McCormack's fight back in Wales
Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Press release: Monday, 30 June, 2008
Report, round four: Mid Wales Historic Stages
Martin McCormack returned to the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship for the Mid Wales Historic Stages on 28/29 June and turned in a mighty drive to claim category three spoils.
On an event that once again drew rave reviews from the competitors, McCormack and Joe Agnew charged back into the lead after delays on the opening day, while an equally strong recovery drive after an even bigger delay from Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper netted third in the category behind Darren Moon/John McNichol.
David Stokes/Guy Weaver finally shrugged off their bad luck with a great run in category two, but were edged back to second by Steven Smith/John Nichols, while Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies bagged another category one win in their Sunbeam Tiger.
Category 1
The rally opened with two stages on Saturday afternoon and crews went straight into the amazing Pikes Peak stage, a long climb up the mountain via a series of wide-open hairpins. Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride set the pace in their Porsche 911 despite a puncture towards the finish and ended the first leg with a lead over the rumbling Tiger. "I'm surprised we took time off Patrick," said Nutt before the restart on Sunday morning.
The opening two stages in Hafren on Sunday were in superb condition and Watts really got into his stride to take over the lead of the category. He duly went on to build his advantage to nearly a minute.
"Perfect; we enjoyed ourselves," said Watts back at the finish in Newtown. Nutt dropped time in Myherin when a stone jammed between the wheel and the caliper, but still took second, clear of a tremendous battle for class B4.
Into the last stage it was level between Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson (Lotus Cortina) and Graham Waite/Mike Reynolds (Volvo Amazon) and it took a big push from Calvert to grab the class from the charging Volvo. Then, there was a late scare for the Cortina crew when the car refused to restart for the run to the finish and they only just made it to the final control on time.
Clutch problems on Saturday cost Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson a chance of joining the contest, but they still took third in class in their Lotus Cortina.
B2 was a straight fight between Terry Cree/Richard Shores (Mini Cooper) and James Stait/Gill Cotton (MG Midget). Until the water crossings in Sweet Lamb, Stait had been trading times with the B4 pack and reckoned third overall was within reach. But the Midget didn't like the deep water and the time lost helped Cree/Shores to class victory.
"The best event," reckoned Geoff Taylor after taking B1 spoils in his Sunbeam Imp Sport, partnered by Steve Greenhill. Into second, and delighted just to finish, came Mike Barratt/Jody Watson (Sunbeam Stiletto).
Category 2
Putting a torrid season firmly behind them, Stokes and Weaver were on the attack from the start and headed the category overnight, four seconds up on Smith/Nichols, while Tim Mason/Graham Wild were well in touch in third in their Porsche 911.
Through Hafren, Stokes and Smith were virtually level and it was not until the 13-miler in Myherin that the Porsche edged ahead. Then, it all nearly went wrong for Stokes when he slid off at the flying finish of the Sweet Lamb stage and it took eight minutes to get back on, but fortunately they were over the flying finish line, so their result was not affected.
Smith/Nichols duly claimed the category after a fine run, while C5 spoils and a top finish were long overdue for the Escort crew. Sadly, Mason's ill-luck struck again, having set a pace well in touch with Smith for much of the event. Then, a puncture in Sweet Lamb cost them eight minutes and a top result. Into third in the category went Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard (Escort Mk1).
In C3, Tim Jones and Don James were dominant winners in their Escort Mk1, winning by nearly two minutes over Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne, who had a good run in their XS Racing run Escort Mk1.
"The stages were very good and we were driving to make sure of the class," said Jones, after leading rivals Neal James and Kevin Jones went out on Saturday afternoon with gearbox failure. Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes got their Escort to the finish but time lost due to an electrical gremlin and then a puncture left them well down the order.
The new partnership of Vince Bristow/Ian Harden was easily clear in C2, their Escort Mk1 a long way clear of the similar car of Kevin Broadhurst/Andrew Turner.
Category 3
The action in category three kicked off on the opening stages as McCormack/Agnew lost third gear and then had the fire extinguisher go off, while Hill/Cooper hit a post and damaged their steering. McCormack was 40s down, but Hill was two and a half minutes down overnight. Instead, Paul Griffiths/Sam Collis led at the end of the first day after a storming start, but Darren Moon/John McNichol were only three seconds behind in their Escort Mk2.
On Sunday morning it was all about McCormack and Hill as they flew through the pair of Hafren stages. McCormack was 18s quicker than Hill and they were both well clear of the rest in a stunning display. That pace soon put McCormack into the lead and he was able to measure his pace through the later stages on his way to a resounding victory. "We were really flying. It felt so good and the adrenalin was pumping," said Martin.
