2017 British Rally Championship
# 2017 British Rally Championship

The 2017 MSA British Rally Championship was the 58th season of the British Rally Championship. It featuredure eight classes:

* BRC 1 (R5, R4, Super 2000, Regional Rally Car)
* BRC Production Cup (N4)
* BRC 3 (R3)
* BRC 4 (R2)
* National Rally Cup (open class)
* Junior BRC (R2, drivers under 26 years old)
* Cadet Cup (R2, drivers under 25 years old)
* Ladies BRC Trophy

## Calendar

The 2017 championship was contested over seven rounds For the first time, Ypres Rally, a Belgian event, was featured on the calendar.

Seven events were held on tarmac and gravel surfaces:

| Round | Dates | Event | Rally HQ | Surface | Website |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 17-18 March | Border Counties Rally | Jedburgh | Gravel | (website) |
| 2 | 29–30 April | Pirelli Rally | Carlisle, Cumbria | Gravel | (website) |
| 3 | 19–20 May | RSAC Scottish Rally | Dumfries | Gravel | (website) |
| 4 | 23–24 June | Ypres Rally | Ypres | Tarmac | (website) |
| 5 | 8–9 July | Nicky Grist Stages | Builth Wells | Gravel | (website) |
| 6 | 18–19 August | Ulster Rally | Derry | Tarmac | (website) |
| 7 | 14–16 September | Rally Isle of Man | Douglas, Isle of Man | Tarmac | (website) |

## Team and Drivers

### BRC1 Entries

| Constructor | Car | Team | Driver | Co Driver | Rounds |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Škoda | Škoda Fabia R5 | CA1 Sport Ltd | David Bogie | Kevin Rae | 1–4 |
| Škoda | Škoda Fabia R5 | CA1 Sport Ltd | Fredrik Åhlin | Torstein Eriksen | All |
| Škoda | Škoda Fabia R5 | CA1 Sport Ltd | Thomas Preston | Andrew Roughead | 2, 4 |
| Škoda | Škoda Fabia R5 | CA1 Sport Ltd | Thomas Preston | Stuart Loudon | 5 |
| Škoda | Škoda Fabia R5 | Macsport Rally Team | Desi Henry | Liam Moynihan | 1–4, 6 |
| Škoda | Škoda Fabia R5 | Tiger Risk Rally Team | Martin McCormack | David Moynihan | 1–4, 6 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Dom Buckley Motorsport | Tom Cave | James Morgan | 1 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Dom Buckley Motorsport | Garry Pearson | Paula Swinscoe | 2 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Dom Buckley Motorsport | Barry Mckenna | Leon Jordan | 5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | M-Sport World Rally Team | Keith Cronin | Mikie Galvin | All |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | M-Sport World Rally Team | Alex Laffey | Dai Roberts | 1–2 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | M-Sport World Rally Team | Alex Laffey | Patrick Walsh | 3–7 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Spencer Sport | Osian Pryce | Dale Furniss | 1–6 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Euan Thorburn Rally Team | Euan Thorburn | Paul Beaton | 1, 3 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | CA1 Sport Ltd | Jamie Anderson | Ross Whittock | 1–5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | CA1 Sport Ltd | Rhys Yates | Andrew Roughead | 7 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Swift Group | Matt Edwards | Darren Garrod | All |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Brettex Site Services | Rhys Yates | Carl Williamson | 1–5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Brettex Site Services | Rhys Yates | Alex Lee | 6 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Autotek Motorsport | Eyvind Brynildsen | Anders Fredriksson | 2 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Tiger Risk Rally Team | James Slaughter | Niall Burns | 2, 4–5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R5 | Tiger Risk Rally Team | Martin McCormack | David Moynihan | 5 |
| Citroën | Citroën DS3 R5 | DGM Sport | Jonathan Greer | Kirsty Riddick | 1–4, 6 |
| Hyundai | Hyundai i20 R5 | BRC Racing Team | Tom Cave | James Morgan | 2 |
| Hyundai | Hyundai i20 R5 | Hyundai Motorsport | Tom Cave | James Morgan | 3 |
| Hyundai | Hyundai i20 R5 | Dom Buckley Motorsport | Tom Cave | James Morgan | 4 |

### BRC Production Cup Entries

| Constructor | Car | Team | Driver | Co Driver | Rounds |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Subaru | Subaru Impreza WRX STI | SW Motorsport | Spencer Wilkinson | Glyn Thomas | 1–3 |

### BRC4 Entries

| Constructor | Car | Team | Driver | Co Driver | Rounds |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2T | Atherton Racing | Gee Atherton | Keaton Williams | 1, 3, 5, 7 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | Two 4 Motorsport | David White | Matthew White | 1–2, 4–7 |

