Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship
Former circuit racing and rally ace Ian Barrett claimed a first-ever rallycross podium in style with a maiden victory in the penultimate round of the Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy at Lydden Hill, while Oliver Bennett claimed a third career 5 Nations BRX win on Sunday on his return to the series (November 2-3).
Barrett (Volkswagen Polo) made the best start from the front row of the final in round nine of the championship on Saturday evening, the race run under floodlights before the Kent circuit’s annual fireworks display, as a slow start for Bennett dropped the BMW Mini driver to third.
Looking to make up ground, Bennett drew alongside John McCluskey (Ford Fiesta) in a bid to overtake into Paddock bend on lap one, the pair making contact and forcing both off track. Bennett recovered and finished fifth, while McCluskey joined a list of retirements that included Colin Anson (Mitsubishi Mirage) and Steve Hill (Mitsubishi Evo) following start line drama.
At the front of the order, Barrett delivered strong pace to drive to victory, while Julian Godfrey (Citroen DS3) and Tristan Ovenden (Citroen DS3) completed the podium, ahead of Gary Donoghue (Ford Fiesta) in fourth.
In the final on Sunday, Barrett again made the best launch, but under pressure from Bennett, it was the Mini driver who moved into the lead up Hairy Hill on lap two, Barrett retiring a lap later with problems. Bennett was thereafter untroubled on route to victory, as McCluskey finished second, defending throughout from Godfrey, to secure second in the drivers’ championship. Behind, Hill overtook Ovenden through joker strategy then defended hard at the end of the race to maintain the position and claim third overall in the standings. Team RX Racing was confirmed as the Teams’ Champions.
Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship
Tyler Mcalpin secured a second-straight Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship title in the penultimate round of the campaign, despite making a slow start in the final and using an early joker lap strategy to climb up the order and ultimately win ahead of Benjamin Bartlett and Cayden Harris. On Sunday, it as Bartlett’s turn to deliver a fight-back drive, as from the back of the grid he climbed to the lead at the first corner to end his year with a third victory of the campaign and finish as runner-up in the standings. Meanwhile Teddie MacPherson finished second to secure third overall, while Phoebe Cake finished on the podium at her home event.
Motorsport UK Supernational Rallycross Championship / BMW MINI Rallycross Championship
The Motorsport UK Supernational Rallycross Championship and the BMW Mini Rallycross Championship raced together at Lydden Hill, and it was Irishman Peter McGarry who stole the show of the Supernational runners, dominating the class with his recently-acquired Volkswagen Polo. Having entered the weekend tied on points in the BMW Mini division, title-protagonists Abbie McGuinness and Wesley Wickens experienced differing results on Saturday, McGuinness claiming victory while Wickens lost out in a battle with fellow title-contender Leigh-Anne Sedgwick and was classified fifth, as Sedgwick and Michael Amlin completed the podium. On Sunday, McGuinness led early on before taking an early joker lap, Wickens moving into a lead he wouldn’t relinquish as second was enough to McGuinness to secure the title. Sedgwick finished third.
Super Retro / Retro Rallycross Championship
The Retro Rallycross Championship categories produced some of the best racing of the weekend at Lydden Hill. In the Super Retro division, four-time British Rallycross Champion Pat Doran (Ford Escort) led the Saturday night final under floodlights, but under pressure from the Porsche 911 of Barry Stewart, lost the lead at the North Bend hairpin mid-race, and was also overtaken by title-rival Charlie French (Ford Escort). On Sunday, Stewart led the final from the front, while under huge pressure from French, but while Stewart held on to claim back-to-back wins, French’s second place was enough to secure the crown for the Tuesday Night Rallycross Team, ahead of Doran who was third in the finale and second in the standings.
In the Retro Rallycross category for up to 1600cc machines, points-leader Dan Swayland (Ford Escort) delivered the performance of a champion, twice making overtakes on track in the finals in the two rounds to take the lead and drive to a brace of victories to secure the crown. Making his Retro RX debut, Bradley Venning twice finished second with a Peugeot 205, while it was Terry Moore (Mini) and points runner-up Tony Lynch (Toyota MR2) that completed the podium on both days.
Swift Sport Rallycross Championship
Will Ovenden secured the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship title in style with a pair of victories, but the former Junior rallycross racer was made to work hard through every race of the weekend by Matt Cake. Making only his second appearance in the single-make Swift category, Cake battled Ovenden hard through the qualifying races and finals on both days, Cake claiming a brace of second place finishes. Andrew Sage finished third in both rounds, despite rolling his car during the qualifying races on Saturday, and recovering to finish the race.
RX150 Championship / Cross Car Championship
Former Swift Sport Rallycross Champion Max Weatherley (LifeLive TN11) secured the inaugural 5 Nations BRX Cross Car Championship title with a dominant performance across the two final rounds at Lydden Hill, winning on both days in the amalgamated RX150 and Cross Car divisions. Top of the RX150 runners on both occasions was already crowned champion Stephen Jones, while Nick Priddy returned for his second weekend of the campaign and was in the mix throughout, ultimately finishing second on both occasions. Former champion Ben Hardy completed the RX150 podium on Saturday, but retired on Sunday with an engine problem, while James Constantine (TN5) worked on getting to grips with his Cross Car machine across the weekend ahead of a 2025 campaign and was twice second in the category.
