Saturday night's alright for racing
Julian Godfrey leads the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship after two events

The Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship will stage a revolutionary night race event at Blyton (near Gainsborough in North Lincolnshire) on Saturday night (June 12) as the third of this year’s eight events breaks new ground by running the first night time race in the championship’s 34-year history.

The night race, which will also be broadcast live on Motors TV will start at 1530 on Saturday afternoon with the event due to finish just before midnight. The track will be floodlit as night falls and the novelty of racing into hours of darkness has created additional interest and excitement among competitors. “We decided to run a race in daylight and night time following requests from drivers for something different and I'm pleased that racers are now responding by entering the event. We have a few drivers making their first appearance of the year, several new competitors coming to try Rallycross for the first time and at least one racer coming from Belgium specially for this race,” said British championship promoter Amy Doran.

After two events the championship is led by leading Julian Godfrey (Heathfield). Also the points leader in the SuperModified (two-wheel drive) class, Godfrey has finished strongly in both events while the championship favourites in the Supercar category have each had problems in one or other of the events.

Superbike superstar to race at Blyton

World Superbike racer Leon Haslam will drive in the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship’s night race event at Blyton on Saturday, making the first of three scheduled appearances in the Suzuki Swift Sport Challenge that runs alongside the premier British championship series.

Haslam will race the guest car in the one-make championship that was introduced to the British championship this year and which features 1600cc Suzuki Swifts prepared to a tightly controlled set of technical regulations designed to produce equal competition between drivers in the class. The first two rounds of the championship have each produced a different winner, Dave Bellerby winning the series opener and Liam Doran round two in Scotland.

Rally champion returns
Former British Rally champion Jonny Milner will also return to Rallycross at Blyton where he will race against Haslam in the Suzuki Swift class. Milner began his career in Rallycross before moving on to rallying. The Yorkshireman is the current leader of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship and the defending champion in the Toyota Sprint Series. Milner last drove in Rallycross in a round of the British championship at Blyton (his local track) in 2003 where he won the Stock Hatch class driving a Peugeot 205 GTi.

SuperModified stars return
The British championship’s SuperModified class (for two-wheel drive cars) is set to welcome the return of two front running drivers who have been absent so far this year.

Former British champion Mike Turpin (Hereford) has missed the first two rounds of the championship while waiting for a new supercharged engine to be readied for his Vauxhall VX220 but now plans to race in all remaining events in the sportscar.

Allan Tapscott (Winkleigh), meanwhile, had the start of his season delayed because the engine for his new rear-wheel drive Vauxhall Corsa was not ready in time. Tapscott plans to debut the new car at Blyton and also hopes to contest all remaining events in the eight-round championship.

Supports also grow
The high level of interest in the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship and the night race event has attracted a number of extra competitors to the supporting classes too. The RX150 ‘buggies’ could see as many as six new competitors and there is also interest in Junior Rallycross where Oliver Mellors will make his motor sport debut in the ex-Kelly Bird car, and at least one other new driver is expected to appear.

The BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship and Minicross are also on the bill for the event in which racing will start at 1530, with the final stages of the event being broadcast live on Motors TV between 2130 and 2355.

Event details
Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship, round three, Blyton, Saturday June 12
Racing from 1530 (Motors TV live 2130-2355)
Gate Price – Adult £12, under 12s free

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