Displaying articles 1 to 8 of 9.
« PREV NEXT »
Report, round seven: Colin McRae Historic Forest Stages
Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Stokes and WeaverPress release: Monday, 3 October, 2011
As well as being the top championship contenders to finish the Colin McRae Historic Forest Stages (Saturday 1 October), David Stokes and Guy Weaver also sealed the championship crown on the final round of the Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic rally Championship.
Stokes/Weaver always topped Category 2 in their Ford Escort Mk1, while Jimmy McRae and Pauline Gullick topped Category 3 in their Porsche 911.
Although Category 1 champion Rikki Proffitt, partnered by Phil Harrison, set the early pace, it was Graham Waite and Gill Cotton (Volvo Amazon) who took the win when Proffitt retired from second place after his Porsche 911 broke a driveshaft at the start of the last stage.
Category one
Rain was already falling as the first cars left Aberfeldy for the opening 6.5 mile Griffin stage.
Proffitt didn't particularly think he had a good opening stage and was somewhat surprised to find he had a lead of 40 seconds over Waite. "I had a misfire, which made me more cautious, so maybe that was a good thing," said Proffitt.
But Waite had also been delayed after he had caught the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride. "We had no grip and were completely misted up," said Nutt.
Derek and Roisin Boyd were therefore third in their Porsche 911. "We were misting up and sliding about too, I think it's probably the toughest event we had done this year," said Derek. Edmund Peel and Janet Craine were fourth best from Nutt and the Ford Cortina GT of Callum Barney/Ron Channon, in the driver's first rally for 25 years.
Although the order remained the same after stage two through Auchtar Gate, Waite managed to reduce Proffitt's lead to nine seconds. Following first service was the first of the longer stages through Errochty, from which Waite emerged as the new leader, with 19s in hand. "It was a great flowing stage, I really enjoyed that," said Waite. Despite losing time to Waite, Proffitt was equally complimentary. "That was a proper stage," he said.
After a second visit to the increasingly muddy service area, the rain became even heavier, but fog was the problem on stage four Craigvinean. "I just couldn't see," said Waite who was still quickest by a comfortable margin. "I had a big moment on the last stage though, off through a clearing and onto some grass, a lucky escape," he added after taking his class B4 Volvo Amazon to a comfortable win of over six minutes once Proffitt retired from second place at the start of the last stage. "Something just went bang. I knew that was it, I think it was a driveshaft," said Proffitt.
Boyd therefore inherited second and victory in B5, but only just. "Our engine was spluttering through the last stage and over the line, I think it was all that rain," he said.
Fourth placed Peel was just happy to be at the finish. "Finishing feels like an achievement itself," he reckoned. But down in penultimate place Nutt felt far from having achieved anything. "It probably got worse, a very difficult day and after the first two stages, we were never really in with a shout," he said. Although Barney brought up the rear in his B3 Ford Cortina GT, he couldn't have been happier. "Absolutely brilliant, apart from the wipers packing up on the last stage, the car was brilliant," he concluded.
Category two
Stokes and Weaver arrived in Scotland as favourites to take the overall title in their Ford Escort Mk1 for the second successive year.
After building a healthy 12-second lead on the opening Griffin stage, Stokes was never headed, despite a slight off on the second stage. "We slid off up a bank and hit the rear wheel," he explained.
Initially Dick Slaughter and Geoff Dearing headed the chase, but lost out to Baz Jordan/James Gratton-Smith from stage two. "The first stage was rough and no grip, so I just gritted my teeth and got on with it," said Slaughter. "Went through a ditch and out again on stage two," Jordan added.
Mark Holmes and Anthony Lindsay were also well up as both Andrew Siddall and Carl Williamson and Chris Browne and Liz Jordan struggled. "Treacherous; tarmac lines on forest stages don't work," said Siddall. "Muddy, slippery and scary, especially when I changed into fourth on a straight and then seemed to be heading for the trees," Browne added.
Ian Drummond/David Holmes, George and Jacqueline Bryson and Ian Macdonald/Patrick Toorell's Volvo 122S all had notional times on the first stage, following an off for the Escort of Peter Smith and Russ Langthorne. Smith was unhurt but Langthorne suffered a broken upper arm.
Following service in Aberfeldy there was one more stage before they returned, serviced and completed the final leg of two stages. Stokes increased his lead to over 40 seconds from Jordan, with Slaughter still in third, but both Siddall and Browne moved up after Holmes hit trouble. "Far better stage," said Browne. "When we left service we started to have an alternator problem, so we had to do the stage without wipers," Holmes explained.
However, the weather continued to worsen and Stokes decided to ease up. "I had to play the game as there was so much fog on stage four and I just can't drive in it. I wouldn't risk it so just concentrated on bringing the car home," he explained. Jordan, meanwhile, clawed back 16 seconds. "I like these conditions," he reckoned.
But Stokes came through the final stage, which was a repeat of the first, unscathed to clinch the win and the title. Jordan survived for a well deserved second, with Slaughter holding onto third and winning C3, from Siddall, Browne, Holmes and Drummond. "I was just hopeless in the fog though," Slaughter admitted. "I had hoped to catch Dick, but had a puncture on the last stage," Siddall added. "I just loved the last two stages and chuffed that Dick beat me too," Browne admitted.
Holmes had taken the battery off his service crew to guarantee his finish, while Drummond and Jeremy Wells/Ken Bowman completed the finishers.
Category three
On the opening stage Simon Webster and Pete Cotton set a scorching pace, to head Nick Woodman and Simon Mills by over 12 seconds in a battle of the Ford Escort Mk2s. "I broke a wheel on a rock on stage two, so we had to stop to change it," Webster explained. Woodman was in trouble too. "I went into a log pile and a ditch and it damaged the rear axle," he said after retiring at first service. Third best on the opener had been Tim Pearcey and Neil Shanks, but they were out too after their gearbox broke at the end of the stage.
