2015 British Rally Championship

This press released was issued in the last few days about the future of the BRC. Why they feel the need to take a year out is beyond me. One assumes that those rallies in the BRC will carry on anyway?

Makes interesting if strange reading. But how the mighty have fallen. Years ago the BRC was a superb championship, but things are much different now... perhaps the break will finally get the BRC back to being a very good championship again?

Check out more on the BRC website at.. http://www.rallybrc.co.uk/latest-news/1706-uk-rally-end-of-a-chapter.html

MSA & IMS take British Rally Championship in-house from 2016

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) is delighted to announce that the British
Rally Championship (BRC) will be run by International Motor Sports (IMS),
the governing body’s commercial arm, from 2016.

The MSA put the organisation and promotion of the BRC out to tender in March
and received only two submissions. After careful consideration of the
proposals and other research, the MSA concluded that the best solution for
the championship was to take greater control and begin a new era for the
BRC.

In order to enable IMS to take stock and lay the best possible foundations
for the re-launched championship, the BRC will take a one-year break in
2015. During this time IMS will undertake further consultation before
deciding which types of events, cars and drivers should comprise Britain’s
premier rally championship in the coming years.

The move draws to a close UK Rally’s successful stewardship of the
championship over the past 10 years, led by Mark Taylor.

Rob Jones, MSA Chief Executive, said:

“We considered both of the tenders very carefully and took soundings from
around the sport, but ultimately we concluded that the best way forward was
to bring it in-house and start again. The BRC is one of the UK’s premier
championships and to rest it for a year was not a decision that we took
lightly. It is certainly a big move, but we gather a lot of feedback from
around the country and one thing that our members tell us is that they
really want us to govern and lead the sport.

“I would like to pay tribute to Mark Taylor and everyone at UK Rally that
has worked so hard on the BRC for the past decade. Mark has often borne the
brunt of some of the problems with the sport and has taken the championship
through very difficult economic times, but no one has put more time and
effort into the BRC than Mark. If it wasn't for him, it is highly
questionable whether there would even be a British Championship at all right
now.”

Ben Taylor, IMS Managing Director, said:

“This is a really exciting opportunity, both for the sport and for the MSA,
and we are delighted to be entrusted with making a success of the country’s
flagship rally championship. Last year, in preparation for the tender
process, we talked to a whole range of people in and around the current
championship to understand the views of the sport. It was striking just how
many suggested that the MSA should take the BRC back in-house and rebuild it
from the ground up.

“We have looked very carefully at whether we could do it in time for 2015
but we concluded that that would inevitably involve rolling over much of
what is already in place. Taking a year off will enable us to have a clean
sheet of paper to work with. That provides the perfect opportunity to take
stock, to canvass opinion more widely, to confirm what we believe the BRC
should be and to put the plans in place that mean we are ready to go with a
brand new championship in 2016.”

BRC has been a joke since they kicked the 4wd cars out it was a great feeder series to the wrc even the finns came over here

with R5 & RRC cars we have now they should be in the BRC get it back to being a series worth winning

Oooer!

Not being into modern rallying in a massive way, I hadn't been aware that there was a problem or problems that needed fixing by such a blunt instrument as a year of not having the BRC!   

I would hope that the individual events continue unabated, otherwise how many competitors, crews and sponsors, marshalls, timekeepers and so on will still be around to take part in whatever format the BRC runs in in 2016!    How many car owners and crews will look to other series and possibly not come back? How many won't attend particular rallies because they no longer form part of the BRC?

They can't have taken the decision lightly. Let's hope that the future is brighter than it looks now!

Cheers, Steve

I'm only an armchair supporter (although i plan to go to Rally Dorset this year for the first time), but the Championship has been on its knees for some time. Entry lists are at an all time low and the strength in depth just isnt there.  Very sad and i do wonder whether it will resurface.

The B.R.C. was = W.R.C once upon a time.

Too many championships / events fighting for entries.

...and theres more....this does not give much in the way of anything positive.

This press statement issued by the organisers of Rallye Dorset (Rallye Sunseeker) issued today....


