Rob Cotton makes his debut in the Probite British Rally Championship this weekend – thanks to backing from the 2300 Club.
The newly-crowned John Easson Award winner is contesting the opening round, Sunday’s East Riding Stages in a 2003 Subaru Impreza B13, with Owen Paterson reading the notes.
“It was always my ambition to do the BRC ever since I started in rallying, and thanks to the financial assistance from the 2300 Club via the John Easson Award, I’ve been able to achieve it,” said Rob.
And he’ll be hoping that his fantastic run of form from last year continues into 2025.
A stellar season in the Scottish Rally Championship saw the Garstang-based driver collect the Subaru Cup, after collecting maximum points on every round, the M6 class, and finishing third in the Challengers Cup.
That was enough for Rob to collect two more trophies at the SRC Awards night, winning the Best Presented Car award and the coveted Star Driver award.
“To win Star Driver was unbelievable. Each of the seven rounds has a nominated Star Driver and the overall winner is picked from those seven names. To then win the John Easson Award capped a great season for me” explained Rob.
“Part of the Star Driver prize is a one-on-one tuition day on gravel with a top BRC driver. I’m really looking forward to that as tarmac is my preferred surface, but the BRC features both. The test will give me much-needed seat time on gravel and valuable feedback on my driving.”
Rob, who helps run Cotton Competition with his Dad Steve, has opted for using a Subaru, rather than going down the usual R5 route for several reasons.
He explained why: “Our company are Subaru specialists, who have all the expertise and experience in running them. An entry-level R5 car costs three times the Impreza, and the running costs are five times more.
“There’s also a psychology to it as well. Even in a 10-year-old R5 car, the goal is to win, but that’s a very high bar. Being in a Impreza and beating an R5 car, which we have done regularly, does more for your confidence than being in an R5 and being beaten by an Impreza.
“The Impreza we are using is a big step up from last year’s car, which was basically a road car with a roll cage and guards. The new one has a lot of upgrades, including paddle gearchange, and is substantially quicker. But I know the car very well, having looked after it for four years, and it is set up perfectly for my driving.
“Our aim is to win our class, and we’ll be locked onto that from the moment the lights go green on Sunday.”
*The East Riding Stages comprises 55 miles spread over 10 stages on closed roads around the Beverley area in East Yorkshire
