Tom Banks
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Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship launch
A new Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship is launching this year, with the new championship joining the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy and the British Trial and Rally Drivers Association( BTRDA) Clubmans Rallycross Championship schedule.
Twelve rounds of the Cross Car Championship began at Blyton Park on 30th of March, as part of the BTRDA season opener. The category will join the headline Supercar class and Junior division within 5 Nations BRX as Motorsport UK sanctioned categories as part of the series’ roster, with racing at all of both championship’ s rounds except for October’ s visit to Mondello Park. The season will culminate at Lydden Hill in November as part of the annual 5 Nations BRX Fireworks Rallycross weekend.
The FIA-sanctioned single-seater buggy category is an accessible and affordable pathway within Rallycross. A range of manufacturers have delivered several iterations of the vehicles that are fitted with motorcycle engines. Cross Car is rising in popularity globally and the launch of the new championship will give competitors added impetus to get behind the wheel.
FIA-sanctioned Cross Car machines were first introduced into UK rallycross in 2022 with four cars entered, and the category honours claimed by Luke Holly. In 2023, there were six Cross Cars which were point scoring, and this continued to grow in 2024 – plus they became part of the 5 Nations BRX roster. Cross Cars also featured at the Autosport Show live action arena in 2025.
“ Mygale UK is very pleased with the progress during 2024 in the world of Cross Car," noted James Morgan, CEO, Mygale UK, the distributor of the XC04 Cross Car in the UK, " and the new exciting category already offering a Motorsport UK title for 2025.
" Cross Car has become a pretty hot topic in the world of motorsport over the last two years. The FIA has built a fantastic pyramid with a very clearly defined set of rules and regulations, and we are very happy to see Motorsport UK leading the way in adopting this new formula.
" We believe this will open up the sports of Rally, Rallycross and other disciplines including Hillclimb, to a whole host of new competitors as the Cross Car formula allows a single vehicle to be used in a multitude of motorsport at a very reasonable cost."
Given the growth of the category and increasing availability of cars, two classes have been introduced – the Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship for FIA Cross Cars, and another for non-FIA compliant cars – known as BTRDA XC.
The Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship will also run on a Control Fuel from Round 2, which will allow for comparison testing to be undertaken to ensure fair competition, and the MRF tyre will continue as the nominated tyre for both classes.
" Everyone at EDSL Sport is delighted by this brand-new championship which promises to elevate the position of Cross Cars in the UK " added Alex Waterman at EDSL Sport, distributors for the LifeLive TN11 and TN5 Cross Car. " The potential these machines have is obvious, proven by their popularity all over the world, so it is fantastic that a Motorsport UK national title is now up for grabs."
The BTRDA has offered the Turton Trophy which will be awarded the highest placed BTRDA member in the Motorsport UK Cross Car category, and the Cooper Trophy will be awarded to the BTRDA XC Class Champion. Competitors will count three dropped scores towards their final total.
“ Cross Car is rapidly growing in the UK,” noted Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers,“ and is becoming a cost effective and accessible discipline open to all. The disciplines inclusion in the 5 Nations British Rallycross in 2024 highlighted its rapid expansion and as its popularity grows in the UK and internationally, we are excited to launch a dedicated British championship for the Formula.”
Revolution- April 2025
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