Extracts from
www.britishrallychampionship.co.uk/M-Sport factory driver Adrien Fourmaux stamped his mark on the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship by taking victory at the opening round of the 2023 season, The Malcolm Wilson Rally.
In difficult conditions, Fourmaux and co-driver Alex Coria took their Pirelli-shod Ford Fiesta Rally2 to a convincing victory in the snow-laden Cumbrian stages, finishing 53 seconds ahead of last-years BRC runners up Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin. Elliot Payne and Tom Woodburn delivered an impressive drive in their Fiesta Rally2, recording their debut BRC podium in third.
Based at the home of the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team in Cockermouth, the Malcolm Wilson Rally was set to take a new generation of top-flight BRC1 contenders into classic stages in the Lake District forests and kick start the new season with the ultimate gravel test.
But mother nature delivered a cruel blow in the 48 hours ahead of the event, with heavy snow severely impacting access to the stages, leaving the organisers no choice but to significantly alter the itinerary just hours ahead of the rally start as the planned eight stages became five.
Fourmaux, who mounted his inaugural BRC campaign in the search of seat time outside of his World Rally Championship campaign with the M-Sport squad, took the stages in his stride and professed to find the classic Grizedale loop once of the nicest forest stages he encountered.
And the Frenchman had a right to be upbeat, setting fastest time on three stages and a time 17 seconds quicker than anyone else over the first Grizedale test, Fourmaux kicked off his BRC campaign in fine style and was understandably delighted with the win.
However, it could have easily been a different story as crews emerged from the opening Greystoke stage, it was James Williams who was out front, but only by a tenth of a second. Williams and co-drover Dai Roberts adapted to their new Michelin-rubbered Fiesta Rally2 with ease, giving Fourmaux and the chasing pack something to think about over the following Grizedale stages.
Cronin didn’t quite feel at home in his Volkswagen Polo GTi on the first pass of Greystoke but was third and his troubles were amplified in Grizedale, catching the Rally1 Puma of WRC driver Jourdan Serderidis and dropping a chunk of time. Fastest time over the next test showed the intent was there, but power steering issues in his Volkswagen Polo GTi hampered a chargeback. Second place was a solid start to his fifth title chase.
Despite electing not to carry out pre event recce, Elliot Payne returned a sensational drive in his Fiesta Rally2 to round out the podium spots. A cautious approach to the Grizedale loop ensured he was well placed to take advantage from other misfortunes, and he did just that, taking third and his first ever BRC podium.
The battle between fourth and sixth was a fascinating watch over the final two tests of the rally in Greystoke. With the ice now thawed, it was maximum attack from all sides and the biggest climber was stage one victor, Williams. A puncture in Grizedale dropped him down to sixth but a fight back ensued over the mud strewn tests and the young Welshman hauled his way back to fourth by the finish.
Callum Black was back in the BRC for the first time since 2014 and brought his Fiesta Rally2 home in fifth spot with Jack Morton on the notes. Using some new rubber for the first time meant he would pick up the pace as the day progressed and battled with returnee Garry Pearson in the Hankook backed Skoda Fabia.
Pearson suffered clutch woes on the longest test which hampered progress, but he and Hannah McKillop salvaged sixth. Eamonn Kelly wasn’t enjoying the conditions over the morning stages and lacked the confidence to push, but took seventh in his Polo with Conor Mohan on the notes, ahead of Hugh Bruton and Drew Sturrock. Allen Dubasu claimed his first BRC finish with a solid run his his Fiesta Rally2 with Max Freeman alongside.
The British Rally Championship switched its focus to asphalt for round 2 and the first of four back to back asphalt events, as the Jim Clark Rally took crews to the rapid closed road stages of the Scottish Borders.
Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux was almost untouchable at the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally, taking back-to-back Motorsport UK British Rally Championship victories, with a sensational event win.
Fourmaux and co-driver Alexandre Coria, opened a whopping 28-second lead after the opening two tests on Friday night, and were never headed throughout Saturday’s tests, taking their Pirelli shod Ford Fiesta Rally2 to a second consecutive BRC win. Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin were their nearest challengers in second, with Callum Black and Jack Morton rounding out the podium.
The breath-taking closed roads in the Scottish Borders near the Duns rally base would predictably provide an action-packed weekend of rallying with over 66 miles of competition spread over two days. Friday evening would prove pivotal in the fight for the top spot, and it was Fourmaux who blew away the opposition over the two passes of Longformacus.
The WRC superstar opened a 12-second lead on the first pass and by the time the sun disappeared over the North Sea, he extended that to 28 seconds as crews headed into the overnight halt.
