The entry so far in this year’s MSA British Rally Championship boasts the hottest young talent from the British Isles and overseas, with nearly three quarters of the registered competitors aged 26 or younger.

Whilst the remainder of drivers are hardly elderly, the youth assault will certainly spice up the battles throughout the series and undermines that the BRC is the place to be if you have any aspirations to progress to the top of the sport. 

The quality of entry is equally excellent, with eleven of the sixteen MSA British Rally Elite and Academy members contesting the BRC, amongst them Champions and award winners. 2008 C2R2 Cup champion Jason Pritchard is joined by last year’s BRC Privateers Champion Jonathan Greer, the 2008 Mitsubishi Evo Challenge winner David Bogie taking the wheel of his prize car in 2009.

Along with Pritchard, several more Pirelli Star Driver nominees join the 2008 winner Adam Gould, who was also a finalist in the European shoot-out with Irishman Keith Cronin. Andreas Sjolander not only brings his shoot-out experience, but he has a Swedish Junior Rally Championship under his belt too. Luke Pinder added his name to the 2008 Pirelli roll-call as well as bringing the 2007 BRC Challenge title to the party.

Cronin also brings the Billy Coleman award winners to three, 2007 recipient Owen Murphy joined by Ross Forde who took the Young Driver award. The Irish are certainly well represented this year, with Elite and Academy members Alastair Fisher and Marty McCormack taking Irish Fiesta Sporting Trophy and Citroën C2R2 Cups respectively.

Scots Dave Weston junior and Euan Thorburn are eager to show their pace too, their potential recognised by their inclusion in the British Rally Academy. Both bring excellent individual results to the BRC, but have yet to add titles to their cache.

Out this year in the Swift Sport Cup are Australian Super 1600 Champion Molly Taylor and 2008 BRC Challenge winner David Harrison, the Manxman joined by countryman and Isle of Man Youth Scholarship winner Martin Jones.

With the youth element making such an impact on the number of entries (the average age of the drivers listed below is under 22), the 2009 season could be viewed as the dawning of a new era.

For more information on the MSA British Rally Championship visit www.rallybrc.co.uk