### Junior BRC Entries

| Constructor | Car | Team | Driver | Co Driver | Rounds |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Peugeot | Peugeot 208 R2 | Mc Connell Motorsport | Marty Gallagher | Dean O'Sullivan | All |
| Peugeot | Peugeot 208 R2 | Melvyn Evans Motorsport | Meirion Evans | Jonathan Jackson | All |
| Peugeot | Peugeot 208 R2 | Dean Raftery Rallying | Dean Raftery | Tom Woodburn | 1 |
| Peugeot | Peugeot 208 R2 | Peugeot UK | Cameron Davies | Caron Tomlinson | 1–4 |
| Peugeot | Peugeot 208 R2 | Peugeot UK | Cameron Davies | Michael Gilbey | 5 |
| Peugeot | Peugeot 208 R2 | DGM Sport | William Creighton | Liam Regan | All |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2T | MH Motorsport | Callum Devine | Keith Moriarty | 1–3 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2T | MH Motorsport | Oscar Solberg | Patrik Barth | All |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2T | MH Motorsport | Josh McErlean | Aaron Johnston | 5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2T | Spencer Sport | James Williams | Phil Hall | 1 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2T | Spencer Sport | James Williams | Dale Bowen | 2 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2T | Spencer Sport | James Williams | Dai Roberts | 3–6 |
| Vauxhall | Vauxhall Adam R2 | Vauxhall Motorsport Junior Rally Team | Arron Windus | Aaron Johnston | 1 |
| Vauxhall | Vauxhall Adam R2 | Spencer Sport | James Williams | Dai Roberts | 7 |
| Citroën | Citroën C2 R2 | Macsport Rally Team | Josh McErlean | Damien Duffin | 1–2, 6 |
| Citroën | Citroën C2 R2 | Macsport Rally Team | Josh McErlean | Aaron Johnston | 3 |
| Opel | Opel Adam R2 | Opel Rallye Junior Team | Chris Ingram | Elliot Edmondson | 4 |
| Opel | Opel Adam R2 | Callum Devine Rallying | Callum Devine | Keith Moriarty | 4–7 |

### Cadet Cup Entries

| Constructor | Car | Team | Driver | Co Driver | Rounds |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | Armstrong Motorsport | Fergus Barlow | Max Freeman | 1–3 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Josh Cornwell | Richard Bliss | 1–5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Josh Cornwell | Tom Woodburn | 6 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Alex Waterman | Harry Thomas | 1–2, 4–7 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Alex Waterman | Tom Woodburn | 3 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Nabila Tejpar | Charley Sayer | 1–3 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Nabila Tejpar | Steve McPhee | 4–5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Nabila Tejpar | Richard Bliss | 6–7 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | Tom Williams Rallying | Tom Williams | Bryan Hull | 1–5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | Tom Williams Rallying | Tom Williams | Phil Hall | 7 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2T | Haper Adams Motorsport | James McDiarmid | Max Haines | 1–2, 4–7 |
| Vauxhall | Vauxhall Adam Cup | Major Motorsport | Arron Windus | Richard Crozier | 2–3 |

### Ladies BRC Trophy Entries

| Constructor | Car | Team | Driver | Co Driver | Rounds |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Nabila Tejpar | Charley Sayer | 1–3 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Nabila Tejpar | Steve McPhee | 4–5 |
| Ford | Ford Fiesta R2 | MH Motorsport | Nabila Tejpar | Richard Bliss | 6–7 |

### Calendar changes

On 07 January, the British Rally Championship management team announced via a press release that the 2017 Mid Wales Stages Rally, usually the opening round of the championship and held in March, would not take place. The reason cited was that a deal had been reached with Natural Resources Wales - the agency that runs Welsh government forests - over the fees payable to run a forest rally in Wales however a misunderstanding over the VAT payable meant that it would be unfeasible to run the 2017 event. The Border Counties Rally, based in Jedburgh and also round two of the Scottish Rally Championship was announced as a replacement event and the 2017 series opener.

## Event results

Podium places and information on each event.

