Albatec snatches British RX championship lead with second and third at Croft

• Mark Higgins overcomes troubled start to claim second, and seize BRX lead
• Andy Scott takes back-to-back heat wins on his first British appearance for three years, and finishes third

Croft, North Yorkshire (UK) — 6 May 2018: Albatec Racing cemented its position as a serious title contender with a solid performance at Croft today. The Peugeot 208 RX duo of Mark Higgins and Andy Scott finished second and third in a dramatic Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship finale, with Higgins leaving Yorkshire with a four-point advantage at the top of tables.

Double British vice-champion Scott showed scintillating pace in practice, powering his Motis/Rock Oil/Teng Tools-supported 208 to the top of the time sheets. Triple British Rally Champion and Lydden Hill winner Higgins was next up, in the Eddie Stobart partnering NCME-backed #34 car.

Albatec Team Principal Scott capitalised on pole position in the first qualifying race, storming away at the lights and gradually pulling away from his rivals to record his first British RX heat win since his last domestic series appearance in 2015. Scott went on to secure back-to-back heat victories but was denied the triple when a launch control issue off the line dropped him down the order in Q3. His solid performance across the opening two heats however, kept him top of the overall leader board ahead of the all-important final.

Rallycross newcomer Higgins was drawn fifth for the opening race, lining up alongside five-time champion Julian Godfrey on row two. A good start put him fourth but on a dusty dry circuit, poor visibility, coupled with the intermittent turbo issue, prevented him from advancing. Despite that, a solid drive netted the second fastest lap of the race, while fourth place kept his chances of claiming a solid points haul very much on track.

Despite the best efforts of the mechanics, the turbo issue could not be resolved in time for Higgins to take the Q2 start, forcing him to watch from the sidelines. In the third and final race, a great start at the lights saw him rocket away and into second behind Ollie O’Donovan, the pair running nose-to-tail for much of the race.

The results across the three heats, earnt pole position for Scott, and fifth for Higgins for the six-lap final. A good start by both saw them immediately in the mix, Scott running second into turn one, and Higgins up to fourth as the field exited the chicane. A collision between Steve Hill and Godfrey before the completion of the first lap brought out the red flag, leaving the Albatec duo to do it all over again.

At the restart, Scott suffered an issue with his launch control which saw him lurch forward before the lights, and which subsequently resulted in him being pushed to the back of the grid. On the third attempt, O’Donovan got the drop on the Albatec duo to lead into turn one, with Higgins following him through, and Scott quickly up to third. For five laps the trio ran nose to tail, Higgins trying everything he could to pass O’Donovan, but despite a last corner, last ditch attempt he crossed the line separated by just six hundredths of a second.

The team return to race action in the Cooper Tires World RX of Great Britain at Silverstone at the end of May, with the next round of British RX at Pembrey over the weekend of 23 & 24 June.

Mark Higgins, Albatec Racing driver #34:

“It’s been quite a difficult weekend, this was our first tine at the circuit so track time was going to be important. We had some boost issues in practice which we’ve been chasing all day, which cost us some time and meant we missed the second heat. The first start in the final was going really well, we had good strong pace and were up to third but then we had the red flag for Julian’s nasty accident. The second start was also good thankfully, we were following Ollie but just couldn’t find a way past. At the last corner we had a bit of contact which was a shame, however it’s good to be leaving Croft as the championship leader.”

Andy Scott, Team Principal and driver Albatec Racing #126:

“The weekend has been very good, fastest in practice and winning the first two heats. But then I had a problem with the launch control at the start of Q3 and the final. Overall though, I’m pleased with my performance and that of the car, I think we’ve demonstrated we still have the pace. Mark had a troubled start but finished well. He had to sit out the second heat with a technical issue but as always, he did some stellar driving and kept his head in a race of attrition to bring the car home in second and with me in third, we were just one place away from our objective. But second and third is a good result, you never know at the end of the season that may count for a lot.”

Dr Mark Busfield, Director, National Centre for Motorsport Engineering:

“It’s been a really interesting day, we’ve had students working on both cars and have had some good results. It’s provided quite an insight for the students, it’s more learning for them and the experience going forward puts us in good stead for our next event, World RX at Silverstone. Because we’ve got real life situations here at the track, they’re seeing that we’re not having to stage things to make it work so from their point of view they’re understanding it more, how the sport works and how little things can make a big difference.”

---

Albatec enters Cooper Tires World RX of Great Britain with Mark Higgins

Dumfries, Scotland (UK) — 4 May 2018: Albatec Racing has confirmed it has entered the British round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, Cooper Tires World RX of Great Britain – Speedmachine at Silverstone on 25-27 May.

Triple British Rally Champion and James Bond stunt driver Mark Higgins will take the wheel of the team’s latest specification, Eddie Stobart partnering NCME Peugeot 208 RX Supercar. He joins a quality line-up that includes legendary World rally stars Petter Solberg and Sebastien Loeb, alongside reigning champion Johan Kristoffersson, former champion Mattias Ekstrom, and multiple race winners Andreas Bakkerud and Timmy Hansen.

Higgins is currently second in the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship after two rounds, just three points adrift of the lead, following his maiden victory at Lydden Hill. The Manxman made his Supercar debut on the new Silverstone rallycross track in March, where the series regulars were joined by World RX stars Loeb, Hansen and Bakkerud. Higgins gave a good account of himself, posting competitive lap times that saw him fastest of the British series regulars after the semi-finals.

