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Report, round four: Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages
Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Jonathan GalePress release: Monday, 22 June, 2009
Gwyndaf Evans made it two wins on the trot in category three of the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship when he won the Rally Marketing Mid Wales Stages on Sunday (21 June). Partnered by Gareth Roberts, Evans swept ahead when both Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey and Nick Elliott/Dave Price hit trouble after they has set stunning times over the opening stages.
In category two, David Stokes/Guy Weaver turned in an excellent run to claim victory while Jonathan and Graham Gale bagged category one in their Sunbeam Tiger.
Once again the classic stages in Hafren and Myherin drew unanimous praise from the crews and the new organising team behind the rally delivered a first class event.
Category 1
Despite running first on the road throughout the rally, Gale was always top dog in category one having pushed the Tiger clear on the opening 10-mile stage that started in Hafren and finished in Sweet Lamb. Through the second pair of Hafren stages, Gale extended his lead, but it was never a case of just cruising to victory.
The first big drama came on the descent from Pikes Peak when a huge moment caused a deal of excitement inside the car. Then, fuel vapourisation struck and they struggled into the long Myherin stage. Finally, a detached windscreen wiper and misted screen made vision very difficult in the last stage to Elvis Rock, so it was a relieved Gale who returned to Newtown with victory confirmed. "That was an enormous moment coming down from Pikes Peak," reported Jonathan.
Leading the chase of the Tiger was non-BHRC crew Graham Waite/Gill Cotton, who pedalled the Volvo Amazon with typical verve to head Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911). With the Porsche still bearing the scars of the off on the Severn Valley, Nutt was happy to reach the finish without any dramas.
"The car hasn't missed a beat," reported Paul Mankin and Des Bell after another class B4 victory to put themselves back into the overall BHRC lead, while Mike Barratt/Jody Watson took B2 in their Mini Cooper despite Watson being ill for most of the rally.
In B1, with the Sunbeam Imp of Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill out with a broken gear lever, it was down to the Saab 96s of John Parker/Caroline Lodge and Nick Pinkett/Jonathan Lodge. In a tribute to his former co-driver Bob Harrison, who died recently, Parker claimed the class on his first rally for over a year.
Category 2
The decisive moment in category two came towards the end of the second run through Hafren South when Rupert Lomax/David Alcock sportingly pulled over to let Stokes/Weaver go by. They had been only a second apart on the first stage, but a stuck throttle cost Lomax more than a minute as they drove out of the stage on the cut-off switch.
They were again closely matched over the later stages, but the damage had been done and Stokes/Weaver won by a minute and a half after a faultless performance. "Once I passed Rupert I didn't take any risks," reported Stokes after a result to end a run of troubled rallies.
Tim Mason/Graham Wild ran with the Escorts over the opening stages in their Porsche 911, but went out of the rally in mysterious circumstances in Myherin. Running first on the road after a gap following Nick Elliott's accident, they arrived at a corner to find a large log in the road and the resulting suspension damage ended their rally in a most unfortunate manner. With the Porsche out, Lomax fought back to second to maintain his title bid heading for the Isle of Man.
Into C4 victory came Jeremy Easson/Alun Cook in the mighty Ford Capri, though Easson admitted that the twisty section of Sweet Lamb was definitely not Capri territory. A couple of offs and a puncture cost Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne (Porsche 911) a good result, but they set some encouraging times in the process.
As ever, the contest for C3 glory was spectacular and fiercely competitive among the Escort Mk1s. Drew Wylie and Howard Pridmore lost over half a minute on the first stage when Wylie admitted to having not woken up. Instead, Tim Jones/Don James took the lead and had to push very hard to fend off the flying Neal James/Kevin Jones, with the margin just four seconds after a fine battle. "We had a bad stage in Myherin," said Jones after a long wait at the start of the stage. Wylie/Pridmore took third from Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes.
Vince Bristow/John Cadwallader were well on target for C2 spoils with a great run when a melted piston ended their rally. Instead, Matt Fowle/Robert Cook took the class and tenth overall in category two despite nursing their Escort home with a failing head-gasket.
Category 3
The pace among the top three Escort Mk2s in category three was sensational as Reynolds/Oakey and Elliott/Price tied on the opening stage, 12s up on Evans/Roberts. Reynolds then went 2s faster than Elliott in Hafren North before adding nine seconds to his lead on the second run through Hafren South, aided when Elliott lost the intercom. But it was stunning stuff and the many spectators out on the stages loved the spectacle.
Heading out of service towards Pikes Peak, Reynolds was 11s up on Elliott and 23s up on Evans, who felt he had lost time with a wrong tyre choice, but gave full credit to the speed of his rivals. However, Pikes Peak dealt Reynolds a crushing blow with an early puncture and they lost nearly four minutes changing the wheel. But worse was to come for Elliott on the 12-miler in Myherin. An off-camber left threw them into the ditch and the Escort went over twice. Though unharmed, Nick had breathed in some fire extinguishant and felt groggy, so the stage was halted while medical crews attended. "It was all going fairly comfortably and we'd just inherited the lead," said Elliott.
All of this left Evans with a clear lead but he acknowledged the pace of his rivals. "They were both going well and I wasn't going quick enough to catch them," he said. Nevertheless, a second victory on the run went to the Viking Motorsport crew.
Through to a fine second pace came Will Onions/Tim Hobbs after their best BHRC run so far. "A very good day; no problems," reported Hobbs as they ended the rally half a minute up on Paul Griffiths/Sam Collis. Out for the first time this season, Griffiths got back into the groove very well to bag third by just three seconds from Darren Moon/Chris Parsons, who spent the day working back from a steady first stage.
