Preview, round four: Mid Wales Historic Stages

Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship

Press release: Thursday, 19 June, 2008

Round four of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will pit crews against some classic forest stages on the Mid Wales Historic Stages (28/29 June).

The Newtown-based event will cover stages in the Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Myherin region, so the BHRC crews will be competing over the stages that will form the opening day of Wales Rally GB in December.

Category 1

The oldest cars in category one (pre '68) will lead the field away and a double victory on the Robin Hood and Pirelli rallies was the perfect start to the year for Patrick Watts and Elgan Davies in their Sunbeam Tiger. However, they retired from the most recent round, the Severn Valley Stages, after sliding off the road and so they will be eager to get their title bid firmly back on track.

Heading the Porsche challenge will be Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in their familiar Porsche 911, with other 911s for Phil and Barbara Smith and Steve Troman/Kevin Devine.

But the Porsches will be pressed hard by the fastest of the Lotus Cortinas, notably those of Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson and Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson. Chasing the Cortinas in class B4 will be the mighty Volvo Amazon of Graham Waite/Mike Reynolds.

Class B2 will again be a straight fight between the Mini Cooper S of defending class champions Terry Cree/Richard Shores and the MG Midget of James Stait/Gill Cotton, and it is Stait/Cotton who are firmly in contention for the overall title after the opening three rounds.

Two Hillman Imp variants contest class B1, including round one and three winners Gary and Jane Edington (Singer Chamois) and round two winners Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill (Imp Sport).

Category 2

Category two will be a battle between the Porsches and Ford Escorts Mk1s, although the ever-improving Lancia Stratos of Steve Perez will be a welcome addition to the field and could be a major contender. Set to head the Porsche contingent is the 911RS of Steven Smith and John Nichols, which has now won twice from three events.

Among the Escorts, it will surely be the cars of David Stokes/Guy Weaver and Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard setting the pace. It has been a dire season so far for Stokes, the defending champion, with just one delayed finish to his tally from three starts. Graham, meanwhile, has three strong results under his belt and is currently top dog overall in category two.

However, another very strong contender will return to the BHRC for the Mid Wales in the form of the Escort of Rupert Lomax/David Alcock. After a famous victory on the Pirelli Historic Rally, they missed the Severn Valley due to the clashing Rally Barbados, but they are now back and looking to go very well on home ground.

However, category two is not just about classes C4 and C5. The 2-litre C3 category regularly delivers some great battles, and it is brothers James and David Young who currently top the points after a great run on the Severn Valley. Their opposition is very tough and includes Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes and strong Welsh crews of Tim Jones/Don James and Neal James/Kevin Jones.

The class C2 entry marks the return to rallying of former class pacesetter John Worthing, partnered by John Cadwallader in his Escort Mk1. On his first rally of 2008, Worthing should start as favourite over stages he knows well, with Kevin Broadhurst/Andrew Turner leading the challenge.

Category 3

Category three is all about a gaggle of very quick Mk2 Escorts, all of them capable of challenging for victory. With two wins from three starts, Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper are the men to beat, but Darren Moon and John McNichol have been right on the pace despite a complete lack of prior knowledge of the Welsh stages. If gearbox problems are resolved in time, Moon will be flying.

So too, will be Martin McCormack on his return to the BHRC having missed two events while campaigning a Citroen C2 in the BRC. The last time all three crews competed together just seven seconds split them at the finish, so another mighty battle is likely.

Other established Escort Mk2 contenders include Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, Simon Tysoe/Rob Dyson, Phil and Mick Squires, Charlie Taylor/Steve Bielby, Frank Cunningham/Ryland James and James Potter/Steve Smallbone, while Paul Griffiths/Sam Collis could be right at the head of the action in their Escort Mk2.

Class D3 for the 2-litre non-multi valve cars will also deliver a fine contest, with the fastest cars getting up amongst the BD-powered cars in D5. Will Onions and Tim Hobbs (RS2000) are leading the championship standings, but have plenty of rivals including Richard Lane/Frank Richer and Arwel Evans/Arwel Jenkins, while BTCC racer Mike Jordan makes his Welsh rallying debut in his RS2000. A dark horse could be the Escort Mk2 of former Avenger driver Stephen French and Colin Booth.

Elsewhere in category three, welcome variety to the Escort pack will be provided by the Sunbeam Lotuses of Adrian Seabridge/Daniel Seabridge and Julian Burch/Simon May and the Vauxhall Chevette HSR of Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks.

The Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages is organised by Newtown and District Automobile Club Ltd. For more details about the event, please visit the website at: www.newtown-mc.co.uk

The historic rally starts from Newtown at 4pm on Saturday, 28 June and resumes at 8am on Sunday morning.

