Report, round six: Ulster Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Corkill and FaggPress release: Monday, 23 August, 2010
Category two victory for David Stokes and Guy Weaver and a stunning category three win for Connor Corkill and Rob Fagg headlined the action as the Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship headed to Northern Ireland for the Ulster Rally (20/21 August).
In category one, a fine victory went to the Mini Cooper S of Ray Cunningham and Ross Forde, but the BHRC points contest was between Jonathan Gale/James Whitaker (Sunbeam Tiger) and Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911).
The BHRC's first visit to Ulster was a runaway success and all the crews gave the event rave reviews. "We've been to a world class rally," said Jeremy Easson.
Category 1
Although not registered for the BHRC, Cunningham was keen to pit the Mini against the British crews and the Galway driver was in stunning form as he swept clear on the opening day to lay the foundations for an emphatic victory.
But the battle for top BHRC crew was far less clear-cut and it took a mighty effort from the XS Racing crew to keep Gale's Tiger running after a range of dramas. Two offs, including one into a fence, steering damage after a heavy landing and a detached roll bar all hit the Sunbeam in the course of 12 stages, but they ploughed on and ended the event as leading BHRC crew.
But Nutt was always there on his home event and maintained a constant pressure on Gale. Even at the finish the margin was just 15s after nearly two hours of competition. "There is still some play in the steering," said Nutt on Friday evening, but Gale had bigger concerns after hitting both ends of the Tiger on a bank in the Torr Head stage.
The contest went back and forth through Saturday, but Gale managed to grab the upperhand as the XS crew worked hard to keep the car running.
As the only finishers in class B1, Gary and Jane Edgington took the spoils even though they ran under super rally rules when the gear lever came off their Singer Chamois on the fourth stage on Friday. On Saturday, they continued to throw the car around the lanes and typically came to the aid of Neil Rudd when his Escort stalled at the end of the Langford Lodge stage, with a failed starter motor. Edgington finished the stage and then ran 500m back to help Rudd get going again.
Philip Wylie and Maurice Beckett (MGB) won class B4. They arrived at first service needing to tweak the suspension to cope with the bumps and jumps. "The first stage was good but we couldn't keep going at that pace," said expatriate Ulsterman Wylie. His brother Drew, partnered by Howard Pridmore, unfortunately retired on the opening stage with electrical woes in his Lotus Elan. Rikki Proffitt and Peter Scott teamed up again to take fifth in the category in Rikki's Porsche 911, with Scott having won the Ulster Rally back in 1974 with Billy Coleman!
Category 2
Right from the off, Stokes and Weaver set a cracking pace in category two, although local crew Keith McIvor and David Burns were right in contention in their Porsche 911. With McIvor not registered for points, Stokes was content not to fight with the Irishman and instead concentrate on his BHRC rivals.
On the first stage, Stokes was running first car and had a strange moment when he came over a brow to find a tent in the road. He managed to avoid it and several more cars reported the same problem before the stage was halted to move the tent.
With the Escort running like clockwork, Stokes ended the first day well clear or Easson/Alun Cook, but recognised that for maximum points he needed to beat Ernie Graham and Iain Johnston on Saturday's times as well. A distributor problem cost Graham a lot of time on Friday, but with Saturday's stages going past his former home, he would surely fly.
Stokes pushed very hard and eventually beat Graham by just 4s on Sunday with a big late charge that also took him ahead of McIvor's Porsche. "It was a wonderful event with fantastic stages," said Stokes, summing up the views of just about every BHRC contender.
Easson took second in the BHRC contenders, but acknowledged that he was short on recent asphalt experience and was nearly caught at the finish by the recovering Graham.
The Escort Mk1 of Vince Bristow and Tim Sayer again won class C2. "No brakes, as usual," said Bristow. However, they also had a serious title rival to watch for this time as Nick Danks and Martin Corbett had a great run in their Escort Mk1. Competing at this level for the first time, Danks was a revelation on his first closed road event and chased Bristow all the way home. Bristow was fortunate to make the finish after a bolt broke in the steering and he had to engineer a fix at the side of the road to stay in the rally.
Andrew Siddall and Captain Thompson swept to class C3 victory in their Escort Mk1, winning by more than five minutes. Siddall set course for the class win with a strong run on Friday. "More of the same on Saturday," said Siddall. In his wake, brothers Michael and David Pedley took second in C3 in their Escort RS2000 having again run on maps rather than complete the recce.
In class C4, the Porsche 911 of Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne took maximum points after a strong run, with the car back in top condition after the off on the Isle of Man.
Category 3
The prospect of a mighty contest in category three was dashed when Ryan Barrett and Paul McCann suffered gearbox failure barely three miles into the first stage. "It's such a let down for everyone," said a dejected Barrett as he ran with number one on his Escort Mk2 for the first time.
Instead, Corkill and Fagg took a vice-like grip on the rally in their Escort Mk2, going 7s ahead on the opening stage and building that to 1m22s by the end of Friday. Despite his pace, Corkill maintained that he was not taking chances. "No big risks, the pace we're on is okay," said Connor as he laid the foundations for the biggest win of his career to date. "We hit the tent as well," he added of the strange incident on stage one.
