Xlerate – Motorsport Magazine

BRC RD2 | WEST CORK RALLY 2019

March 22, 2019March 22, 2019 Andy CBRC, British Rally Championships, WEST CORK RALLY

Rallying in Ireland is a big deal to those who compete and to the fans that follow the sport with great enthusiasm. So it only seems natural for the BRC to include an event across the Irish sea in the calendar in order to pitch its contenders up against the Irish rallying talent. Making its debut in the British Rally Championship with an impressive entry list; the West Cork Rally was the next challenge for the BRC crews this year, as they make the transition from the gravel of the…

NEWS & FEATURES RACE

MotoGP | 2019 | The New Rules Explained

March 21, 2019March 21, 2019 Andy CBIKES, MOTOGP, MOTORBIKES

Whilst there is a fat book full of official rules governing the sport, I’ve selected some of the more interesting and significant rule changes across the classes for this season. Aerodynamic fairings: The winglets that Ducati introduced a few years ago made other manufacturers follow trend. The rules were changed soon after so that they had to be incorporated within the fairings and not exceed a specified measurement. However, this year although those designs will still be allowed, each rider will start with a specific style with only one upgrade…

NEWS & FEATURES RACE

F1 | RD1 – ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2019

March 17, 2019March 18, 2019 Andy CAUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX, F1, FORMULA ONE

For those fans that had been hibernating during the off-season, one of the changes for race day in Formula One is the introduction of the bonus point for the fastest lap. A driver who posts the fastest lap of the race and finishes in the top ten will receive one bonus point, this will also be added to the constructor points also. There were some rumblings that the bigger teams were not in favour of this new rule. As you will read later in the report, the drivers had different…

NEWS & FEATURES RACE

F1 | RD1 – ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2019 | QF

March 16, 2019March 18, 2019 Andy CAUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX, F1, FORMULA ONE

The build-up to the Australian Grand Prix was a bitter-sweet emotion. Fans all over the world were gearing up for another exhilarating season. The excitement was building as the teams put together the final preparations for the first race of the year. All of the excitement was put in the shade with the sudden and tragic passing of Charlie Whiting. Tributes poured in from every corner of the motor racing family for the man who was hugely respected and liked by all who met him. I had met Charlie Whiting…

NEWS & FEATURES RALLY

WRC | RD3 – RALLY MEXICO 2019

March 10, 2019March 18, 2019 Andy CFIA WRC, MEXICO, WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, WRC

The FIA World Rally Championships travelled away from Europe for its first long haul trip to round three in Mexico. From the snow and sub zero conditions of Sweden, the crews found themselves in temperatures nearing 30°C tackling the loose and dusty stages high up in the mountains close to Leon, for the first gravel rally of the season. Toyota’s Ott Tanak arrived in Mexico leading the drivers’ standings and his team also led Hyundai by just a single point in the manufactures. However, on the Thursday morning pre-event shakedown at…

RALLY

ARC | RD1 – RALLY NUTS TOUR OF EPYNT 2019

March 10, 2019March 18, 2019 Andy CARC, EPYNT, MSA ASPHALT RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, PORT TALBOT MC, PROTYRE MOTORSPORT UK ASPHALT RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, RALLY NUTS, TOUR OF EPYNT

In 1965 Mynydd Epynt received its first taste of stage rallying courtesy of the newly formed Port Talbot Motor Club; offering up a place for steel workers who lived and worked in the region to share their passion for Motoring and Motorsport. The club pioneered rallying at this now legendary UK Motorsport venue, which today in 2019 hosted the opening round of the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championships, The Rally Nuts Tour Of Epynt. With seven stages on offer to the 72 competitors who had entered, the morning arrived…

RALLY

BTRDA | RD2 – MALCOLM WILSON RALLY 2019

March 9, 2019March 18, 2019 Andy CBTRDA, MALCOLM WILSON RALLY, RALLY

The BTRDA headed north to the wonderful Lake District for round 2, The Malcolm Wilson rally. Last year’s event was cancelled due to wintry conditions and this year; the weather also threw in a curve ball on the day. 8 Stages totalling a little over 42 competitive miles awaited the 90 competitors, with Round 1 winner Euan Thorburn waring the No1 on the door of this Ford Focus WRC. Irishman Connor McCloskey was out in an R5+ Fiesta for his first BTRDA outing of the year and was quickest off…

NEWS & FEATURES RALLY

PREVIEW | WRC | RD3 – RALLY MEXICO 2019

March 1, 2019March 18, 2019 Andy C

After the cold wintery conditions of both Monte Carlo and Sweden things are now starting to heat up as the FIA World Rally Championships heads to North America for its first gravel rally of the year, Round 3 – Rally Guanajuato Mexico. Once again based out of Leon, North of Mexico City; the event takes in some truly breath taking scenery in and around the mountains of Sierra de Lobos and Guanajuato. But there’s a good chance that the world’s best drivers simply won’t be able to enjoy those views,…

NEWS & FEATURES RALLY

WRC | RD2 – RALLY SWEDEN 2019

February 23, 2019March 18, 2019 Andy CRALLY SWEDEN, WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS, WRC, WRC2, WRC2 PRO

Rally Sweden is the Championships only full on winter rally, yes the season opener in Monte Carlo last month also featured tricky wintery conditions and at times was like watching an episode of Dancing on Ice, but it’s got nothing on Sweden, which is simply just unique! The crazy thing about rallying on the snow and ice at this event, is that for the world best drivers, it’s one of the fastest events…. why? ….. Studded Tires which dig into frozen roads provide a whole another level of grip and…

RALLY

BRC | BTRDA | WNRC | RD1 – CAMBRIAN RALLY 2019

February 22, 2019March 18, 2019 Andy CBRC, British Rally Championships, BTRDA, CAMBRIAN RALLY, MOTORSPORT UK, Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Championships

The Cambrian Rally has often been an event on our annual rallying calendar and this year’s addition, the 64th of the North Wales Car Club organised event came with the added attraction of being a part of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship. Now, we have always favored this event and followed it as part of BTRDA & Welsh National Series and some may well have had concerns about having these premier championships possibly colliding on the same event, but we have to say it worked, and my gosh did…