its international reputation and allows the inclusion of competitive driving in the dark on Saturday evening. The midday Finish on Sunday (for MSA BRC and Mintex MSA HRCR British Historic Rally Championship contenders) makes it possible for the majority of these competitors and volunteer officials to be back at work on Monday morning.

Citroën UK crowned manufacturer’s champions as Cronin wins 2012 British Rally Championship and Citroën Racing Trophy UK!

- Cronin and Clarke seal British Rally Championship title with third place in International Rally Yorkshire
- Closest ever finish in the British Rally Championship’s 54-year history as the battle between Pryce and Cave ended in dead heat
- Cave awarded victory by virtue of quicker time on special stage one

Cronin on track as the Citroën Racing Trophy UK heads for the Trackrod

With three overall rally victories this year, two time British Rally Champion Keith Cronin heads into the final International Rally Yorkshire with the Citroën Racing Trophy UK lead. Cronin is on 78 points ahead of Welsh drivers Tom Cave on 69 points and Osian Pryce on 66. Northern Ireland drivers Desi Henry and Johnny Greer are joint fourth with 61 points apiece, with James Grint fifth on 52 and Jarkko Nikara sixth on 34. With a staggering 64,500€  prize fund on offer this season including a Junior prize worth 10,000€ for the first driver under 23 still up for grabs, it’s an important finale on the Trackrod Rally for the DS3 R3 mounted crews.

BRC Rally NI classes, cups and titles

MSA BRITISH MANUFACTURERS RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
This year’s MSA British Manufacturers’ title is a three-way battle between the brands: Citroën, Renault and Ford. Scores towards the title are calculated from the two leading cars from each of the manufacturers.

With Citroën DS3 drivers Keith Cronin scoring his third victory of the season and Osian Pryce claiming his first ever BRC podium with an excellent third place, it means that Citroën UK has extended its lead in the manufacturer’s championship and currently stands on 183 points. Elfyn Evans’ stunning second place in his Ford Fiesta R2, coupled with Matthew Cathcart’s impressive sixth in his similar car, sees Ford Motor Company consolidate its second place on 151 points, whilst the lone finisher for Renault UK Garry Pearson means that they remain third on 133.

The Citroën Racing Trophy UK Series lands on the Ulster tarmac

- The Citroën Racing Trophy UK Series arrives at Ulster this weekend after an eleven-week break
- Desi Henry leads the Trophy standings after four rounds
- Belfast driver Jonny Greer is looking forward to his home round

Round five of the MSA British Rally Championship, the Ulster International Rally, starts at lunchtime on Friday, taking in six special stages, before eight stages are tackled on Saturday ahead of the tea time finish in Antrim. Some daunting strips of tarmac lie ahead, including the famous Torr Head stage, which runs right along the coast-line of the Irish Sea. You can see as far as the Mull of Kintyre from this road which runs from Ballycastle to Cushendun, but the DS3 R3 mounted Citroën Racing Trophy drivers will have no time to admire the awesome views as they tackle it twice on Friday.

Battles rage throughout the BRC in Ulster

MSA British Rally Championship competitors will not only be battling for overall positions when they congregate in Antrim for round five of the six-round 2012 season – the Todds Leap International Rally NI – held this Friday and Saturday. Some will also be fighting for points in the five support championships and three manufacturer one-make series’ that are included in this season’s BRC. And HERE’s how they stand:

MSA BRITISH MANUFACTURERS RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
This year’s MSA British Manufacturers’ title is a three-way battle of the brands: Citroën, Renault and Ford, with scores towards the title calculated from each of the manufacturers’ two leading cars.

Scottish tarmac for round four of the Citroën Trophy UK

Round four of the MSA British Rally Championship, the Jim Clark Rally, based in the border town of Duns, the famous home town of the late Formula 1 legend Jim Clark and former World Ladies Rally Champion, plays host this weekend. It’s the first of two tarmac rounds of the championship for the crews in the Citroën DS3 R3 machines, and series leader Desi Henry is looking forward to the event, having had a great run here last year in his C2 R2 Max.

Tom Cave claims maiden BRC victory

After a dramatic day’s action, Tom Cave and co-driver Craig Parry emerged winners of the Bulldog International Rally of North Wales and in doing so, recorded their first MSA British Rally Championship victory.

They finished just three seconds ahead of Keith Cronin/Marshall Clarke, who were in-turn 11.7 seconds ahead of Jarkko Nikara/Petri Nikara – all three crews in Citroën DS3s and proving once again that the BRC’s two-wheel-drive formula provides ultra-close competition.