The D3 battle was another final stage cliff-hanger as Mark Clifford/Elgan Davies stormed through Elvis Rock to win by two seconds, having been level with Guy Woodcock/David Williams going into the last 6-miler. "That was a fantastic battle," said Clifford, before admitting to a big moment in that last stage.
In D2, Jacob Scannell/Nina Thompson got a well-deserved finish and class win in their Escort Mk2 after a series of dramas on previous events, while D4 fell to the Volvo 244 of Bill Douglas/Stephen Hancock.
The BHRC action continues with round five, the Isle of Man Historic Rally, on 10/11 July.
Added: 22nd June 2009 [permalink]
Report, round three: Severn Valley Historic Rally
Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally ChampionshipPress release: Monday, 1 June, 2009
The battle for the top prize on round three of the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Severn Valley Historic Rally (Saturday 30 May) came down to a straight fight between Welshmen Gwyndaf Evans and Julian Reynolds.
Evans claimed back the lead he had lost earlier in the day with a faultless charge through the final stage in Radnor, claiming category three victory for his Viking Motorsport Escort MK2 by just 3.5s. Other category wins went to Graham Waite/Gill Cotton (Volvo Amazon) and Rupert Lomax/David Alcock (Ford Escort MK1), a result that puts Lomax to the top of the championship table.
Category 1
Despite spinning on the first stage in Cefn and twice in Crychan, Jonathan and Graham Gale (Sunbeam Tiger) pulled out a three-second lead over Waite/Cotton, but the roles were reversed through Halfway. "I nursed my tyres through the stage, and just gave it what I could," said Gale. The result was Waite emerging with a lead of just a fifth of a second, but after Gale fitted new rear tyres it went back in his favour as they headed for service. "It was too dry for us really and too much uphill where the Tiger's power told," Waite replied.
Although Gale started the last stage through Radnor with three seconds in hand, it was Waite who grabbed the victory. "We went off after going flat out over a crest into a hairpin," Gale explained. He restarted in front of Waite but moved aside rather than delay his rival.
One notable absentee was the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride. "We caught Gale's dust and I misjudged where the next bend was, then went off backwards into a ditch," said Nutt. So third overall in the category was the Hillman Imp of Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill. "We had no clutch in Gwibedog but it had been great until then. The rear suspension legs cracked too in Halfway, so we will have to look after it," said Taylor.
Paul Mankin/Desmond Bell (Lotus Cortina) held third on the opening stage, but after picking up a misfire in Crychan, they punctured later in the same stage. "We tried to carry on and then lost the tyre and had to stop. We had a spare rear but the puncture was a front, so it made the next two stages very interesting," said Mankin.
As well as Nutt, stage two had also claimed the Minis of Terry Cree/Richard Shores and Peter Williams, with head-gasket and clutch problems respectively. Meanwhile, Mike Barratt/Jody Watson (Mini Cooper) got ahead of Philip and Barbara Smith (Porsche 911) on stage four. "It was so dry that the dust got in Barbara's throat and she couldn't read the notes," said Philip. Nick Pinkett and Jonathan Lodge were also in the wars after rolling their two-stroke Saab 96 in Gwibedog. "It had been perfect until then. It's my first time in this car for two years and I rolled it," said Pinkett.
Taylor caught Barratt in Radnor, but retained a safe third. "With the clutch gone and the dust we're not going for heroics," said the class B1 victors. Although Barratt retained class B2 victory, he lost fourth to the Smiths. "We were losing the exhaust a bit but really pleased with how things went," said Barratt as Mankin and Pinkett completed the finishers.
Category 2
Having come so close to victory on the previous round, Lomax and Alcock proved unbeatable in Wales in their Escort Mk1. They held the category lead from start to finish, while winners last time out, Tim Mason and Graham Wild, had to be content with a day-long second in their Porsche 911.
"We had a couple of overshoots on the second and third stages, but I had reasonable grip," said Lomax as he arrived in service with a 25.7s lead over Mason. "We punctured three miles from the end of stage four; I was trying so hard on my return to the Welsh forests," Mason replied.
It was a much tighter affair behind the lead pair, with Drew Wylie/Howard Pridmore (Escort Mk1) in third after Cefn, before slipping behind the similar car of Tim Jones/Don James in the battle for C3 spoils. However, the class contest changed dramatically when Wylie's car got became beached on a rock on stage four. "We were stuck for four minutes and had no spectators to help," said Wylie. Jones also spun and stalled at a hairpin, but still arrived at service in third place ahead of the C5 Escort Mk1 of Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard.
However, Graham had David Stokes/Guy Weaver closing in, after they had lost time in Cefn when Darren Moon's rolled car restarted just in front of them. "We had got a steering problem too," reported Stokes. "When you turn it, it won't pull back without a lot of effort," he said.
Though still ahead, Lomax expected to lose time on the final 16-mile stage in Radnor. "I had three-quarter throttle stuck wide open, but we gained more time instead of losing it," he said. The final winning margin over Mason was 41.4s, "I did spin and stall again though," said the Porsche driver. The victory not only gives Lomax the lead in category two, but also the overall lead in the championship.
Stokes had a final flourish through Radnor, which took him from fifth to third. "The steering was just as bad, but it was a character building day," he said. Graham held onto fourth; "not quite quick enough," he concluded. But for C3 winner Jones, only dropping from third to fifth was a relief. "It was a huge moment, I lost it at a hairpin and was left hanging over fresh air," he explained.
