Tyre giant Hankook is set to be the title sponsor of the UK's 'premier' gravel rally series next year with news that it has teamed up with ANCRO for 2007.

Hankook motorsports manager Mike Patterson said the series would be known as the 'Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship' and the clubman's championship will be the 'Hankook Forest Rally Challenge'.

"We are delighted to be joining forces with ANCRO which runs an extremely successful and attractive championship and welcomes competitors in everything from the most powerful WRC machinery to Group N cars and two wheel drive cars," said Patterson.

Former champion Paul Bird described the series as the most competitive in the country and Hankook is looking forward to being involved in the championship which provides the 'type of competition crews want in a format which appeals to a wide range of people' and covers the length and breadth of the country.

"By taking in events from Bournemouth to Scotland, the Isle of Man and Wales we can look forward to a series which is varied and challenging for competitors and provides Hankook with a great opportunity to promote our tyres to the widest audience possible," added Patterson.

For 2007 the Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship will also feature rounds for the Fiesta Sporting Trophy, the Subaru Group N Trophy. The Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge also makes a welcome return to the series.

ANCRO sporting director John Skinner said he was delighted the series had attracted a title sponsor of such standing for 2007 - a great tribute to the strength of the series and its potential in the future.

"We are delighted to welcome Hankook on board and look forward to an exciting season for the championship," said Skinner

The Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship gets underway in February with Rallye Sunseeker. The full schedule for 2007 is as follows:


Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship 2007 calendar:

23/24 February Rallye Sunseeker
24 March Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally
11/12 May RBS International Manx Rally
2 June Severn Valley Stages
21 July Swansea Bay Rally
TBA September TBA
20 October Bulldog Rally


The move to become title sponsor of the Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship marks another key milestone in the tyre giant's presence in UK rallying.

For the last two years it has been involved at grass roots levels with sponsorship of the Hankook 205 Challenge and last year made its debut in the MSA British Rally Championship with support of the SJR Hankook team with Gwyndaf Evans and Stuart Jones.

"We see this title sponsorship as a natural progression for Hankook to raise its profile at all levels of support and can assure competitors of a strong presence at each event and the provision of tyre facilities on every round," concluded Patterson. "Although title sponsor, we have no aspirations to see the championship follow the route of control tyres and indeed feel that competition between tyre companies is one of the aspects which makes this championship so appealing and exciting."