Rooke clinches MSA British Rallycross SuperNational title
In his maiden season in the sport, Dan Rooke (18) claimed the MSA British Rallycross SuperNational Championship title at the final round of the season at Croft, Yorkshire [October 10] with a podium finish.
Driving his Dan Rooke Racing Citroen AX, Rooke headed into the final round of the series knowing that a consistent run would secure him the two-wheel drive category title. Fastest in the first two heats, Rooke started the A final from pole position, and ran third on the first lap. A nose-to-tail battle with tail rival Gareth Wood (Ford KA) over second position followed, Rooke electing not to risk damaging his car and settling for third, his fifth podium of the season from eight rounds.
“The day went really well. It was stressful through the heats, we knew what we needed to do for the championship and to end up on the podium again is great,” said Rooke. “To be next to Gareth on the podium after the fight we’ve had for the championship was really good. It’s a bit of a relief that we managed to end the title how we wanted, without any drama. The car performed really well. The season has been a little up and down, but it’s been amazing overall. To be honest, when we entered at the start of the year we knew how hard this championship was, and thought top five would be a good result, so we’re all so happy about how things have gone.”
Following the final round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship, Rooke took part in the MSA British Rallycross Grand Prix, also a Croft, where competitors from a variety of British Rallycross classes race together. Competing against the headline 600bhp Supercars, Rooke battled with multiple British Supercar champion Pat Doran in the heats and qualified ninth overall, ahead of European Championship event winner Kevin Procter. The Devon driver was second in the B final before finishing as top two-wheel drive finisher and sixth overall in the Grand Prix final, ahead of the Citroen DS3 Supercar of Steve Harris.
“The Grand Prix was a lot of fun. In all three of my heats I started with a Supercar, so I knew the speed they go off the line. In the Grand Prix final they left so much dust behind them before the first corner,” said the MSA Academy member. “It’s been a great experience this weekend. I passed Mad Mark’s Supercar in the B final, that wasn’t something I ever thought I would do. I had a little cheer to myself in the car. This whole weekend has been a brilliant finish to a brilliant year.”
The Dan Rooke Racing team is yet to finalise plans for the 2016 season, but are exploring a number of options for the future.
Full results from Croft can be found on the MSA British Rallycross Championship, here.
British Rallycross SuperNational Championship Standings (after 8/8 rounds)
1 Dan Rooke – Citroen AX – 248
2 Gareth Wood – Ford KA – 233
3 Allan Tapscott – Vauxhall Corsa – 203
4 Paige Bellerby – Lotus Exige – 192
5 Tony Lynch – BMW Mini – 189
6 Stuart Emery – Peugeot 206 – 185
7 Mike Howlin – Ford Fiesta – 181
8 Gary Simpson – BMW 325 – 150
9 Todd Crooks – BMW Mini – 140
10 Slawomir Woloch – Ford Fiesta – 88