Added: 19th June 2008 [permalink]

Preview, round three: Severn Valley Historic Rally

Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship

Press release: Thursday, 22 May, 2008

The third round of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will take crews to Wales for the first time this year for some classic mid-Wales stages during the Severn Valley Historic Rally (Saturday 31 May).

With two very long stages making up the meat of the 45 stage miles, it's going to be a challenging event for another excellent BHRC field.

Category 1

As usual, the oldest cars in category one (pre '68) will run first on the road and a double victory on the Robin Hood and Pirelli rallies has been the perfect start to the year for Patrick Watts and Elgan Davies in their Sunbeam Tiger. They'll be going all out for a hat-trick in Wales and will start as clear favourites.

Heading the Porsche challenge to the rumbling Tiger will be Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in their familiar Porsche 911, but the long fast straights in Radnor should give the Tiger crew a flying start to the rally.

However, as well as chasing the Tiger, Nutt/McBride will be working hard to fend off the quickest of the Lotus Cortinas, notably those of Bob Bean/James Whitaker and Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson. With regular co-driver Malcolm Smithson away on holiday, 21-year old Whitaker will co-drive for 70-year old Bean for the first time. Chasing the Cortinas in class B4 will be the mighty Volvo Amazon of Graham Waite/Mike Reynolds.

Class B2 is likely to be a straight fight between the Mini Cooper S of defending class champions Terry Cree/Richard Shores and the MG Midget of James Stait/Gill Cotton, and it is Stait/Cotton who have taken two wins so far as Cree/Shores hit a whole range of problems. If both crews have a clear run, it could be quite a contest.

Three Hillman Imp variants contest class B1, including round one winners Gary and Jane Edington (Singer Chamois) and round two winners Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill (Imp Sport), while Mike Barratt/Jody Watson will be hoping that their Sunbeam Stiletto is ready to rally again after a disastrous engine failure just before the Pirelli.

Category 2

Steven Smith and John Nichols turned in a mighty performance to win category 2 on the Robin Hood and their Porsche 911RS could well be the car to beat once more. Smith will be keen to get his campaign back on track after falling victim to a dreaded Kielder ditch on the Pirelli.

However, the quickest of the Escort Mk1s will be flying along and it is the cars of defending BHRC champions David Stokes/Guy Weaver and Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard that should be the best of the pack.

Stokes/Weaver have had a tough start to the season with two non-finishes after mechanical dramas, so they will be determined to score a strong result on the Severn Valley to get their season on song.

However, category 2 is not just about classes C4 and C5. The 2-litre C3 category is already delivering some mighty contests this season, and it was Ken Forster and John Stanger-Leathes who took their Escort Mk1 to a fine win on the Pirelli. But on the opening event, the Robin Hood, Welsh crew Tim Jones/Don James scored a fine win and will be eager to repeat that victory on home ground.

Other major challengers include the Escorts of Neal James/Kevin Jones, James Young/David Young and Robin Shuttleworth/Mark Midgley.

The Class C2 pace should be set by Vince Bristow/Tim Sayer (Escort Mk1), but youngsters Adam Morgan and Chris Kenyon are getting quicker and quicker as they build their experience.

Category 3

With the Porsche 911RS of Jimmy McRae absent after its accident on the Pirelli, category 3 is all about a gaggle of very quick Mk2 Escorts, all of them capable of challenging for victory. Robin Hood winners Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper and Pirelli winners Darren Moon and John McNichol will be right at the head of the battle, although Moon has never seen this part of Wales before.

Other established contenders include Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, Simon Tysoe/Rob Dyson, Phil and Mick Squires, Charlie Taylor/Steve Bielby, Jason Lepley/Howard Pridmore, Frank Cunningham/Ryland James and Chris White/Chris Dewsnap, while Welsh legend - and pensioner - Terry Brown, partnered by the slightly younger Den Golding, will use his knowledge of these stages to good effect.

Class D3 for the 2-litre non-multi valve cars should also deliver a tremendous contest, with the fastest cars getting up amongst the BD-powered cars in D5. Richard Lane/Frank Richer pulled off a fine victory on the Robin Hood, but will face a big challenge from Pirelli winners Will Onions/Tim Hobbs in their RS2000. Also out to fight for D3 honours will be Arwel Evans/Arwel Jenkins and father and son crew Mark and Brett Clifford.

Elsewhere in category 3, welcome variety to the Escort pack will be provided by the Sunbeam Lotus of Adrian Seabridge/Daniel Seabridge, the Vauxhall Chevette HSR of Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks and the Rover SD1 of Steve Holtom/Adrian Jay.

The Severn Valley Historic Rally is organised by Midland Manor Motor Club Ltd. For more details about the event, please visit the website at: www.severnvalleynational.co.uk

Added: 22nd May 2008 [permalink]

Preview, round two: Pirelli Historic Rally

Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship

Press release: Thursday, 10 April, 2008

The second round of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will pit crews against the challenge of the mighty Kielder forest complex in Northumberland for the Pirelli Historic Rally (18/19 April 2008).