| Round | Rally name | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Statistics | Statistics | Statistics | Statistics |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Round | Rally name | Rank | Driver | Car | Time | Stages | Length | Starters | Finishers |
| 1 | Border Counties Rally (17-18 March) | 1 | Fredrik Åhlin | Škoda Fabia R5 | 0:53:01.6 | 9 | 93.94 km | 35 | 28 |
| 1 | Border Counties Rally (17-18 March) | 2 | Tom Cave | Ford Fiesta R5 | 0:53:40.2 | 9 | 93.94 km | 35 | 28 |
| 1 | Border Counties Rally (17-18 March) | 3 | Osian Pryce | Ford Fiesta R5 | 0:54:09.0 | 9 | 93.94 km | 35 | 28 |
| 2 | Pirelli Rally (29-30 April) | 1 | Fredrik Åhlin | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:29:28.0 | 8 | 159.61 km | 43 | 30 |
| 2 | Pirelli Rally (29-30 April) | 2 | Osian Pryce | Ford Fiesta R5 | 1:30:07.4 | 8 | 159.61 km | 43 | 30 |
| 2 | Pirelli Rally (29-30 April) | 3 | Martin McCormack | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:30:17.5 | 8 | 159.61 km | 43 | 30 |
| 3 | RSAC Scottish Rally (19-20 May) | 1 | David Bogie | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:09:47.1 | 10 | 119.58 km | 37 | 27 |
| 3 | RSAC Scottish Rally (19-20 May) | 2 | Osian Pryce | Ford Fiesta R5 | 1:10:35.6 | 10 | 119.58 km | 37 | 27 |
| 3 | RSAC Scottish Rally (19-20 May) | 3 | Martin McCormack | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:10:49.0 | 10 | 119.58 km | 37 | 27 |
| 4 | Ypres Rally (23–24 June) | 1 | Keith Cronin | Ford Fiesta R5 | 2:25:00.3 | 20 | 259.35 km | 123 | 90 |
| 4 | Ypres Rally (23–24 June) | 2 | Matt Edwards | Ford Fiesta R5 | 2:26:18.4 | 20 | 259.35 km | 123 | 90 |
| 4 | Ypres Rally (23–24 June) | 3 | Osian Pryce | Ford Fiesta R5 | 2:27:30.2 | 20 | 259.35 km | 123 | 90 |
| 5 | Nicky Grist Stages (8-9 July) | 1 | Fredrik Åhlin | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:45:50.2 | 20 | 188.48 km | 28 | 17 |
| 5 | Nicky Grist Stages (8-9 July) | 2 | Matt Edwards | Ford Fiesta R5 | 1:46:37.7 | 20 | 188.48 km | 28 | 17 |
| 5 | Nicky Grist Stages (8-9 July) | 3 | Rhys Yates | Ford Fiesta R5 | 1:47:58.2 | 20 | 188.48 km | 28 | 17 |
| 6 | Ulster Rally (18-19 August) | 1 | Keith Cronin | Ford Fiesta R5 | 2:06:03.8 | 14 | 214.83 km | 33 | 22 |
| 6 | Ulster Rally (18-19 August) | 2 | Fredrik Åhlin | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:06:59.2 | 14 | 214.83 km | 33 | 22 |
| 6 | Ulster Rally (18-19 August) | 3 | Jonathan Greer | Citroën DS3 R5 | 2:08:11.8 | 14 | 214.83 km | 33 | 22 |
| 7 | Rally Isle of Man (14-16 September) | 1 | Keith Cronin | Ford Fiesta R5 | 1:51:16.0 | 21 | 229.82km | 23 | 17 |
| 7 | Rally Isle of Man (14-16 September) | 2 | Matt Edwards | Ford Fiesta R5 | 1:51:38.6 | 21 | 229.82km | 23 | 17 |
| 7 | Rally Isle of Man (14-16 September) | 3 | Fredrik Åhlin | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:52:29.2 | 21 | 229.82km | 23 | 17 |

## Drivers championship standings

| Pos | Driver | BCR | PIR | SCO | YPR | NGS | ULS | MAN | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Keith Cronin | 4 | Ret | 4 | 1 | Ret | 1 | 1* | 129 |
| 2 | Fredrik Åhlin | 1 | 1* | Ret | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 128 |
| 3 | Matt Edwards | 6 | 5 | Ret | 2 | 2 | Ret | 2* | 94 |
| 4 | Rhys Yates | 5 | 6 | Ret | 5 | 3* | Ret | 4 | 70 |
| 5 | Osian Pryce | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | Ret* | Ret | DNP | 66 |
| 6 | Martin McCormack | Ret | 3 | 3 | Ret* | 4 | 4 | DNP | 57 |
| 7 | Jamie Anderson | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 5* | DNP | DNP | 39 |
| 8 | David Bogie | Ret* | 4 | 1 | Ret | DNP | DNP | DNP | 37 |
| 9 | Alex Laffey | Ret | 9 | 8 | 8 | Ret* | 5 | Ret | 30 |
| 10 | Callum Devine | 14 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 6 | Ret* | 6 | 30 |
| Pos | Driver | BCR | PIR | SCO | YPR | NGS | ULS | MAN | Pts |

Key :

| Colour | Result |
| - | - |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Non-podium finish |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| Black | Excluded (EXC) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| * | Joker played |

Points are awarded in each class as follows: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1. Competitors may nominate one event as their 'joker', on which they will score additional points: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Competitors six best scores will count towards their championship total, including the final round. The final round of the championship will be a double-header for points as the rally is split into two point scoring rounds.

