world • monde • welt • värld JUNIOR RALLYCROSS GETS DOUBLE BOOST Rallycross LOOK AT IRISH APPROVAL #28 – April 2006 AND BRITISH BACKER McRae wants to race a Supercar New TV deal puts BRC next to WRC Doran squeezes Hansen unveils C4 in a stock and says ‘sorry’ to his rivals car run world • monde • welt • värld 3 4 Briefing – BRC promises much in 2006 BRC gets TV slot Rallycross Hansen shows new C4 in Stockholm show alongside WRC Ha ha Hansen Kenneth Hansen may not always be the Stockholm at the end of March. Help from most exciting bloke on the planet – specially Citroën Sport will surely have reduced the build compared to, let’s say, Guttorm Lindefjell! – but time of the new car, but 12 weeks start-to- he revealed his sense of humour in a pre-season finish is still some kind of achievement. And 5 6 press release that started by apologising for the it sets KHM ahead of all its rivals, not one of fact that he was going to disappoint those rivals whom has yet turned a wheel in an ’06 car. Alister McRae samples Supercar and wants to Kevin Procter swaps who were hoping he’d retire! Hansen has approximately a month in which Beneath this opening dig at those who’d be to test his new car, but he may not need it. He’s race in Rallycross Lotus for Puma Supercar happy to win in the absence of the man who not always a big one for predicting that the car has made this sport his own, Hansen claimed will be great, or otherwise, so when he openly the winter had been ‘too short’. states that the C4 could be the best car his And yet his KHM squad had a complete team has ever built, it’s worth taking note. and ready to run, all new car on display in [email protected] Click it! Subscribe Copyright 7 9 Advertisements in Rallycross Rallycross World is published Rallycross World is a Myriorama Olivier Anne reveals new C4 Pat Doran in a stock car! World are interactive – click on monthly and distributed production published by Tim them to jump straight to the exclusively by e-mail Whittington. advertiser’s website. Subscriptions cost £12 per This publication may not 8 10 & 11 And make sure you check year (12 issues) and can be be reproduced in whole or the whole advert as some made online or by post, click in part in any form without Germans on show Junior Rallycross special have multiple links – and the link below for details. the written consent of the you wouldn’t want to miss copyright holder. Unless anything, would you. subscriptions • abonnement otherwise stated, all text and There are also links from subskription • abonnera photographs are © copyright some editorial items and we Tim Whittington 2005. will always try to offer a live Contributors: Robert 12 14 link wherever we quote a Click Chambers, Sven Kopf, website address in editorial Jacques Privat, Jan Kåre Rafoss Who is… Simon White The Rallycross World content. – Rallycross Team Norway. Rallycross World is also here This issue published April 6 poster – Mark Watson’s featured at the recently Next issue published May 4 13 launched website subskription • abonnera [email protected] Xsara stands out in the www.myriorama.com subscriptions • abonnement www.myriorama.com Raymond Touroul Croft snow Briefing Bigger, better BRC set to be best in Europe As this is written there are ten days until the first round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship at Lydden. The championship looks like being bigger and better than for many years; a large number of drivers in all classes say they will focus on the BRC events, a television deal is in place and in the last few hours we’ve heard that verbal agreement has been reached regarding a title sponsor for the championship. This, of course, is all good news for the BRC which not only appears set to continue to offer the best events in Great Britain, but also to enhance its reputation. Taking all things into consideration the French Rallycross Championship probably remains the best national series, but the British championship is closing that gap rapidly and if the progress of the last few months is maintained through the summer, the FRC will be ahead only on spectator attendance, but that has as much to do with cultural differences between the two countries as it does the quality and content of the event on offer to spectators. If the BRC gels we are looking at a championship that will be back to the kind of levels last seen in the late 1980s; Supercar grids are predicted to be in double figures at all events and there are new cars on the way in SuperModified too. His best yet? Stock Hatch and Junior Rallycross are not left out either, both have a full role to play within the BRC and Stock hatch now Kenneth Hansen unveiled his striking competition he faced through the second long time engineering partner Epsilon, appears to be producing drivers able to progress up the class new Citroën C4 ‘WRC’ at the Stockholm half of 2005, in which he won his 13th Kenneth Hansen Motorsport has put its ladder. Motor Show on March 30, and apologised European championship, resolved his C4 together in just 12 weeks, a timescale The ever stronger links between the British and Irish to his rivals for not retiring. own mind, and once Citroën had got that leaves Hansen emerging from what championships should be mutually beneficial for both. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to retire its rally plans in place it renewed its he describes as a “too short” winter Common regulations and event formats make sense when the from Rallycross, even if that might be association with the Swede who has with a month in hand to test to the new championships will share events. wished for by many of my rivals,” Hansen now collaborated with the French car before the ERC starts at Lousada in The return of an event in Northern Ireland will complete said, “I love this job. I will keep my right manufacturer since 1993 Portugal on May 6/7. the picture and be a perfect fit into both the British and Irish foot to the floor and put the next gear in. “It feels marvellous to be the first team Perhaps ominously for his rivals the championships. Nutts Corner is the BRC’s home in Ulster, but if Sorry!” to be allowed to compete with a Citroën usually circumspect Hansen has high the venue is not available then efforts should be made to return Hansen spoke openly of retiring in C4 in an international championship, and hopes of the C4. to Kirkistown, specially now that facilities at the track have been the first half of last season, and again to have that confidence from Citroen “I think it will be a worthy successor to updated. The BRC has made progress over the winter, now all at the year end when his backing from Sport,” says Hansen. the Xsara. Or even better, perhaps the those involved need to maintain the momentum. Citroën was in the balance. The increased Working with Citroën Sport and best car we have ever built,” he said. Rallycross World #28 – APRIL 2006 | 3 British championship to share TV slot with WRC After the absence of regular World Rally Championship. television coverage in 2005, “Being paired with the World all rounds of the MSA British Rally Championship in the Rallycross Championship will Sunday evening slot should be televised in 2006. work very well for everyone White ready for BRC The British Rallycross as they are complementary Drivers Association has events,” said BRDA chairman Stock Hatch graduate Simon White will start the opening round agreed terms with Irish-based John Horton. of the British Rallycross Championship in his new SuperModified production company On The The addition of the BRC to Renault Clio. Limit Sports. The primary its portfolio makes sense for White has driven the Xsport Racing-built car a couple of times outlet for the 26-minute On The Limit Sports which has in test outings and is happy with it even though a clutch problem standalone programme from produced coverage of the Irish cut short a test at Blyton: “The car feels nice and the handling is each of the championship’s Rallycross Championship for neutral, I’m very comfortable with it. I’d have liked more time eight rounds is Men & Motors. the last three years. in the test at Blyton, but it’s better we had the clutch problem The broadcaster plans to air The programmes will there than at Lydden,” he said. the BRC programmes in the be presented by Siobhan The car uses an ex-BTCC two-litre Renault engine and six- Sunday evening time slot also O’Connor (above). The first speed sequential gearbox. used to show rounds of the will be shown on May 7. Rallycross World #28 – APRIL 2006 | 4 McRae tries Xsara Supercar and wants a chance to race in Rallycross Robert Chambers Robert oto: Ph Alister McRae drove John happens so fast, it’s very was the fastest car he’d ever McCluskey’s Citroën Xsara exciting. It was good fun to experienced, including F1. WRC during the March 5 drive and I’d like to have While McRae took to the round of the Irish Rallycross another go. I’d definitely race track in McCluskey’s car, Championship at Mondello in an event if the opportunity Andrew Nesbitt who, like Park and now wants to race a was there,” said McRae, “I McRae, was present to help Supercar.