Griffiths should have bagged second, but lost around two minutes driving four miles of Sweet Lamb with a puncture, so it was Moon/McNichol in second after a tremendous performance on their first run through these stages. Hill's mighty recovery drive netted third in category three and fastest times on the final two stages.
In a typically competitive D5, a gaggle of quick Escorts packed out the next places with Terry Brown/Den Golding fourth from Griffiths/Collis and Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing.
An inspired Arwel Evans, co-driven by Arwel Jenkins, blitzed D3 and finished well up among the D5 cars in their Escort RS2000, while second after a time-consuming puncture were Will Onions and Tim Hobbs in their RS2000.
Added: 30th June 2008 [permalink]
Hill/Cooper on top on Severn Valley
Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally ChampionshipPress release: Monday, 2 June, 2008
Report, round three: Severn Valley Historic Stages
Starting with an 18-mile opening stage through Radnor forest, round three of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Severn Valley Historic Stages (Saturday 31 May), was a great event with classic stages proving popular with the crews.
Richard Hill/Pat Cooper pulled out a massive 24 second lead by the end of the first stage on their way to category three victory over Darren Moon/John McNichol, while the Porsche 911RS of Steve Smith/John Nichols took a commanding category two win.
With Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies sliding their Sunbeam Tiger off the stage and out of the rally on the penultimate corner of Radnor, Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride took a dominant category one victory in their Porsche 911.
Only eight of the 62 starters failed to make it back to the Builth Wells finish.
Category 1
"It was just so slippery, we were first on the road and cleaning the surface. The entrance to the penultimate bend was deceptive, I was too quick and it was either roll or head for the bushes," said Watts, after his rally came to an early conclusion. Nutt/McBride were left with a 14-second lead over Bob Bean/James Whittaker (Lotus Cortina). "We stalled at a hairpin too and seemed to take an age to restart," said Bean.
Paul Mankin/Desmond Bell (Lotus Cortina) initially held third over the similar car of Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson. "We had a misfire but fixed in it service," said Calvert. While Nutt continued to pull clear, Calvert closed in on his rivals, taking both Bean and Mankin on stage three to secure second in the category and class B4 spoils.
"Lovely conditions and an enjoyable trouble free event," Nutt concluded after taking the category win by over a minute. Philip and Barbara Smith were second in B5 behind Nutt in their 911. "We took a post and the tapes out on the last stage on a fast downhill section," said Smith. Stephen Troman/Kevin Devine (Porsche 911) were third, having punctured on the opener. "We did our best to catch up and had a wild and exciting ride on stage three," said Troman.
Bean, Mankin and Graham Waite/Mike Reynolds (Volvo Amazon) followed Calvert home overall in B4, while James Stait/Gill Cotton kept their Midget's nose ahead of Terry Cree/Richard Shores (Mini Cooper S) all day to win B2. "We were more aggressive in the drier conditions, and it was my first finish on this event in eight attempts," said Stait. "We had three spins on the last three stages and got stuck behind a car with a puncture," Cree replied.
B1 became more of a battle for survival, with Mike Barratt's Singer Chamois having broken its transmission the night before the rally. Gary and Jane Edgington managed to break their Chamois' rear suspension on the second stage, but still limped through the rest of the day to take the win over Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill (Imp). "The fan belt came off at the end, and we didn't want to risk restarting it," said Taylor after arriving at the finish by tow rope. They had already lost time at the start with an early puncture.
Category 2
Smith/Nichols proved unbeatable in their Porsche 911RS, only dominating the category all day. "With no one else in our class we wanted a good overall finish, but it wasn't worth risking too much. I got my head down at the end though, just making sure that I kept Ernie Graham behind me," said Smith.
Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard started cautiously too. "We decided to back off for some of the hairpins in Radnor. We didn't have any spins or get any damage," he said.
The Escort Mk1 of Drew Wylie/Neil Ewing Escort had third initially, but lost out to James and David Young and Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes by the end of stage two. "We were a bit cautious when we went past the place we had rolled last year," said Forster. But Young consolidated his place in third, taking C3 honours from Forster and Wylie. "We had a bit of a moment on the last stage, no other problems really and an excellent rally," said Young.
Neal James/Kevin Jones had a good into sixth with their Escort, comfortably ahead of C2 winners Vince Bristow/Tim Sayer (Escort). "We had a slow start as I was getting used to a new navigator," said Bristow. Adam Morgan/Steve Kenyon had led the class on the opener, before slipping back prior to their Escort's engine blowing. Robert and Jonathan Hoult (Escort) sealed second, but finished with a blown exhaust. Neil Rudd/Brian Hodgson claimed third. "It's still a cross-flow scrap engine, so that's not bad," said Rudd.