Jones still held on to the class C3 victory over the Escort Mk1 of James Slaughter/Phil Peak. "We had two good stages, ran out of tyres, slid off on stage four, so had new tyres for Radnor. It's my best result ever, even though we had gear selection problems at the end," said Slaughter. Philip Wylie/James Whitaker claimed third in class over Neal James/Kevin Jones on the final stage. "We really went for it and it almost worked," said James. "Brilliant, even though I started the last stage in reverse," Wylie added.
Mason topped C4 from fellow Porsche crew Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne. In class C2 the Escort Mk1s of Vince Bristow/Dean Mitchell and John Worthing/John Cadwallader duelled for supremacy. Bristow lost out on stage two having led on the opener, despite having no brakes. "I had to remember to pump them until we could fix it in service," he said. From stage four he was in charge, with Worthing still holding on to second despite a roll in Radnor when he clipped the bank at a tight hairpin.
Category 3
Evans/Phil Pugh started the day with a 1.8sec lead from Cefn in their Escort Mk2 over Reynolds/Ian Oakey, while Darren Moon/Chris Parsons were out of contention after only 300 yards. "I took my eye off the ball where the dust was hanging and we ended up our roof," said Moon.
Ryan Barratt/Barry Ferris (Escort Mk2) held third initially from fellow Irishmen Seamus O'Connell and Paul Wakely, but O'Connell was struggling for grip and fell back in Crychan.
Despite a spin in Cefn, which was matched before going off backwards in Crychan, Nick Elliott/Dave Price (Escort Mk2) moved up to third, but by service after four stages, Barratt had regained his lost place. "We just couldn't get into a rhythm," said Elliott. "We struggled for grip too and had a 360 on stage two before stalling under braking on stage four," Barratt added.
But once again Radnor proved to be the decider, with Reynolds starting the stage with just 2.7s in hand over Evans. "I had an idea Gwyndaf would get me," Reynolds admitted. "I was probably trying too hard and overshot a bit," he added. But Evans was a popular victor and was quick to sing the praise of his car. "It so much better than on the Bulldog, the engine changes have made it more comfortable to drive," he said.
Elliott maintained his spinning record but managed to claim third. "We stalled too, but just couldn't turn it around today after the early problems," he admitted. Barratt reached the finish in fourth and topped D3, after losing his Escort's alternator and water pump belts with a nose-dive at a yump. But he was later excluded over engine irregularities, promoting O'Connell to fourth. "I finally woke up on that last stage," said O'Connell.
Will Onions/Tim Hobbs were set for fifth after changing their Mk2's ignition pack in service to cure a misfire. But they ended up on three cylinders and lost out to Simon Tysoe/Cliff Simmons at the end.
Following Barratt's exclusion, Richard Lane/Frank Richer took class D3 from Mark Clifford/Elgan Davies, after Guy Woodcock/Iwan Jones spun and took 45s to restart as they held on to third.
The BHRC action continues with round four, the Mid Wales Historic Stages, on 21 June.
Full results from the Severn Valley Historic Rally are at: http://www.tynecomp.co.uk/Results/MSA_gravel_09/severnvalley/2/
Added: 1st June 2009 [permalink]
Report, round two: Pirelli Historic Rally
Press release: Monday, 20 April, 2009
Darren Moon and Chris Parsons were the big winners on round two of the 2009 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Pirelli Historic Rally (17/18 April).
In a repeat of Moon's 2008 victory, they took their Ford Escort Mk2 to victory in category three after a tremendous performance. Other category victories went to the Porsches of Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride and Tim Mason/Graham Wild after six challenging stages in the Kershope and Kielder forest complexes.
Category 1
Running first on the road was a tough start for Jonathan and Graham Gale (Sunbeam Tiger) as the opening Glen Dhu stage was covered in loose gravel. They battled on, but were caught out towards the end of the stage and the Tiger slid off. It was undamaged, but could not be recovered before they went OTL. They restarted under super rally rules on Saturday to get some more time in the car.
Instead, Nutt/McBride headed the category one cars by nearly a minute overnight despite finding conditions very tough in the Kershope stages. "There was no grip anywhere; I'm really glad to have survived those two stages," said Nutt.
The Porsche 911 crew took that advantage into Saturday's leg of four stages in the main Kielder complex and were able to control their pace to ensure a clear victory.
Into a fine second place in the category, class B4 victory and the overall championship lead, went the Lotus Cortina of Paul Mankin/Desmond Bell. They had a clear run as Mankin arrived hot foot from a return holiday flight from Hong Kong, and finished a minute and a half down on Nutt.
Equally impressive was third overall in category one and B1 victory for the Sunbeam Imp Sport of Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill. They lost class rivals Gary and Jen Edgington when the Singer Chamois fell victim to a particularly rough section of stage two, The Valley. A rock damaged the engine bay and wrecked the carburettors and, despite a mighty effort, they were out of the rally.
Class B2 went to Mike Barratt/Jody Watson, another crew to suffer on the rough section of SS2 in the Mini Cooper, while Nick Pinkett/Jonathan Lodge claimed B3 in their V4-powered Saab 96.
Category 2
Rupert Lomax/David Alcock set the category two pace throughout much of the rally in their Escort Mk1, but were denied victory by a rotor arm failure on the Pundershaw stage that opened Saturday's competition. They dropped 90 seconds changing the arm, but still clawed their way back to third at the finish.
Instead, it was Mason/Wild who bagged the spoils after coming close before and suffering a run of minor problems on recent events.
"It was probably the tidiest I've ever driven," said Mason after a controlled performance. Staying clear of punctures helped their progress and category two victory was a just reward.