With Will Onions/Dave Williams leading the chase, Corkill and Fagg kept up the pressure on the opening stages of Saturday before easing back to score a resounding win. Onions was a strong second, with a minute in hand over class D4 winners Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman (Vauxhall Chevette). "That's the most fun you can have with your clothes on," said Smith after only the fourth asphalt rally of his career. Like many, he fell instantly in love with the dramatic Torr Head stage on Friday.
A minor off cost Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies a good result in their Escort Mk2. They slid off on stage nine and, though the car was undamaged, their rally was over after a very strong run.
Through to fourth in category three after an equally impressive run came Roger Kilty and Lynette Banks in their Escort Mk2, finishing less than half a minute down on Smith/O'Gorman.
Added: 23rd August 2010 [permalink]
Report: Harry Flatters Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Proffitt/ScottPress release: Monday, 2 August, 2010
David Stokes and Guy Weaver took maximum points in the Waterend Asphalt Cup on Sunday (1 August) when the SGC Printing Harry Flatters Historic Rally ran as a round of the asphalt competition that is a sub-set of the Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship.
The challenging Epynt ranges again delivered a fine challenge on an excellent event and a good historic field added to the quality of the rally. In overall terms, victory went to the Escort Mk2 of Mark Solloway and Den Golding as they completed a hat-trick of wins on the event.
In category three, behind Solloway/Golding came Simon Tysoe and Cliff Simmons (Ford Escort Mk2) after a strong run, although they were nearly caught at the finish by Connor Corkill and Rob Fagg in their Escort Mk2. As he got back into the swing of Epynt, Corkill pulled back 18s on Tysoe over the final two stages and was just three seconds down as crews headed back to the finish at Brecon. "I can't wait for the Ulster Rally now," said Corkill.
With Terry Brown and Martin James (Escort Mk2) out early with a broken gear selector, fourth in category three went to Phil and Mick Squires (Escort Mk2), although their progress was hampered by a misfire over the closing stages.
Out of the contest for category three went the Triumph TR7 V8 of Stephen Hall and Aggie Foster, which went off on the sixth stage and bounced high in the air before coming back to earth. Hall was taken to hospital for checks after hurting his back.
Stokes and Weaver dominated category two having topped Solloway on the opening long stage, which ran in wet and misty conditions. "It went very well, no problems at all," reported Stokes, after just an overshoot at the start of the New Road.
Local experts Tony Adam and Richard Burton were second in category two in their Escort RS2000, while third went to Philip Wylie and Howard Pridmore in their Escort Mk1. "That's my first tarmac event in the Escort and it took a while to get used to it. But I loved the last stage," said Wylie.
A resounding victory in category one went to Rikki Proffitt and Peter Scott in Proffitt's Porsche 911. "That was a brilliant day," said Proffitt. "It was tricky on the wet first stage, but I was very pleased with it. The good news is that Peter is going to come back and do some more events with me; I've not frightened him off!"
Added: 2nd August 2010 [permalink]
Report, round five: Isle of Man Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Barrett/McCannPress release: Monday, 12 July, 2010
Ryan Barrett and Paul McCann were the stars of the weekend as the Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship headed to the Isle of Man for round five, the Isle of Man Historic Rally (9/10 July).
Once again, the closed roads of the island delivered a marvellous challenge as rain and thick fog made life truly demanding for the crews. Those that reached the finish in Douglas on Saturday afternoon had all climbed a mountain.
While Barrett and McCann topped category three after a big battle with Darren Moon and Chris Parsons, the other categories fell to David Stokes/Guy Weaver and Jonathan Gale/James Whitaker after equally impressive performances.
Category 1
From the very start of the 20-stage rally, category one was a head-to-head between the Sunbeam Tiger of Gale/Whitaker and the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride. Throughout Friday's stages, the advantage went back and forth as some stages favoured the Porsche and some the Tiger. "It seemed to depend which side of the island we were on," said Gale of the ever-changing conditions.
However, on day two, Gale was able take control a little more and built his lead to just over a minute at the end of a tremendous contest. "The suspension was too soft for the first three stages," said Nutt. "We just had to keep him under pressure," he added of his rival.
Into third in the category after a fine performance came the Porsche 911 of Rikki Proffitt/Barry Green, but only after a trying day on Thursday when the gearbox was out of the car four times chasing an oil leak and a flywheel problem. The rally went remarkably well, with only a close moment with the Duck Pond at Eairy troubling Proffitt's progress.
Class B1 victory with another epic performance went to Gary and Jane Edgington and their Singer Chamois on their fifth island finish in a row with the car. An alternator drama throughout Friday caused some concerns, but the Singer kept on going at prodigious speed.
Mini Cooper crew Mervyn Johnston and Wendy Blackledge claimed class B1 after a strong run, while B4 fell to the MGB of David Mylchreest/Allan Cathers over the Volvo Amazon of John and Stephen Moxon. The brothers, rallying for the first time since the 2009 Isle of Man Rally, were on the rally for the 34th time and got quicker as the event progressed.
Category 2
Right from the start of the rally and the short stage away from the TT grandstands, Stokes and Weaver were in control of category two in their Escort Mk1. They had a remarkably straightforward rally and built their lead stage by stage with a commanding performance. Only the thick fog on Saturday troubled Stokes, but he lost little time in the tough conditions. "Those two in the fog were not good and we didn't have a starter motor all through Saturday," said Stokes. However, fellow crews were always on hand to give them a push start into the stages. "Guy doesn't do pushing," said Stokes of his co-driver. The result means that Stokes has finished either first or second in category one for six years in a row on this tough event.