In only his third ever rally Sebastian Hack managed second in C5, with Martin Kenny/David Stocking's Escort third, despite breaking their gearstick. Unfortunately, a troubled year for David Stokes and Guy Weaver continued with a very time consuming puncture and subsequent dramas with the jack when they stopped to change the wheel.
Category 3
It was a straight fight between the two crews that shared wins the opening two BHRC rounds. Although Hill/Cooper had little experience of the Welsh forests, Moon/McNichol had none. With 24 seconds in hand on the first stage, Hill was already on his way to victory. He was quickest on all but one stage and by the finish was well over a minute clear. "I couldn't get into stage three at all, it wasn't anything drastic as I recovered and the car never missed a beat," said Hill.
Moon tried everything to close the gap but had to accept second best on this occasion. "I had a spin but was really trying on that first stage. I reckon I would be a lot better if I could have had a re-run. But on the last stage I have never had so many near misses, with two wheels over fresh air a few times," said Moon.
Jason Lepley/Howard Pridmore (Escort) held third for the first couple of stages, but started to slip back and finished with an off on the last stage. Arwel Evans/Arwel Jenkins (Escort RS2000) moved up to clinch the place and class D3, which they had taken over when Paul Griffiths/John Madoc-Jones (Escort Mk2) retired with a broken exhaust on their Escort on stage two.
"We had been playing catch up after losing the brakes on the first stage when a stone broke one of the pipes. A brilliant result for us in road rally car though," said Evans.
Phil and Mick Squires Escort just held off Charlie Taylor/Steve Bielby for fifth. "We had a misfire through the last few stages, it felt like a plug lead was off or something," said Squires. "I had a lucky escape in Radnor when I got away with going airborne and clipping a bank," Taylor added. With Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing (Escort Mk2) picking up a last stage puncture, Polly Patti/David Gamblin (Escort Mk2) completed the top six.
In class D3 Will Onions/Tim Hobbs followed Evans home second, well clear of David Roberts/Dei Jones. Pat Anderson/Tom Mansfield (Talbot Sunbeam Ti) ran solo in D2 as did debutants Steve Holtom/Adrian Jay with their class D4 Rover SD1. "My first rally for 24 years and my navigator's first Seven Valley since 1987 and in a car that had been in barn for six years. Apart from losing the brakes on the first stage it was great and we finished," said Holtom.
Added: 2nd June 2008 [permalink]
Moon rises in Kielder
Press release: Monday, 21 April, 2008
Report, round two: Pirelli Historic Rally
The Kielder region proved up to its daunting reputation on round two of the 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Pirelli Historic Rally on 18/19 April.
While the unforgiving ditches caught out some of the leading contenders and mechanical dramas accounted for others, a tremendous performance from Darren Moon and John McNichol (Escort Mk2) netted category three spoils. Unfortunately, a major accident befell Jimmy McRae/Andy Richardson (Porsche 911RS) on the penultimate stage when battling for the category.
In category one, Patrick Watts and Elgan Davies set a scorching pace in the Sunbeam Tiger to win the category and set times that put them up with the top six category two and three crews.
Meanwhile, in category two, a fine run for Rupert Lomax/David Alcock (Escort Mk2) brought them a first BHRC victory on their debut event in the region.
Overall, the event was well received by the 65-strong historic entry, with everyone enjoying the stages in the main Kielder complex. Only the poor state of the opening two stages detracted from the rally.
Category 1
With a big attack on the opening stage, Watts/Davies went immediately 20 seconds clear of the category one field and were able to maintain their pace through the following six stages to score a commanding win.
By the time they emerged from the final nine miles in Pundershaw, Watts was 1m20s clear of the Porsche 911 of John Keatley/Maurice Beckett, although there was a late scare for the Tiger crew. "We hit a bridge with a back wheel, but got away with it," said Watts. "But we didn't go loony today," he added.
The battle for second was between the Porsches of Keatley and Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride and it was Keatley who grabbed the upperhand on Friday evening. Despite an attack on Saturday's stages, Nutt could not catch his countryman and the eight-second gap even grew a little.
Bob Bean and Malcolm Smithson were one of the casualties of conditions in SS1 and a large pothole threw their Lotus Cortina off the road. Instead, Neil Calvert and Arlene Cookson had a trouble free run to B4 spoils. "It was a steady run; we did what we came to do," reported Calvert at the finish.
