This year, Cirrus Research has made the exciting move to partner with Ashleigh Morris for the 2019/20 Motorsport News Rally Championship.
The Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship, in association with MSVR Racing, consists of eight rallies at some of the UK’s premier race circuits including Oulton Park, Cadwell Park, Brands Hatch and Donington Park.
We’ve partnered with Ashleigh as we have seen the incredible progress she’s made in the sport, despite only starting as a driver back in 2016. Ashleigh’s passion for rallying was inspired after a passenger ride in a rally car at Knockhill Racing Circuit, near her hometown of Dollar in Scotland. In July 2016, she took to the driver’s seat for the first time for the Enville Stages at Anglesey Circuit, finishing second in class. She then competed in two gravel events to gain experience on mixed surfaces, before taking part in her first championship last year. She finished second in Class A in the prestigious Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship.
Ashleigh has come on leaps and bounds since she first sat in the driver’s seat. In 2018, she was nominated for the Gold Star Award for the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club. Her car – affectionately known as JIG – now sits on the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club stand on rally days.
Ashleigh is supported by co-driver, Jamie Mactavish. Jamie started out taking photos at rallies all over the UK and across the world, moving on to film for Special Stage TV. He finally gave in to peer pressure and co-drove on his first event at the Plains Rally in 2014. He was immediately hooked, despite a trip backwards down a steep bank!
Either together or individually, they have now competed in over 50 events, from single UK events to international competitions with Jamie taking part in the WRC Rally GB and making four attempts at the famous Safari Rally in Kenya, which is even more adventurous than it sounds!
A second-place finish in Class B for the 2016-17 Circuit Rally Championship was improved on after pairing with Ashleigh for the 2017-18 season. He won the co-driver Class B championship for two consecutive seasons.
Their focus this year is to win the drivers’ championship. The two make an excellent pair, and we are sure that this year they will take the top spot.
Throughout the coming season, we will be at each event, supporting scrutineers with their monitoring and measuring of vehicle noise. We’ll also be carrying out vital research, which will help marshals, drivers and spectators be better-protected against the dangers of excessive noise.
We’re incredibly excited that the Cirrus team will be joining Ashleigh and Jamie at each of the eight rounds. However, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the days as much without sharing them with you: our loyal customers and followers. We’re pleased to say we’ll be giving you the chance to join us at various stages of the championship. Keep an eye on our social media channels for details of how to get yourself tickets in the coming weeks and months.
For those that don’t get the chance to join us- fear not! You can get involved directly by sporting some of our fantastic team wear. We’ll be offering t-shirts, jackets, beanie hats etc., which will all be available for purchase. We’ll even have some giveaways too.
We can’t wait to get the season off to a roaring start!
