Fantasy Rallying
or Serious Plans?

Nearer to home we have the British Open series of the home internationals for homologated cars. This year the Junior Championship is moving from using the Peugeot 306 S16 in a Group A minus form to class N3. Peugeots built for over £30,000 are now failing to find buyers at £17,000 - while N3 Astras are available for around £12-14,000. You only get five rounds, although the new scoring system makes seven scores out of these. Mileage on the events ranges from about 120 on the forest events to 200+ on tarmac. To do the events including recce requires at least 12 days off work and there are some stiff hotel and ferry bills to be paid.
Recent competitor: Catherine Phillipson

Closer to home, in some respects, is the Mintex series, which kicks off with our own fabulous Bournemouth Winter Rally. Each round has about 70 stage miles in the forest, 120 on tarmac. The series does not stay close to home and with the loyalty points scoring system crews intending to win pots really have to travel. The Granite City is based in Aberdeen - a rally prone to lose stages to snow and the rocky forests add a lot to the tyre and repair bill. The Manx National is well run but brings other costs as the only tarmac round in the series - increased by the huge sums charged by the Isle of Man Steam Racket Company. It all becomes a lot easier later in the season for Southerners and it is a very friendly championship. It is also the home of the Ladies "Coupe des Dames" with significant prize money and help with publicity from some company called Rick Smith & Associates.
Recent competitor: John Blaber, Rick Smith.
Co-ordinator: Roger Evans 01656-650228

The EARS Motorsport Motoring News tarmac sealed surface championship is for those brave people who like the black stuff (or, in the case of the Cheviot Stages, the white slippery stuff). This year sees the introduction of rounds at Millbrook and on Mull with trips to Cornwall and Ireland making up the rounds. Again some expensive travel but the mileage should make up for it. The organisation of the Irish rounds has been commented on by Sue and Graham in previous Windscreens, but it has not stopped them going back.
Recent competitor: Sue Orchard, Graham Morris
Co-ordinator: Andrew Haill 0121-313-1416

The BTRDA Rally series offers 9 forest events with little bits of tarmac sealed surface on the Somerset Stages and the Cambrian. You may elect to do up to 8 of the rounds of which 6 scores count. They are all good quality events spread interestingly around the country and with entries at around £250, but at only 45 miles the phrase "Wham, bam, thankyou ma'am" does spring to mind.
Recent competitor: Richard Phillipson
Co-ordinator: Andrew Kellitt 01768-867978

The Welsh National Rally Championship is being sponsored by Allways Executive Travel who are offering prizes of travel to and for motorsport events. The forest rallies range from 45 mile National B events to the Vauxhall Rally of Wales. There are 8 events to choose from and 6 to count. Southern is a member of the WAMC so we are already eligible to compete. The events have the advantage of all being based in Wales (obviously), ranging from the Forest of Dean and Swansea to Llandrindod Wells to Llandudno. It does give you plenty of experience on the "classic" Welsh forests which the Network Q RAC is so fond of using. The slight disadvantage is that as the championship cuts across many others there is less chance to get to know your fellow competitors, but the overlap means that this one may be worth registering for as well as the BTRDA or Mintex.
Recent competitor: Richard Phillipson
Co-ordinator: Steve Gregg 01746-765368

More locally, Southern are also members of the ACSMC which promotes a broad range of championships. The successful exploits of Southern members in these competitions is chronicled separately. The Forestry championship starts with the Winter Rally and has four other rounds. If you did want to take in just a few WRC events you could do this as well... ACSMC also offers the Goodwood-based Sussex Challenge, a six round series which is the ultimate in single venue rallying. A healthy Road Rally championship will take competitors in standard or modified cars over the most puzzling roads in Southern England. With 11 rounds to choose from, you can get lost anywhere from Kent to Devon. And a ten-round Tarmac™ championship gives you four shots at Longcross and a chance to beat the Motoring News boys at Millbrook. The ACSMC championship events will be shown in the Forward Planner this year to remind people when they are on.
Recent competitors: James Potter and Ian Torkington (Forest), Vanessa Linley (Sussex), Mark Straker (Tarmac™)
Co-ordinator: 'Paz' Parry 01705-648425

Driving, navigating or marshalling there is no shortage of choice, and choosing a championship gives structure to the year's competition. And whatever you do let your fans at Southern know all about it through the competitors round-up page of Windscreen - they love to hear about your latest accident.