The B2 contest never really got going as the Mini Cooper S of Terry Cree/Richard Shores suffered badly on the opening leg with a cracked sump and a time consuming off. Meanwhile, James Stait/Gill Cotton had a good run in the MG Midget to go well clear, which was fortunate as they had an off of their own on Saturday and spent three minutes on a tree stump, but still took the class by a minute. "Those stages were much better," said Cree on the second leg.
B1 honours went to the Sunbeam Imp Sport of Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill, with their result aided when the Singer Chamois of Gary and Jane Edgington shed a wheel on Friday evening.
Category 2
It didn't take long for the drama to start in category two, with David Stokes/Guy Weaver (Escort Mk1) hobbled by an electrical gremlin thought to a dodgy master switch. Then, early leaders Steven Smith/John Nichols slid the Porsche 911RS into a ditch just before the end of the opening leg, all of which boosted Lomax/Alcock into a well-earned category lead overnight. "We go well on the twisty stuff," said Lomax after a very impressive run on his first attempt at these stages.
Leading the chase was the Escort of Ernie Graham/Robin Kellard and they were 25s down overnight after dropping time on stages three and four with badly worn tyres.
It was nip and tuck stuff on Saturday, but with the second of three stages cancelled, Graham didn't have enough time to attack and the gap was still 18s at the finish. "It's gone to plan," said Lomax after a first BHRC victory.
As well as chasing Lomax, Graham had to watch for the pursuing Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes (Escort Mk1) in the leading class C3 car. First time out with Pinto power, Forster was flying along and finished just three seconds behind Graham after a tremendous run. "We had a slow first stage with the new car, but after that it was brilliant," said Forster, who also paid tribute to his co-driver's contribution. "John's notes were faultless," he added.
Chasing Forster in the hugely competitive class C3 were the Escort Mk1s of Tim Jones/Don James and Russell Morgan/Martin Kenyon. Morgan was left to rue a slow start on Friday evening, but was closing in on Jones at the finish.
C2 delivered a very welcome class win for Kevin Broadhurst/Andrew Turner, as Broadhurst finished a BHRC event for the first time since 2004. He didn't think much of the Friday stages, but picked up pace on Saturday and was elated just to finish, let alone win the class by 25s from Neil Rudd/Brian Hodgson (Escort Mk1).
The contest for C4 was a topsy-turvy affair and it was Tim Mason/Graham Wild who took the class in their Porsche 911. "I love the Kielder stages," said Tim, but after some tremendous times they lost six minutes when the centre pulled out of a wheel. However, with Andrew Haddon/Mark Crisp hobbled by a gearbox stuck in second, Mason pressed on and stunned everyone by being overall fastest through Pundershaw. Without the delay they could well have won category two.
Category 3
McRae was surprised to be leading at the end of Friday after having the Porsche's fan belt come off twice. They carried on through the stages, but watching the gauges hurt their pace. "We backed off a bit and maybe that was a good thing," said Jimmy.
However, others had bigger problems including Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper who parked their Escort M2 with a radiator problem at the end of stage two. A Kershope ditch claimed Simon Tysoe/Rob Dyson (Escort Mk2), while a similar fate befell Frank Cunningham/Ryland James.
Meanwhile, Moon/McNichol dropped time on the last stage of Friday evening. "We did nine miles on wrecked tyres," said Moon at the end of the leg. They lost 24s to drop 11s behind McRae and set up a big battle for Saturday. They were virtually level on the first of Saturday's stages, The Shanks, but it all went wrong for McRae when the Porsche plunged off the road near the end of Archie's Rigg.
That left Moon taking a 23s lead into the final stage in Pundershaw, but it wasn't over as Jason Lepley/Howard Pridmore were still charging along in their Escort Mk2, despite being unsettled after stopping at the scene of McRae's accident. "We'd planned to change tyres for the last stage," said Jason, but there was no chance to do it. Nevertheless, they were just 10s behind Moon at the finish having clawed back 13s in nine miles.
A splendid third went to Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing (Escort Mk2). "Fairly uneventful, but a good run," reported Slaughter at the finish.
Next up in category three and taking a fine D3 victory were Will Onions and Tim Hobbs in their Escort RS2000, after a straightforward rally. They had 1m20s in hand over Richard Lane/Frank Richer.
Added: 21st April 2008 [permalink]
Hill heads Robin Hood
Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Press release: Monday, 10 March, 2008
Report, round one: Robin Hood Historic Forest Stages Rally
The 2008 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship got off to a magnificent start on the Alternative Sign Centre Robin Hood Historic Forest Stages over the weekend (8/9 March).
