British Rally Championship (Group B era)
Fast forest stages, big crowds and works cars from Opel, Audi, Austin Rover and Ford: in the mid-1980s the British Open Rally Championship was one of the strongest national series in the world, and world champions regularly took part.
Champions
| Year | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Manufacturers’ title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Jimmy McRae | Ian Grindrod | Opel Ascona 400 | Opel |
| 1983 | Stig Blomqvist | Björn Cederberg | Audi Quattro A2 | Toyota |
| 1984 | Jimmy McRae | Mike Nicholson | Opel Manta 400 | Opel |
| 1985 | Russell Brookes | Mike Broad | Opel Manta 400 | Opel |
| 1986 | Mark Lovell | Roger Freeman | Ford RS200 | Ford |
The series
The championship was open to foreign drivers, which is why it was officially called the British Open Rally Championship. A season had around six rounds: forest rallies in England, Wales and Scotland, plus asphalt events in Northern Ireland and on the Isle of Man. Several of them — the Circuit of Ireland, the Scottish Rally and the Manx — were also European championship rounds. The RAC Rally itself was a world championship round and not part of the British series.
McRae, Blomqvist, Brookes and Lovell: the British Open Rally Championship from 1982 to 1986, with results, cars and the 1984 title fight.
Season by season
1982. Jimmy McRae and Ian Grindrod retained their title in a Rothmans-backed Opel Ascona 400, winning the Circuit of Ireland and the Manx along the way.
1983. Stig Blomqvist and Björn Cederberg took the title in an Audi Quattro A2, winning the Scottish Rally ahead of McRae, and Blomqvist also won the RAC Rally that year. Russell Brookes won the Circuit of Ireland in a Vauxhall Chevette HSR, and Henri Toivonen and Fred Gallagher won the Manx ahead of Ari Vatanen.
1984. The six rounds were the National Breakdown (York), the Circuit of Ireland, the Welsh, the Scottish, the Ulster and the Manx. Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz won three of them for Audi, and Walter Röhrl won the Ulster with Christian Geistdörfer. Billy Coleman won the Circuit of Ireland. McRae, now with Mike Nicholson in an Opel Manta 400, won only the final round on the Isle of Man, but four podiums and Mikkola’s retirement on the Manx gave him the title by 57 points to 45, with Brookes third on 44.
1985. Russell Brookes and Mike Broad won the title at last in a Manta 400 entered by GM Dealer Sport, and won the Manx. McRae won the Circuit of Ireland, and Malcolm Wilson and Nigel Harris won the Scottish. Michèle Mouton drove an Audi Quattro A2 on the Welsh Rally.
1986. The new four-wheel-drive cars arrived. Mark Lovell and Roger Freeman won the title in a Ford RS200, the first British title for a four-wheel-drive Ford. David Llewellin and Phil Short won the Circuit of Ireland, Mikael Sundström won a Scottish Rally on which many stages were cancelled to comply with FISA’s requirements, and Tony Pond and Rob Arthur won the Manx, with Llewellin second in an MG Metro 6R4.
Who drove what
Opel ran Ascona 400s and then Manta 400s for McRae and Brookes, Audi brought Quattros for Blomqvist, Mikkola and Mouton, and Austin Rover (team page) and Ford (team page) used the British series to develop the Metro 6R4 and RS200 in 1985–86. Other regulars included Per Eklund, fourth in 1984, and Bertie Fisher.
Champions follow English Wikipedia’s list; the 1984 results and points come from its 1984 season article, and other event winners from eWRC-results.com. The cars of some event winners (for example Llewellin’s on the Circuit of Ireland, Sundström’s and Pond’s in 1986) are not given in these sources and are not named here. The ‘Manufacturers’ title’ column comes from the same Wikipedia article.
In pictures 3 photos
More from Championships
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN), British Rally Championship — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rally_Championship
- Wikipedia (EN), 1984 British Rally Championship — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_British_Rally_Championship
- eWRC-results.com, FIA European Rally Championship 1982 (event results) — https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1982/6-erc/
- eWRC-results.com, FIA European Rally Championship 1983 (event results) — https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1983/6-erc/
- eWRC-results.com, FIA European Rally Championship 1984 (event results) — https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1984/6-erc/
- eWRC-results.com, FIA European Rally Championship 1985 (event results) — https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1985/6-erc/
- eWRC-results.com, FIA European Rally Championship 1986 (event results) — https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1986/6-erc/
All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.
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