Yorkshire: BRC Challenge preview

BRC Challenge down to the wire in Yorkshire

The BRC Challenge heads into the forests of Yorkshire this weekend for the last round of this year's championship, with five drivers in the hunt to be crowned champion.

The Trackrod BRC Challenge event, part of International Rally Yorkshire, will become the home of one of the most exciting finishes to a season the Dulux Trade British Rally Championship's support series has ever witnessed.

The BRC Challenge gives competitors the chance to take part on the country's most prestigious rally events on both tarmac and gravel. The championship is open to two wheel drive cars with no need for homologation. Alongside this there are capped entry fees providing the competitors with great value for money.

The Championship can be used as a fiercely competitive stand-alone Championship or act as a feeder to the main series with the winner taking free Rally 1 entries to all 2011 Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship events, a prize worth around 0x00a35000.

And it's this type of incentive that has provided us with one of the most competitive seasons of rallying in BRC Challenge history.

The five championship contenders coming into the final round all know that Rally Yorkshire provides points and a half to all finishers. And that could just make the difference between winning the title and coming a close second.

The Championship leading five are separated by just 15 points, meaning one mistake could decide where the title goes.

One man hoping to maintain his advantage in Yorkshire is the current championship leader with 108 points, Callum Black. The Englishman from Northampton has scored consistently over the year to lead the points table. He is also the leading the junior driver category.

Second placed driver is Yorkshireman Chris Peart who will be hoping to turn his local event into home advantage. He currently trails Black by just three points.

The two English drivers will not have it all their own way as they will be chased hard by the gaggle of Celts in Fiestas.

Leading the Celtic trio is Welshman John Pritchard who scored his maiden victory of the season at the Ulster event last month. The two strong finishes on his nominated double-header thrust him straight into title contention, now just four points off leader Black.

Eleven points off the lead with 97, is Scottish driver Alex Laffey. Laffey has started to show his pace of late and had a good Ulster Rally. Laffey was determined to win out in Ireland, so will be looking towards victory in Yorkshire. He also has a fight on his hands for the Junior Driver award as he currently lies in second place behind Black.

The fifth driver in contention for the 2010 honours is Irishman Jonathan Cunningham, who is just four points behind Laffey. The likeable Cumbrian based driver will be a threat in the Yorkshire Forests as he has already been crowned Fiesta SportChallenge Champion for 2010.

The prize for winning the SportChallenge was a drive in a factory backed R2 Fiesta on the international event, but he gave this opportunity up in order to pursue his ambition of being crowned BRC Challenge champion.

With the five crews coming from all corners of the British Isles it adds to the true nature of a national series. So the race to become 2010 BRC Challenge Champion is on in Yorkshire with a title showdown which really has come down to the wire!

Six stages await the BRCC crews this Saturday (25th), starting from Marine Drive in Scarborough and heading out to the Dalby Forest complex for two loops split by a well earned service halt. The finish is back at 16:15 back at Marine Drive where the 2010 champions will be crowned.

-source: brc