Nearest rival was Cronin and armed with Michelin’s on his Volkswagen Polo GTi for the first time this season, the Irishman would admit to having to get up to speed compared to Fourmaux’s hefty seat time of late.
Local ace Garry Pearson was third quickest on the opener but threw his Hankook-shod Polo off the road on the second pass and he and co-driver Daniel Barritt would go no further.
That left James Williams and Dai Roberts just over four seconds back in third, adapting well to their new-for-2023 Ford Fiesta Rally2 on their maiden asphalt outing.
Saturday offered a frantic schedule of just six tests, three stages repeated and little chance for huge gains in time. But you would have to scan down the timesheets to find Fourmaux as Cronin did his best to make inroads on the leader. By now, last year’s BRC runner-up had settled nicely into the Polo after eight months out of the seat on a sealed surface.
But it wasn’t enough, and the Frenchmen could afford to manage their lead to take yet another maximum score and their second British Rally Championship win of 2023.
Cronin had some consolation in second, having played second fiddle on the Malcolm Wilson Rally too, his pace this time around was much closer to the sharp end. As a four-time champion, Cronin knew what it takes to win titles.
The fight for third was much more intense heading into the second day with just 25 seconds separating third to sixth. Williams enjoyed a great start to the day, beating Fourmaux and just 1.7 seconds adrift of Cronin on the opener. With one stage to go before service, Williams was just 11 seconds behind, but his hard work would all come to nothing on Fogo, crashing out of third.
Furthermore, the battle for the final podium place became a one-horserace on the Fogo test, as not only did Williams exit, but so did Elliot Payne and Tom Woodburn in their Fiesta Rally2, also crashing out of the rally after a solid performance.
That left Black to sweep up and claim third, despite an impact with a rock on the opening Saturday loop and a pop-off-valve issue, the Fiesta pilot nursed it home to score his first BRC podium since 2014.
Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson enjoyed a positive asphalt debut in their Skoda Fabia, taking fourth place but inherited the spot after Hugh Brunton and Drew Sturrock beached their Fabia on the second pass of Ayton.
Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux secured his third Motorsport UK British Rally Championship win of the season, after a scintillating performance at the Ardeca Ypres Rally in Belgium.
Fourmaux would lock horns with fellow countryman Stéphane Lefebvre over the opening loop of stages before the former Citroen factory driver exited the event after a spectacular roll on Friday afternoon.
That left Fourmaux and co-driver Alexandre Coria with just the task of managing their pace over the remaining tests, which the Pirelli-shod Ford Fiesta Rally2 crew executed perfectly, to take yet another maximum haul of points for their championship. Their win would also give the British Rally Championship its first victory at the Ypres Rally on its fourth visit to the popular Belgian event.
A last-minute registration for Davy Vanneste proved fruitful for the Belgian, taking his Volkswagen Polo GTi to second on his BRC debut whilst Garry Pearson kept the Belgian ditches at arm’s length to secure his first BRC podium of 2023.
Ypres Rally is one of the most highly regarded rallies in the world, with breathtakingly fast stages and unforgiving cuts a feature of the two-day event. The longest in the BRC calendar, it was always highly likely to throw up some surprises over the 137 miles, 18-stage rally; and it didn’t disappoint.
The BRC would go head-to-head with its Belgian counterparts in the Belgian Rally Championship and the local heroes are often hard to beat on home turf. After qualifying determined road order on Thursday night, Friday’s opening leg housed eight tricky tests with a mid-afternoon start and the finish in the fading daylight.
It was Lefebvre and Fourmaux who became the targets, swapping fastest stage times by just tenths of a second over the opening loop. But the Michelin-backed Citroen C3 Rally2 of Lefebvre and co-driver Loris Pascaud would leave the road on the Messen-Middelhoek stage in dramatic style, rolling around 12 times after getting out of shape in a tricky section of the test.
Fourmaux enjoyed a comfortable gap to nearest rival Vanneste and much like the Jim Clark Rally before, was able to manage his lead throughout the second day. Even ECU issues in the closing stages didn’t unsettle the Frenchman, and he was eager to bring home the spoils after his last visit here as part of the World Rally Championship, saw him crash his Rally1 Puma in dramatic style.
But there were no such troubles this time around, taking both the BRC and coveted Ypres Rally victory, his home event.
Vanneste and co-driver Kris D’alleine inherited second after Lefebvre’s demise on Friday and that’s where they would stay after the battle for the remaining podium spots went the way of Pearson.