The crews will tackle four stages on Friday evening and a further three stages on Saturday, starting and finishing with a ceremonial flourish in Carlisle city centre.

Category 1

As usual, the oldest cars in category one (pre '68) will run first on the road and a resounding victory on the Robin Hood was just the start that Patrick Watts and Elgan Davies wanted in their Sunbeam Tiger. They'll be going all out to make it two wins from two starts on the Pirelli, as the Porsche 911 pack chase hard.

Heading the Porsche challenge will be Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in their familiar Porsche 911, with Dessie sure to enjoy being back in the driver's seat after co-driving for his son Michael on the Circuit of Ireland over Easter. Another very quick 911 will be the car of John Keatley/Maurice Beckett, but the quickest of the Lotus Cortinas are really taking the fight to the Porsches.

In particular, the Cortinas of Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson, Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson and Jonathan Gale/Graham Gale are bang on the pace and Bean will be looking to continue his Robin Hood battle with Dessie Nutt. Clearly, reaching his 70th birthday that weekend has not slowed Bob down in any way!

Class B2 is likely to be a straight fight between the Mini Cooper S of defending class champions Terry Cree/Richard Shores and the MG Midget of James Stait/Gill Cotton, and it was Stait/Cotton who took a clear win on the Robin Hood when the Mini crew hit major problems.

Three Hillman Imp variants contest class B1, including round one winners Gary and Jane Edington (Singer Chamois). Mike Barratt/Jody Watson (Sunbeam Stiletto) and Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill (Imp Sport) will be challenging hard.

Category 2

Steven Smith and John Nichols turned in a mighty performance to win category 2 on the Robin Hood and their Porsche 911RS could well be the car to beat once more. However, the quickest of the Escort Mk1s will be flying along and it is the cars of defending BHRC champions David Stokes/Guy Weaver and Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard that should be the best of the pack.

Stokes/Weaver had a bad weekend on the Robin Hood when sidelined by a major misfire on the opening leg, so they will be looking to get their season properly underway on the Pirelli.

The Porsche 911Rs of Andrew Haddon/Mark Crisp is another contender for category 2 victory, while the Escort Mk1 of Rupert Lomax/David Alcock is getting quicker and quicker.

However, category 2 is not just about classes C4 and C5. The 2-litre C3 category is shaping up to deliver some mighty contests this season, and local crew Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes should join the action after missing the opening event as they prepared their Escort Mk1 with a fresh Pinto engine. Major challengers include the Escorts of Russell Morgan/Martin Kenyon, Tim Jones/Don James, Neal James/Kevin Jones, James Young/David Young and Robin Shuttleworth/Mark Midgley.

Class C2 is well and truly up for grabs at the moment, with the pace likely to be set by Kevin Broadhurst and Andrew Turner (Escort Mk1). They suffered a disastrous engine fire on the Robin Hood but hope to have the car ready again in time for the Pirelli.

Category 3

The standard of entry in category 3 is every bit as good with four-time British Rally champion Jimmy McRae leading the field in the Prepfab Porsche 911RS. This freshly prepared car is one of the first 911s to run on a gravel event in category 3 and is sure to give the Mk2 Escorts a major fight for category spoils. As before, Andy Richardson partners McRae in the Stobart-backed entry.

Lining up to challenge McRae will be a gaggle of very quick Mk2 Escorts, all of them capable of challenging for victory. Robin Hood winners Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper set a stunning pace and are likely to be the benchmark, while Darren Moon/John McNichol were sensational on the Robin Hood and came very close to overall victory.

Other established contenders include Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, while Phil and Mick Squires will make a late start to the season after missing the Robin Hood after Phil suffered a hand injury in the workshop. Other leading runners in Escort Mk2s include Charlie Taylor/Steve Bielby, Jason Lepley/Howard Pridmore, Frank Cunningham/Ryland James and Chris White/Chris Dewsnap.

Elsewhere in category 3, welcome variety to the Escort pack will be provided by the Sunbeam Lotus of Adrian Seabridge/Daniel Seabridge and the Vauxhall Chevette HSR of Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks.

The Pirelli Historic Rally is organised by the Cumberland Sporting Car Club and for more details about the event, please visit the website at: www.pirelliinternationalrally.co.uk

Added: 9th April 2008 [permalink]

Stunning entry for Robin Hood

Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship

Press release: Friday, 29 February, 2008

Preview, round one: Robin Hood Historic Forest Stages Rally

The most competitive entry in the history of the championship will make the opening round of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship one of the most eagerly awaited rallies of 2008.

Two former World Rally champions will grace the entry as over 90 cars line up for the Alternative Sign Centre Robin Hood Historic Forest Stages over the weekend of 8/9 March.