Wayne Bonser and Richard Aston arrived at first service leading the BHRC crews, but they had been off too. "We went over a bank and nearly rolled, but it popped the steering rack out of the bushes," explained Bonser. Phil and Mick Squires were next up, having slipped back after a good opening run. "I couldn't get the power down," said Phil.
Peter Egerton/Alun Cook (Escort Mk2) and Jimmy McRae/Pauline Gullick (Porsche 911) completed the early top four. "I let the tyre pressures down a bit to give me more grip," said McRae, who went on to take maximum points in Category 3.
Most of the crews were full of praise for the third stage through Errochty, and McRae was the man on the move, shooting into the lead at the expense of Squires, Bonser and Egerton. "It was like Finland," said McRae. "I just didn't maximise a good stage," added Squires. "I just lost the brakes going into the time control," said Bonser. "We had a small fire in the fusebox going into the stage, so we lost our heated screen" said Egerton.
Bonser clinched D3 after a mighty performance, while Egerton and Squires completed the top four BHRC crews. Webster finished the rally as he had started, with the fastest time on the final stage, despite collecting a rear puncture. Andrew Barnes and Karl Simmons made it home in their Porsche 911. "My highlight was the bacon butty before we started," said Barnes. Shawn Rayner and Declan Dear completed the finishers, but spent too much time playing catch up after a rear puncture on stage three.
Added: 3rd October 2011 [permalink]
Report, round six: Historic Tour of Flanders
Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Stokes/WeaverPress release: Monday, 12 September, 2011
David Stokes and Guy Weaver underlined their bid to retain the Dunlop/Wonago MSA British Historic Rally Championship title with an emphatic victory on the asphalt roads of Belgium during the Historic Tour of Flanders (9/10 September).
Once Chris Browne and Liz Jordan went out after a superb start, Stokes/Weaver were untroubled, while their major title rival Rikki Proffitt also retired with damaged suspension on his Porsche 911. Instead, Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride romped to category one victory in their Porsche 911.
Guy Anderson and Kim Baler had a fairly tale rally as they won category three with a storming debut event for their Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, finishing ahead of a wonderful Escort Mk2 battle between Phil and Mick Squires and Nick Woodman/Tim Sayer.
Category one
A great start to the event over the three stages of Friday evening put Proffitt and Graham Wild ahead in category one by half a minute, although they were among the historic crews to miss the second run through Izegem after earlier delays in the modern rally.
Nutt/McBride responded when the action restarted in Passendale on Saturday morning and pulled back around 15s. Sadly, it was soon all over for Proffitt and Wild when they bounced high out of a massive cut on the three-lap Zilverburg stage. The Porsche 911 suffered bent suspension and the bodywork soon destroyed the tyre. They got out of the stage and fitted the spare wheel, but that only lasted a couple of miles of the next road section.
With Proffitt out, Nutt backed his pace off, but had to push on again when he was headed on a couple of stages by the rapid Mini Cooper of Clive King/Bob Ward from the HRCR Challenge.
After a talking to from McBride, Nutt upped his pace again and pulled out a winning margin of over a minute and a half as the other Porsche 911s both retired; Derek Boyd/Roisin Boyd with distributor problems and Edmund Peel/Janet Crane in one of the many Flanders ditches.
King and Ward but were delighted to bring the Mini home second from the crowd-pleasing Austin Healey 3000 of Peter Gilbert and Graham Goodall, who were making their debut in Belgium within the HRCR Challenge.
Category two
"We came here with one thing to do and we achieved it," said Stokes with an emphatic victory after a trouble free rally. However, Browne/Jordan had gone very well on Friday evening and their pace ensured that Stokes/Weaver were on the attack right from the start on Saturday morning.
Stokes/Weaver took the lead on Passendale but worse was to come for Browne when they went off into a field of Brussel sprouts on the following Gits stage. They eventually got out of the field after dropping a lot of time but retired soon after with overheating woes.
Stokes was now able to set a pace that ensured his lead over Peter Smith and Russ Langthorne grew, whilst not taking any big risks. Rallying their Escort Mk1 on asphalt for the first time, Smith and Langthorne were flying until a penalty for a wrong stage at Zoning ended their rally. "We had been getting to grips with it," said Smith, wary of the 2010 event when he had gone off on the final leg of stages. With the result gone, he elected to retire at service.
Second in the category and commanding C3 winners were Andrew Siddall and Carl Williamson in their Pinto-powered Escort Mk1. "It ran like a Swiss watch," said Siddall after finishing over a minute clear of class rivals Dick Slaughter and Preston Ayres. Despite this being Slaughter's first asphalt event for three years, he got back into the groove well.
Peter Egerton and Andrew Bargery had a cracking run to take fourth in their Escort Mk1, while Terry Cree and Richard Shores were third in C3 on the first asphalt rally for their BMW 2002. A spin and then a visit to a beech hedge allied to major brake worries kept them working hard.
Category three
"I can't believe it; straight out of the box," said a jubilant Anderson after scoring an impressive debut win in his Sunbeam Lotus. The rally was a voyage into the unknown as he had not driven the car in anger before the start of the first stage but by Saturday morning he was throwing it around in style and the category win was richly deserved.
Class D5 spoils and second in category three was the subject of a fabulous battle. The result went to Phil and Mick Squires by just 18s after a tremendous performance, but it had been nip and tuck all the way as they battled with Nick Woodman and Tim Sayer. For his first event in Belgium, Woodman turned in a mighty drive, supported by Sayer's experience of the Flanders stages. Even going into the final two stages the gap was only six seconds. "That last stage was horrible," said Woodman after a thunder storm hit the last run of Gits. "Fantastic; really tough," said Phil Squires. "Nick really made me work. Fancy us taking maximum points on asphalt," he added.
