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Reigning Junior BRC champion Kyle White officially unveiled his 2024 campaign at The Autosport Show today, who will be piloting a brand new Hyundai i20 for the Probite British Rally Championship.
The 27-year-old from Dunmurry in Northern Ireland secured the coveted Junior title on his third attempt in the highly competitive series, adding his name to a notable list including our former podcast guest Eamonn Kelly.
Having spent two years behind the wheel of a Peugeot 208 Rally4, and after working hard during this off-season, White has managed to find the budget and acquired a brand new Hyundai i20 to step up into the BRC1 top-flight category for his first full fat BRC title bid.
As the covers came off his brand-new car, he became the first driver to register for the upcoming British Rally Championship season as registrations opened at the NEC today. Taking to his socials, he thanked Blackwater Graphics who, let's be honest, have created a stunning black/gold look for him to take to the stages in. Speaking at the show he had this to say.
“It’s surreal to say that I own a Hyundai i20, and to have the opportunity to step up into the BRC1 category is mind blowing.
From watching the series as a young boy with the likes of Gwyndaf [Evans] winning at the time, to now competing against some of the elite drivers in the world is very humbling, given that our small team is punching way above our weight is testament to the hard work we have put in over the years”.
Looking Back
White launched his BRC career in 2021 driving the older spec Peugeot 208 R2. He and co-driver Sean Topping even lead the championship early on, ahead of much more powerful machinery before eventually dropping back. For 2022, White had the newer Rally4 Peugeot at his disposal and and as result was rarely out of the podium. A close battle between him and former champion Eamonn Kelly cemented his position and last year saw him finally win the title.
As usual, the prize for winning the title would be free entries into each round of the 2024 championship, a prize fund estimated at over £5,500. This made the decision to switch to R5 that much easier.
“It made sense to enter the BRC this year, as I am now familiar with the rallies and that can play a vital part in adapting to the new car.
We have very limited expectations for this year, I haven’t driven the car yet and apart from a small test before the first round, we will have no seat time and we will treat this year as a learning year, with hope that we can compete for victory in the latter stages of the year.”
Back in October last year, the new look championship was unveiled with the new Probite title sponsor and promise of a new media package to be revealed later this month and reduced costs. White is in good company with a long rich history of drivers including Elfyn Evans, Eamonn Kelly, Will Creighton, Josh McErlean and many others all progressing through the British Championship on their way to the WRC. The 2024 Championship gets underway at the Legend Fires North West Stages in March, with a six-round.
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