All through the rally, the chase of Stokes came from Rupert Lomax and David Alcock in their Escort Mk1, out for the first time this season. Like Stokes, Lomax was great value through the streets of Castletown on Friday evening. "We had two spins on Friday morning and clipped the cattle grid on Tholt-Y-Will," said Lomax as he duly took a strong second to Stokes.
Retirements thinned out category two considerably, with Andrew Siddall/Captain Thompson losing a certain C3 victory with a blown engine on Saturday. Meanwhile, an off on the Corlea stage put the Porsche 911 of Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne out of the rally when heading for C4 victory and fourth in the category. On Friday, James Slaughter and Pete Johnson were unfortunate to crash out in their Escort Mk1 when a diesel spill on the road sent them into a bank.
Instead, victory in class C3 fell to brothers Michael and David Pedley, who contested the rally without a service crew in their road rally specification Escort Mk1 RS2000. They had a clear run and then drove the car back to Manchester!
Next up in C3 was local crew Matthew Carter and Mark Collister in their Escort Mk1, while Manx newcomers Jeremy Wells and Pete Phillips did well to get their Escort into third on their first experience of an event of this scale.
With Peter Smith out, class C4 went to the Porsche 911 of Edmund Peel and Janet Craine, while local crew Bruce Craig and Phil Perryman used super rally rules to win C1, having retired on Friday with driveshaft and clutch failure.
Category 3
A tremendous category three entry turned in a big battle for victory and the result was in doubt until the final stage of the rally. Initially, Moon set the pace with an attacking start and was 25s clear at the end of Friday. But chasing hard was Barrett, who started steadily on only his third asphalt rally, while Guy Woodcock/John Skinner were also in contention after a giant-killing day in their Pinto-powered Escort Mk2. The wet weather and a mighty combined local knowledge played into Woodcock's hands, but it was still a hugely impressive drive.
"We hit the cattle grid in Tholt-Y-Will," reported Moon. "It was a big bang, but we got away with it." Barrett, meanwhile, was learning fast and served notice of his pace by taking 20s off everyone in the 17-miles of Ballanank on Friday afternoon.
On Saturday morning, Barrett continued his attack just as Moon struggled through the opening Orrisdale stage with a misfire. Eventually, Barrett edged ahead with four stages left to run, but it was still not over. With a major push on the penultimate stage of Staarvey, Moon pulled back 18s to leave Barrett's lead at 22s going into the 13-mile Classic stage.
But any chance of a grandstand finish at the grandstand were dashed when Moon lost his clutch early in the stage and had to ease back to make sure of finishing. Meanwhile, Barrett lost his intercom, but hand signal from McCann got them through the fog at a prodigious pace to secure a famous victory.
"I cannot believe it, because I wasn't thinking this was how it was going to be," said Barrett after the drive of his carer. "I thought I might be top five or six." Moon, meanwhile, had driven a superb event. "It's been an absolute humdinger of an event; I loved it," said Moon, who was clear of his team mates Will Onions/Dave Williams and Woodcock/Skinner at the finish. "Given my lack of asphalt experience, I'm just pleased to be here," said Onions who moved ahead of Woodcock during Saturday. "I thought that as it was his car, I'd better let him beat me," joked Woodcock, who was hindered by a slipping clutch on Saturday.
Woodcock claimed a commanding D3 victory, while into second after an excellent run came Matt and Dood Pearce on their first asphalt rally with their Escort RS2000. "The gear knob kept coming off in my hand, which was rather interesting," said Matt.
Class D4 fell to local ace Adrian Kermode and Maurice Beckett in their Porsche 911, but they were lucky to finish after an oil pipe detached on Friday morning. They borrowed oil from a marshal to get the car back to service.
Wrapping up the top six in category three were Roger Kilty and Lynette Banks (Escort Mk2) after a strong performance despite going off backwards at the corner that claimed Slaughter and Terry Brown/Martin Jones (Escort Mk2).
Added: 12th July 2010 [permalink]
Report, round four: Mid Wales Historic Stages
Press release: Monday, 21 June, 2010
Nick Elliott and Dave Price made it three wins out of four this season as the Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship made its final visit of the season to Wales on Sunday (20 June) for the Mid Wales Historic Stages.
Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman challenged, but their Vauxhall Chevette collected three punctures and handed second in category three to the Escort Mk2 of Gareth Lloyd/Ryland James.
Jeremy Easson/Alun Cook (Ford Escort Mk1) finally took a win in category two, having led the duelling Tim Jones and Andrew Siddall all day, while rivals David Stokes/Guy Weaver ended their rally in a ditch. In category one the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride was briefly led by the Sunbeam Tiger of Jonathan Gale, until the Tiger became permanently beached on a bank.
Category 1
For the third successive rally dust was a prime factor, but it didn't seem to bother Nutt/McBride, as the Porsche 911 pulled out an immediate 12 seconds lead over Gale/James Whittaker on the opening stage in Hafren South. "It was a lovely stage, but the dust wasn't clearing," said Nutt. "We had a stall which didn't help," Gale replied.
