Former Formula Ford racer Rob Shield is set to contest a full campaign in the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship in 2017, a support category to the MSA British Rallycross Championship.

Shield will compete in the Swift Sport raced by Drew Bellerby last season, having previously made a one-off appearance at his local circuit, Croft, in 2012, where he won the B final and finished sixth in the A final on his debut.

“I’m planning to do the full season. It depends a bit on how I do in the first part of the year. I’ll do as much as I can, I want to do the whole championship,” said Shield, whose father Michael Shield won the MSA British Rallycross Championship in 1989, driving an MG Metro 6R4. Rob Shield’s motorsport career began in karting before progressing to cars, but hasn’t competed regularly for two years. “I did karting from when I was 13. I did the British Championship a few times and was seeded in the top ten in Super One two years in a row. From there I did Formula Ford EcoBoost as part of the British Touring Car Championship package, and the Formula Ford Festival too. I’ve not done a great deal but it’s been quite diverse. I’ve had a bit of success and hopefully there’ll be some more this year.”

Shield is hoping to test at Teesside Autodrome ahead of the opening round of the 2017 British RX campaign in North Yorkshire, to acclimatise himself with the car. “I’m going to go out at Teesside for a short test. I’ve been up and down the drive a couple of times but I want to have a proper go before the first round. My family has a lot of history with rallycross, but for me I want to compete because I really enjoy it. It’s cost effective and I think it’s the most fun you can have in motorsport. The Swift Sport Championship are an excellent group of people to be with, so it’s a no brainer for me.”

The first round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship takes place at Croft Circuit on March 19.

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