FAMILY AFFAIR: BROTHERS BATTLE TO VICTORY IN ROUND TWO OF THE 2024 DEFENDER RALLY SERIES EUROPEAN BAJA CHAMPIONSHIP

• International competition: Round two of the 2024 Defender Rally Series European Baja Championship took place at the Rallye Terres du Gâtinais, France, in a field of nearly 80 vehicles
  
• Sibling rivalry: Dan Beecroft and co-driver Lee Caroline took their first victory in the Championship, with Dan’s brother Dave Beecroft and Fraser Parish second, often with just seconds between them on stage finish times, with the closest being as little as 2.7 seconds between them on stage 5 of day 1
  
• Skills development: Predominantly wet conditions meant competitors had to adjust quickly to the slippery surface, with the rally covering 148km over two action-packed days
  
• Championship lead: First place in the title standings is tied between Dan Beecroft and co-driver Lee Caroline and Tom Bell and co-driver John Tomley, with second place also tied

Round two of the 2024 Defender Rally Series European Baja Championship took place over the weekend of 27-28 April, with Dan Beecroft and co-driver Lee Caroline taking their first victory of 2024 in a close-fought sibling rivalry.

Just two of the six driver and co-driver pairings who took part in the Rallye Terres du Gâtinais round of the Championship had competed at the opening event, at Walters Arena, making it the first competitive outing in the rally-prepared Defender 90 for many of the Bowler-supported competitors since 2023. Covering 148km over two days, the Defender Rally Series competitors had to put everything they’d learned in either the 2023 UK Championship or 2023 European Baja Championship, plus 2024 pre-season testing, into action as quickly as possible.

Dan Beecroft and Lee Caroline finished more than three minutes ahead of Dan’s brother Dave Beecroft and co-driver Fraser Parish in second, a time difference that fails to paint a full picture of the close battle that played out over the weekend. Eight minutes behind the leaders, Paul White and Paul Chambers finished third, Jorma Jokela and Janne Jokela finished in fourth, and Vanessa Ruck and Chris Hammond fifth.

With a challenging combination of predominantly wet weather, rain-soaked grass and fast straights, plus unforgiving ditches lining much of the course, a cautious approach and Defender’s responsive all-wheel drive system kept all European Baja Championship contenders close throughout the weekend. While more than half of the overall ‘4×4’ class retired due to incidents or mechanical failures, only a single Defender 90 – that of round one victors Andrew Burgess and Dan Hutchings – failed to finish, after crashing out on day two. Other incidents couldn’t stop the Defender 90s from making it to the end of the event, proving the vehicle’s strength and capability.

Dan Beecroft, winner of round two, said: “It was great fun, with slippery conditions causing difficulty for us and the other teams initially. We progressively picked up the pace and battled our way through the stages over the two days. My brother Dave kept the pressure on us, so to triumph in the first event abroad this year is a real buzz.”

Throughout the weekend event, the Beecroft brothers were tightly following each other, with Dave taking the lead at times. One of the closest runs was on Saturday at stage 5, where Dave was only 2.7 seconds away from Dan.

The Defender Rally Series is now in its third year, with the largest field in its history. Drivers have joined the UK Championship from wide range of motorsport backgrounds and with a mix of driving abilities, while those taking part in the European Baja Championship do so having taken the step up from the 2023 UK Championship or having chosen to remain part of the competitive but friendly European Baja Championship for another year.

The Defender Rally Series is now in its third year, with the largest field in its history. Drivers have joined the UK Championship from wide range of motorsport backgrounds and with a mix of driving abilities, while those taking part in the European Baja Championship do so having taken the step up from the 2023 UK Championship or having chosen to remain part of the competitive but friendly European Baja Championship for another year.

One competitor making the jump up to the European Baja Championship in her second season of rallying is Vanessa Ruck, having finished fourth in the UK Championship in 2023.

Vanessa Ruck, Bowler works driver, said: “The terrain in Gâtinais brought a totally new profile of conditions to learn, from ice-like, slippery mud to incredibly fast ruts. I went into the event with a new co-driver Chris Hammond and my driver progression in just two days blew my mind, with some of my laps improving by over three minutes across three attempts.

My Defender didn’t falter, pulling strong and showing absolute robustness when I accidentally took out a barrel on the course, with only some minor wing damage. With a very high attrition rate across the event due to the treacherous conditions, I’m proud to have smoothly and safely made it to the finish line and secured sixth place in class over fantastic weekend.”

Following a drop round, where the lowest points haul of the year is removed from a driver and co-driver’s tally, first and second positions in the Championship are tied. In first position is Dan Beecroft and co-driver Lee Caroline and Tom Bell and co-driver John Tomley, while in second place isDave Beecroft and Fraser Parish, and Andrew Burgess and Dan Hutchings.

Calum McKechnie, General Manager, Bowler Motors, said: “Our first event on European soil this year demonstrated why we choose to come to Gatinais as part of our year two development programme. The rain-soaked tracks and fields proved to be the wet and slippery challenge we expected, giving the teams new tests to add to their skills and knowledge base and pushing them to their limits. As half the local cars in the class didn’t finish the event, it continues to showcase the amazing dynamic ability of the Defender and impresses with its speed, durability and reliability.

“With our teams being separated by tenths of a second on individual stages, it’s easy to see why our clients find this one-make series such a fun, exciting and competitive format. Finishing second and third overall in the ‘4×4’ class, against some very specialist vehicles, is a fantastic result. Congratulations to all who took part in the event and a huge thank you to the team who supported the cars through some very muddy and wet conditions. Everyone is looking forward to the next step in their racing development at the next round in Spain.”

Ashley Vaughan, Lead Event Technician, Bowler Motors, said: “Round two of the Series proved incredibly challenging but equally rewarding. Mud covered the vehicles on every stage which meant visual inspections were near-impossible, forcing us to complete hands-on physical checks at every opportunity following extensive mud removal and cleaning. Seeing newcomers to the European Baja Championship experience an event on foreign soil for the first time was a joy for all of the crews, while the success of our services showed the expertise of our highly skilled technicians.”

The Rally Du Gatinais event organiser, Gilles Roux, commented, “The Terres du Gâtinais rally thanks Bowler for choosing its event for the European BAJA Championship ; the participation of 6 cars has created a curiosity of all in the service parks and in the stages ; see you in 2025”

The next round of the European Baja Championship is in Lorca, Spain, from 24 to 25 May, with round three of the UK Championship, the Summer Scottish Hill Rally, getting underway from 31 May to 1 June.

For pricing and information and to register to compete in the 2025 season, visit the Series Information Page

Defender Rally Series – European Baja Championship Round 2 Results

Defender Rally Series – Provisional* European Baja Championship Standings

*Championship standings are provisional. One point is awarded for event entry, plus 60 points for 1^st, 54 points for 2^nd, 48 points for 3^rd, 46 points for 4^th, minus two points per position thereafter. The lowest scoring round for each competitor will be dropped for the final Championship results, the ‘drop round’.

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