However, just 14s down on the Porsche was the best of the class C3 pack, the Escort Mk1 of Drew Wylie/Howard Pridmore. Once again, C3 proved to be one of the most competitive of all the classes and Wylie drove a storming event to finish 50s up on Tim Jones/Don James. However, after three stages Wylie was dead level with the Escort of Russell Morgan/Martin Kenyon. But Morgan went out with engine trouble in SS4 and Wylie was left with a clear run to class victory. "I was pleased about the company we were keeping," said Wylie.
Lomax/Alcock still took class C5, with second place going to Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson on their first BHRC event with the ex-Jeremy Easson Escort Mk1. Easson and co-driver Alun Cook, meanwhile, took second in C4 with their Ford Capri RS3100 despite dramas with fuel vapourisation.
A great performance from Vince Bristow/Bob Duck secured a commanding class C2 in their Escort Mk1 as Matt Fowle/Steve Chapman and Richard Williams/Richard Ekin battled for second.
Category 3
The formbook for category three was really shaken up on the opening two stages of Friday evening. Nick Elliott/Dave Price set the pace on the first stage to take an immediate lead, but slid off on the second stage and ended their rally in a ditch.
But things were not much better for Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey in the battle of the Mk2 Escorts. They hit major gearbox problems on the first stage and struggled through to service for a change of 'box. However, overheating woes and an off on Saturday morning brought their rally to a halt.
Instead, Moon and Parsons were turning in a great performance and upped their pace on Saturday morning to build a lead they would hold all the way back to the finish in Carlisle. "That's the first time I've got three Kielder in three attempts," said Parsons.
But it was never easy for Moon as Seamus O'Connell and Mark Glennerster mounted a major charge on Saturday after dropping time on Friday's stages. At the finish the gap was just 15s after O'Connell set fastest time on the final two stages.
Third overall in category three and clear class D3 victory came after a stunning performance by championship newcomers Ryan Barrett and Barry Ferris in their Pinto-engined Escort Mk2. Despite not knowing the region at all, they absolutely flew through Saturday's stages. Second in D3 went to Richard Lane/Frank Richer.
Third in D5 was another good Kielder result for Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, who stayed clear of James Potter/Arwel Jenkins in one of the best BHRC results to date for Potter.
The BHRC action resumes with round three, the Seven Valley Historic Rally, on 30 May.
Full results from the Pirelli Historic Rally are at: http://www.tynecomp.co.uk/Results/MSA_british_09/Pirelli/3/index.html
Added: 20th April 2009 [permalink]
Report, round one: Bulldog Historic Rally
Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Elliott/PricePress release: Monday, 30 March, 2009
The 2009 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship got off to a fantastic start on the Bulldog Historic Rally (Saturday 28 March) as a fabulous field of cars made a fine spectacle in the Welsh forests.
The big winners of the day were category victors Jonathan Gale/Graham Gale (Sunbeam Tiger), David Higgins/Ieuan Thomas (Ford Escort Mk1) and Nick Elliott/Dave Price (Ford Escort Mk2).
The response to the historic event from the fans out in the forests was overwhelming and the Bulldog has set the scene for a great season of historic rallying. The event received widespread acclaim from the BHRC contenders, with the only negative comments relating to a section of re-graded stage in Dyfi.
Category 1
It was tricky to predict how Jonathan Gale would get on during his first event in the ex-Patrick Watts Sunbeam Tiger, but that question was emphatically answered at the end of the opening eight-mile stage in Aberhirnant. The Messagelabs-backed Tiger was a massive 27s faster than the rest of category one and that set the seal on victory, adding to the celebrations for Graham Gale's 69th birthday.
However, this was never an easy victory for the Gales as Stuart Rolt/Richard Pomfret (Porsche 911) gave valiant chase. But an error on the opening stage cost Rolt a chance of victory on one of his rare forays into the BHRC. "I knocked the ignition switch off on the first stage," admitted Rolt after dropping 25s. "After that we went very well." However, even a stall on a hairpin in Dyfi didn't unsettle Gale on his way to a fine victory.
Graham Waite/Gill Cotton (Volvo Amazon) clinched class B4 victory as well as third in the category with a mighty performance, finishing half a minute up on Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911). "A few hairy moments, but a really good day," said Waite.
Only father and son crew Phil and Stuart Smith made it to the finish from the class B2 field, with Phil driving his Mini Cooper for the first time in four years. A broken wishbone sidelined the MG Midget of James Stait/Fin Mackintosh.
One of the battles of the rally came in B1 as Gary and Jane Edgington scored a mighty last stage victory in their Singer Chamois. Over the first three stages Geoff Taylor and Steve Greenhill set a cracking pace in their Sunbeam Imp, and going into the final eight miles in Dyfnant they were 14s ahead. But Edgington drove an amazing stage to be 26s faster and take the class. Their stage time was third fastest in category one. "I drove better than I ever have in my life," said Edgington. "He took his brain out," added Taylor as he congratulated his rival.
Category 2
David Higgins nearly didn't make his BHRC debut after injuring his hand in the workshop on Thursday, but after spending Friday morning at hospital, he managed to make the start. However, gripping the wheel was still a problem as he led the field into the four long stages.
Getting used to route notes rather than their own pace notes was another adjustment for Higgins and Ieuan Thomas, and was a factor in them going off at high-speed in Dyfi. They dropped two minutes and damaged the back of the car, but got out of the stage with a slender lead over Rupert Lomax/David Alcock (Escort Mk1). Higgins then went quickest in Dyfnant to settle the result by 15s. "It wasn't a great rally for us, but it was great fun," said Higgins.
Lomax was very happy with his result, but it was a bad day for David Stokes/Guy Weaver who went off at the same place at Higgins and badly damaged their Escort Mk1.
