BRC Racing Team keeping Team MRF Tyres in its reach in ERC

Having top-scored on the season-opening Rally Serras de Fafe, Felgueiras, Boticas, Vieira do Minho e Cabeceiras de Basto in March, BRC Racing Team was second best to Team MRF Tyres on Rally Islas Canarias before placing third among the leading scorers on ORLEN 79th Rally Poland last month.

Since round one in Portugal, Team MRF Tyres has set the pace among the scorers, netting 41 and 45 points on Rally Islas Canarias and ORLEN 79th Rally Poland respectively.

MRF Tyres Dealer Team picked up 30 points in Poland compared to the 24 claimed by BRC, which means the gap between the two outfits is 11 points in BRC’s favour ahead of this week’s Tet Rally Liepāja.

Meanwhile, Team MRF Tyres tops the provisional standings after three rounds thanks to the combined efforts of drivers Simone Campedelli, Efrén Llarena and Mārtiṇš Sesks. It holds an advantage of 30 points over BRC, which, as a single-car entry counts on the scores of Hayden Paddon only.

Tet Rally Liepāja takes place from 16 - 18 June and counts as round four of the eight-event 2023 ERC season. So far, 23 teams have registered for the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams.

Refresher: How ERC Teams’ points are scored
How points are scored in the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams has been changed for 2023 to make the system easier to understand.

Previously, the results of ERC and ERC4 entrants were considered according to the four- or two-wheel classification, which could lead to a team entering two Rally4 cars out-scoring a team entering one Rally2 car, even if that team achieved a better overall finishing position.

Under new rules for 2023, points are awarded to the top 15 overall eligible finishers, with the aim of providing more incentive for Rally2-equipped squads to enter the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams.

As previously, a maximum of three cars can be registered for the purpose of scoring Teams’ championship points. However, a registered team entering more than three cars must nominate its scoring drivers prior to the completion of the administrative checking procedure. If no declaration is made, the team in question will not be eligible for points.