Graham Waite and Gill Cotton reported a quiet start in their Volvo Amazon, but were still third and well clear of fellow Amazon crew Dave Reynolds/Cliff Doe. "It was dying on me a bit out of hairpins so I had to keep dipping the clutch," said Reynolds. Gwilym Roberts/Gwawr Hughes (Lotus Cortina) had a few brake problems, but Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill (Imp) had to stop in the stage after finding Steven Graham's Lancia Fulvia on its roof in the middle of the stage.
There was a stage in Hafren North and a repeat of the opener before returning to service. "I am almost fell off the road on stage two, it was very loose and I slid around a lot," said Nutt. The result was Gale in the lead by one second, only to go out of the rally on stage three, with the Tiger beached on a bank. Nutt was left 39 seconds clear of new second man Waite, who really went for it over the remaining stages.
However, Nutt still had 28 seconds in hand at the finish. "That was very hard work all day," said the defending champion. "I forgot to plug the intercom in on stage five so lost a bit, but the Pikes Peak stage four was awesome," said Waite. Reynolds held on to third with Roberts fourth after a dramatic end to the day. "We had the brakes go and then a rear puncture on stage three, before breaking the gear lever at the first corner of stage four. So we used mole grips but forgot there was no gaiter when we went through the water splash," said a soggy Roberts.
Taylor's Imp had been plagued with oil pressure problems and overheating in the dust all day. "The clutch seized and then the engine blew on stage four," he reported of the car's demise.
Category 2
Easson and Cook had come close to winning on several occasions this year, but finally clinched victory this time around. Both Easson and Stokes were given a notional time in stage one after a stoppage, which left them tied with Andrew Siddall/Colin Thompson and seven seconds up on Tim Jones/Don James as Siddall and Jones contested class C3. "It was lucky for us, as when we returned to service we found a rear puncture," said Easson. Jones had lost time after damaging the steering on his Escort Mk1. "I hit a bank and it took the steering wheel out of my hands, it's hurt my wrist too," said Jones.
With two stages before returning to service it was nip and tuck between Easson and Stokes, but on stage three Stokes was caught out in the dust. "I was too quick into a hairpin, I could see trees so went left through the tapes and hit reverse. I thought I had kept it straight but we tipped it on its side in a ditch," he admitted.
Easson was left 27 seconds clear, but second placed Siddall only had four seconds in hand over Jones. "We had two good runs and got the time back," said Jones. "We went off on stage three, I stayed on the brakes too long and went up a bank," Siddall replied.
Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne (Porsche 911) worked its way past Chris Browne/Liz Jordan (Escort Mk1) for fourth. "We peeled the front back a bit on the bumps," said Smith. "I hit something on stage three and it affected the handling," Browne added.
Jones' pressure gave him second place from stage four and he even took time out of Easson on the last stage to clinch second and C3 honours over Siddall. "That was a really hard rally," said Easson at the finish. "It was no holds barred and we tried our hardest," Siddall explained. "We just went for consistency and got Andrew, but my wrist was really beginning to hurt," Jones concluded.
C5 winner Smith retained fourth relatively unscathed, but as Browne slipped back to settle in 11th and second behind Easson in C5, Vince Bristow/Tim Sayer brought their Escort Mk1 into fifth from stage four. "We had an oil leak from the gearbox early on and it got onto the clutch. Towards the end it was slipping badly," said the giant-killing class C2 winners.
Rex Ireland/Adrian Scadding were sixth and second in C2, while Jeremy Wells/Pete Phillips broke away from Dave Kirby/Sean Kennedy (class C2 Escort) to secure seventh and third in C3. Fellow C3 crews Richard Morgan/Tim Madeley (Porsche 914) and Richard/Pat Egger (Escort Mk1) completed the top ten.
Peter McDowell/Max Utting (Porsche 911) collected second in C4 and there was even a starter in C1 this time, but the BHRC debut of Steve and Tony Graham lasted only half a stage before their Lancia Fulvia rolled. The maiden outing for Terry Cree and Richard Shores in their eagerly awaited BMW 2002 netted them fourth in C3.
Category 3
There was a dramatic start to the day, which underlined the decision of Elliott and Price to proceed with caution. Will Onions and Dave Williams were off at the flying finish on the opening stage with their Escort Mk2 and the next four crews were give a notional time. "We were sideways for about 100 yards on the approach and then hit a bank head on. A bit too enthusiastic," said Onions.
It was a lucky break though for Smith/ O'Gorman. "When we got into service we realised we had a rear puncture," said the Chevette driver.
Onions had still set a time, albeit 10s slower than Elliott. Roger Kilty and Lynette Banks were the first to get a clean run after the restart, but had clutch problems.
Elliott was quickest through stage two in Hafren North and the re-run of the opener in Hafren South to reach service 56s clear of Smith. "We were right on the pace, but had a near over the edge moment on stage two so held back a bit after that," said Elliott.
Connor Corkill/Rob Fagg (Escort Mk2) had gone into second place on stage two, only to roll on the third. "The corner went on a bit longer than I expected, we caught a bank and was over. We then had to stop again as it had punctured a rear tyre," said Corkill.
Although second, Smith hadn't had an easy run either. "We caught Corkill's dust and it was losing gears and oil on stage three," said Smith. Tim Pearcey/Craig Drew had slotted into fourth and despite a spin on stage three they held their place, but had been usurped by Gareth Lloyd/Ryland James (Escort Mk2). "The brake pedal went hard at a hairpin on stage two, but then it cleared again," explained Lloyd.