Now, Higgins joins the elite of rallycross racers as World RX makes it’s Silverstone debut at the Speedmachine Festival later this month. Speedmachine’s packed entertainment bill ensures there will be something for each event-goer to enjoy. This includes headline live music from the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Lethal Bizzle and Ministry of Sound, Esports, drifting, iconic car displays and the very best street food, not to mention a truly unique opportunity for attendees to get behind the wheel of a performance car and drive the world-famous Silverstone Formula 1 circuit.

Additional event information is available from www.fiaworldrallycross.com while event tickets can be purchased from http://www.speedmachine.com

Mark Higgins, Albatec Racing driver:

“It’s very difficult to know how we’ll perform at Silverstone, but I’m under no illusions of the task ahead. We’ve got all the big factory teams there, and we’ll be one of the few independent teams, but if we can get a good run and with a bit of luck on our side, who knows where we can be. All we can do is do our best.

“We’ll have the newer car which will be great. I didn’t have too bad a showing in the opening British round, setting some competitive times against three of the best rallycross racers in the world, and that was in the older car. It will be the first time I’ve gone back to a track for a second time, and just knowing how it all works, the track layout, the start and everything will hopefully help.”

Andy Scott, Team Principal and driver Albatec Racing:

“This is a great opportunity for Mark to race in World RX with the best in the world, where he can gain some valuable experience and get a measure of his performance across the quality entry. Hopefully he can showcase what he can do, and we can then gain some momentum to do further World RX rounds this year. We’d like to see him reach the semi-finals, if we can do that, it’s been a good result.

“He did the British RX event there in March, so he’s had some track time, albeit in zero temperatures and very different conditions to what we hope we’ll find at SpeedMachine. The newer car is a step forward to the car he’s currently using in BRX, so hopefully the new engine and improvements to the chassis will put him in a good position for the event.”

Dr Mark Busfield, Director, National Centre for Motorsport Engineering:

“At Silverstone the students are going to get a good insight into rallycross at the highest level, and although some of them experienced that in the opening BRX round, it’s a whole different ball game competing on the World RX calendar, where the stakes are much higher. It’s also going to be very important to measure our own performance against the World RX cars and interesting to see how Mark performs to see where he is in relation to the opposition.

“We’re also assisting the organisers with a cohort of students to assist on technical scrutineering matters, which is a great opportunity for them to see another side of the motorsport industry.”

---

Albatec back to two car entry for Croft British Rallycross encounter

Dumfries, Scotland (UK) — 3 May 2018: Albatec Racing will have a pair of Peugeot 208 RX Supercars in action for the third round of the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship at Croft, North Yorkshire on Sunday 6 May.

Albatec Team Principal Andy Scott take the wheel of his Motis/Rock Oil/Teng Tools-supported 208 for the first time this season, after missing the opening two rounds. Last month, the Dumfries racer finished ninth on a rare rally outing in Barbados, but now resumes driving duties at the wheel of the #126 600bhp, 4WD Peugeot as he bids for victory.

Croft has been a happy hunting ground for the double British RX vice-champion; he won the final round there in 2011 and 2013, and has finished second three times, including twice in the end-of-season British Rallycross Grand Prix, most recently on his last outing in 2015.

Lining up in the Eddie Stobart partnering NCME-backed #34 machine is 2018 BRX round two winner, triple British Rally Champion Mark Higgins. At Lydden Hill last time out, Mark was on dominant form, recovering from a rare error in Q1 to bounce back with Q3 heat victory, a win in his semi-final, and his maiden triumph in the wet Final.

Croft signals a new experience for the Manxman, but two strong performances from the opening two rounds, puts him just three points adrift of five-time British champion Julian Godfrey going into this event.

What the entry lacks in quantity next weekend, it more than makes up for in quality, with the entire Supercar entry comprising previous race winners. Practice gets underway at Croft at 09.30 on Sunday, followed by three qualifying heats and the Final.

Mark Higgins, Albatec Racing driver #34:

“I’m looking forward to Croft, obviously it’s another new circuit for me, but with no joker lap the starts are going to be even more critical than they have been so far. I know the car a lot more though, and I’m looking forward to moving that momentum forward. We have a good base set-up and we’re improving the car all the time. The biggest thing is to try and be as consistent as you can and get a clean run. I made a few mistakes in the opening rounds, hopefully we don’t have any at Croft this weekend.”

Andy Scott, Team Principal and driver Albatec Racing #126:

“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the championship after the disappointment of having to withdraw from the first two rounds and will be supporting Mark in our bid to bring home a 1-2. Having no joker can make it a bit of a lottery and with the random first heat draw, where you start in that first race can put you on the back foot all day. It’s a very difficult circuit to pass on, with the gravel section offering the only real overtaking opportunity. But for the team it will be good to have two cars out for the first time this year, we’ll arrive at a good set-up quicker, but my role is very much to support Mark.”

Dr Mark Busfield, Director, National Centre for Motorsport Engineering:

“I think it’s fair to say we’re all looking forward to continuing our championship battle after the great result we had at Lydden Hill. It’s another new circuit for Mark, but it’s great to be running two cars at Croft, with the welcome return of Andy into the driving seat. Andy has pledged to help Mark in his championship bid and it will be an additional experience for Mark to have collaboration from a team-mate.”