This weekend, the International Rally of Yorkshire, known as the ‘Trackrod’ rally after the organising club, will be the centre of Motorsport attention on both sides of the Irish Sea.
The ‘Trackrod’ is the final round of the 2009 British Rally Championship and it is set to determine who becomes the 2009 British Rally Champion.

The two main protagonists for the championship are former triple BRC Champion Mark Higgins, a 38-year-old Manx National who now resides in Abermule in North Wales and 23-year-old Keith Cronin, a trainee accountant from the small West Cork village of Ballylickey.
Mark Higgins was the pundits favourite to run away with this years Championship prior to the opening round in his adopted North Wales. Keith Cronin, however had other ideas and clinched victory on the final stage, which catapulted him into the lead of the championship.
Victory on the Pirelli Rally in Carlisle and second places on the Jim Clarke Rally and Rally Isle of Man meant that he held on to that lead until the Ulster International Rally where an off road excursion put an end to his rally and also his BRC lead.
With only 5 of the 6 rounds of the BRC counting towards the overall result, this was not a disaster but it does mean that he has to win or finish second (and in front of Higgins) in Yorkshire in order to be crowned Champion.
The only Irishman ever to be crowned British Rally Champion was the legendary Billy Coleman in 1974. Cronin has a real possibility of bridging that 35-year gap and carving himself a piece of motorsport history.
Mark Higgins on the other hand could make history of his own. If he is crowned Champion he will join the famous Roger Clarke on 4 BRC titles(Jimmy McRae leads with 5).
From an Irish point of view, seeing as it is such an historic weekend, it must be pointed out that Roger Clarke had only 3 titles to his credit(as Higgins) when Billy Coleman interrupted and became Champion, but Clarke later added the 4th.
Lets hope history repeats itself!!

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