Elliott was quickest on all but the last stage to take a comfortable victory, his third out of four this season. "I had time in hand so eased a little but stayed cautious," he said.
Lloyd made it into second on stage four, after Smith had another puncture. "It was another rear and then only half a mile into the last stage we had a third puncture but just kept going," he said after retaining third in category three and class D4 victory.
"I'm exhausted, it seems like I was in the car for weeks," said Pearcey after coming home in an encouraging fourth, while in fifth Kilty was delighted to record his best ever finish.
Alan Walker/Jez Rogers (Escort Mk2) survived a last stage scare to hold onto sixth. "We fell off on a downhill righthander," said Walker. Phil and Mick Squires edged away from Simon Tysoe/Cliff Simmons to consolidate seventh, while Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing took ninth in their first outing since rolling in Kielder. "The clutch was playing up a bit, but we weren't looking for heroics," said Slaughter.
Class D3 winners Richard Lane and Frank Richer completed the top ten in their Escort Mk2 after bending the steering on the second stage.
Jakob Scannell and Andrew Smith (Escort Mk2) were the only starters in D2 and despite losing the brakes on stage three were there at the finish. In D3 David Lloyd-Roberts/Dei Jones (Escort Mk2) followed Lane, with Wayne Bonser/Richard Aston third after Stephen Richards and Ian Withecombe rolled their Escort on the opening stage.
Report by Peter Scherer.
Added: 21st June 2010 [permalink]
Report, round three: Severn Valley Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Nick Elliott/Dave PricePress release: Monday, 7 June, 2010
Nick Elliott and Dave Price returned to the winners' circle for the second time this year, as the Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Rally Championship returned to Wales on Saturday (5 June) for round three, the Severn Valley Historic Rally.
Elliott's Escort Mk2 led for most of the day, but briefly lost out to Ryan Barrett/Barry Ferris's similar car after the second stage. In category two David Stokes and Guy Weaver (Escort Mk1) regained a lead lost earlier in the day when Tim Mason and Graham Wild (Porsche 911) was delayed on the last stage. Defending champions Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride were victorious in category one after a mighty performance in their Porsche 911.
Category 1
It was evident from the first stage in Cefn that dust would play a major part in the day's rallying. Graham Waite/Gil Cotton (Volvo Amazon) topped the times on the opener, but the glory didn't last long. "The first one was a stormer, but we lost the brakes early into stage two, so we decided to stop and lost a lot of time," said Waite.
Nutt/ McBride had been just under a second up on Jonathan Gale/James Whittaker (Sunbeam Tiger), but on the longer Crychan it was down to 0.4s. Gale halved his deficit again through Halfway but it was back to two seconds as they arrived in service. "I couldn't work out where I was slower, or was it just that Dessie was so fast?" said Gale. "I did have to be scalded by Geraldine a few times though, "Nutt reported.
After Waite's delay, Terry Cree/Richard Shores settled in third, but their Mini had used both spare tyres they carried by the time they reached service. Geoff Taylor/Val Thompson (Sunbeam Imp Sport) hit trouble on the third stage after a promising start and Dave Reynolds/Paul Heath were soon in trouble too with their Volvo Amazon. "It started to misfire on stage two, so we stopped and found a loose plug lead. We continued to struggle and then found it was the fuel pump," said Reynolds.
But Reynolds still arrived at serviced in fourth, as Mike Barratt/Joanne Watson had been struggling with their Sunbeam Stiletto. "We overheated on stage one, then got stuck behind Dave Reynolds on stage two, so overheated again and came into service with a misfire," Barratt explained. The Saab 96 of Nick Pinkett/Caroline Lodge was still in the running after early brake problems and, despite his stage two maximum, Waite was also still running.
Nutt put his win beyond doubt through Radnor, by adding another 45s to his advantage. "The dust was even worse, but I tried my absolute hardest to make sure," he said after a tremendous attack. "We had a good run but had an overshoot and it wasn't enough," Gale added.
Reynolds claimed third after Cree retired with a broken crankshaft. "We had problems ourselves, but others had worse," said the class B4 winner. Pinkett was fourth and won class B1, from Barratt. "It wasn't pulling at the end, but we made it," said Pinkett. "The fan belt came off, the misfire continued and we couldn't switch the engine off, but we finished our first rally for a year," said Barratt.
Waite collected a second maximum after demolishing a chicane in Radnor. He made it back to the finish however to be classified sixth and claim valuable championship points.
Category 2
Stokes and Weaver celebrated their first finish of the season with category two victory in their Escort Mk1. Having led Mason/ Wild by over six seconds on the first stage in Cefn, Stokes had a costly off in Crychan. "I think we lost 20 or 30 seconds before we got back on," he explained.
Mason became the new leader with a nine-second cushion over Jeremy Easson/Alun Cook (Escort Mk1), with Tim Jones/Don James heading the recovering Stokes and leading class C3 in their Escort Mk1.
Mason was also struggling with tyre wear though and by the time he reached service his lead was reduced to 6.7s. "It was brilliant on the first two stages, but our tyres were nearly bald by the time we completed Halfway," he explained. "We are hanging in there and it's getting tight," Easson replied, as Stokes had recovered all but 1.7secs of his deficit to the second man.
