An event-winner in 2024, experienced rally driver and circuit racer Ian Barrett is targeting a strong start to his second full campaign in the Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy this year.

Barrett entered the British rallycross fold last year in the opening double-header of the season at Lydden Hill on Easter Bank Holiday weekend with a Volkswagen Polo previously raced by seven-time World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson to the RallyX Nordic title.

But, Barrett’s early campaign was blighted by technical woes, and it wasn’t until a move to Tony Bardy Motorsport to run the 600bhp, four-wheel-drive Polo later in the season that the Irishman was able to deliver on his promise.

Denied a strong result in the penultimate weekend at Pembrey Circuit after contact, Barrett then drove to victory on the opening day of the season’s finale weekend at Lydden Hill, claiming the coveted Fireworks Rallycross victory under floodlights in November.

Formerly a competitor in the Iberian Porsche Supercup series, Barrett also has a long history of rallying in his Irish homeland, driving a range of machinery including Subarus, Mitsubishis, Ford Fiesta WRCs and Darrian T90s.

Aligning that underlying experience with the knowledge gained in his maiden rallycross campaign last year, Tapa Competition driver Barrett plans to put that to good use in the 2025 campaign that gets underway this weekend at Lydden Hill [April 19 & 21].

Ian Barrett:

“This is my second year at 5 Nations BRX and hopefully we have a better start than last season. It would be great to have a clean first few rounds, hopefully get some solid results at Lydden before moving on to Mondello Park and continue that to have a strong year. We’ve done so some work to the car over the winter to hopefully improve the reliability, and it’s definitely better coming back for the second year with that little bit more experience. I’m very much looking forward to it – I can’t wait to get started."

See all news »