A mighty 90-car field, big crowds, two former World Champions and a tie for victory at the head of category 3 made it a memorable event. Ultimately, it took a tie-break to confirm Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper as winners over Martin McCormack/Liam Moynihan. Meanwhile, a performance that matched the Escort pace assured Steven Smith/John Nichols category 2 victory and Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies romped to category 1 honours.
Category 1
The anticipated Sunbeam Tiger battle at the head of category 1 never really materialised as Watts/Davies pulled out a commanding 46s lead during the three stages on Saturday evening. Paul Kynaston/Gary Bulley lost time through a wrong tyre choice and the driver being rusty, and completed a troubled weekend by retiring on Sunday after over-revving the engine.
For Watts it was a welcome result after finishing an engine rebuild on Friday evening. "It means I don't have to take the engine out again; I'm fed up with doing that," said Watts at the finish.
The battle for second in category 1 was only resolved on the final stage when a big push from Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride took their Porsche 911 ahead of the flying Lotus Cortina of Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson. "I had to extract several digits," admitted Nutt, having gone into Birklands one second behind. For Bean it was a fine way to celebrate his 70th birthday. "I'm quite happy with the class B4 win; the car has been perfect," said the veteran.
Class B2 was a two-way contest and it was the MG Midget of James Stait/Gill Cotton that took a clear win after the Mini Cooper of Terry Cree/Richard Shores lost time when a front hub split on the first stage. Stait had a scare when the gearbox drain pull fell out and they lost most of the oil after stage six, but they managed to fix the problem.
In B1, the Singer Chamois of Gary and Jane Edgington topped an excellent entry and survived a clash with a log pile to come home clear a class winner.
Category 2
With two former World Champions in category 2, there was a lot to play for and it was Smith/Nichols who emerged for victory after a masterful performance. They were on it from the start and had a 19s lead at the end of Saturday evening, and that had grown to over half a minute by the end of the rally. The margin could have been bigger still, as they lost first gear over the last two stages and dropped more than 10s. Into the final stage, they were ahead of the category 3 Escorts, but then lost time getting the car out of the slow corners. "I'm quite proud of that result; apart form first gear, everything else worked fine," said Smith.
Mark Solloway/Den Golding were running second, despite a puncture in Clipstone South, until a broken halfshaft on the final stage put them out of a big battle with Bjorn Waldegard/Peter Martin in the VK Lancia Stratos. The Swedish legend claimed C5 spoils after a mighty run, which gave the Stratos its best result to date.
Andrew Haddon/Mark Crisp were right in contention in their Porsche 911RS and had the honour of finishing between Waldegard and Stig Blomqvist/Pauline Gullick (Escort Mk1) in the final category standings. Out on Saturday night with a misfire went the Escort Mk1 of David Stokes/Guy Weaver.
Class C3 is shaping up for a cracking season and it was BHRC newcomers Tim Jones/Don James who took victory in their Escort Mk1, keeping clear of series returnees James and David Young (Escort Mk1). Neal James/Kevin Jones were third and could have been closer had they not dropped time with a misfire on Saturday evening.
Vincent Bristow/Dean Mitchell (Escort Mk1) blitzed class C2 with a typically attacking performance.
Category 3
For Hill/Cooper, even getting to the start was an achievement after major engine dramas in the run up to the rally. However, it was Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey who returned to service on Saturday evening with a 5s lead over Hill. Sadly, that was about as far as Reynolds went as the gearbox on his Escort Mk2 jammed in reverse gear as they tried to re-start on Sunday morning and their rally was over.
Now it was Hill/Cooper battling with McCormack/Moynihan and there was nothing in it, with Hill taking a 2s lead into the final stage. That was gone by the end of the Birklands stage, but Hill got the verdict having been faster on stage one. "Martin's a quick lad," said Hill after a storming drive. "It sure doesn't get any closer than that," countered McCormack, who was getting used to a fresh car.
Almost matching the pace of Hill and McCormack were Darren Moon and John McNichol, who had a mighty run in their Escort to be just 7s down at the finish and really establish themselves as BHRC contenders. Peter Slights and Joyce Champion were fourth, while another highly notable performance netted fifth for Simon Tysoe/Rob Dyson, their best result to date.
Jimmy McRae and Andy Richardson used the event as a shakedown for the new Porsche 911RS from Prepfab and set a series of fastest stage times to show the car's pace. Unfortunately, road penalties cost them any chance of a good result and then fuel problems on the final stage stopped the car.
In D3, Richard Lane/Frank Richer had a superb run to win, although their task was eased when rivals Will Onion/Tim Hobbs had to stop and change a puncture in Clipstone North. Arwel Evans/Arwel Jenkins took second in D3 on a return to the BHRC in Evans' Escort RS2000.
Added: 10th March 2008 [permalink]
