IRDC 2013 Driver Improvement Scheme
During the 2013 season the British Rally Championship has taken competitors to the uncompromising stages of the Scottish boarders and down to the forests of Britain's south coast 'Riviera', to the harsh and uncompromising Kielder complex and the fast tarmac of Ulster; with of course the popular forests of mid-Wales thrown in for good measure, thus justifying the championship's place at the pinnacle of UK rallying.
Operating within this hard-fought theatre of the British championship is the International Rally Drivers Club - Driver Improvement Scheme which rewards drivers who perform with reliability and show consistent performance improvement throughout the 700-odd stage-miles - gravel and asphalt, from which the series' six events have comprised.
Final analysis of scheme's performance matrix shows 22 year old Ulsterman Mark Donnelly to be the 2013 winner of the International Class, ably co-driven by Dai Roberts in a Citroen DS3 R3T. Second was Norwegian driver Steve Rokland in a Fiesta R2 and equal third; Daniel McKenna from Eire and Johnny Greer from Belfast, Ford Fiesta and Citroen DS3 mounted respectively.
In the NGK Sparkplugs Challenge Class, 26 year old Scotsman Gareth White (second in 2012) was the delighted winner in his Citroen C2, co-driven by Mike Dickson. Steven Smith and Chris Wheeler in joint second place driving Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 206 respectively. The Driver Improvement scheme is based on the performance improvement as compared between events and stage times and not overall finish results.
The International Rally Drivers Club will present the awards to the winning drivers at the seventh round of the 2013 Championship; the BRC Awards Ceremony to be held on Saturday 9th November at Manchester's Hallmark Hotel.
International Rally Drivers Club 2013 Driver Improvement Scheme - Final Positions
MSA International Class
1.Mark Donnelly
2.Steve Rokland
3=.Daniel McKenna
3=.Johnny Greer
NGK Sparkplugs Challenge Class
1.Gareth White
2=.Chris Wheeler
2=.Steven Smith
3rd November, 2013