Rhys Yates will enter the 2020 British Rally Championship in an M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta R5 MK2 alongside his WRC2 campaign.
Yates made his debut with the team last weekend with a fourth place in WRC2 on Rallye Monte Carlo and the 27-year-old has revealed he’ll re-join the BRC with the Cumbrian squad where he last competed full time in 2018.
He said on the news: “There’s a lot of good competition out there with some really fast guys. I’m looking forward to it, we’ve come close in the past and it’s good to be giving it another go this time.”
“I think we’re in with a good chance [of winning]. It’s definitely the aim, but as well as that, doing the BRC’s going to give us some more good experience for the WRC.”
“I’ve always said that I would want to support the British Rally Championship when I can. I really enjoy the rallies, they’re great events with great stages. OK, they’re a bit shorter than WRC rounds, but it’s really good for time in the car and to help build the experience. The rallies land nicely between the WRC rounds we’re doing, which is great for seat time.”
2020 has seen the man from Chesterfield move up to a manufacturer supported drive for the first time after previously entering the British, European and World championships in a privately ran Skoda Fabia and lately a Hyundai i20.
He continued about his ambitions for the British series in 2020: “And the fact that they are that little bit shorter is actually a good thing – one area I want to work on this year is getting out of the blocks quicker.”
“That’s crucial for me and it’s something that’s vital to success in BRC. If you don’t make a good start, it’s hard to catch that time back. It’s going to be a busy year with the WRC 2 programme, but it’s going to be a great one.”
The 2020 British Rally Championship takes place over six rounds, beginning with the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally on February 8.
