04 Jan: 2019 UK Asphalt C’ship

… 2019 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship calendar …

The 2019 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship calendar will include a double-header event, with the Bet On Aces Manx National Rally counting as Rounds 2 and 3.

The Isle of Man event will have two full days of competition, with full points awarded at the end of Friday 10 May and at the end of Saturday 11 May. This means that the BTRDA organised Asphalt Rally Championship will have seven scoring rounds, with the best five scores counting towards the overall and class titles.

The Championship will begin on 10 March with the Rallynuts National Tour of Epynt, before heading to the Manx National. Round 4 will be the Rally van Wervik (Belgium) on 15 June, an event that in 2018 saw a British crew (Rhys Yates/Elliott Edmondson, ŠKODA Fabia R5) beat all the Belgian drivers to win outright for the very first time. The Carryduff Forklift Down Rally, which won the 2018 Rally of the Year Award, follows on 20 July, before the penultimate round, the Old Forge Garage Mewla Rally, on 25 August. The series will once again end with the Ford Parts Cheviot Stages Rally on Otterburn, which takes place one month earlier than in 2018, on 22 September. The Championship Awards night will be on 2 November at the Hilton Puckrup Hall, Tewkesbury.

All the classes that ran in 2018 will continue unchanged in 2019, with Protyre Motorsport offering tyre rewards to the overall podium finishers and to the winners of the popular B classes. If the overall top three are also B class winners, the tyre rewards will go to the class competitors who haven’t won tyres in the overall category – meaning more drivers will benefit from this lucrative prize.

Protyre is the largest supplier of Pirelli, Michelin and Hoosier motorsport tyres in the UK, and it can supply any brand of tyre. The advantages to registered competitors is that not only will they receive a very competitive special rate, Protyre will operate a comprehensive on-event service at each round, offering tyre delivery, tyre fitting, emergency supply of tyres and advice.

All rounds of the 2019 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship will be broadcast live on the internet. In 2018, the live-streaming broadcasts reached an audience of around 650,000 people – and in 2019 the service will be expanded to include two stage-side cameras (with Gemma Watson joining Howard Davies as the main commentary anchor team), drones, driver interviews, guest commentators, more fan interaction and its very own YouTube channel.

The 2019 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship Sporting and Technical Regulations will be available soon on: https://asphaltrallying.com/

Mike Broad, President of the BTRDA, said: “After the Asphalt Rally Championship took a sabbatical in 2017, we could not have hoped for a stronger and more healthier return in 2018. With 116 registered competitors and the overall and many of the class titles going down to an exciting final round, 2018 really was a fantastic year for the series. Our aim is to build on that success, by listening to the feedback we’ve received and creating a 2019 Championship that, whilst maintaining a core level of stability, continues to development. We are confident we have achieved that balance and that the 2019 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship will be another season of serious fun.”

Jane Evans, Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship Co-ordinator, said: “I am truly delighted with how the 2018 Asphalt Rally Championship went and the extremely positive feedback we had from competitors, teams, event organisers, fans and our sponsors. Having listened to all the comments, it was clear that there was a need for stability regarding the events and class structure and a desire to make a few adjustments – and making the series five scores from seven rounds without increasing the overall cost was the most popular suggestion. This we have done by making the Manx National Rally, which will have two full days of competition in 2019, into a double-header. I hope this change, and the improvements to the Protyre Motorsport event-by-event prizes and expanded live-streaming service, will please competitors, and the entire Asphalt Rally Championship team look forward to welcoming back old friends and making new ones in 2019.”

Shaun Chetwyn, Protyre Motorsport Manager, said: “We are delighted to have been able to play a part in securing the return and future of the Asphalt Rally Championship. For Protyre and all the tyre manufactures involved (Pirelli, Michelin and Hoosier Tires) it was fantastic to see how the Championship was received and how successful the 2018 season has been. We would like to thank Jane, the competitors and everyone else involved, and hope that we can assist in making the 2019 season even more successful.”

2019 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship
10 March, Rallynuts National Tour of Epynt
10/11 May, Bet On Aces Manx National Rally
15 June, Rally van Wervik
20 July, Carryduff Forklift Down Rally
25 August, Old Forge Garage Mewla Rally
22 September, Ford Parts Cheviot Stages Rally

More info at: https://asphaltrallying.com/