Adrian Kermode and Maurice Beckett (Porsche 911) had a good run to fourth in the category, and second in class D5, while Chris Shooter and Bev LeGood took class D3 after a superb performance in their Escort Mk2. "Brilliant; the car has been fantastic," said Shooter after one of his best ever results. In contrast, his class D3 rivals Shawn Rayner and Declan Dear had a torrid rally that started in a ditch on Friday night and included clutch, gear linkage, throttle cable and brake dramas. Finally, Pat Anderson and Tom Mansfield made it a good rally for the Anderson family squad by winning D2 in their Talbot Sunbeam.
Added: 12th September 2011 [permalink]
Report, round five: Todd's Leap Ulster Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Davies/DaviesPress release: Monday, 22 August, 2011
Tomas Davies and Eurig Davies were the toast of Ulster after a superb category three victory on round five of the Dunlop/Wonago MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Todd's Leap Ulster Historic Rally (19/20 August).
The Welsh crew overcame some fierce challenges on their way to a first BHRC victory as the Ulster Rally again delivered stunning stages and a mighty challenge.
A fine drive to category two victory from David Stokes and Guy Weaver was a very important result in terms of the 2011 title race, while Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride were back on form to win category one in their Porsche 911.
The BHRC's second visit to Ulster underlined the quality of the rally, with a warm welcome, great stages and slick organisation.
Category one
Despite suffering with a cracked rib, a legacy of a heavy landing on Epynt, Nutt set the pace from the start as six stages ran through Friday afternoon and evening, including two runs over the classic Torr Head test. Dessie reckoned that he first tackled Torr Head ‘as a child' on the 1969 Circuit of Ireland.
Determined to win on their home rally, Nutt and McBride were a massive four minutes clear as they arrived back in Antrim late on Friday evening. "Absolutely fantastic; everything is just spot on," said McBride. With six more stages on Saturday, Nutt was able to ease his pace but still pull away and was over five minutes to the good by the finish. "We had a difficult few events earlier in the year and things finally started to go well on the Harry Flatters; we've just carried on with that," said Nutt.
"Dessie is on a mission," said BHRC points leader Rikki Proffitt. Partnered by Phill Harrison, Proffitt had no answer to Nutt's pace and, instead, had to concentrate on the challenge from the similar Porsche 911 of Derek and Roisin Boyd. Though back in third overnight, Proffitt edged ahead during Saturday to finish second and retain the overall BHRC lead.
There was yet more bad luck for Paul Mankin and Peter Scott when their Lotus Cortina snapped a halfshaft on the second set of uphill hairpins on the first Torr Head stage. With the Volvo Amazon of John and Stephen Moxon off the road on Saturday, the final BHRC scorer in category one was the Sunbeam Imp Sport of Geoff Taylor and Steve Greenhill, which also won class B1. They battled a misfire through Friday but were elated with a finish. "It's been a fantastic rally," said Taylor.
Category two
Stokes knew he had to be on it right from the start of the rally and, while others played themselves in on the opening eight miles of Knockboy, Stokes attacked to take an immediate lead of 20 seconds. In trouble almost from the off was one of his rivals when Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard suffered a stub axle failure inside three miles, which set a front wheel free and effectively ended their rally. Also struggling with a misfire was the crew that Stokes expected to be his biggest threat; the Porsche 911 of Keith McIvor and David Burns. They retired early on Saturday morning with gearbox failure.
Through the dry stages on Saturday, Stokes and Weaver continued to build their lead as the Escort never missed a beat and their final winning margin was over two minutes. "We pushed hard early on and then eased back a little," said Stokes, who was only concerned by a bent wheel through the Slieve Gallion and Lisnamuck stages which prompted a major vibration.
Rupert Lomax/Dave Alcock (Escort Mk1) went out on Saturday with a blown engine, so second in category two among the BHRC pack was a great result for Andrew Siddall and Carl Williamson, who topped class C3 in their Escort MK1. "The car ran beautifully," said Siddall after a strong start on Friday evening. Third, and second in C5, were Chris Browne and Liz Jordan in their Escort Mk1. "We're 15s up on last year and David is still a minute ahead," said a bemused Chris on Friday night. "That was an incredible rally," he added the following afternoon.
Philip Wylie and Howard Pridmore bagged second in C3 in their Escort Mk1, while Terry Nowlan and Ben Giles had an attacking run to fifth place in category two.
Class C4 winners were Peter McDowall and Peter Moss in their Porsche 911, while David Kirby and Ben Friend took maximum C2 points in their Escort Mk1.
Category three
The drama started early in category three when Will Onions and Dave Williams rolled their Escort Mk2 just three miles into the rally. It was a proper Irish accident," said Onions when they rolled four or five times after understeering into a bank when flat in fifth. "It was 120 yards from start to finish of the accident," he added.
Davies and Davies were on it from the start and took a nine-second lead into the overnight halt over the Vauxhall Chevette of Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman, with the Escort Mk2 of Connor Corkill/Mark Perryman only six seconds further back. "It's going to be tight tomorrow," promised Davies at the end of the leg.
The pace was stunning from the start of Saturday's six stages and all three crews pushed hard through the opening Langford Lodge stages. Davies was fastest by six seconds as Corkill dropped a little time. But on the next stage at Tardree, it all went wrong for Smith when he had to stop and replace the Chevette's fan belt, dropping two and a half minutes in the process.
Despite running with a cracked exhaust manifold over the final four stages, Davies never stopped pushing and was half a minute clear of Corkill after the final stage at Tardree. "We lost a bit of power towards the end," said Tomas after the biggest win of his career to date. Corkill was a worthy second. "The roads here are incredible and a bit scary," said the student. Third, and D4 victory, was scant reward for Smith/O'Gorman, who would have been very close to Davies without the fan belt delay.
