Exol Lubricants takes to the stages with sponsorship of historic rally championships

Leading oils and lubricants manufacturer Exol Lubricants is to sponsor the Historic Rally Car Register (HRCR) for the 2023 MINI Sport Cup and Stage Masters Challenge seasons as the official lubricants partner.

The HRCR’s two championships offer competitors a calendar of high-octane events on a mixture of surfaces across the UK, with the MINI Sport Cup open to all Mini and Mini derivatives built up to the end of 1990, and the Stage Masters Challenge open to any vehicle registered before the end of 1990; resulting in an eclectic mix of cars competing on some of the country’s finest rally stages.

Steve Dunn, sales and marketing director at Exol Lubricants, said: “It’s fantastic to be involved with the HRCR. The competing cars are revered within UK rallying and continue to pull in big crowds from across the country to each of the rounds, taking place on both forest and tarmac stages.

“We’re delighted to be the official lubricants supplier to the championship. Exol has a strong affinity with rallying, having already proven itself with Kiaran Hankin in the MGJ Circuit Rally Championship this season, and now we’re looking to expand our involvement in motorsport to showcase our high-performance credentials.”

The partnership sees Exol Lubricants deliver its Optiguard 20W-50 (M166) to each of the competing crews for their use across the season plus a bonus prize for the championship winner in each category.

Each competitor in the MINI Sport Cup and HRCR Stage Masters will run Exol branding on their vehicles and the lubricants company will attend the championship’s curtain raising event at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon in January.

Exol Lubricants’ Optiguard 20W-50 (M166) is a high-performance engine oil manufactured using race proven additive technologies. Optiguard 20W-50 is the optimum choice for classic and vintage cars that are raced competitively, providing stable oil pressures and bearing protection under high load and high temperatures.

Optiguard 20W-50 keeps engine components clean and deposit free, protecting against wear, rust and corrosion. This technology has been proven in classic car applications such as Mini, MG, Austin Healey, Jaguar, Ford, and Aston Martin to name just a few.

The 12-round HRCR Stage Masters championship gets underway with the Welshpool-based Rally North Wales on March 25th, with the Builth Wells RallyNuts Stages following on April 15th. Round three sees crews tackle the Dixies Challenge at Sennybridge on April 30th, before a double-header round on the Isle of Man’s legendary Manx Rally on May 12th-13th.

The second half of the year kicks off on July 2nd with the Brawdy Stages at Haverfordwest, with round seven, the Nicky Grist Stages, taking place the following weekend in mid-Wales. Rali Ceredigion is the championship’s second double header event with rounds eight and nine taking place from September 2nd-3rd, with crews returning to Ludlow for the Woodpecker Rally on September 9th.

The Stage Masters rounds off the 2023 campaign with the Three Shires Stages in Ledbury on September 17th, and the season-closing Wyedean Rally in the Forest of Dean on October 14th.

For more information on Exol Lubricants, visit: https://www.exol-lubricants.com/

For more information on the HRCR, visit: https://www.hrcr.co.uk/