EXCLUSIVE READERS’ Q&A: Jonny Milner Why the double British rally champ is not done with competition – just yet P14 THE VOICE OF BRITISH MOTORSPORT n JANUARY 21 2021 n EVERY THURSDAY n £3.60 n FORMERLY MOTORING NEWS Multi-year deal with Excelr8 Trade Price Cars Racing for Independent tin-top star TOM INGRAM JOINS HYUNDAI ATTACK FOR 2021 BTCC CAMPAIGN Ingram will front Hyundai’s attack in this year’s BTCC By Matt James tothe2021BTCCatThruxton onMay8-9. TomIngramwillracea Sixteen-timeracewinner Hyundaii30Performance Ingramsaid:“We’vegotthe NFastbackinthisyear’s rightpeopleintherightplaces– BritishTouringCar fromtheengineeringsidetothe Championshipafter designandteammanagement– securingamulti-season todothebestjobpossible. dealwiththeambitious TheHyundaihasdeveloped Excelr8Trade Price significantlyoverthepastyear, Carssquad. anditgoeswithoutsayingthat The27-year-oldwill there’salotmorepotential– spearheadafour-carattack andpace–stilltobeextracted.” fortheexpandingteam,which Excelr8teamownerJustina isanamalgamationofExcelr8 Williamssaid:“[Tom]isaproven MotorsportandTradePriceCars racewinnerand titlewinner,so Racingcrewsfor2021.Ingram,a hewillinevitablybeahugeasset two-timeIndependentsTrophy toourteamandwillcontinueto Ingram has long-term winner,saidhewasthrilledbythe pushustowardsthesharpend newagreement,whichwillmake oftheBTCCgrid.” aim for BTCC crown its debut in the delayed start BTCC news special, p5 PREVIEW KELSEYmedia MOTORSPORT THE WRC BRITISH IS BACK! OF The Brits who are aiming to turn up the heat on Ogier in 2021 VOICE THE LINE-UP, THE EVENTS, THE NEW TEAM BOSS AND THE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THE NEW SEASON, STARTS PAGE 18 THE VOICE OF BRITISH MOTORSPORT VOICE THE £3.60 Delivering great content every week since 19 5 Advertising enquiries: 01233 228753 motorsport-news.co.uk JANUARY 21 2021 3 COMMENT Photos: Motorsport Images, Jakob Ebrey, Hyundai ISSUE MJ3266 JANUARY 21 2021 INTHISISSUE P4 The cars haven’t had much time to rest since the Monza Rally at the end of last season Alpine F1 attack shows its colours ALL SET FOR A Famous French name shows dashing new branding BATTLEt seems like the engines have hardlyROYALEhad time to cool down since they were switched off following the final round of the 2020 World Rally Championship at Monza in December. The rejigged calendar meant that the competitors were putting themselves to the test right up until the cusp of Christmas, but now they are ready to get going again. IIn Motorsport News this week Elfyn Evans tells us that getting straight back on the horse is of no concern to him as he seeks in 2021 to go one better on his narrow missing P5 out on a maiden crown last term. The Toyota man will go right back into battle with World Ingram lines up with Hyundai champion and team-mate Sebastien Ogier, the sister Yaris WRC British Touring Car Championship battler’s new home for 2021 of Kalle Rovanpera and the rest to prove that the performances he was able to pull out during 2020 – which included a breath- taking win on Rally Sweden – were no flash in the pan. It is clear to those who look closely that the campaign he enjoyed last year was another chapter in his book of learning. P14 His three-podium 2020 campaign was his best-yet season. The progress is easy to trace. And now that learning has been done, Readers’ Q&A: and he knows what it is like to build a title-challenging assault, that is a box ticked. There is only one more to tick. Sure, it is the Jonny Milner biggest one of all, but it is well within both his capabilities and Title-winning rally man takes his grasp in 2021. on MN posers from the public Graham Lister speaks to Evans, and M-Sport’s Briton Gus Greensmith, in our extensive preview to the World Rally Championship, which starts on page 18. One of Evans’s predecessors as a British Rally Championship P18 title winner, Jonny Milner, is the subject of our readers’ Q&A this week. For so many years, the straight-talking Yorkshireman Why the WRC was the benchmark on the national scene, the one that the up-and-comers would have to measure themselves against. is an open In typical Milner style, he pulls no punches as he speaks book in 2021 to Luke Barry about his successful career behind the wheel which he assures us is not over. We look ahead to the opening round of the World Rally Championship Barry and Graham Keilloh tackle the thorny subject of the new Brexit regulations too. Freight truckers aren’t the only ones who will have to embrace a new way of crossing borders from now on, and we look News: Racing 4 News: Rallying 8 P22 at the new protocols and the potential pitfalls News: Historics 12 facing competitors who want to go on the hunt Column: Andrew Jordan 13 for silverware outside these shores. Q&A: Jonny Milner 14 WRC preview: Brits on the hunt 18 WRC preview: Latvala’s role 20 Matt