Two crews new to Ulster wrapped up the top five with Alan Walker/Jez Rogers taking an attacking fourth with Tim Pearcey/Neil Shanks next up after a strong learning rally. Walker picked up a minute penalty for a jump start, which cost him third ahead of Smith. Right up with them after an excellent run should have been Roger Kilty/Lynette Banks, who ran fourth on the opening day, Unfortunately, an extra lap of the loop in Tardree cost them over three minutes.
Though they went out on Friday with a holed radiator, Graham Waite and Gill Cotton took maximum points in D3 with their Opel Ascona.
Added: 22nd August 2011 [permalink]
Report: Harry Flatters Historic Rally
Stokes/WeaverWater End Properties Asphalt Cup
Press release: Monday, 1 August 2011
David Stokes and Guy Weaver claimed victory on the SGC Printing Harry Flatters Historic Rally on Sunday (31 July), but only after a day-long fight with Connor Corkill and Mark Perryman was resolved on the final stage as Stokes took a five-second winning margin.
The annual thrash over the daunting Epynt ranges in Mid-Wales was the opening round of the Water End Asphalt Cup, a sub-set of the British Historic Rally Championship. Although not a full round of the Dunlop/WONAGO MSA BHRC, the slickly-run event drew a good historic field and universal praise from the crews after a full day of rallying on the challenging asphalt roads.
All day it was nip and tuck between Stokes (Ford Escort Mk1) and Corkill (Ford Escort Mk2) and going into the final stage Stokes was just 0.3s up on his young rival. A blistering run across the ranges sealed victory for Stokes by 5.2s. "I'm knackered now," said Stokes with a grin. "The old man has still got fire in his belly," said Corkill of the driver more than 40 years his senior. Stokes had lost 12s to Corkill in the morning after a moment with a truck tyre at a chicane, and had to push hard to claw the time back.
For Corkill, it was an excellent result after a season when university exams have curtailed his rallying to date. He now plans to take this form forward to the Ulster Historic Rally, an event he won in 2010.
Third overall and second to Stokes in Category 2 were Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride, back in their later Porsche 911 for the first time in two years for their best run of the season so far. "We were on it today," said Nutt, who won class C4 and finished well clear of the Escort Mk1 of Chris Browne and Liz Jordan. "We've had a super day; a good shakedown for Ireland," said Browne after some clutch and brake problems during the day.
Class C2 went to Jonathan Ford and Peter Thomas in their Escort Mk1. "Great stages," said Ford after a straightforward day. Out of category two went Wayne Bonser/Richard Aston (Escort Mk1) with off on the Burma Road and Steve Loveridge/Russ Joseph (Mini Clubman) with overheating issues.
Corkill/Perryman won Category 3 by a handsome margin over the Escort Mk2 of Tomas and Eurig Davies, who battled all day with a low revs misfire as well as cooking brakes, which led to a couple of major overshoots. Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman (Vauxhall Chevette) and Alan Walker/Jez Rogers (Escort Mk2) were next up in the category, with both crews using the rally as a warm-up for the Ulster Rally. "We came here testing brakes and it has been very productive," said Smith. "This morning was a bit of a shock, but it has been great for a first time here," said Walker.
Added: 1st August 2011 [permalink]
Report, round five: Swansea Bay Historic Rally
Water End Properties Gravel Cup
Lane and RicherPress release: Monday, 18 July, 2011
Round five of the Water End Properties Gravel Cup ran on the Pro-Art (Signs) Swansea Bay Historic Rally (Saturday 16 July) and delivered a debut overall victory for Richard Lane and Frank Richer in their Ford Escort Mk2.
This was a new event to the championship and, after a start at the Liberty Stadium, took in stages in Rheola and Walters forming legs one and two (with service after each pair of stages). Crews would then head east of the A465 to take in two runs over a 7.5-mile test in Rhondda, prior to returning to the finish at the Liberty Stadium.
As forecast, high winds and heavy rain hit the Neath Valley overnight and continued into the morning of the rally. Crews reported that Rheola and, particularly, Walters Arena were very slippery indeed. Returning from their roll on the Severn Valley, Nick Elliott and Chris Brooks had a comfortable lead of 24s over Will Onions and Dave Williams as the two Ford Escort Mk2s arrived at service. David Stokes/Guy Weaver headed Category 2 and Rikki Proffitt/Phill Harrison (Porsche 911) had taken 22 seconds from Graham Waite/Gill Cotton (Volvo Amazon). However, the Porsche then suffered a misfire over the following stages.
Positions were, by and large, unaltered after the next pair of stages. Elliott was pleased to be back on the pace after the upset of the previous round. Onions had driven out of Rheola 2 on a puncture and the 15s lost dropped them behind Richard Lane and Frank Richer (Ford Escort MK2). Further back, a tight battle between the Ford Escorts of James Potter/Bob Duck, Wayne Bonser/Richard Aston, Mark Holmes/Tony Lindsay, Peter Egerton/Alun Cook and Jeremy Wells/Ken Bowman had all five crews covered by a minute.
Rhondda was the favourite stage of the day for most competitors. Fast and flowing roads, plus improving weather conditions meant that the pace was picked up and it was to prove to be a sting in the tail. Wells/Bowman went off on stage five, hitting a tree with sufficient force to push back the front corner and bend a TCA, leading to retirement on the spot. But on stage six Elliott went off the road, stuck in soft ground. "I must have been asleep," said Nick after later driving the undamaged car back to Swansea.