MSA ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT BRC IN 2015 – STATEMENT BY SOUTHERN CAR CLUB

The recent decision by the MSA to not run the British Rally Championship in 2015 beggars belief. It is totally irrational and, we believe, has been made by people who are 'out of touch' with the realities of organising major national rallies.
What is more, the manner of the announcement showed total disregard for the existing events: a carefully-orchestrated PR campaign through the pages of Motorsport News and on iRally radio, with no effort made by the MSA to contact existing event organisers to explain the reasoning in detail.
The MSA says it wants "a clean sheet of paper to work with" rather than work with "what is already in place". From the countless messages Southern Car Club (SCC) has received in recent days, we are only too aware of the incalculable damage done to the morale of all BRC organising clubs and their volunteers, not trusted enough by their ruling body to be part of the decision-making process . . . yet charged with risking their club's and their members' money to run an MSA championship round this year. How hypocritical is that?
This decision has far-reaching implications, which seem not to have been considered. Take the commercial relationships each event has with local authorities, landowners, the Forestry Commission, host towns and their tourism stakeholders. The BRC brings considerable value to the communities in which it is staged - research shows between £1.25 to £2.75 million from each event into the local economy - but that is not a one-way street; events work in trusted partnership with those communities, something now under threat if events have no clear path for the future.
Our own event, known for many years as Rallye Sunseeker, is on the verge of signing a first-time sponsor for motor sport, in conjunction with our rebrand as Rallye Dorset. A multi-year deal worth many thousands of pounds is now in jeopardy: with no BRC in 2015 and no guarantee which events will form the "new" 2016 Championship, the MSA's unilateral decision has effectively made it impossible to proceed with this deal.
This astonishing decision has shaken our organising team to the core. We believe this move may have sounded the death knell of arguably one of the best organised, promoted and funded events in the UK - not just in the future, but for this year as well. No new sponsor means no budget, which may well mean no Rallye Dorset 2014.
Our Club will be taking stock after members have finished running the Rally Stage at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and making a decision within seven days, after consulting our stakeholders - something the MSA failed to do.

Event Director and Vice President of Southern Car Club, Rick Smith said: “Over the years the MSA has been accused in some quarters of being out of touch and of making irrational decisions - generally, I have not been of that viewpoint. Being an MSA International Clerk of the Course, as well as a senior MSA Steward, I have seen how much good the MSA has done for our sport.
"However, I am baffled as to how this decision could possibly have been reached, without any consultation with those in charge of current BRC events - my senior officials and the Club have been treated shabbily by those supposed to work to our benefit.
"We read that the MSA spoke to lots of people in the sport - they certainly didn't talk to SCC officials or, to my knowledge, any of the other BRC event organisers - so how can they possibly know what we believe is needed?"

Having witnessed the falling levels of entries and spectators on BRC rounds at first hand, event organisers appreciate, more than anyone, that changes to the current structure of the BRC are needed. Maybe a move back to four-wheel-drive is the answer? Maybe it is to allow non-homologated cars to challenge for overall honours? Maybe it is a complete adoption of the FIA’s R1 to R5 structure?
It isn’t making long-term changes to the sport that we object to, rather the manner in which the decision to conduct a long, drawn-out review was made - and announced - with total disregard for the potentially devastating consequences. What is more worrying is that we are told the MSA was given the opportunity to work in tandem with Mark Taylor at Rally UK and the existing events in 2015, to build a better future. The MSA turned it down, electing to preside over a culling of events - for that is how we see this. In our view the MSA Board should meet without delay, and reconsider this lamentable decision, because we have to believe that those board members were not in full possession of the facts when they voted for this!

Wow. That is a well rationalised response, and the bitterness is all too apparent. I'm gutted.

RALLYE DORSET POSTPONED – STATEMENT BY SOUTHERN CAR CLUB

Following the recent Motor Sports Association (MSA) statement on the future of the British Rally Championship (BRC), in particular the decision to cancel the 2015 series, Southern Car Club (SCC), organiser of Rallye Dorset, has reluctantly decided to postpone this year's event, planned for 17/18 October.
Under its former title, Rallye Sunseeker, the Club's blue riband event has been a round of the BRC for the past three years. After the end of a fruitful 15-year partnership with Sunseeker International and the re-brand to Rallye Dorset, negotiations over a new three-year title sponsorship deal were drawing to a successful conclusion when the MSA statement was released.
Unable to confirm the event's future status, with no BRC in 2015 and no clear idea of what may lay beyond, the Club's committee has withdrawn from the sponsorship negotiations. This leaves the Club with a large potential financial deficit, so postponement is the only option. We have discussed this in depth with our stakeholders - host town, support sponsors, advertisers and similar bodies - who are as sad as we are that, after 27 years as one of the leading motor sport events in the South of England, we have been forced into this position.
To the BRC, the British Historic Championship, the Armed Forces Rally Team Championship, the Defender Challenge By Bowler and the Association of South Western Motor Clubs, the Association of Eastern Motor Clubs- organisers, competitors and spectators of all those series - Southern Car Club extends a heartfelt apology, this situation is not of our making. To all those who have sent messages of support . . . Thank You!

