Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire hosts the opening round of the 2015 MSA British Rallycross Championship in association with the Shannon Group this weekend, and with over sixty entries already, is a positive start to this years series.

There are still some drivers that have to confirm race programs for this year, while others have new cars, or moved classes. Whatever, though its looking very likely that this year could be the best one in British Rallycross for many years.

Julian Godfrey is back to defend his Championship title in the Ford Fiesta, and he certainly will be one of the favourites to stake a claim for this years Championship. His progression from Peugeots, many years ago, has seen him become one of the most consistent competitors in British Rallycross and his quiet demeanor belies a fierce competitive instinct once the flag drops.

Godfrey will face some stiff opposition this year, notably from championship runner up, Steve Harris who moves from his Ford Focus to a DS3 for this year's championship. His SH Racing team, along with LD Motorsport will run a pair of Citroën's for both him and long term Rallycross favourite Pat Doran. Harris is looking forward to this years championship and said last week "We were pleased with how last year ended up for us, and with a new car for this year in the shape of the Citroën DS3, we could go very well indeed, but there are new cars for others out there was well, so Croft is going to be very interesting indeed."

Doran, a long term supporter of British, and more recently World Rallycross is no doubt a fans favourite, and with cars such as his RS200 has endeared himself to rallycross supporters over many years.

Championship sponsor Ollie O'Donovan will have his new Ford Fiesta on hand at Croft this weekend. He joined the 2014 championship mid way through the year, and instantly showed that he had lost none of his flair or speed by immediately battling for wins. Speaking late last week he said, "I am really looking forward to this year, to be honest. It will be good to take the challenge to Julian, but there are a lot of others who can win as well. Pat (Doran), Steve (Harris), Kevin (Procter) they are all there, and when you throw in Andy Scott or Mark Flaherty and some of the others too, then you can see why it will be a good battle this year."

Albatec's Andy Scott will be at Croft in a Peugeot 208, and he will be a challenger for wins. His experience in World Rallycross will be a massive benefit for him, as well as the speed of the Peugeot and will be sure to be among the points next weekend. Newly announced teammate Mark Flaherty will miss Croft, due to taking part in a Rally in Spain, but he will be back for the second round at Lydden.

Kevin Procter will bring his Ford Fiesta to Croft. Procter knows the circuit very well, and has worked through the winter to cure some of the teething issues with the car, and certainly will be one of the favourites for victory too. Last year, he showed the speed the car has, and in some heats was unstoppable.

Mad Mark returns with the Citroën Xsara, a welcome returnee to the championship. The Castle Barnard hotelier is one of the fans favourites, with the supercar in resplendent pink, and easily recognizable, and on the day very capable of taking a win.

Andy Grant and Steve Mundy have both entered Croft. Each brings a Ford Focus to the event, and on the day are more than capable of getting among the more fancied runners and onto the podium, if not fighting for victory.

Steve Hill has confirmed a full championship attack this year in his rapid Mitsubishi Evo 10. Several podiums last year, and third overall in the championship will give him the confidence to attack from the off.

An interesting entry comes from Donegal's Geoffrey Dolan. He has purchased the ex Chris Evans Opel Astra. Dolan has competed in British Rallycross before, having campaigned a RX150 over the last few years on occasions. Dolan, a former Irish Tarmac rally champion certainly has the speed, and the Astra that Evans campaigned a few years back, is very quick, so don't be surprised to see his name at the top of the time sheets next weekend, certainly he is one to watch.

2014 MSA Supernational Champion, Stuart Emery is back to defend his title this year in the Peugeot 206. The Kent domicile, has worked hard over the winter on the car, and he will be ready for a full seasons campaign at Croft, certainly he will be the man to beat. Speaking earlier this week Emery said "To win last year was superb, and of course we would like to do it again this year, but there are some really string contenders for the title too. Gary (Dixon) will go well, Guy Corner too, and don't forget some of the others as well."

Gary Dixon, 2014 Championship runner up, is back too, again in the Vauxhall Astra and he will be aiming to push Emery all the way as will Guy Corner in the Peugeot 206. Allan Tapscott brings the Vauxhall Corsa back out once again, and he has the speed to challenge for podiums and victories. Tony Lynch joins the Supernationals in 2015 and he is certainly one to keep an eye on, as the season starts in his Mini. Paige Bellerby represents one third of the Bellerby family, and she will return on the Lotus Exige once again. During the latter half of 2014, her speed and confidence in the Lotus increased, and this was shown in her collecting points over the latter half of the season. Martin Hawkes will bring his Peugeot 206 to Croft, with the sole aim of getting in amongst the challengers at the front and battle for podiums and victories. Daniel Rooke brings his Citroën AX to the opening round, while Todd Crooks will have his Mini Cooper S on hand to join the rest of the Supernationals and aim to challenge. Slawomir Woloch will have the Ford Fiesta on hand at Croft, and on occasions last year showed some great speed in the car too.

