Under tisdagen blev det officiellt att Fredrik Åhlin kommer att köra MSA British Rally Championship och dess sju deltävlingar under 2016 och till det även ett flertal WRC2-tävlingar med start i det svenska VM-rallyt nästa vecka.
Det blir mer blågult i det brittiska rallymästerskapet i år, tidigare i år presenterade Mattias Adielsson sin Opel R2-satsning och nu är det klart att det blir svenskt i R5 med när Fredrik Åhlin kommer till start i en CA1 Sport-prepared Ford Fiesta R5. Satsningen stöttas av LeoVegas.com, Fuchs Oils och Pirelli.
Efter Rally Sweden bär det av västerut och premiären av det brittiska mästerskapet, Mid Wales Stages den 5-6 mars.
På engelska kommer här Fredriks kommentar till den spännande satsningen:
– I haven’t done any rounds of the British Rally Championship before, but Martin [Wilkinson] has been telling me a lot about the events and I am really looking forward to it. I think there will be a lot of R5 cars starting the championship, and a lot of good competition.
– It’s great that Elfyn Evans is coming back to do the BRC, because for sure that will be a very good benchmark for us and allow us to compare ourselves against a very good WRC driver.
– I hear that the Mid Wales Stages is near to where we did parts of Wales Rally GB last year, so it will be good to start a brand new championship on stages where at least the characteristics are a little familiar. I’ve always found the Welsh forest stages to have quite good grip, even when there is a lot of water on them, so it will be more or less flat out from the beginning!
– On Wales Rally GB last year we had some technical problems on the first day and had to superally, but after that we were setting some good times and fighting in WRC2 with the likes of Craig Breen, so hopefully we can take that momentum to the Mid Wales Stages and start the BRC season off well.
– It’s going to be an exciting year contesting the BRC and selected WRC2 events. I want to go out and enjoy it, and of course I want to score some top results. For sure we have the car and team to do it.”
2016 MSA British Rally Championship
March 5-6 Mid Wales Stages (Gravel)
April 8-9 Circuit of Ireland (Asphalt)
April 30-1 May Pirelli Rally (Gravel)
June 25 RSAC Scottish Rally (Gravel)
July 9-10 Nicky Grist Stages (Gravel/Asphalt)
August 19-20 Ulster Rally (Asphalt)
September 15-17 Rally Isle of Man (Asphalt)
