AFTER more than 40 years of hosting rallycross events, Croft Circuit, near Darlington, has announced that there will be no rallycross meetings at the venue in 2010.

With increasing demand for the 40 days the circuit is allowed to operate within the High Court injunction served on it earlier this year, it means that it is not commercially viable for the leaseholders, the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), to run rallycross meetings, especially as crowds have been disappointing over the past couple of seasons, mainly down to very bad weather.

As one of the original circuits hosting the sport when it was invented in the late 1960s, Croft became a household name with live terrestrial television coverage on BBC’s Grandstand and latterly ITV’s World of Sport.

Even when the circuit fell into disrepair in 1981 and circuit racing ceased for more than a decade, rallycross remained at the North Yorkshire track. In 1987, when local heroes such as Mark Rennison and Michael Shield were in their prime, crowds of 25,000 regularly watched such events as the Inter Nations Cup and British Championships there.

Rallycross continued right through the 1990s and into the new millennium whereby the British Rallycross Grand Prix and more recently, the Rallycross Superprix hosted the very best international drivers in exotic, high-powered machinery, including such legends as Martin Schanche, Will Gollop and more recently, multiple European champion, Kenneth Hansen.

Chief executive of BARC, Dennis Carter said: “We have had to take this decision purely on commercial grounds and sadly, there will be no rallycross at Croft next year.

“With having the operating restrictions in place we now have following the High Court injunction, we have to carefully look at how best to utilise the days available to us and, sadly, rallycross doesn’t fit with our plans at present but we hope to review the situation for 2011.”

With Croft being the only rallycross circuit south of Knockhill, near Edinburgh, and north of Mallory Park, near Leicester, the huge contingent of northern competitors and the many local fans will have a journey of about three hours to attend their nearest rallycross meetings next year.

Local driver Kevin Procter, from Leeming, who is a regular competitor in the European Rallycross Championship in his 550bhp Ford Focus, and who won last month’s Rallycross Superprix at Croft, is naturally disappointed with the decision.

“It’s a crying shame that it’s come to this,” he said. “Only having 40 competitive days a year now has had a severe impact on Croft.

“As a businessman, I fully understand what the BARC are doing and I’d do exactly the same as rallycross doesn’t bring in the revenue of other events.

“But it also means I can’t use my car at a facility just a few miles up the road, nor entertain my guests and sponsors like I usually do. But these things happen. I just hope other events don’t go the same way and maybe rallycross will feature at Croft again in the future.”

FOLLOWING the Jack Neal Memorial Rally in May, where they finished in 12th place overall and second in class, Great Broughton brothers Ian and Stephen Woodhouse returned to Blyton Airfield, in Lincolnshire, last weekend to contest the Clitheroe and District Motor Club-organised Hall Trophy Stages Rally.

Bettering their previous result, the pair ended the day in an impressive seventh overall, taking with it a class victory in their 1600cc Peugeot 205 and will be hoping to maintain their good form when the contest the Specsavers Christmas Stages Rally on January 2 and Cartersport Jack Frost Stages Rally, also at Croft, two weeks later.

Tomorrow’s annual Coppermines Grizedale Stages Rally gets under way in the Lake District with a couple of local drivers making a welcome return to the sport.

Having sat out much of the 2009 season, Scorton’s Steve Petch, as well as son Stephen Petch, from Hamsterley, will be back in action on one of the SGP Motorsport team’s favourite events.

Petch junior will be at the wheel of the Hyundai Accent WRC as he goes in search of his first win and if he does manage it, he will add his name to the winner’s list alongside his father, who is reunited with Exelby co-driver John Richardson at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer.

Other locals who are in with a shout of a good result are Bishop Auckland’s Tristan Pye in his John Pye Motorsport Subaru Impreza, and Tow Law co-driver Mike Wilkinson, who aims to guide local ace David Wright to victory in their Mitsubishi Evo IX.

Mitsubishi driver Gavin Collyer, from Brotton, returns after his Tour of Hamsterley shunt in the spring, and the Barnard Castle pairing of John Bainbridge and Giles Dykes will also be in action in their Subaru.

After the historic field, which leaves Coniston car park at 9.01am, Penrith driver Paul Bird (Ford Focus WRC) will lead the main class off at 9.25am.

Spectators can catch the action at High Barn, near Hawkshead, at 9.46am and 1.45pm, High Cross at 9.54am and 1.54pm, the Heald (Scissors) at 9.28am and 1.27pm, and Bowkerstead at 9.25am and 1.24pm.

Parking costs £5 per car and further information is available at grizedalestages.co.uk.

DUE TO deep standing water on the Teesside Autodrome circuit, round six of the Stockton and District Motor Club Ironman kart series was cancelled on Sunday.

The race has been rescheduled to take place on Sunday, December 27.

Meanwhile, this Sunday sees the Teesside venue host the club’s final round of the 2009 Formula 1000 and Formula Junior rally series.

Competitors as young as 14 will take to the stages in fully rally-prepared 1000cc cars for a day of action around the Langbaurgh track.