Korhonen breaks ten-year Finnish BRC drought

Jukka Korhonen and Marko Salminen finished the final stage of the Pirelli Richard Burns Foundation Rally 42.5 seconds clear of the chasing pack, making the 29 year old the first Finn to win a round of the MSA British Rally Championship since Jari-Matti Latvala ten year ago.

The pair led from start to finish in their Citroën DS3 R3T, building a lead of around a minute before easing off on Sunday when Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble’s early challenge was curtailed by a puncture on Saturday’s fifth stage.

The victory was a smooth one; car and team working seamlessly on the eighty mile event, with Korhonen admitting that he had speed to spare if needed. With the win comes a maximum points haul towards a championship title that he had vowed to win as long ago as last year – so far, so good.

Northern Ireland’s Donnelly crowned Pirelli UK Star Driver

Mark Donnelly has won this year’s prestigious Pirelli UK Star Driver shootout after impressing a panel of four judges during a two-day showdown based at the iconic motorsport complex of Sweet Lamb in mid Wales.

Donnelly, who won the opening round of this year’s Pirelli-supported MSA British Rally Championship, beat off stiff competition from six other finalists to claim one of the most coveted prizes in British motorsport. The 21-year-old from Omagh in Northern Ireland wins a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in a full British Rally Championship campaign courtesy of the series’ official tyre supplier, Pirelli. Next year he will compete on all seven British rounds at the wheel of a Citroen DS3 R3 from David Greer Motorsport.

2013 Pirelli Star Driver competition to focus on RallyTwo and Juniors

Pirelli Star Driver selections from next season’s MSA British Rally Championship will come exclusively from the new BRC RallyTwo and Junior Rally Championships.

Focusing on the lower categories and providing a leg up the ladder, the popular Pirelli-funded initiative which enters its seventh year in 2013, will select one finalist from each of the seven championship qualifying rallies choosing drivers who are competing in classes 6 to 10 (Rally1 and 2) only.

Pirelli UK Motorsport Manager Matthew Corby said:
“Pirelli is committed to rallying in the UK and is particularly keen to help new drivers entering the BRC to progress. The Pirelli Star Driver concept has already helped five drivers including the 2010 winner Elfyn Evans, who now has the WRC Academy title to his credit.

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.

Best result of season for Korhonen on Rally Yorkshire

Finland’s Jukka Korhonen saved the best until last when he scored his season’s best result of fifth place in the final round of the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship which took place with the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire this weekend.

Driving the Pirelli TEG Sport Skoda Fabia R2, the 27-year-old from Siikajarvi, who won last year’s Pirelli UK Star Driver award, gradually climbed the leader board from holding seventh place overall after Friday night’s stage in Dalby.

BRC’s 2012 Pirelli UK Star Driver prize announced

Italian tyre firm Pirelli has agreed terms with Citroën Racing to run a Citroën DS3 R3 as part of next year’s highly-regarded MSA British Rally Championship Pirelli UK Star Driver scheme.

The Pirelli Star Driver programme was set up in 2008 to reward aspiring rally drivers with a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in a full British Rally Championship campaign courtesy of Pirelli.

Based on merit, one driver is selected for the Pirelli Star Driver shootout from each of the six qualifying rallies in this year’s British Rally Championship. Drivers can only be selected on one occasion with an automatic nomination awarded to the British Junior Rally Champion.

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.

Cronin claims third 2012 BRC victory in Ulster

Keith Cronin and co-driver Marshall Clarke scored their third MSA British Rally Championship victory in succession when they won this weekend’s round five, the Todds Leap International Rally NI. Driving their Citroën DS3, they led the event from the first of its 14 stages and never looked likely to relinquish their advantage, which stood at impressive one-minute 32.7-seconds by the time cars crossed the finish line in Antrim.

Just as impressive was the performance of second-placed Elfyn Evans/Phil Pugh in their Ford Fiesta R2. Like the winners, the two Welshmen also held their position throughout the rally and, as well as securing Class 6 for R2 category cars, they also beat the rest of the R3 category field and were one-minute and five-seconds ahead of their nearest rivals. But most importantly, their fifth class win of the season means Evans secures the title for the R2 category with one round remaining.

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.

Tarmac tests BRC title hunters

The tarmac of this year’s Jim Clark International Rally not only put the combatants for the overall MSA British Rally Championship title to the test, but battles raged throughout the field on the Scottish Borders lanes this Diamond Jubilee weekend.

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.