Onions/Williams therefore took the lead but then suffered a second puncture of the day and had to stop and change the tyre. They could not afford the three minutes delay so Lane/Richer swept through to take their first Category 3 overall win. Ever the quiet man, Richard reported no problems with the car and was delighted with the result. Jonathan Brace and Tim Samuels were also sufficiently close to pounce and took runner-up position in the category with Shawn Rayner and Declan Dear taking a fine third in the D3 car. Shawn reported that this was by far his and Declan's best rally since his return to the sport after a fifteen year lay-off. "I really felt like I was driving like I used to and Declan was so confident on the notes," said Rayner. Behind the recovering Onions/Williams, Bonser/Aston and Polly Patti/Chris Dewsnap completed the points scorers with their Escort RS2000s, with Patti wishing he had more engine power in the cloying mud.
In Category 2 Stokes/Weaver have a trouble-free run to the end in the RS1600. "Job done - 31 points," said Stokes at the finish. Mark Holmes and Tony Lindsay had a great rally to take finish Category 2 runners-up spot from Peter Egerton and Alun Cook in their RS2000 Mk1.
Waite/Cotton took Category 1 in the Volvo, having overtaken Proffitt/Harrison on the penultimate stage. Once again their skill in the big saloon had been a joy to watch but everyone was left wondering how much closer it would have been if the Porsche had continued to fire cleanly on six cylinders all day.
The final round of the Water End Properties Gravel Cup is the McRae Stages in Scotland on Saturday 1 October. The title is still to be fought over between Proffitt/Stanger-Leathes, Stokes/Weaver and Waite/Cotton. Meanwhile, Onions/Williams are not yet safe in their Category 3 lead.
Added: 18th July 2011 [permalink]
Report, round four: Severn Valley Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Brownw and JordanPress release: Monday, 6 June, 2011
Round four of the Dunlop/Wonago MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Severn Valley Stages (Saturday 4 June), delivered the closest finish in the history of the championship as Will Onions and Dave Williams pipped Julian Reynolds and Ian Oakey by just three-tenths of a second in the battle for category three.
Chris Browne and Liz Jordan came through to win category two as others faltered, while Graham Waite and Gill Cotton took the Volvo Amazon to victory in category one.
The rally ran in warm sunshine over some abrasive stages, making tyre choice and tyre wear the big talking point along with the perennial problem of dust.
Category one
Waite was on the pace from the off in category one and immediately went 14s clear in the opening six-mile Crychan stage. Waite and Cotton kept up their pace and were over 40s to the good by the time crews arrived back at Builth Wells for service.
"The Volvo seems to be better in the dry than on wet stages these days," said Waite after another hugely impressive performance, extending his winning margin to 1m40s by the end of eight stages.
Simon Wallis and Graham Wride ran their Lotus Cortina to second, but had no answer to the pace of the Volvo, while Rikki Proffitt and John Stanger-Leathes bagged yet another strong finish with third, half a minute down on Wallis. "Better in the morning," said Proffitt, who duly maintained his overall championship lead into the mid-season break.
A late switch from his intended two-stroke Saab 96 to his V4 version moved Nick Pinkett up to class B3 with co-driver Hugh Myers, but they still won their class as the only starters. "The little car ran like clockwork," said Myers after his first event on notes.
Category two
The expected Escort Mk1 battle in category two started in Crychan South when David Stokes and Guy Weaver went through a tenth of a second better than Rupert Lomax and Dave Alcock. Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard were well in touch, but they were soon out when a steering bolt sheered over the cattle grid at the end of Halfway.
Stokes turned up the pressure in Halfway and was over half a minute good at service. But disaster struck on stage six, the re-run of Halfway when an exposed lump of bedrock broke a halfshaft and forced them into immediate retirement. Unfortunately, Lomax was sideline by nine minutes of road penalties.
Instead, Browne and Jordan moved through to win the category. "I wasn't over the moon to see David parked up in Halfway, but I'm dead chuffed," said Browne after his best result on gravel for some time.
"Poor tyre choice in the morning, but a very enjoyable day," said Peter Smith who, with Russ Langthorne, chased Browne and finished a minute down in second. Up to third for their best BHRC result to date went Jeremy Wells and Ken Bowman in their Escort Mk1.
There was a very close finish in class C3 as Dick Slaughter and Martyn Taylor (Escort Mk1) snatched eight seconds back on the final stage to beat the BMW 2002 of Terry Cree and Richard Shores. Nevertheless, it was the best result to date for the ever-improving BMW. "It's better than an Escort at half the cost," said Cree. However, both crews had to keep an eye on the flying Porsche 914 of Richard Morgan and Tim Madeley, which was third after its best rally so far.
David Kirby and co-driver Ben Friend won class C2 in their 1600cc Escort Mk1, despite clutch and rear brake issues and they maintained a half-minute advantage over the Escort Mk1 of Rex Ireland and Adrian Scadding.
Class C1 went to the lone starter, the Lancia Fulvia of Steve and Tony Graham. "We've got half of Wales in the car in dust," reckoned Steve after a clear run in the popular Fulvia.
Category three
The drama started early in category three when Nick Elliott and Chris Brooks rolled their Escort Mk2 just two and a half miles into the rally. Damage was light, but Elliott elected to retire, knowing that any chance of a good result was gone.
Julian Reynolds and Ian Oakey were also in trouble with a puncture and dropped half a minute, leaving Onions/Williams to set the pace. Onions was then pleased to be within a second of Reynolds in Halfway. Up into contention also came Richard Tuthill and Nick Beech in their Porsche 911 and they took over the lead as Onions struggled through the final Cefn stage before service with badly worn tyres. "We had to tip-toe through and dropped 17s," said Onions as Rob Smith and Shaun O'Gorman forged their Vauxhall Chevette into contention. Meanwhile, Reynolds was fighting back despite the car cutting out from time to time.
