AN original Prodrive Subaru Impreza used in the making of a film about legendary rally driver Colin McRae is among the exciting line up of cars entered for Croft Circuit’s forthcoming Christmas Stages Rally next Saturday.

The iconic car with one of the top Prodrive team’s famed registration plates, N555 BAT, was originally rallied by Italy’s Piero Liatti and Frenchman Didier Auriol alongside the sister car of the late McRae when he dominated the world rallying scene in the mid-nineties.

More recently, Olympic gold medal hero Sir Chris Hoy MBE has driven the Subaru during the making of a BBC documentary about fellow Scotsman McRae’s career, ironically to be aired the day before the rally.

The car’s owner is Ryan Champion from Castleton and himself one of Britain’s top rally drivers in recent years.

The former Mitsubishi Challenge winner has now been tempted to enter it for the Christmas Stages Rally which takes at North Yorkshire’s Croft Circuit just outside Darlington where he’ll be hoping he can go one better than the last time he entered the event in it. Back then in 2010, he came a very close second despite the ice and snow which usually adds to the spectacle.

It is anticipated that Champion and Scruton’s Kevin Procter, in a more modern Subaru WRC, could be set for a titanic battle along with the MG Metro 6R4 of Pickhill driver Chris Wise. Two more notable entries are a pair of latest specification Proton Satria Neo S2000s which have contested this year’s Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and will be driven by Yorkshire brothers Ollie and Ben Mellors plus Darlington’s Paul Swift, this year’s North of England Tarmacadam Rally Champion, in his Ford Escort Mk2.

In all, event organiser Northallerton Automobile Club has received around 80 entries for what is traditionally a popular event among competitors and fans.

Champion said: “It’s quite odd knowing that people will be able to watch my car in the BBC documentary on Friday with Sir Chris Hoy MBE driving it and then come and see me driving it at Croft the following day on the Christmas Stages Rally.

“I’m expecting a very tough fight with Kevin Procter, if it’s icy or a bit greasy then we have a chance, but if it’s fully dry then I think he might have the upper hand.

“Don’t get me wrong, his car might have a few more tricks than mine but he is still a superb driver.

“There’s also lots of quality elsewhere on the entry list and the public are in for a real spectacle and plenty of variety.

“For me it’s a great chance to get out there and blow away the cobwebs. I haven’t rallied competitively recently, but it was great fun doing the documentary with Sir Chris.

“He’s shown an interest in taking up motor sport and he was actually pretty good behind the wheel when he drove the Subaru.”

Admission for adults is £10 per person with accompanied children aged 15 and under free. Gates open at 8am with the rally getting under way at 9.00am.

PREPARATIONS for the new 2013 RAC Rally Championship are running apace in the build-up to the opening event amid unprecedented interest from potential competitors.

The latest news is that draft championship regulations and championship registration forms are now available to download from the championship website.

The dedicated RAC Rally Championship website has recently gone live and can be found at www.racrallychamp.org In addition, the championship has a Facebook page at facebook.com/RACrallychamp and can be followed on Twitter at @RACRallyChamp.

Ahead of the start of the championship, both the Roger Albert Clark Rally and the RAC Rally Championship will have a major presence at Autosport International at the NEC Birmingham between January 10 and 13.

Rally and championship manager Colin Heppenstall will be on hand throughout the show and championship eligibility scrutineer John Cooper will be there on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

They will be delighted to meet prospective competitors and answer questions about both the rally and the championship. The stand number is 6814.

With many of the region’s drivers expected to contest the series, the 2013 championship starts on the Red Kite Stages in January and event regulations are available from www.redkitestages.co.uk.