Super1600 sees Phil Chicken bring his Citroën C2 out, though he has admitted that he intends to compete in some of the World Rallycross rounds this year as well. Craig Lomax for this year has moved from Hot Hatch to Super1600, and the 2014 Champion has the experience to push his Citroën C2, and everyone else all the way. Last year he showed consistent speed and wrapped up the title with a round to spare. Andy Knowles returns to British Rallycross once again, and it's good to see. The pressure of work, and the amount of it, has meant that British Rallycross has not seen as much of the Liverpool man as it should have but he will certainly be aiming to push his Citroën C2 up and into the front of the field. Mike Jones will join the other Super1600's and brings his Suzuki Swift to Croft.

In the MSA Junior Swifts, Drew Bellerby, the second third of the Bellerby family, returns to challenge for the 2015 title in the Suzuki Swift. Bellerby missed out on last year's title by just five points, and will be aiming to put that right this year. The experience she gained last year saw an increase in speed and consistency and she will be the one to watch this year. Jennie Hawkes likewise improved as last year went on, despite new circuits, and learning the car, she ended the year showing an impressive consistency, which will serve her well this year.

Hot Hatch and BMW Mini could be very close this year, with David Bell returning in the Mini, and will be joined by John Clayton in a similar car.

In the Hot Hatch Tomasz Wielgosz, could well be favourite this year. In 2014 he finished third in the championship in his Peugeot 106, but Paul Maybourne makes a welcome return in his Citroën Saxo and he is capable of pushing for a win in the class. Jeff Hope-Davies will also contest the Hot Hatch in his Citroën Saxo while Robert Potyra joins them in a similar car.

In the SwiftSport category, Tristan Ovenden returns to defend his title in 2015. He will head to Croft as the man to beat. The beauty of the Suzuki Swift class, is the similarity of the cars in equal terms. This has been the reason that some of the best races seen last year were in the Swifts. Chris Mullen, runner up to Ovenden will not contest this years championship, nor will Graham Rodemark, and while no doubt both will be missed, there is a plethora of others that are very capable of battling with Ovenden. Rob Maynard will be in the mix for sure, the Kent man improving at each round last year, will bring that experience to the fold this year, as will Darren Scott who returns to battle with the rest of the field. Ovenden, Maynard and Scott turned in some super performances last year, so expect more of the same this year. That said, you can then add the likes of Dave Ellis and Jake Taylor to that mix too, along with Jake Harris. Ellis showed some great speed last year, while Taylor has improved with each race. Harris, will bring his knowledge of the RX150, where he has competed regularly and he cannot be discounted either. Adam Weaver came to rallycross late last year, but he is back for more, which is good to see, while there are appearances lined up for Andrew Hawkes, Jack Brown, Nathan Heathcote, Jeff Hankin, Ryan McAdam and Alex Spencer. A busy class is the Swift Sport, but certainly it is one to watch.

In the RX150's, multiple champion Marc Scott is back once again to defend his title. While there is no sign of an entry at this stage for James Grint, there are certainly others that can, and will, given the opportunity, push Scott all the way. Kevin Feeney finished third to Scott and Grint last year, and he will be aiming to push his buggy to the front of everyone else and ensure he is in the middle of the action. Larry and Adam Sargent are both back again this year, as is Stephen Jones, who made one or two sit up and take notice last year with his performaces. Brett Harris, again is another who has loads of time spent in the RX150's, and is very capable of getting into the middle of all the action and fighting for a win too. A dark horse for the RX150's this weekend is the final third of the Bellerby dynasty with Dad, Dave getting behing the wheel of one this weekend.

In the hugely popular Retro Rallycross, we have entries from the likes of Lance Foster in the Mini, who will once again battle with Ian Biagi in a similar car. James Harrold has the glorious sounding VW Beetle out once again, and he will be a crowd favourite. Dave Black will be back out in his Vauxhall Astra GTE, while Paul Smith returns in the nimble VW Polo. Stewart Bowes appears in another Mini, while Darren Grimston will drive a Vauxhall Nova and Daniel Greaves a Mazda 323.

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