The Scotsman and co-driver Daniel Barritt were delighted to clinch a BRC podium after a Jim Clark Rally to forget, their Hankook rubbered Polo crossing the ramp in Ypres without a scratch on it, an impressive feat on Pearson’s first attempt at the Belgian event.
But it could so easily have been different.
Despite limited testing before the event, James Williams and Dai Roberts were taking the fight to the Belgian crews and sat third BRC crew overnight as the confidence grew. But power steering failure forced their Fiesta Rally2 into a ditch and the subsequent time lost extracting the Ford meant they would drop significantly down the order. Fourth was little comfort for a sterling drive throughout the weekend.
In a rally of attrition, the Belgian lanes claimed many crews but their resilience and desire for points saw them overcome adversity throughout the weekend.
Adrien Fourmaux etched his name alongside an illustrious list of rallying legends by taking a sensational Modern Tyres Ulster Rally victory and a maximum score in the fourth round of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship.
The Pirelli shod Ford Fiesta Rally2 ace stamped his authority on the leaderboard from the opening stage on Friday afternoon and was never headed, to give him and co-driver Alexandre Coria four wins on the bounce in the BRC and tighten their grip on the championship with three rounds remaining.
But it wasn’t a straightforward fight for the Ulster Rally win for the Frenchman. Aiming to join a list of previous winners such as Colin McRae, Walter Rohrl, Stig Blomqvist and even his own boss M-Sport’s Malcolm Wilson, he would be faced with biblical rain and heavy winds courtesy of Storm Betty which graced much of Northern Ireland on Friday afternoon.
The already tricky lanes around the Newry rally base turned into torrents of running water, but the WRC2 ace is well-versed in what it takes to win a rally and as with many of his victories this season, made hay while the sun shone on the opening loop of tests.
The early lead enabled him to consolidate the position when the weather deteriorated in the fading light of Friday night and he would head to bed on Friday night with a seven-second cushion to nearest challenger Callum Devine. Saturday’s weather was mixed, but slightly more predictable and once again it was a Fourmaux masterclass in managing pace and a rally lead, firing in stage-winning times when he was comfortable and playing it safe when it mattered.
He returned to the podium in Newry with a fourth BRC maximum score and a fifty-point advantage in the standings. But with Fourmaux destined to miss the following round and with double points on offer at the final encounter of 2023, the championship was far from a done deal.
Recognising that fact was Garry Pearson, who elected to play his bonus point-inducing joker in Ulster and the Scot implemented his plan almost to perfection. Driving his Hankook-backed Volkswagen Polo GTi, Pearson and Daniel Barritt simply couldn’t find the confidence in the torrential rain and were in a lowly 15th overall after the opening Friday loop.
Electing not to fight Fourmaux for the win, Pearson’s confidence grew as the weather improved and his sensible approach netted him second BRC contender home, his best championship result to date.
In Fourmaux’s absence, James Williams secured his very first Motorsport UK British Rally Championship victory by taking third overall at the fifth round of the series, the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion.
The 25-year-old Newcastle Emlyn driver and co-driver Dai Roberts excelled on home soil after being reunited with a Michelin-shod Hyundai i20 N Rally2, setting a scintillating pace throughout the weekend to finally seal Williams’ maiden BRC top score, a result he has hankered after since entering the Junior BRC category in 2017.
The Aberystwyth-based event would provide 100 breathtaking stage miles spread across two days, with the super-fast, undulating moorland roads complimented by narrow, hedge-lined lanes to offer one of the toughest challenges on the BRC calendar. The Ceredigion lanes attracted thousands of fans to watch the action on the stages with a truly international feel to the event adding a very special buzz to the region and the rallying community over the two days of competitive driving.
Inch-perfect precision would be required to make the most out of the task ahead and Williams set his stall out early, with third overall on the opening stage and just five seconds shy of early rally leader Meirion Evans. But the brutal Welsh lanes bite back, and Williams made it an uphill task for the remainder of the weekend by taking a trip into a field on the second test, dropping him down the order to sixth.
But the fightback was on for the young charger and despite a brush with a bale on the fan-packed Aberystwyth Street Stage, Williams’ intent was clear. Setting four four scratch times during the second day of the event, he clawed his way back onto the rally podium and with it, that all-important BRC victory. Made even sweeter by playing his bonus points-inducing Joker card, netting him the full five additional points for his win.
Whilst rally winner, 2022 British Rally Champion Osian Pryce and co-driver Stephane Prevot were able to take a convincing win, it would be Garry Pearson and Daniel Barritt who took yet another BRC runner-up spot in their Hankook-backed Volkswagen Polo GTi. Pearson enjoyed a largely trouble-free weekend behind the wheel, even briefly leading the BRC chargers after Williams’ excursion.