Third in category two, and first in class C4, went to the wonderful Ford Capri RS3100 of Jeremy Easson/Alun Cook after a great BHRC debut. "It's been a proper rally and a real laugh," said Easson after a fine run. However, Tim Mason/Graham Wild (Porsche 911) had been looking good for C4 spoils until forced to stop and change a puncture in Dyfi.
The tremendous C3 field made it one of the toughest classes on the event and it was a great performance from Tim Jones and Don James that netted victory, as well as fourth overall in category two. Driving out of Dyfi on a front puncture cost them around 20s, but they were still 1m27s up on Drew Wylie/Howard Pridmore as Andrew Siddall/Captain Thompson took second and third ahead of Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes, who took their freshly built Escort Mk1 to fourth.
Series newcomers Richard Williams/Richard Ekin made a great start to their BHRC campaign by winning C2 by over a minute from Neil Rudd/Brian Hodgson.
Category 3
The line-up in category three was amazing, and the pace was fierce right from the start as Elliott/Price attacked Aberhirnant to take an immediate eight-second lead over Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey. That set the tone for the rally, and Elliott continued to attack through the two long stages in Gartheiniog and Dyfi to build his lead to 26s before the final Dyfnant stage. "We put a marker down for ourselves on the first stage, but it was the long stages that really mattered," said Elliott after his second win in two BHRC outings.
Having had a late engine change immediately before the rally, Reynolds was running without a rev counter and rev limiter, which forced a degree of caution. "That unsettled us a bit, but Nick was flying," said Reynolds.
Gwyndaf Evans/Clive Jenkins were getting quicker and quicker over the early miles of the rally in the Escort Mk2 from Viking Motorsport, but a spin in Dyfi left the car beached and they were OTL by the time they found enough spectators to get the car running again.
Into a fine third came Seamus O'Connell and Dai Roberts in their Escort Mk2, with the Irishman loving the flowing Welsh stages. Also new to the area was Darren Moon who, with Chris Parsons alongside for the first time, was on a steep learning curve but bagged a good fourth.
Simon Tysoe/Cliff Simmons, Will Onions/Tim Hobbs and Stuart Clarke/Nigel Gardner packed out the next places in their Escorts as top quality ran well beyond the top 10. Best of the non-Escorts, despite a wing-crunching off was the Vauxhall Chevette of Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks.
Local crew David Lloyd-Robert/Dei Jones bagged a fine class D3 win on their BHRC debut, though the charging Adrian Young/Keith Fellowes were never far away in their Escort.
Finally, championship newcomers Jacob Scannell/Nina Thompson clinched D2 with a good performance in their Escort Mk2.
The BHRC action resumes with round two, the Pirelli Historic Rally, on 17/18 April.
Full results from the Bulldog Historic Rally are at: http://www.tynecomp.co.uk/Results/MSA_british_09/Bulldog/2/index.html
Added: 30th March 2009 [permalink]
Report, round eight: Trackrod Historic Cup
Press release: Monday, 29 September, 2008
After four first-class forest stages in Yorkshire, Nick Elliott and Dave Price scored an impressive debut victory as they contested the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship for the first time.
The Cheltenham crew went quickest on the opener in Housedale and extended their lead to score a classy victory in category three.
In category one, Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies bagged another win despite a spirited challenge from Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson, while Steven Smith/John Nichols won category two in the face of a real challenge from Tim Mason/Graham Wild.
Smith and Watts will now await the deliberations of the championship stewards to know the destiny of the BHRC title, which remains undecided pending the outcome of eligibility issues with the C4 Porsches on the Tour of Flanders.
Category 1
Watts/Davies went into the rally knowing that another category one victory would keep their title hopes running, and duly took victory despite running on a range of used tyres. "It was tricky in Langdale," said Watts of the 15-mile stage that wrapped up the short, sharp event. "We had some big tank-slappers, so eased off a bit," he added.
But victory was secure, although the margin to the flying Lotus Cortina of Bean/Smithson was only 20s. With one of the drives of the rally, Bean bagged class B4 and stunned his rivals with his speed over his native Yorkshire forests. "Well pleased," said Bob of his day's work.
Pushed back into third in the category were Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911), after a couple of spins and several overshoots in an unusually untidy run. They were just 5s up on the Lotus Cortina in Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson, who were quick to acknowledge Bean's pace. "Bob's been on a mission and we couldn't keep with him, although we have tried," said Calvert.
The fight for B2 fell to James Stait/Gill Cotton, who completed a 100% finishing record in the MG Midget. However, Terry Cree/Richard Shores (Mini Cooper S) were only 12s behind despite picking up two punctures on the opening stage. It looked like their rally might be over, but the generous help of Mike Barratt loaned them the spare wheel from his Imp, albeit of a different size, but it got them running again.
Barratt and Jody Watson (Sunbeam Stiletto) were rewarded for their sporting act by winning B1 after the Imp of Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill was sidelined by diff problems.
Category 2
Despite a handling problem over the opening three stages followed by brake dramas in Langdale, Smith/Nichols (Porsche 911RS) bagged category two. "The pedal went to the floor and I had to give it a second pump," said Smith after a major overshoot at the downhill hairpin in Langdale. "For some reason it didn't get any worse and I did have some brakes," he said of the rest of the 15-miler.
Only 22s down on Smith at the finish was the 911 of Mason/Wild after a mighty performance. "We went off on the first stage and spun in Cropton," but I'm pleased with the result said Mason after his best ever BHRC result.
The Escort Mk1 pack in C5 lost Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard when they stopped in Langdale and Rikki Proffitt/John Roberts who rolled at Milner's Bend in Gale Rigg. Instead, Belgian commuters Stefaan Stouf/Joris Erard were delighted C5 winners after a fine run, with Simon Wallis/Ian Beveridge taking second in C5 after a good day in their Escort. "Excellent day," said Wallis at the finish.
