AFTER 18 months of solid hard work undertaken by the British Trials and Rally Drivers Association Rallycross Committee and other interested parties, the BTRDA have now announced their 2014 calendar and class structure.

In 2013, the BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross didn’t take place due to the limited number of rallycross venues available and the prohibitive costs of hiring circuits in the UK.

However, for 2014, a compact calendar has been announced which will see the Championship visit three circuits, with the drivers able to drop one score at the end of the season. The organisers have kept the traditional double points opportunity for the last round which will take place at the Croft Circuit near Darlington.

The calendar also sees the return of the Blyton circuit, however not as it was known. The new circuit will only use around 30 per cent of track which was used prior to 2013. The layout will be tighter and twistier and is more in line with a European track than one normally seen in the UK. It will also be the only circuit in the UK to run in an anti-clockwise direction which is sure to add an extra dimension for all competitors.

In addition to the six round Championship calendar, the BTRDA have also announced that a standalone single class event will once again take place this time at Blyton at the end of the season. Now re-named as the BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Trophy, this event follows on from the extremely successful 75th Anniversary Rallycross event which recently took place at the Croft Circuit last month and was won by Darlington driver Paul Swift in his Ford Escort Mk2.

The 2014 BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship structure will see classes for Clubman Supercar, Super Modified (sub divisions; Up to 1600cc, 1601cc to 2100cc and over 2100cc), Production (sub divisions; Up to 1600cc 8v, Up to 1600cc 16v, Up to 1600cc VVT, 1601cc to 2000cc), BMW Mini, Classic Minicross and Junior Rallycross (any Junior Rallycross vehicle up to 1400cc).

This structure allows for a wide range of cars and budgets as well as giving the competitor the structural ladder to progress to a higher class once they have familiarised themselves with the sport.

For 2014 the class structure see’s the introduction of a Clubman Supercar class which although still follows MSA and FIA regulations for competing cars, it does have restrictions on the drivers which can take part. Supercar drivers will be invited to four out of the six Championship events and will have their own class championship.

The Super Modified class operates as it did previously, with the only change being Modified 2000 cars being moved into a newly titled Production class. This Production class will now include all those cars which previously raced in Stock Hatch and Hot Hatch plus the introduction of a new 1600cc VVT (Variable Valve Timing) sub division which will allow for newer and faster machinery.

The MDA (Minicross Drivers Association) will once again have two classes within the BTRDA Championship which are for the BMW Mini and the Classic Minicross cars. The only change within the BMW Mini class will be the introduction of a supercharged class for this vehicle.

For the first time the Championship will move away from a single make Junior class and instead align their regulations in line with the MSA regulations for Junior Rallycross Cars which allows any make of vehicle up to 1400cc, providing it has a Junior Rallycross log book.

Competitors are still able to compete in Rallycross, without having to do an ARDS or BARS test and only need a minimum licence of Non Race National B. Entry fees will be kept as competitive as possible whilst making all events viable and are likely to be around the £195 mark. Championship events will feature Open Practice, a minimum of two, four lap heats and five lap finals.

Championship registration is £50 which includes BTRDA membership and is available by visiting www.btrda.com or check out the official website at www.clubmansrallycross.

weebly.com Bill Skermer, BTRDA Championship co-ordinator said: “With the huge interest shown at the recent Croft event, as well as continued enquiries on the back of the BBC 2 Top Gear feature, we are very positive about the forthcoming 2014 season.

We have had over 150 enquiries about Clubman Rallycross in the past 18 months.

If we can get some of these drivers to come and have a go, as well as current Clubman competitors, then we believe we will have a stable base of at least 60 competitors at each Championship round.”