It is a truly stunning entry for the opening round of the BHRC and comes very close to matching the record 100-car entry for the 2007 event. The field is packed with fabulous cars and drivers; historic stage rallying just gets better and better!

Category 1

As usual, the oldest cars in category one (pre '68) will run first on the road and heading the field away will be Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in their familiar Porsche 911. However, a pair of Sunbeam Tigers will be chasing very hard as Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies are pursued by Paul Kynaston/Gary Bulley. This will be the first time that the two Tigers have gone fully head to head, as their only previous meeting on the Somerset Historic Stages was cut short when Kynaston hit engine trouble. Now, after a long break, Kynaston is back for the event he has won four times before and is determined to show Watts had it should be done.

Chasing the three sports cars will be the rapid Lotus Cortinas of Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson and Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson, and with Bean celebrating his 70th birthday on the first day of the rally it will be a special occasion for the rapid pensioner.

Class B2 is set to be a straight fight between the Mini Cooper S of defending class champions Terry Cree/Richard Shores and the MG Midget of James Stait/Gill Cotton, and there is likely to be very little to split the two rapid 1300cc cars.

Meanwhile, the up to 1-litre class B1 is very well supported with a Mini Cooper, two Saab 96s and three Imps. John Parker/Robert Harrison will star in their two-stroke Saab, while former Mini crew Mike Barratt and Jody Watson switch to a Sunbeam Stiletto.

Category 2

With two former World Rally champions in the top three cars, the category two entry is quite incredible. Add in some of the fastest Mk1 Escorts around and several very rapid Porsche 911s and the stage is set for a mighty contest.

Heading the field will be Stig Blomqvist and Pauline Gullick in the Escort from David Sutton's team and the legendary Swede will be very tough to beat. Meanwhile, two cars back will be fellow Swedish legend Bjorn Waldegard in the VK-backed Lancia Stratos, with Peter Martin guiding the 1979 World Champion through the stages.

Splitting the Swedes will be the Escort of Mark Solloway/Den Golding and this could be the fastest car of all in category 2. However, more potential winners in Escorts include defending BHRC champions David Stokes/Guy Weaver, Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard and Jeremy Easson/Alun Cook, so it really is wide open.

Then there is the Porsche contingent to consider, with Steven Smith/John Nichols and Andrew Haddon/Mark Crisp sure to set a fierce pace as they go up against the Escorts.

However, category 2 is not just about classes C4 and C5. The 2-litre C3 category is shaping up to deliver some mighty contests this season, although potential frontrunners Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes will miss this event as they prepare their Escort Mk1 with a fresh Pinto engine.

Russell Morgan and Martin Kenyon should be the benchmark in their Escort Mk1, but they have plenty of challengers including the Escorts of James Young/David Young, Tim Jones/Don James, Neal James/Kevin Jones and Ian Drummond/Tom Ward.

Class C2 is well and truly up for grabs at the moment, with the pace likely to be set by Kevin Broadhurst and Andrew Turner (Escort Mk1). Trying to make it a family double will be youngsters Adam Morgan and Chris Kenyon, who will run alongside their class C3 leading fathers.

Category 3

The standard of entry in category 3 is every bit as good with four-time British Rally champion Jimmy McRae starting first in the Prepfab Porsche 911. This freshly prepared car is one of the first 911s to run on a gravel event in category 3 and is sure to give the Mk2 Escorts a major fight for category spoils. As before, Andy Richardson partners McRae in the Stobart-backed entry.

Lining up behind McRae will be a gaggle of 14 Mk2 Escorts, all of them capable of challenging for victory. Picking a pacesetter here isn't easy, but Irish flyers Martin McCormack and Liam Moynihan will be sensationally quick. So too, will be Julian Reynolds and Ian Oakey, while Peter Slights/Joyce Champion can never be discounted. Add in dark horses Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper and Paul Griffiths/George Gwynn, along with established contenders like Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing and Jason Lepley/Howard Pridmore and the fans are in for a real treat.

Class D3 for the 2-litre non-multi valve cars should also deliver a tremendous contest, with the fastest cars getting up amongst the BD-powered cars in D5. Top seeds are Will Onions/Tim Hobbs in their RS2000, but Arwel Evans/Arwel Jenkins and Richard Lane/Frank Richer are strong contenders.

Elsewhere in category 3, welcome variety to the Escort pack will be provided by the Open Ascona of Steve Magson/Geoff Atkinson, the Sunbeam Lotuses of Julian Burch/tba and Adrian Seabridge/Daniel Seabridge and the Vauxhall Chevettes of Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks and Mark Creswell/Rachel Brockington.

The Robin Hood is organised by Lindholme Motor Sports Club Ltd and for more details about the event, please visit the website at: www.robinhoodforeststages.co.uk

Added: 29th February 2008 [permalink]

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