Tuthill's excellent challenge ended with a double puncture in Halfway 2 and it was Reynolds chasing Onions over the final stages. Onions attacked in the 12-miler in Crychan in a bid to fend off Reynolds, but destroyed his tyres in the process. But Reynolds had his own problems as a heavy landing in Gwibedog had pushed the sump guard onto the steering rack and he was fighting to keep the car on the road. The final result left Onions ahead by just three-tenths of a second.
Never far off the lead battle was the Smith/O'Gorman Chevette. "We threw away a better result with two spins and stalls," said Smith, who was pipped to third by seven-tenths on the final stage by Tim Pearcey and Neil Shanks.
"Dusty and entertaining," was Vince Bristow's view of class D2 victory, with Jane Edgington on the notes in the 1600cc Escort Mk2. In the process, they beat all the Pinto-powered cars in D3, where Shawn Rayner and Declan Dear clinched a debut win in their Escort Mk2. "It was all about tyres and we were pushing hard," said Rayner.
Added: 6th June 2011 [permalink]
Report, round three: Pirelli Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Waite and CottonPress release: Monday, 2 May, 2011
Julian Reynolds and Ian Oakey were well on their way to a second win of the season as the Dunlop Wonago MSA British Historic rally Championship moved out of Wales for the first time this season, for the Carlisle-based Pirelli Historic Rally (Saturday 30 April).
Having built up a 28-second lead, an electrical failure put them out on the penultimate stage, handing category three victory to fellow Escort Mk2 crew Nick Elliott and Chris Brooks.
Graham Waite and Gill Cotton (Volvo Amazon) topped category one and Stefaan Stouf/Joris Erard (Escort Mk1) claimed category tw2o, after Rupert Lomax's Escort Mk1 suffered a gearbox problem on the final stage at Chirdonhead.
Category 1
Rikki Proffitt/John Stanger-Leathes (Porsche 911) set the pace on the opening stage through Falstone, with Waite 3.9s down, but well clear of third placed Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911). But Proffitt's glory was short-lived. "it was great to have all six cylinders for the time in three rallies, but then we managed to jump a ditch on the second stage. I thought that was it, but we put it into first gear and managed to drive back out," said Proffitt.
Waite was the new leader, but only by six seconds over Proffitt, while Nutt was struggling to stay on the pace and began to slip down the order. "There is a problem but we don't know what it is," he admitted.
One more stage through Blackaburn preceded first service, and Waite arrived as the leader with just over a minute in hand. "We lost third gear though on stage three, so it's going to be hard now," he said.
The Lotus Cortina of Simon Wallis/Graham Wride was up to third, rebuilt after its roll on the Bulldog Rally. "We had a bit of a tank-slapper on stage three, going from ditch to ditch, but it's my first visit to Kielder," said Wallis.
Up to fourth came Dave Reynolds/Bob Duck (Volvo Amazon), having consolidated the place over Nutt. In sixth were Bulldog winners Ian Beveridge and Peter Joy in their Volvo PV544, "We picked up a small oil leak and are adjusting the rear brakes a bit," said Beveridge in service.
The pressure was off Waite as they negotiated Shepherdshield as Proffitt picked up a 10 second road penalty and had a spin, which dropped him to fourth behind Wallis and Reynolds. But the Porsche driver was straight back on the pace and by the end of the penultimate stage he was back into second.
Waite took the spoils by just under 16 seconds, "it was really hard on the last two stages, trying to carry the speed without third gear," he explained. "That spin blew it for us," added Proffitt, who reclaimed a solid second and took the class B5 spoils.
Wallis managed to consolidate third place over Reynolds during the closing stages. "I was happy to stay out of the ditches and it went well all day," said Reynolds. Beveridge was fifth: "Our tyres just held out, but we got a bit loose at the end," he said. Nutt finally settled in sixth. "It just got worse, a bad day for us," he said, after taking second in B5, just ahead of the Porsche of Derek and Roisin Boyd. "We finally got rid of our misfire during the afternoon," said Derek.
Geoff Taylor and Steve Greenhill reported that their Sunbeam Imp felt quicker. "We stalled at the chicane on the last stage and damaged the exhaust on Shepherdshield too, but overall much better," said Taylor after taking eighth and class B1.
Apart from a minor off in the stages, Edmund Peel/Janet Craine had a clear run to ninth and fourth in B5 with their Porsche. On their first gravel rally for seven years John and Stephen Moxon brought their Volvo Amazon home tenth, with Paul Mankin/Peter Scott (Lotus Cortina) completing the finishers. "We were in trouble only yards into the first stage, but finally solved our problem by running two fuel pumps," said Mankin.
Category 2
The expected three-way fight for victory in category two between the Escort Mk1s of Rupert Lomax/Phil Harrison, Stefaan Stouf/Joris Erard and David Stokes/Guy Weaver didn't prove to be as close predicted. Stouf had been quickest in Falstone, but Lomax immediately responded and turned a 3.6s deficit into a one-second lead on stage two, with Stokes a solid third, but 8.5s adrift of his rivals.
But on stage three Stouf had a problem with his notes. "We had to slow down to sort ourselves out," he explained, after arriving at service in third place, one second down on Stokes. "It's been excellent so far," said leader Lomax. "We have been a bit slow," admitted Stokes.
Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne and Chris Browne/Liz Jordan had established themselves in fourth and fifth, although Browne had briefly fallen behind C3 leaders Andrew Siddall/Carl Williamson after the second stage. "We had a major moment on that stage too," said Siddall. "We were all over the place and just held on, settled down and got back on with it," he added. "We just need to go faster," added Browne.
Stouf soon reclaimed second place and reduced Lomax's lead to 3.5s with only the Chirdonhead finale to go. But Lomax's gearbox gave out and left him stranded, handing Stouf victory by over 16 seconds from Stokes. "We had no more problems at all," said the victorious Belgian.