However, the highest placed Escort Mk1 in the category was the C3 car of Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne, who marked the driver's birthday with a mighty run on Peter's first rally in his local forests for 30 years.
Despite a couple of moments in Langdale, Drew Wylie/Howard Pridmore (Escort Mk1) bagged second in C3 from Robin Shuttleworth/Mark Midgley as camshaft failure sidelined Russell Morgan/Martin Kenyon.
However, there was consolation for the Morgan/Kenyon team as the junior squad of Adam Morgan and Chris Kenyon took C2 in their Escort Mk1 despite losing time to an electrical gremlin.
Category 3
The battle between Elliott/Price and Darren Moon/John McNichol never really got started and came to a close when Moon punctured in Cropton and stopped to change the wheel. By then, Elliott had gone clear and, having caught Moon struggling through Cropton, knew that he could ease back his pace and score a hugely impressive victory on his first run in his historic spec car.
With Moon way down the order, through to a fine second place in the category came Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, on their first rally since the Isle of Man with their ex-works Escort Mk2. They ended the rally just 4s up on Simon Tysoe/Rob Dyson, with Charlie Taylor/Steve Bielby not far adrift.
"Not bad for an old chap; we've had a super day," said Slaughter. "We backed it off a bit too much on the last stage," said Tysoe, who had been 8s up on Slaughter going into the Langdale stage.
Polly Patti/Chris Dewsnap (Escort Mk2) had a good run to fifth, while another good run came from Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks, who were sixth in the Vauxhall Chevette.
Making a welcome return to rallying after a six-month break was Steve Magson, and he took his Opel Ascona to D3 victory with Geoff Atkinson alongside. They saw off the challenge of the Escorts of Chris Shooter/Bev LeGood and Mark Dickinson/Gavin Heseltine.
In D2, Pat Anderson and Tom Mansfield bagged the class in their Sunbeam Talbot, despite losing a lot of time.
Added: 29th September 2008 [permalink]
Report, round seven: Tour of Flanders Historic Rally
Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Press release: Monday, 15 September, 2008
After a tremendous battle with the Escort Mk1 of Frank Cunningham and Ryland James, category two victory in Belgium finally went to the Porsche 911RS of Steven Smith and John Nichols.
The Tour of Flanders was another great event to form round seven of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic, with some challenging stages and tricky conditions when rain arrived for the final leg on Saturday.
In category one, Patrick Watts and Elgan Davies swept to a resounding victory in the Sunbeam Tiger, while in category three it was Belgian newcomer Darren Moon who scored a great win with John Stanger-Leathes on the notes in his Escort Mk2.
Category 1
It was something of a disappointment for Watts when he arrived in Belgium to find that he was the only runner in class B5, so full championship points were not available. But he got on with trying to push the rumbling Tiger as high up the overall order as he could and duly finished well inside the top 10 BHRC crews.
The Tiger ran beautifully, despite the usual concerns over brakes and Watts chucked it around in style "It's been a good fun event," said Watts after another fine performance.
Remarkably, second in the category went to the MG Midget of James Stait and Gill Cotton after a very trouble free rally. "No problems," said James. "It's slightly nicer in the dry," he added, after taking a dominant B2 victory.
Trouble free could not describe the rally of Neil Calvert and Arlene Cookson, however, who battled through Saturday just to keep their Lotus Cortina in the rally. A catalogue of problems nearly put them OTL and concern over a failing head gasket meant they had to ease the revs back all through Sunday. Even a trip through a hedge failed to stop them, however, and B4 victory was just reward for a tough weekend.
In B1, the Singer Chamois of Gary and Jane Edgington starred on their debut in Flanders. Relishing the fact that Flanders is flat, Gary pedalled the Imp in style and took third in the category as well as B1 spoils over Mike Barratt/Jody Watson (Sunbeam Stiletto).
Category 2
The star of Saturday in category two was Cunningham, who grabbed the lead with a storming performance on his favourite event. "I felt fabulous all day, as long as it was dry. The car was doing exactly what it was supposed to do," said Frank. But the rain that fell for the last loop of stages was his downfall as Smith/Nichols used the conditions to grab the lead.
"Down to a square left it just wouldn't stop and we went straight into a cornfield," said Frank. "We got away with probably dropping 20 seconds in there. But I was very cautious for the next two stages on that leg."
"It rained!" said a jubilant Smith at the end of Saturday, having taken a lead that he would hold through a dry Sunday. Cunningham's progress on Sunday was hindered by a broken spring, but that was changed at service with help from Smith's XS Racing crew.
David Stokes/Guy Weaver went out on Saturday after a broken TCA pitched them into an electricity pylon, thankfully without harm, Ernie Graham/Alec Cooper led the chase of Cunningham in C5 and took third in category from Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride, who had a great run first time out in Dessie's rebuilt C4 Porsche 911.
A very strong C3 category was won by the Escort Mk1 of Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne, but only after a long tussle with team mates Andrew Siddall/Captain Thompson. Both had moments in the rain, and Smith had an off again on Sunday morning, but still had things under control when Siddall hit late engine dramas. That allowed Robin Shuttleworth and Mark Midgley through to second in their Escort, while Neil Rudd/Brian Hodgson (Escort Mk1) bagged C2.
Category 3
The pace of Moon was one of the stories of the rally as he contested the event for the first time and with Stanger-Leathes alongside on the notes for the first time. A great category victory was just reward. "Brilliant! The best event I've done since coming into historics," said Moon at the end of Saturday and even a disputed 60s road penalty failed to spoil their result.