But the Scot would be forced to settle for second behind a charging Williams, however, he remains the closest charger to series leader Adrien Fourmaux with two rounds remaining this season.
Alan Carmichael threw his hat into the BRC1 category ring after acquiring a brand new Hyundai i20 N Rally2 at the start of the week. But the Northern Irishman would struggle to adapt to left-hand-drive from the outset. After progressively upping his pace over the opening day, a heavy impact on the front right would eventually put him and co-driver Claire Williams out of the event.
Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux added his name to a spectacular list of champions, by sealing the coveted Motorsport UK British Rally Championship title with victory at Trackrod Rally Yorkshire.
The M-Sport factory ace and co-driver Alexandre Coria blitzed the opposition throughout the two-day event, returning a flawless performance behind the wheel of his Pirelli-shod Ford Fiesta Rally2 to take the overall rally win and with it, the sought-after crown which would head back to the squad’s Dovenby Hall in Cumbria for the first time since 2019.
After the opening 12-mile Dalby Forest test on Friday night, a battle was brewing between Fourmaux and his nearest championship rival Garry Pearson. Fourmaux stopped the clocks just over one second faster than the Scotsman and would need to call on all his World Rally Championship experience to extend that advantage in the daylight of Saturday.
And extend it he did, blasting through the tricky Yorkshire stages with apparent ease to win every single stage of the rally, ensuring he could scribe his name on the trophy alongside superstars such as Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Stig Blomqvist, Ari Vatanen and Elfyn Evans.
Fourmaux was a tour-de-force in the British Championship in 2023, winning every one of the events he contested, meaning he and co-driver Alex Coria took the crown with a round to spare. Further proof, if needed that a return to Rally2 machinery could well put him in good stead for a shot at the World Rally Championship Rally1 top-flight once again in the near future.
That left second place to Pearson and co-driver Daniel Barritt who were sampling their Volkswagen Polo GTi on the gravel for the first time. Complete with a change to Pirelli rubber for the weekend, the pairing put in their best performance of the season so far, ensuring the title was within grasp should Fourmaux falter.
Keeping Fourmaux honest in the darkness of Dalby was a confidence lift but once the daylight arrived, it became a tougher prospect to match his times and despite a gallant effort, would have to take runner up spot away from the weekend.
The battle for the final podium places was less clear cut however but taking third would be Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson. Switching to Michelin for the event, Petch entered into a tussle with Tom Williams who returned to the BRC for the first time since 2021, both drivers swapping times throughout the weekend.
Some set-up changes to Williams’ and co-driver Ross Whittock’s Fiesta Rally2 helped matters on Saturday, but it was too late to catch the Skoda Fabia Rally2 driver and Petch would go on to make good use of his bonus point-inducing Joker card, with third spot and a career best BRC result to boot.
Having already won the title, Fourmaux sat out the final round of 2023, and Garry Pearson finally secured a Motorsport UK British Rally Championship victory by taking second overall at the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally.
The Duns driver and co-driver Hannah McKillop pushed eventual rally winner Tom Cave throughout each of the event’s five tests, to take their Pirelli-shod Volkswagen Polo GTi to Pearson’s maiden BRC victory and more importantly, sealing second place in the championship behind title holder Adrien Fourmaux.
The Llandudno-based event once again offered up some of the best stages in the world, courtesy of the North Wales forests which have seen World Rally Championship title fights played out over the decades. Its unforgiving and technical nature, coupled with tricky and damp conditions in tests such as Cloc and Brenig, would mean there was little margin for error.
Whilst Fourmaux had wrapped up the title in Yorkshire, Pearson still had the pressure of requiring a finish to secure second in the championship and that alone was a big ask in the brutal and world-renowned forests tests.
But Pearson’s season went from strength to strength and the Scot was one only a handful of drivers to emerge from the morning loop of stages with no real stories to tell. His relaxed and calm approach throughout the afternoon, plus a scratch time over the final stage, ensured he could claim his first BRC win of his career.
The return of Ollie Mellors and the Proton Iriz Rally2 to the BRC proved to be a fruitful one, taking second spot, although not taking points away from the remaining championship contenders this weekend.
However, a finish was looking unlikely at the halfway point, as the Michelin-backed Iriz pulled into the stop line of the Brenig test with the car driving at unfavourable angles. That was courtesy of a heavy impact with a log pile and Mellors admitted to being surprised that the car was still driveable after the hit on the rear corner.
But the team were able to repair the issue back in service, ensuring Mellors and co-driver Ian Windress could secure their best BRC finish to date.
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