Smith was relieved to see the finish." That was the main thing," he said after clinching third. Although Browne was fourth, he was disappointing not to have done better. "We had a hold up and I lost my momentum. I should have been able to push Peter harder over the last two stages," he said.
Class C3 winner Siddall kept a safe margin over Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing for fifth and sixth overall. "I had to try a different approach to the chicanes and it worked," said Slaughter. "I hit or glanced three chicanes during the afternoon I think," Siddall added.
Mark Holmes and Tony Lindsay had been well inside the top 10 in their C3 Escort Mk1 until they hit a log pile on stage three. "If we hadn't hit it we would have had an even bigger one," said Holmes. Chris Nixon/Chris Davies also went out when they lost drive, which left Jeremy Wells/Ken Bowman to take seventh. Ian Drummond/Yvonne Coppin recovered from losing their brakes in the morning, to finish third in C3 and eighth overall, with C2 victors David Kirby/Sean Kennedy in ninth, having completed the final stages with only second and fourth gears.
Nick Danks/Martin Corbett retired their C2 Escort, leaving Peter McDowell/Ian Orford (Porsche 911) and Steven and Tony Graham (Lancia Fulvia) to take undisputed victories in C4 and C1 respectively.
Category 3
With one win each so far this year Reynolds and Elliott were both looking for victories in Kielder, but both started behind the Escort Mk2 of the non-registered Steve Bannister/Louise Sutherland.
Reynolds grabbed the immediate initiative with six seconds in hand over Elliott and Will Onions/Dave Williams in Falstone. But over the next two stages all three consolidated their positions, with Reynolds reaching service with a lead of 16.7s. "It's very hard. I had two scary moments, the worst on stage two when we went in a ditch but got back on and nearly hit the bridge," said Elliott. "It's a clean run so far for us. We went wide a few times as its slippery," Reynolds added.
Onions found visibility in the dust one of the biggest problems, while in fourth Tim Pearcey/Neil Shanks had picked up the pace after a couple of minor moments.
Reynolds flew through Shepherdshield and his lead grew by a further 12s, until disaster struck in Pundershaw when an electrical failure put him out of the rally. Onions reckoned he had "really gone for it," during the afternoon and following Reynolds' retirement Elliott had the lead but it was down to 8.4s with the Chirdonhead final stage to come.
Elliott made it home but the margin was considerably reduced. "I felt more relaxed in the afternoon and just took it steady," he said, as Onions delivered another mighty Kielder performance. Pearcey had looked set to follow Onions home in third, until he collected a last stage puncture and fell to fourth behind Bannister.
Walker also came unstuck on the last stage. "We spent 11 minutes in a ditch in sight of the finish of the last stage," he explained. Mark Barnett/Phil Clarke moved up to clinch fifth, with Steve Magson/Geoff Atkinson surviving a few early ditch explorations to seal sixth and victory in class D4.
Paul Griffiths/Paul Williams retired in Shepherdshield with a misfire on their Escort, which left the Escorts of Nick Woodman, Simon Crook, Roger Kilty and James Slaughter to complete the top 10. Guy Woodcock/Hu Kent (Escort Mk2) dominated D3 all day, while John Worthing/John Cadwallader held off Wayne Bonser/Richard Aston for second in class and maximum BHRC points. "We got stuck at a chicane on the penultimate stage for 20 seconds, but fortunately had enough in hand," said Worthing.
Jimmy McRae and Pauline Gullick brought their Tuthill Porsche home second in D5 and 12th overall. "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to make my return in the same forests I hurt myself in three years ago. The car felt good and strong but the driver was very rusty," said McRae.
Added: 2nd May 2011 [permalink]
Report, round two: Bulldog Historic Rally
Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship
Proffitt/Stanger-LeathesPress release: Monday, 4 April, 2011
The spectacular rivalry between the Ford Escorts of Nick Elliott/Chris Brooks and Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey was once again the highlight as the Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship returned to Wales for round two, the Bulldog Historic Rally (Saturday 2 April).
Elliott turned the tables on Reynolds on this occasion, having lost out to his rival by a solitary second on last month's Mid Wales Historic Stages. Elliott led category three all day, while there was another win for David Stokes/Guy Weaver (Escort Mk1) in category two and maximum points in category one for Rikki Proffitt/John Stanger-Leathes (Porsche 911).
Category 1
The pattern of the category one contest seemed to be set from the start, after Mid Wales victors Simon Wallis and Graham Wride (Lotus Cortina) pulled out a 30s lead over the opening two stages through Dyfnant and Gartheiniog. "It was very muddy and slippery; we ran wide a few times but there was nothing serious," said Wallis.
Graham Waite/Gill Cotton arrived at first service with their Volvo Amazon in second place. "It's our first time out since an engine rebuild, but we got stuck behind Rikki Proffitt's Porsche 911 car for the last three miles in Gartheiniog," he explained.
Proffitt/John Stanger-Leathes were in third though and, like team mates Derek and Roisin Boyd, they had misfire problems. "It started on stage two, just like we had on the Mid Wales and we thought it was cured," said Proffitt. Things were even worse for Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride, down in fourth in their Porsche. "The car's perfect but I can't believe I am doing as badly as the times show. We chose a narrow open patterned tyre and we were too sideways," said Nutt.
The lead continued to grow and after the Dyfi Main and Big Ray stages, and Wallis looked well set for his second consecutive win of the year. "It was so smooth in Dyfi we could have done it without a sump guard," Wallis reckoned. Waite had a few concerns over a misfire and Proffitt's misfire worsened.
