Round 2 of the British Rallycross Championship gets underway at the home of Rallycross: Lydden Hill, Kent this weekend – boasting a bumper entry of more than 100 drivers.
Round 2 of the British Rallycross Championship gets underway at the weekend and the bumper entry list includes competitors from 12 different classes – with 14 Supercar entries.
The MSA British Rallycross Championship will be joined this weekend by the Belgian Rallycross Championship for its second round, more than 50 drivers are heading over the Channel to compete. Jochen Coox won the opening round of the season in his ex-Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo, and will be joined at Lydden by Jos Jansen and Johnny Verkuringen in the Supercar category. Belgian competitors in Super1600 and Supernational will also be in action.
Liam Doran, who recently confirmed his World RX entry with JRM Motorsport – will race a Citroen C4 in the Supercar class. Doran will join Rooke in the LDM camp this weekend, driving the C4 that he used to win X Games gold medal in 2011.
Ford Fiesta driver Kevin Procter leads the title race following victory at the opening round of the championship at Croft Circuit earlier this month. Supercar newcomer Dan Rooke, who starred on his debut in the Supercar category driving an LDM Citroen DS3 will hope to continue his so far excellent form.
London-based Irishman Ollie O’Donovan is third in the championship thanks to finishing third in round one, driving his Tony Bardy Motorsport prepared Ford Focus, and treats Lydden Hill as his ‘home’ event. The former British Rallycross champion won at the Kent venue last August.
Reigning champion Julian Godfrey suffered brake problems with his Ford Fiesta in the final at Croft, having started from pole position. Godfrey, for whom this is also the local event, is the master of doing what is required to collect points towards his championship tally and knows his way around Lydden as well as any of his rivals.
Dave Bellerby made his first full-time Supercar start at Croft in an ex-Dermot Carnegie Ford Fiesta and finished fourth. He returns to the Lydden circuit this weekend where, in 2007, he became the last driver to win a British Championship event overall in a two-wheel drive car. Another podium finisher from the same event, “Mad Mark” Watson is targeting similar fortune this weekend as he makes his first start of the season, having been forced to miss the opening round due to technical melodies.
British Touring Car Championship race-winner Dave Newsham qualified for the final at Croft on the Power Maxed Racing team’s debut in British Rallycross, but was unable to take the start in the final due to a misfiring engine. Both team and driver will continue their multi-surface learning this weekend, as will former Super1600 champion Jack Thorne who has graduated to Supercar for this season and finished sixth at round one, behind Steve Harris.
In the supporting championships, World Rallycross driver Janis Baumanis (Latvia) will make a guest appearance in the RX150 Rallycross Championship, as he continues his WRX season preparations.
For more information, please visit: www.rallycrossbrx.com
Top Photo: Lydden Hill, the home of RX get set for the second round of the British Rallycross Championship. © JKR/ERC24