Jones managed to consolidate fourth over Andrew Siddall/Colin Thompson (Escort Mk1), with the similar car of James Slaughter/Mark Casey in sixth after Philip Wylie/Howard Pridmore hit trouble. "We started well then overheated and got a puncture on stage two. So we stopped, but didn't fasten the bonnet and it flew off. The starter motor failed and we had another puncture on stage four," explained Wylie on his seasonal debut.
"My car was fine, it was just the driver overheating," said Jones. "We just had a bit of oil leak and some vaporisation in the inlet manifold," Slaughter added.
The 15-miles through Radnor became the deciding factor however, when both Easson and Mason were delayed after cars rejoined in the front of them. Stokes, however, had a clear run to emerge a comfortable winner. "We really went for it in there," he said. "Disappointed with second again," said Easson. "We were going for it until Darren Moon came back on in front us," he added.
Mason already had one hand on the victory champagne, but it wasn't to be. "We had nine miles to go and Terry Brown came back on in front of us. We tried but went off and got a rear puncture," he explained.
Jones headed home class C3 rival Siddall for third overall and Chris Browne and Liz Jordan flew through Radnor to gain three places in their Escort Mk1 for fifth. "Fantastic," said Browne. "It wasn't my favourite stage but it was a good run," said Jones. Mason had to be content with the class C4 win and sixth overall, while Slaughter completed the top three in C3. "We struggled a bit at the end with a puncture," he said.
In class C2 Vince Bristow and Tim Sayer (Escort Mk1) headed Gary and Jane Edgington's Hillman Avenger all day. The Edgingtons had problems in Radnor after the pedal box broke on the way to service. Nigel Godden and Ian Orford were third in C2 despite completing the last stage with no rear brakes on their Escort Mk1.
Category 3
Elliott and Price collected a second win from three rallies after a dominant but controlled drive. "Anywhere in the top three would have done today after the Kielder off," said Elliott.
Only 1.5secs separated Elliott's Escort Mk2 from the similar car Ryan Barrett/Barry Ferris on the first stage. But Barrett upped his pace in Crychan to take an early advantage. His lead was short-lived, however, as he then spun in Halfway, "we lost it at the Hairpin and got stuck," said the Irishman.
Elliott was back in front with over 15 seconds in hand over round two winners Will Onions/Dave Williams, with Barrett recovering in fourth behind Darren Moon/Chris Parsons.
With one stage left before service Elliott added another nine seconds to his lead. "We were a bit steady, as it was hot, dusty and slippery," said Elliott. "We got through the tyres with the on and off pace, as we kept catching Phil Collins, "said Onions.
Barrett was back into third at service, while Moon picked up a late puncture but still managed to hold onto fourth by a fraction from Connor Corkill/Rob Fagg. "We were nearly off in Crychan fifth gear at 100mph, very scary," said the Manxman.
Phil Collins/Stephen O'Neill (Opel Ascona) completed the top six after Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman (Vauxhall Chevette) spun and stalled in Crychan.
Elliott came through the final Radnor 15 miler unscathed to claim his second win of the year. "I did try a bit harder on that one, but the car has been spot on," he said. Onions had been set for second, but was delayed after Graham Waite rejoined the stage ahead of him. "We had no chance, we just couldn't see," said Onions after dropping back to third behind Barrett.
"We had an overshoot and had to reverse out," said Corkill after securing fourth when Moon had to stop to replace a rear puncture with two miles left. Collins headed class D4 rival Smith in fifth overall. "We had a really good day. I was using a new system of notes so I hadn't quite got the confidence in them. It was my first time in Radnor since 1981 too," said Collins. "We had a half spin but I can't complain," Smith added.
Richard Lane/Frank Richer (Escort Mk2) retained a day-long advantage in D3 despite the gear selection gate breaking early on. James Belton/Paul Wakely and Adrian Young/Gwynfor Jones both had spells chasing class leader Lane, but Stephen Richards/Ian Withecombe finally claimed the position. Pat Anderson/Andy Greenland (Talbot Sunbeam Ti) were alone in class D2 but failed to make it back to the finish.
Report by Peter Scherer; photo by Simon Marks.
Added: 7th June 2010 [permalink]
Report, round two: Pirelli Historic Rally
Press release: Monday, 26 April, 2010
It was a day of drama and surprises and survival in Kielder Forest on Saturday (26 April) for the second round of the Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic rally Championship, the Pirelli Historic Rally.
Will Onions and Dave Williams took their maiden victory in category three, after Bulldog Rally winner Nick Elliott rolled his Escort on the third stage. In category two Peter Smith and Russ Langthorne (Porsche 911) were the surprise winners after the top three all went off on the final stage in Bewshaugh. Meanwhile, Graham Waite and Gill Cotton (Volvo Amazon) regained the lead in category one on the last stage, after Jonathan Gale's Sunbeam Tiger seemed set for victory.
Category 1
Gale and James Whitaker were hoping for a repeat of their Bulldog victory and made a late tyre change before embarking on the first loop of two stages. They lost out to Waite/ Cotton through the 11.6-mile Roughside stage, but turned the deficit into a 9.2s advantage by the time they arrived back at Carlisle racecourse for service. "We went for harder tyres and they were almost shredded. It was a good choice though and I drove conservatively. It was narrow, fast and easy to get dragged into the ditches," said Gale.
Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911) was the first casualty. "It was a square right and I got into a tank slapper, nearly going off the edge and rolling. Then I caught a tree stump and bent a TCA and got a rear puncture which left it crabbing left through the second stage," said Dessie.