However, it could have been closer had Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper not spent over two minutes in a ditch on Saturday morning. They got back on with help from spectators and recovered to take second, staying clear of the Porsche 911RS of Adrian Kermode/Liz Jordan. The Porsche took D4 spoils, having achieved the target of getting further than the 1-mile they had managed a year earlier.
The D3 entry was tremendous and victory was reward for a mighty performance from Mark and Brett Clifford (Escort Mk2). They pushed hard, and really thought it was all over when the Escort popped out of a cut and dived into a ditch in Passendale, still going at very high speed. But it ran down the ditch and popped back out, with no damage. "We were both screaming," admitted Mark.
They had battled hard on Saturday with Arwel Evans/Arwel Jenkins (Escort RS2000) and the defining moment came when Evans stalled, with a failing starter motor. He lost about a minute and that was too much to give away to the flying Cliffords.
Will Onions/Tim Hobbs had a catalogue of dramas, but got to the finish for third in their Escort RS2000, just edging Chris Shooter/Bev LeGood in the process. Meanwhile, Pat Anderson/Tom Mansfield overcame gearbox woes to win D2 in their Sunbeam Talbot.
Added: 15th September 2008 [permalink]
Report, round six: Harry Flatters Historic Rally
Press release: Monday, 4 August, 2008
Right from the start of the Harry Flatters Historic Rally, Mark Solloway and Den Golding took control of the rally in their Ford Escort Mk2 and after nine stages on the classic Epynt ranges, they headed category three by almost a minute.
Round six of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally was another excellent event as crews tackled the unique challenge of Epynt. Category wins for Steven Smith/Howard Pridmore and Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies were very important in championship terms, but it is Neil Calvert and Arlene Cookson who still head the points with two rallies to run.
Category 1
It was a busy weekend for Elgan Davies, as the Flatters clashed with a friend's wedding. He missed the recce while at the wedding, dashed up to Brecon for Saturday evening's leg and then rushed off to the evening party before returning to the rally on Sunday morning.
But that didn't affect the pace of the Sunbeam Tiger and, though narrowly headed overnight by the Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride Porsche 911, Watts/Davies soon moved ahead on Sunday morning.
By the time they arrived at the finish back in Brecon, the Tiger was a minute clear of the Porsche, even though Watts declared Epynt not suited to the Tiger. "Like trying to park a double-decker bus in Tescos," was his analogy.
"We've been trying very hard," said Nutt after a very attacking performance.
A remarkable third in category one (and B2 victory) fell to James Stait/Gill Cotton in the MG Midget after a titanic battle over the final two stages with the Lotus Cortina of Neil Calvert and Arlene 'Miss Accrington Stanley' Cookson. Eventually, the gap was just 2.3s in favour of the Midget. "We really had to go for it on the last two stages," said Stait after a mighty performance.
Calvert/Cookson duly won B4 to retain their overall championship lead, despite breaking a tramp bar on Saturday evening. Second in B4 with a very strong run came Paul Mankin/Desmond Bell in their Lotus Cortina.
In B1, Gary and Jane Edgington had a tremendous run to victory as Gary made his Epynt debut in the Singer Chamois. A different engine had been fitted since the Isle of Man. "This one only revs to about 7200," said Gary.
Category 2
It all nearly went wrong for Smith/Pridmore over the big jump at the flying finish of the opening stage and a very heavy landing gave car and crew a major whack. But far worse was to come when Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes caught the jump marginally wrong, landed on the grass and rolled their Escort Mk1 four or five times. Thankfully the crew were okay and had the benefit of a check from Dessie Nutt when he arrived on the scene two minutes later.
Smith/Pridmore went into Sunday with a 4s lead over David Stokes/Guy Weaver (Escort Mk1) but were able to edge away as Stokes turned in another attacking drive to take second and win class C5. "We've broken the Pridmore jinx," said Smith at the finish, after two mechanical retirements on previous events with Howard co-driving. Second in C5 after a good event went to the Porsche of Peter Lythell/Chris Parsons.
Other than a top-end misfire, Stokes had a clear run and went clear of Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard (Escort Mk1), while Frank Cunningham/Ryland James (Escort Mk1) took third in C5.
Though not registered for BHRC points, Toby Adam/Byron Jones had a fine run to C3 victory in their Escort Mk1, with maximum points going to Drew Wylie/Neil Ewing in their Escort. An excellent third in C3 came Robin Shuttleworth/Mark Midgley, on their first attempt at Epynt with a C3 car.
However, it would have been different had the Escort of Neal James/Kevin Jones not broken its diff on the penultimate stage, bringing a great performance to an end.
Category 3
The destiny of category three was never in much doubt with Solloway/Golding turning in another epic performance in the Escort Mk2. Into the lead overnight, they went further clear on Sunday and were able to measure their pace over the closing stages to win by just under a minute. "Just a good, safe run," said Solloway, despite showing the usual commitment that makes him so popular with the Epynt spectators.
Another local legend headed the chase as Terry Brown and Kevin Evans ran second throughout in their Escort Mk2. A change of gearbox and propshaft kept them busy at main service.
One of the performances of the weekend came from Darren Moon and John McNichol (Escort Mk2), making their Epynt debut. They picked up their pace all the way through and were second fastest to Solloway on the final stage. "Very surprised," said Moon of the result. "I've enjoyed it," he added of the ranges.
Their increasing pace took Moon/McNichol clear of Simon Tysoe/Cliff Simmons as the rally progressed, but Tysoe was pleased just to finish after a run of dramas. Fourth in D5 was a good result, as Epynt newcomers Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper were next after a steady run following a cautious start on Saturday.
