Points leader Jordan confident on Knockhill return

A year after he claimed his first British Rallycross Championship event win at Knockhill, Andrew Jordan (Lichfield) returns to Scotland as the points leader in the Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship.

Last year’s event win allowed Jordan a record book entry as the youngest driver ever to win a British championship event, this year – at 18-years-old – he has become the youngest driver to lead the championship and is clear in his aim to be the sport’s youngest champion.

"I can’t wait to get to Knockhill, I feel very confident about this race. At the start of the year I thought the events where I had the best chance to win were Knockhill and Croft [where he won in 2006], but I’ve already won twice so it’s going better than I had hoped," said Jordan. "I would like to win the championship with a maximum score, that means winning all the remaining events! But the most important thing is to win the championship so I have to avoid unnecessary risks. I am very confident in the car and with the team, everything is working very well this year."

Rallycross has a reputation for being unpredictable and exciting, it’s a sport in which you should expect the unexpected. The first half of this year’s Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship has served to underline these facts. In the first round of the championship a combination of problems for some of the Supercar drivers, a first corner crash in the Superfinal and an astonishing turn of speed from his Lotus Exige allowed Dave Bellerby (Northallerton) to take the event win – the first driver to win an event in a two-wheel drive car for 22 years.

Round three of the championship was abandoned before the Superfinal was run, persistent rain forcing event officials to make the decision on safety grounds. It was the first time an event had ever been cancelled because of poor weather.

Knockhill also has the habit of turning up a surprise or two in its Rallycross events; Jordan’s maiden event win came after a last lap pass in the Superfinal last year and, in 2005, it was scene for Irish driver John McCluskey’s first British championship victory.

With the British championship now at its halfway point, Jordan’s two event wins have propelled him to the top of the points chart where he holds a nine point lead over Bellerby. Steve Hill (Aylesbury) holds third place, a further 14 points adrift with his new Mitsubishi Lancer E9 but two points ahead of Ollie O’Donovan (London) who has climbed to fourth place with his Peugeot despite non-scoring in the first round of the championship.

Another teenage racer, 17-year-old Ben Power (Welshpool) is making a name for himself in the championship’s SuperModified class (for two-wheel drive cars. A graduate of Junior Rallycross, power is in his first season as an adult racer and, with four strong results, including victory in round three, has moved into the lead of the SuperModified class championship.

Among the racers in the Yokohama Stock Hatch class a close battle is building for the championship title. Tony Lynch (Wigan) took the class lead after round three and held his position despite what he felt to be a poor run in round four. Lynch is now six points ahead of defending champion Julian Godfrey (Heathfield) with Ash Simpson (York) third and just three points further behind.

The Bill Gwynne Rallyschool Junior Rallycross Championship and the BTRDA Clubmans Championship form the supporting bill to the Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship. The Junior series is led by Ben Rennison (Richmond), who has won twice this year and is 21 points ahead of Samantha Thom (Cookstown), also a double winner. Third place is held by George Tracey Jnr. (Mullingar) who took fifth in round four despite suffering mechanical problems with his car.

Running a slightly different calendar of events, the BTRDA Clubmans championship is in its sixth event at Knockhill. The overall championship leader is Junior racer Ben Rennison, who is ahead of leading Stock Hatch points scorer Dave Baines (Tarporley).

Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship
round five, Sunday August 5
Knockhill, Dunfermline, Fife
Practice starts at 0900, racing from 1000
Admission: Adults £12, concessions £6
Info: 01383 723337, www.knockhill.com

- Motors TV will show round five (Knockhill) of the championship on Wednesday August 22 at 7pm with repeats over the following six days.

- The Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship runs over eight events at venues in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Its events are listed on the International calendar and are open to foreign drivers.

- The championship is organised by the British Rallycross Drivers Association which was recently awarded a new three year contract by the governing body of British motor sport (the MSA) covering the 2007, ’08 and ’09 seasons.

- All events in the championship will be televised. A one-hour programme from each event will be broadcast in the UK, Ireland and across Europe by Motors TV, Men & Motors, Setanta Sports, Chorus Sport and TV3. More than 380 hours of programming will allow the championship events to be seen in 34 countries.

Mon. Apr 9 Lydden
Mon. May 7 Pembrey
Mon. May 28 Lydden
Sun. Jul 1 Pembrey
Sun. Aug 5 Knockhill
Mon. Aug 27 Lydden
Sun. Oct 14 Mondello Park (IRL)
Sun. Oct 21 Croft

www.RallycrossUK.com

- Tim Whittington- also photos