Issued by Southern Car Club Limited
12 noon Saturday 12th July 2014

Very sad for this club. And it's all down to the MSA. It's about time they had people that knew what they were doing running the MSA!

Shocking. Shame on MSA

I cant see why the MSA couldnt have run the championship as planned this year, while at the same time making plans for how it will change the championship. With public tarmac roads in the UK looking like being closed for rallys, I can see a tarmac/gravel series in the making, but in the meantime they should be learning what they can from 2015

Im really annoyed. Had booked to go down to Dorset this year to take photos of 2015 Champion. With two events now cancelled and one cut short due to the tragic events at the Jim Clark this is an awful year for the BRC for many reasons

A dam shame as this championship could be brought back if the MSA allow ALL homologated categories
Shame no real manufacturer support.

Hope it comes back better as I would love to go spectate on the BRC again given the right cars allowed

brian wrote:I cant see why the MSA couldnt have run the championship as planned this year, while at the same time making plans for how it will change the championship. With public tarmac roads in the UK looking like being closed for rallys, I can see a tarmac/gravel series in the making, but in the meantime they should be learning what they can from 2015

Looks like the people in the MSA have a lot to learn but they never will as they suffer from Ostrage syndrome.........They keep their heads buried in the sand..............

Blimey! That's bleak but not a surprise given the MSA's announcement. There will be others following this route as well, no doubt. Motorsport relies on money, lots of it and key sponsors of the event and the competitors will have to reassess their commitment to the events given the situation as it is nw.

Yikes!    Bad news.

Thanks for posting, Chris.    Cheers, Steve

Press Release from the MSA today

IMS and ABIRO agree way forward
for 2016 British Rally Championship

Following a constructive meeting at Motor Sports House this week (19th August), the Association of British International Rally Organisers (ABIRO) and International Motor Sports (IMS) have agreed to work together to formulate plans for the relaunch of the British Rally Championship in 2016.

A BRC working group will be created as soon as possible to consider the key issues to be resolved around the revised championship, including vehicles, class structure and the status of events. It is anticipated that further announcements will be made in due course and the group has set a target to resolve all major points before the end of the year to give competitors the earliest possible indications of the future direction of Britain’s premier rally championship.

Ben Taylor, IMS Managing Director, said:

“What should have been an exciting and forward-thinking announcement earlier this summer, was affected by a lack of prior communication that left the organisers of current BRC events feeling undermined and unvalued. We have apologised unreservedly for that and this week’s meeting drew a line under those issues.

“It was a very positive discussion about the future of the championship and what is clear is that we all share a desire to see the BRC as the pinnacle of the British rallying scene. We have undertaken to work together in the coming months to achieve as soon as possible a clear idea of what the 2016 championship will look like. With the knowledge and experience around that table, backed by the commitment of IMS and the MSA to make it successful, we can all be excited about the prospects for the BRC.”

Rick Smith, Event Director, Rallye Dorset, said:

“For all parties associated with the BRC, the last few weeks have been challenging; organisers, competitors, teams, sponsors, officials and spectators have all been concerned in different ways for the future of what is - and must be - the best championship in the UK. Our discussions with MSA and IMS have now given us confidence that the voices of those who can contribute most to the exciting plans for the future will be heard in the correct forum."

Thats better news but will reserve judgement until the car specs are known. Thanks for posting

Thanks for the update, Chris.

Difficult and uncertain times ahead, though, whether an organiser, teamowner, crew member or spectator. Still so much in the air. Makes me wonder why the discussions didn't happen behind closed doors and a decision communicated to launch the next Championship without the pregnant pause in 2015!

Here's hoping!! Cheers, Steve

reeft1 wrote:Thats better news but will reserve judgement until the car specs are known. Thanks for posting

Same here Paul. I can see driver/ teams sticking two fingers up at the MSA and it not happening at all.

AS we were timekeeping on SS1 Villa Marina on this years Manx we could hear the commentator clearly.

There were a number of different rally championship on the event and this is where the general spectator has no idea whats going on.

Rightly so the BRC cars (that was just 6!!!) ran first on the road after they had completed the stage the commentator was heard to say.... well that's the 6 BRC cars we now move to the faster cars....Mitsubishi, Subaru etc...

To be fair to the BRC cars they were as quick but they don't look or sound as good.

Same at Le Mans this year. The Audis, Toyota, Porsche were super quick and quiet but the Astons and Corvettes and their thundering V8s were what the spectator wants - a bit of NOISE!! So the new Formula E must have been riveting and they whoosh past you in near silence?

Chris