Waite had been delayed in Nutt's dust and was still a comfortable second, from Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill (Sunbeam Imp Sport). Nutt arrived at service in fifth behind Philip and Barbara Smith's Porsche, having lost over five minutes. Nick Pinkett/Jonathan Lodge (Saab 96 V4) also had an off in stage one. "We were 10 miles in and had fuel a problem. I reached down for the second fuel pump switch and went off," said Pinkett. He kept going but Paul Mankin and Desmond Bell had gone out with a rod through their Lotus Cortina's block and Mike Barratt/Joanne Watson joined them after they went into a ditch when the Sunbeam Stiletto jumped out of gear.
Gale had managed to build his lead to 14.9s over the next two stages, but his struggle for grip proved decisive. "We hit the logs at the flying finish on stage three and I drove as hard as I could on the last one. I was on the limit and couldn't do any more," he explained. But it was still not enough as Waite sailed through the final Bewshaugh stage to claim victory by 11.8s.
"I was nearly dragged into a ditch on the third stage too as I was occasionally a bit too fast into some of the corners," said the victorious Waite. Smith was 'driving to survive' in third and took class B5, while Nutt managed to claw back to fourth overall after Taylor had a puncture on the last stage. "There was nothing I could do really, but push on in case anyone had a problem," said Nutt. "I went into a ditch on stage three and then on the last we had a puncture, stopped to change it and then my navigator had to chase the wheel as it rolled away," Taylor added. Pinkett's Saab completed the finishers.
Category 2
Having missed out on their anticipated duel on the Bulldog Rally due to an early retirement, David Stokes and Guy Weaver (Escort Mk1) gained the upperhand on rivals Jeremy Easson and Alun Cook from the start.
After the opener in Roughside Stokes had pulled out a 5.9s lead, only to be matched by Easson on the next two runs. It was up to seven seconds on the penultimate stage before Kielder's reputation came to the fore in a big way.
The 12.2 miles Bewshaugh stage turned the leader board upside down by not only claiming Stokes and Easson in ditches, but Tim Mason/Graham Wild (Porsche 911) too. Mason had survived an earlier scare too when he came across a deer on stage. "It didn't seem to know where it was going either," he said.
With the top three all out, it was a surprise victory for Smith/Langthorne Porsche 911. "That's my first win since I came back into rallying and we didn't have a problem all day," he said. Andrew Siddall and Colin Thompson were just as surprised to find themselves in third and winners of class C3. "I think I was probably about 5mph too slow into every corner and just trying to stay on. But we had a scare too up a firebreak on the last stage," said Siddall.
Chris Brown/Liz Jordan had a trouble free run in their Escort Mk1, delighted with third overall and class C5 honours. Vince Bristow and Tim Sayer (Escort Mk1) dominated class C2; "We had problems and vibration on the last stage though," said Bristow. Nigel Godden/Ian Orford (Escort Mk1) managed to have three offs on the second stage but still held onto second in class, with Gary Orton/Mike Morgan third after an early roll.
Drew Wylie and Neil Ewing collected second in C3 once the driver had woken up, but they had a determined James Slaughter/Phil Peak (Escort Mk1) chasing them at the finish after a first stage ditch excursion. Chris Nixon and Baz Green were second in C5 in their Escort Mk1.
Category 3
Fresh from their Bulldog Rally victory Nick Elliott and Dave Price were determined to make the finish in Carlisle, after being stranded in the forest for six hours after retiring on last year's events.
It all started s well with Elliott's Escort Mk2 3.4s up on Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey at service, after the first two stages. "I didn't expect to be at the front, as I had kept it fairly straight as it was so slippery," said Elliott. "I lost a couple of seconds on stage two when I stalled under braking," Reynolds replied.
Although Onions and Williams were third, they had clutch problems, while youngsters Ryan Barrett/Kevin Bowcott and Connor Corkill/Rob Fagg were also in contention. Barrett changed a gearbox in service after it kept jumping out and Corkill ripped his exhaust off on logs on the opening run. But Darren Moon and Chris Parsons didn't even make service, after their Escort had terminal clutch problems after only one stage.
Elliott's rally ended dramatically on the first stage after service, when he clipped a log pile and rolled. Reynolds became the new leader, but with two stages remaining Onions shot ahead to secure his maiden victory. "No dramas at all," concluded Onions. "I was a bit annoyed not to win but second is Ok," added Reynolds.
Both Barrett and Corkill became victims of the last stage too. Corkill retired with gearbox problems and Barrett dropped to 12th with a puncture. Class D3 winners Richard Lane and Frank Richer finally secured third in category three in their Escort MK2. "It was some skill and a lot of luck," said Lane.
Gareth Lloyd and Ryland James were disappointed to be pipped by Lane, after starting the stage almost five seconds ahead. "We just lost time in the dust," said Lloyd. Phil Squires/Kevin Owens and Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks (Escort Mk2) completed the top six, while in the classes Pat Anderson/Rob Brook (Talbot Sunbeam) went unopposed in D2, while Wayne Bonser/Richard Aston and Baz Jordan/Jonathan Gratton-Smith (Escort Mk2s) were both well adrift of Lane in taking second and third in D3.
Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman recovered from a broken wheel on the first stage, after clipping a rock, to take their Vauxhall Chevette to victory in D4, with Steve Magson/Geoff Atkinson (Opel Ascona) struggling to the end after cutting out on the final stages.