There was a sting in the tail though, with Wallis rolling out on the penultimate stage in Llangywer. Waite should have taken the lead but he was in trouble too. "They tried to flag me down, but my pedal went to the floor. I think we led the rally for a few yards though," he said.
Despite his ongoing misfire Proffitt still made it home for maximum points, with Nutt taking second. "We had a puncture too on the last stage, it's a better result than we thought we were heading for too," said Nutt.
The Boyd's also made it to the finish ahead of a delighted Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill in their Imp. "We had the engine rebuilt since the last rally and have been working to cure a misfire. It wasn't pulling on the hills and we tried hard to keep the revs up," said Taylor. Edmund Peel/Janet Craine's Porsche 911 completed the finishers, after the misfire on the Lotus Cortina of Paul Mankin and Peter Scott became terminal.
Category 2
It could so well have been a three-way battle between the Escort MK1s of Stokes/Weaver, Stefaan Stouf/Joris Erard and Rupert Lomax/David Alcock. But after Lomax blitzed his rivals by 11 seconds through the opening nine-miler in Dyfnant, his glory was soon over. "I followed the tree line instead of the stage and got stuck up a fire break," said Lomax. "If I hadn't gone off there it would have somewhere else," he added.
There was less than a second between Stokes and Stouf on the opener, but as they arrived at Dolgellau for first service Stokes had pulled out a two-second gap. "I was a bit slow out of the blocks, but I am driving to the conditions," he said. "I damaged the rear corner on a square right hander on stage two," said Stouf.
Peter McDowall/ and Ian Orford (Porsche 911RS) had been fourth best through Dyfnant, but found Gartheiniog harder. "I got caught, so must go faster," said McDowell. Although Chris Browne/Liz Jordan found their Escort struggling for power, they still made it to service in third, ready for a change of plugs.
It became nip and tuck through the next two stages, with Stouf nosing ahead after Dyfi Main, only for Stokes to respond through Big Ray, enabling him to return to service six seconds up on the Belgian crew. "It's a bit to and fro with Stefaan, but I think we are going in the right direction now," said Stokes. "I liked the muddy stages better, I think I will lose out on the fast stages as I haven't the experience," Stouf added.
Stokes continued to edge away to clinch his victory over the final leg of stages. "I just kept pushing," he explained. Although Stouf retained a clear second, he had made a basic error on the final Woodyard stage. "I have two intercom connections and I plugged into the wrong one, then went straight on at a hairpin," he said.
Browne retained third for most of the day and Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing came home next, having dominated class C3 all day. Andrew Siddall/Carl Williamson managed to consolidate second in C3, having fought off a determined challenge from Mark Holmes/Tony Lindsay. "We got held up for eight miles on stage two and clipped a corner on the fourth, but we were going for it," said Holmes.
Rex Ireland and Adrian Scadding were delighted to take their Escort to their maiden C2 victory. "The intercom played up on the first stage, but that was the only problem all day," they said. David Kirby and Ben friend were the only other C2 finishers after the Escort of Matthew Fowle and Jane Edgington blew its head-gasket.
Keith McIvor/David Burns won the battle of the Porsches in C4 over McDowell. "The driver was a bit slow warming up," said Irish visitor McIvor.
Category 3
It was like Mid Wales Stages part two as Elliott and Reynolds eased clear of the rest and made it a personal duel for victory. "I was a bit scrappy on the first stage and caught the back of the car at a hairpin, but then got into a rhythm," said Elliott. "We changed to harder tyres for stage two but they didn't work," Reynolds replied.
The gap was already 17.3s in Elliott's favour as they arrived at service. Will Onions/Dave Williams settled into a solitary third, but Will was suffering some discomfort after falling off a horse before the rally.
Elliott continued to push hard through Dyfi and Big Ray and admitted to taking risks. "I was keeping it tidy, but Julian reckons he saw our tyre marks and they went over fresh air," he said, after the gap was up to 25s when they returned to Dolgellau for service. "I have only got one real problem and that's Nick," Reynolds added.
Onions and Tim Pearcey/Neil Shanks held their positions. "I'm enjoying it now the stages are drier," said Pearcey, who was unable to relax as Alan Walker/Jez Rogers were close enough to threaten. "We lost time on the second stage with no brakes, so went for new tyres too and pushed on," said Walker.
On this occasion Reynolds had no answer to Elliott's pace and after a timing problem on one of the later stages, Elliott was declared the winner by 21.5s. "It was fairly comfortable for us," he said. Onions "plodded on" to take third and Pearcey claimed to have had a gentle ride round to take fourth. "We had a puncture on Llangywer and then fuel vaporisation on the last one and nearly stopped," he said. Walker was fifth: "Just as we arrived at the final control the gearbox went," he explained. Richard Lane and Frank Richer completed the top six, after what they termed a good clean run.
Guy Anderson and Kim Baker made it through to claim the class D2 spoils in their Talbot Sunbeam. In class D3 Stuart Clarke and Andy Ballantyne (Escort Mk2) was unbeatable again. "We will have a family chat about the Pirelli now, as I have never been there before," said Clarke. David Lloyd Roberts/Dei Jones claimed second in class, after the non-registered Guy Woodcock and Hu Kent lost time in Gartheiniog.
Steve Magson and Geoff Atkinson were eighth overall and topped D4 in their Opel Ascona. "We were down on power on SS2 after damaging the exhaust manifold in Dyfnant. We had two overshoots, a stop due to overheating and fuel starvation and then took the final flying finish airborne," said Magson. Behind them, Francois Delecour and James Bocognano were first of the Tuthill Porsche Challenge crews. "It didn't feel like an old car, it was superb and surprised me a lot. A fantastic day," said the former World Rally Championship runner up.
Added: 4th April 2011 [permalink]
Displaying articles 1 to 8 of 9.
« PREV NEXT »