James Insight: Brexit’s new red tape 22 Editor, Motorsport News What’s on/readers photos 25 [email protected] How Brexit will hit competitors FOR MOTORSPORT NEWS STAFF CONTACT DETAILS PLEASE SEE P25 4 JANUARY 21 2021 motorsport-news.co.uk Advertising enquiries: 01233 228753 RACING NEWS IN BRIEF F1 agrees Bahrain test Formula 1’s stakeholders have agreed RENAULT CONFIRMS ALPINE to run 2021’s pre-season test in Bahrain on March 12-14. The three-day test was expected to be held at Barcelona in Spain on March 2-4, however with Bahrain SHAKE UP AMID F1 UNCERTAINTY becoming the season-opener’s host after Australia’s postponement teams agreed Renault’s racing restructure confirmed but there’s F1 management confusion Sakhir was the logical test venue. Photos: Alpine, Motorsport Images, Renault Sport, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Jakob Ebrey By Graham Keilloh Interlagos contract suspended Formula 1’s recently announced five- Renaulthasconfirmedthe year deal with the new promoter of reorganisationofitsracing Interlagos’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix has been activitiesundertheAlpine temporarily suspended by a local judge. brand,buttherewas The move is due to a legal challenge over confusionaroundits the use of public funds in securing the Formula1management deal and its level of transparency. personnelfor2021. Renaultannouncedlast McLaren signs FE option Septemberitwouldrebrand McLaren has signed an option to join itsF1teamasAlpinefor’21as Formula E’s Gen3 era beginning in 2022. partofawiderreorganisation. Audi and BMW’s forthcoming FE exits free TheAlpinenamehassignificant up two vacancies on the grid. The deal heritageinrallyingand does not guarantee that McLaren will enduranceracing,takingoverall enter FE, but does ensure it an entry. LeMansvictoryin1978. Detailingthecompany’snew Albon gets DTM Ferrari ‘Renaulution’strategyinParis Alex Albon and Red Bull junior Liam lastweek,Renaultconfirmed Lawson are poised to race Ferrari 488 GT3s thatthecurrentactivitiesof in DTM this year. It was announced earlier Alpinecars,RenaultSportCars this month that Albon will complete a andRenaultSportRacingwillbe DTM part-campaign this year in a Red Bull- unitedundertheAlpinebrand. backed team after being dropped from its Howevermanydetails F1 squad, with Lawson doing a full season. abouttheF1team’sleadership structurewerenotconfirmedat Glimpse of Alpine’s W Series pre-season test thelaunch.Ex-SuzukiMotoGP The W Series will hold a five-day pre- bossDavideBrivio’sexpected 2021 F1 car shown season test at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo recruitmentwasnotmentioned, Tormo on April 26-30, with all drivers on thoughithasbeenconfirmed calledtheA521,willtakeplace 2020’s roster to take part. This will be the sincethathewillbecomeracing nextmonth.Teaserimageswere first on-track running for the all-female director.Executivedirector revealedofthecarinaninterim single-seater championship since the its MarcinBudkowski’santicipated blacktestingliverywithred, 2020 season was ditched due to Covid. movetobecomehands-onboss whiteandblue–reflecting wasunconfirmedasMNwent FrenchandBritishflags–at Merc chief Hubbert dies topress.Whileshortlybefore thetail.Theblackisinhomage Motorsport News is saddened to report theRenaulutionunveil,Renault tothecompany’sfirstgrand that former Mercedes executive Jurgen alsoconfirmedinasurprise prixprototypefrom1975. Hubbert has died at the age of 81. Hubbert movethatF1teamprincipal Alpine’splansforanewfully- played an important role in returning the CyrilAbiteboulisdepartingthe electricsportscardesignedin Alpine was part of marque to motorsport following its long organisation(seeseparatestory). collaborationwithLotuswere hiatus after 1955’s Le Mans disaster. The full launch of the F1 car, also outlined at the launch. ’78 Le Mans victory Ferrari man Leclerc tests positive for Covid FerrariFormula1starCharlesLeclerc IMOLA BACK ON REVISED F1 CALENDAR hasannouncedhehastestedpositivefor ImolaisbackonFormula1’s postponedtoanunconfirmed Domenicalisaid:“Theglobal Covid-19andisself-isolatingathome latestcalendarfor2021while date,withitunderstoodits pandemichasnotyetallowed inMonacowithmildsymptoms. Australia’sandChina’srounds reinstatementrequiresanother lifetoreturntonormal,butwe Inasocialmediapost,the23-year-old arepostponedinCovid round’scancellation. showedin2020thatwecanrace said:“Iamregularlycheckedaccording pandemic-relatedrevisions. Ontherevised23-race safelyasthefirstinternational tomyteam’sprotocols.Unfortunately,I F1’sprevious23-round calendar,Imola’sEmilia sporttoreturnandwehavethe learnedthatIhavebeenincontactwith schedulewasduetokickoff RomagnaGrandPrixon experienceandplansinplaceto apositivecaseandimmediatelywent inMelbournewithShanghaias April18becomesroundtwo, deliveronourseason.” intoself-isolation.Asubsequenttest