-ends-
Issued by Paul Lawrence (tel 01952 510382 or e-mail press@hrcr.co.uk) on behalf of the Historic Rally Car Register (www.hrcr.co.uk)
The Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship is managed by the HRCR.
Report by Peter Scherer; photo by Simon Marks.
Added: 26th April 2010 [permalink]
Report, round one: Bulldog Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Easson/CookPress release: Monday, 29 March, 2010
Just as they had done a year earlier, Nick Elliott and Dave Price stamped their authority on the opening round of the 2010 Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Bulldog Historic Rally (Saturday 27 March).
While Elliott/Price (Ford Escort Mk2) dominated an incredibly strong category three, other key winners were Jonathan Gale/James Whitaker (Sunbeam Tiger) and Jeremy Easson/Alun Cook (Ford Escort Mk1). For the 80-car field, which was packed with quality, the Bulldog delivered a fabulous rally over some of the finest gravel stages in Britain.
Category 1
Gale and the Tiger started favourites to repeat their 2009 Bulldog win in category one, but it was still a challenge as a late change of co-driver left Gale and Whitaker to get used to each other over the opening stages. Meanwhile, Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride set off at a cracking pace in their Porsche 911 and edged ahead before the Mimecast Tiger got into its stride.
"We put softer tyres on for the second loop and it was much better," said Gale of the big push through the long Gartheiniog stage that took the Tiger into the lead. Even a spin on the final stage failed to hinder the Tiger's progress as it finished 37s up on Nutt's Porsche. "The stages were very, very good," said Nutt of a trouble free rally.
A strong class B4 was won by the flying Volvo Amazon of Graham Waite/Gill Cotton after another spectacular performance. "We were matching times with Dessie later," said Waite of his day's work. Leading the chase of the Volvo was the Lotus Cortina of Paul Mankin/Desmond Bell, with a gap of just over half a minute at the finish. The sportsmanship of Mankin and Bell allowed a timing query over the class result to be quickly resolved.
In class B1, Geoff Taylor and Steve Greenhill stormed through in their Sunbeam Imp Sport despite a misfire and a puncture late in the last stage. Some way back, but happy to finish his debut BHRC event, was Simon Whitehead, teamed with Gary Wood in his Hillman Imp.
Category 2
Everyone was hoping for a fine battle in category two between old rivals Jeremy Easson and David Stokes in their Escort Mk1s. Unfortunately Stokes and Guy Weaver were out very early with a blown core plug and so Easson and Alun Cook swept to victory, 36s up on the non-BHRC registered Andrew Haddon/Mark Crisp.
"It's been absolutely fantastic," said Easson of a great day on some epic stages. It was his third category win in three events in his latest car. Chasing the Mk1 Escorts and bagging class C4 was the Porsche 911 of Tim Mason and Graham Wild after a problem free day. "The main target was a finish and that's probably the steadiest rally I've ever driven," said Mason.
Tim Jones and Don James were the top of class C3 with a great run over their local stages in their Escort Mk1, finishing the rally a minute up on the similar car of Andrew Siddall/Captain Thompson. Out very early with an engine fire went Drew Wylie/Howard Pridmore.
Class C2 delivered an interesting day, with victory finally going to the non-registered but spectacular Hillman Avenger of Stephen Whitford/Simon Morrow. However, until the final stage, the class lead was with Vince Bristow/Tim Sayer after a mighty run in their Escort. Unfortunately, an off in Dyfnant cost them a couple of minutes and dropped them to second, albeit still with maximum class championship points.
Third in C2 went to the Hillman Avenger of Gary and Jane Edgington, as the driver celebrated his 48th birthday. "I paid the entry fee; he's not getting anything else," said Jane of her husband's birthday.
Category 3
Probably the best ever entry for category three promised a great day for the fans in the forests and they were not disappointed. But from the off, no-one could match the pace of Elliott/Price who swept ahead on the opening Big Ray stage and led all the way back to Welshpool with a stunning display of pace and commitment. "I didn't think we were going that quickly," said Elliott after a masterful performance.
Leading the chase was the similar Escort Mk2 of Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey, but Reynolds accepted that the day belonged to Elliott. "We went too slow this morning and Nick gave us a good hiding," he admitted, although the gap at the finish was just 25s.
Third in category three was a fine result for the non-registered Phil Collins/Derek Brannigan, while Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper took fourth in their Escort Mk2. "Cracking stages," said Hill of their rally. "The car was spot on, but the driver was just steady," he added.
Packing out the leading places in Escorts came great performances from Will Onions/Dave Williams and Conor Corkill/Rob Fagg, while Seamus O'Connell/Nigel Gardner deserved better than seventh. However, losing second and third gear through the final two stages cost them a lot of time.
In D4, Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman took top slot in their Vauxhall Chevette, with a result that put them among the top 10 Escorts.
There was a great battle among a strong D3 entry, as Richard Lane/Frank Richer took the class by just seven seconds from Stuart Clarke/Andy Ballantine in the contest of the Mk2 Escort-Pintos. Into the final Dyfnant stage, Clark was ahead by a second but Lane mounted a big attack and emerged eight seconds faster to grab the class. "It all came together well," said Lane. "Brilliant stages," he added, summing up the feelings of just about every crew on the rally.
Added: 29th March 2010 [permalink]
