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Godfrey regains British Rallycross Championship lead

Godfrey regains British Rallycross Championship lead after superb Spencer Sport Mirage RX victory at Croft

Julian Godfrey has regained the lead of the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship after winning an exciting Final at Croft Circuit in his Spencer Sport Mitsubishi Mirage RX Supercar.

The victory was just reward, after an unfortunate accident at Croft in May that cost Godfrey and the Penrhiwllan-based team the lead in the series. It saw an incredible mid-season Mirage RX rebuild and a return to action without even missing a round.

Godfrey started the Croft race day by finishing second in Heat 1, before some set-up changes saw him win Heat 2 and set the fastest lap – in what was the wettest and most difficult race of the day. A jump start penalty then saw the Heathfield-based, five-times British Rallycross champion start Heat 3 from the back of the grid, but another great getaway saw him climb up the leaderboard to finish second.

The start of the Final was dry, but by the end of lap one it had started to rain and as the race progressed it got heavier and the track conditions more slippery. The superb chassis and handling of the Mirage RX helped Godfrey pull away as the conditions deteriorated, and he crossed the line four seconds ahead of Kevin Procter (Ford Fiesta Supercar), with Mark Higgins (Peugeot 208 RX) in third.

Godfrey is now one point ahead of Ollie O’Donovan (Ford Fiesta RX) and Higgins, who are tied for second – and even when you take the mandatory one dropped score into account, Godfrey remains one point ahead of O’Donovan.

“The Mirage RX performed extremely well at Croft,” said Godfrey. “I made one small mistake all day, and that was pressing the radio button instead of the start button at the start of the third Heat; the car crept forward and we were moved to the back of the grid for a jump start. But even then we had a good race and finished second!

“Having began dry, it started to rain in the final and the conditions got worse and worse with every lap, but despite this we were able to pull away and win it quite comfortably – so it was a very good day for us in terms of performance, results and points. It’s very close in this year’s British Rallycross Championship, and with three rounds to go I think the title is going to be decided at the final round, which will be very exciting for everyone.”

“It was a faultless performance by all of the Spencer Sport team and the Mirage RX ran perfectly,” said Spencer Sport Team Manager Charlie Jukes. “We lost the lead in the British Rallycross Championship when we crashed out of the final at Croft in May, so the aim was to try and regain the it when we returned there this weekend. We’re absolutely delighted we’ve achieved exactly that. It’s also good to have enjoyed three clean heats and a well fought out final and go home with a car without any damage. The Championship is finely balanced, but we’re in a good position heading into the next round in a few weeks time.”

Round 7 of the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship takes place at Lydden Hill on 27 August.

Support for Spencer Sport’s rallycross campaign comes from Spencer ECA, Oil 4 Wales, Speedline Corse, Hopkins Specialist Race Trailers, Julian Godfrey Engineering, Motul, Sea & Slate Holiday Cottages, Atech Racing and Rallycover Insurance.

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