Registrations have flooded in for the 2021 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship with vibrant new class structure designed to attract a wide variety of cars and drivers.
This year’s Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship will feature 14 different classes including, by popular demand, a new category for Road Rally cars.
With points awarded to the top 22 finishers on each round, the battle for the overall Welsh National Rally Championship title is always a very close one – like in 2019, when Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear pipped Russ Thompson/Andy Murphy and Tom Llewellin/Peredur Davies in the race for the coveted crown on the final round.
The overall champion can come from any class, meaning that a well-driven Escort Mk2 can battle for overall honours against four-wheel drive machinery.
Meanwhile Welsh National Rally Championship regular Wug Utting (Subaru Impreza STi N12B) is amongst several registrations in the four-wheel drive classes – and one of the UK’s most experienced co drivers Paul Spooner has registered again in a bid for top honours.
A very important element to the Welsh National Rally Championship is the development of talent in the Under 25 section – and in recent years, six championship winning drivers have started in the Junior category. As in 2019, the prize for the winning Welsh National Rally Championship Junior driver is a test in a PCRS Rallysport-prepared Hyundai i20 R5, courtesy of OnThePaceNote.
There is also a new class for Road Rally cars, in an acknowledgement of the increasing number of competitors who would like to try stage rallying without having to go to market and buy another vehicle. Cars will be allowed to run under Motorsport UK stage rally rules for tyres and graphics, and they must conform to both road rally and stage rally regulations. Registrations have also already been received for this class.
Dave Evison, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship Secretary, said: “In response to requests from competitors, we have made some positive changes to the class structure of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship.
“With the inclusion of the Road Rally class, and the healthy competition in the popular two-wheel drive category, I believe the balance we have struck will maintain the competition between crews – which is so important to deliver a successful series.”
The opening round of the 2021 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship is the Nicky Grist Stages on Saturday 10 July.