Class D3 was dominated by Arwel Evans and Arwel Jenkins with a typically spirited drive in their Escort Mk2, while young Conor Corkill, partnered by Howard Allison, turned in a very impressive debut run on Epynt to take second in class.
Added: 4th August 2008 [permalink]
McRae on top of the island
McRae in the fogDunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Press release: Monday, 21 July, 2008
Report, round five: Isle of Man Historic Rally
Jimmy McRae and Andy Richardson stormed to a classy victory on the Isle of Man Historic Rally over the weekend (17-19 July), winning category three in style as they drove their Porsche 911RS for the first time since crashing out of the Pirelli Rally in April.
Round five of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally ran over the closed roads on the island and was every bit as testing and demanding as its reputation suggests. For anyone driving over the finish ramp back in Douglas on Saturday afternoon, there was a tremendous feeling of achievement, whatever the final position.
In category one, Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride added another Manx victory to their record while making it a clean-sweep for the Porsches was a fine category two victory for Steven Smith/John Nichols.
Category 1
Through the opening leg of stages on Thursday evening and much of Friday, the lead contest in category one was nip and tuck stuff between Nutt/McBride and Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies in the Sunbeam Tiger. As the weather changed frequently, so did the class lead, but it all went wrong for the Tiger as the weather closed in on the second run through the Little London stage. After a clash with a sheep, worse followed when standing water put the fan into the radiator and they were out for the day.
That took the heat off Nutt/McBride and they were able to measure their pace through Saturday's stages to make certain of another victory. "Dessie's driven very well," reported his co-driver after the champagne spraying on the podium.
Right up with the leading pace on the opening legs was the Lotus Cortina of Jonathan and Graham Gale, but they went out with a broken halfshaft. That put the MG Midget of James Stait/Gill Cotton in line for second in the category, but they joined a number of others by going off on standing water on the Cringle stage on Saturday. It cost them 11 minutes and handed B2 spoils to Matt and Dood Pearce after a mighty run in their Mini Cooper.
Class B4 went to non-BHRC registered David Mylchreest/Allan Cathers in the MGB, while a measured performance in the light of on-going misfire problems netted second in class for the Lotus Cortina of Neil Calvert and Arlene Cookson. Importantly, they stayed at the head of the BHRC overall points as Arlene co-drove on the island for the first time in a decade.
Class B1 was all about the Imps of Gary and Jane Edgington and Mike Barratt/Jody Watson. Both crews finished, which was a major achievement, and the Edgingtons took the class by a healthy margin after an attacking drive. Despite an engine that was consuming oil at an increasing rate, they also took a remarkable fifth place overall in the category.
Category 2
It all started badly for Smith/Nichols on the opening stage on Marine Drive when an errant seagull smashed the Porsche's windscreen, while uncharacteristic road penalties added to their woes. With no replacement on the island, the XS Racing crew had to make a borrowed screen from a later 911 fit.
Once that was sorted, the Porsche and its crew ran faultlessly, giving chase to McRae in overall terms, but also measuring the need to bag maximum championship points. "We struggled a bit with set-up, but we had a very fair run," reported Smith after wining C4 from the 911s of Derek Boyd/Roisin Boyd and Dessie McCartney/Andrew Holmes.
Second in the category with a fine performance came David Stokes and Guy Weaver (Escort Mk1). "That's about where we thought we'd be," said Stokes after a remarkably trouble-free event.
Out of contention in C5 with a broken halfshaft after a spectacular run went the Escort of Rupert Lomax/David Alcock, while engine dramas accounted for Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard on Friday morning.
The contest for C3 was a topsy-turvy affair and the lead changed three times in less than a mile. Out after a clash with a bank on the Orrisdale stage went Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes and less than mile further on Drew Wylie/Neil Ewing parked their Escort Mk1 with a starter problem. Instead, fellow XS Racing crew Andrew Siddall/Captain Thompson moved ahead on the driver's first Isle of Man event. But, cruelly, an engine problem on the very last stage cost them three minutes and into victory came Peter Smith/Howard Pridmore, another XS crew with a driver making his island debut.
Neil Rudd/Brian Hodgson had a good run to take C2 in their Escort Mk1.
Category 3
McRae started as meant to go on with fastest time on the opening stage and was never headed once the meat of the event got underway on a very foggy run over Little London on Friday morning.
It proved to be a very problem-free run for McRae/Richardson, until the final stage of the rally. Heading into the Classic stage they had 50s in hand over Smith/Nichols, but going over the top of the stage at Injebreck, the Porsche shed another fan belt.
"The last six miles were very nervous," said McRae. He backed off as much as possible to nurse the car home and only dropped six seconds, despite finishing with a very hot engine.
On only his second visit to the Island, Richard Hill - co-driven as usual by Patrick Cooper - was as spectacular as ever in his Escort Mk2 and took second in category three as well as D5 spoils. However, a rather battered Escort showed how hard he had been trying, with notable damage from an off on the Orrisdale stage. The same corner claimed Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, while Simon Tysoe/Rob Dyson had earlier inverted their Escort Mk2.
Ian Corkill, co-driven by his daughter Rivka, came through to second in D5, while third in the class was reward for Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks (Vauxhall Chevette HSR).
The D3 class was also action-packed, with pacesetters Will Onions/Tim Hobbs out with a blown engine and Arwel Evans/Arwel Jenkins sidelined by clutch failure. Instead, another mighty Isle of Man drive from Mark and Brett Clifford netted D3 victory and tenth overall in their Escort Mk2, two minutes up on Chris Shooter/Bev LeGood.
Added: 21st July 2008 [permalink]
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