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Pirelli International Rally - 20-21 Apr 07Posted: April 24, 2007 4:38 PM - 10847 Hits
Round 1 - 2007 British Rally Championship
Posted: April 24, 2007 4:38 PM
WILKS TAKES MAIDEN PIRELLI WIN Guy Wilks and Phil Pugh took an emphatic maiden International rally victory in their Mitsubishi Motors UK Evo 9 on the opening round of the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship with eleven fastest times from fourteen stages. The scale of the 26 year olds Pirelli International Rally victory against such stiff opposition was also recognised by the judges of the inaugural Pirelli Star Driver award. They had little difficulty in naming Wilks as the first of six finalists who will go forward to win a works drive in the 2008 British series. At the finish in Carlisle City centre he said, “It feels fantastic to win my first International Rally and to do it in a production car is excellent. The Pirelli Star Driver award is very special too as the judges have all known me for a long time. And I know it would take a big effort to impress them.” The win could so easily have been a team one two but Gwyndaf Evans and Huw Lewis’ fine run in second place was cut short on stage twelve with transmission failure. Mark Higgins and Rory Kennedy were the eventual runners up in their Stobart Teg Sport Subaru Impreza, for which they were relieved after an uncharacteristic slow start on Friday. Mark was back on the pace by the finish but deemed it pointless to push when the gap was so great to the two Mitsubishis ahead. Ryan Champion and Craig Thorley took the final podium spot in another Mitsubishi, having struggled to set the car up and losing time with a puncture. Rally 3 was won by Zimbabwean Conrad Rautenbach and his co driver David Senior in their Citroen C2. They finished a fine fifth place overall, after an electrical problem was repaired and the car’s set-up tuned for the fast gravel. Newcomer to the British Championship Stefan Davis and Pat Cooper were the only other finishers in the category in their Ford Puma. Team Suzuki GB’s Lorna Smith and Joanne Oakey took the hotly contested Rally 2 class in their Swift, after team mate James Wozencroft retired. The only all female team also finished in ninth overall, but Lorna was particularly pleased with her first ever class victory. Jason Pritchard and Martin Jones finished second in R2 and took victory in the UK’s inaugural Citroen C2R2 Cup. 100% reliability was the reason Steve and Tony Graham gave for their Rally 1 victory, although with just one entry, a finish guaranteed the award. More impressively the brothers survived while many around did not and picked up fourteenth place overall in the lowest power car on the event. Other debuts of note included David Higgins who finished in the first outing for the Toyota Corolla S2000 R and despite retiring on Friday, Fin McCaul’s diesel BMW120D looked like one to watch in the future. The Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship moves to Kelso for round two, the Jim Clark International Rally on May 25th to 27th which also sees the first of three consecutive asphalt events for the series. Guy Wilks trounces opposition to take outright rally victory In their first ever event for the Mitsubishi Motors UK Rally Team, Guy Wilks and co-driver Phil Pugh stormed to a convincing victory in this weekend’s Pirelli International Rally, the first round of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship. Wilks led right from the start and won 11 of the event’s 14 stages, only gear selection difficulties on stages nine, 10 and 11 momentarily breaking his stride. For 75% of the rally his closest competitor was Mitsubishi team mate Gwyndaf Evans, co-driven by Huw Lewis, who held a strong second place right up until stage 12 when a broken transmission shaft brought his rally to an early conclusion. The rally started and finished in Carlisle city centre and comprised four stages in darkness on Friday evening and a further ten on Saturday, which combined provided an overall competitive distance of 100 miles on the demanding gravel roads of Kielder Forest. It was a perfect start for the Mitsubishi team, with Wilks setting fastest and Evans second fastest times on all of Friday’s four stages. Such was the pace of the two Mitsubishi Lancers, when crews returned to Carlisle for the overnight halt Wilks had established a 28-second lead ahead of his team mate, who was in-turn 34 seconds ahead of last year’s British Champion Mark Higgins in a Subaru. The Mitsubishi drivers reported that both the team’s Lancer Evolutions had run perfectly. Even so, they admitted their times could be even better: Wilks owning up to stalling his car on a tight corner in SS4 and losing 10 seconds, whilst Evans found that the aftermath of his recent bout of flu was still affecting him. Very happy with the story so far, the team ordered more of the same for Saturday’s 10 stages and, for the next loop of three stages, that’s exactly what happened, Mitsubishi extending their advantage in the process. Wilks was now 37 seconds ahead of Evans who was in-turn 36 up on Higgins, who was getting quicker as the day wore on. But then, in SS 9, Wilkes suddenly found he had no third gear and the lever was jumping out of fourth. Adjusting his driving accordingly he got the car back to the service halt after SS11, amazingly only reducing his lead by five seconds. The team then set about changing the gearbox, a procedure they had rehearsed many times, but with their record being 23 minutes and the service halt only 20, it was vital to get the operation completed on time in order to keep Wilks ahead. A tremendous performance by the team’s technicians saw the gearbox changed in just 18 minutes and Wilks booked into the service-out control just as the clock ticked over 20. With a ten-second penalty applied for every whole minute over the time allowance, it meant that Wilks had retained his lead and was now 22 seconds ahead of Evans. With just three stages to go, a Mitsubishi one-two looked possible, but half-way through SS12 Evans’ car coasted to a halt when the cross-shaft in the transmission sheared. In contrast, Wilks’ car was back to 100%, a point he proved by setting fastest times on the final three stages, his performance rewarding him with his first ever outright victory by an impressive margin of 66 seconds. In addition to his first place, Wilks was also presented with the Pirelli Star Driver Award, which sees him selected as the first of six finalists who will be selected to win a prize drive in 2008. The Cirencester-based Mitsubishi Motors UK rally team is supported by HKS, Pirelli, Sparco, Speedline Corse, PIAA, Ricardo and Performance Friction Brakes. The team’s two Lancer Evolution IXs are built and run on events by ADR Motorsport of Chesterfield. Guy Wilks is supported by Mobil 1. Team Quotes Guy Wilks “It’s great to have won my first British Championship Rally. I was very pleased to be quickest right from the start and to be able to stay in front even when we had problems. The team did a great job providing me with such a quick car and for changing the gearbox in record time. I could not have wished for any more.” Gwyndaf Evans “I am so disappointed not to have finished, especially as all of the hard work had been done. We were in a comfortable second place and driving well within the limits to get home safely. I’m delighted for Guy. His win was a great team effort and our pace is very encouraging for the rest of the season.” Paul Brigden – General Manager Ralliart “I have been very impressed this weekend, with Guy, Gwyndaf and the whole team. Everyone involved has done an outstanding job. Guy has fulfilled our expectations perfectly and proved he is a top-class driver. Naturally I’m disappointed for Gwyndaf, but the stage times reflect that we are on for achieving a one-two finish before the season is out. As for our technicians, I cannot praise them enough. Their efforts kept Guy at the front and secured victory for us.” BHRC report Three crews new to the unique challenge of the Kielder region took the major spoils in an action packed second round of the 2007 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Pirelli Historic Rally on 20/21 April. After seven stages in Kershope and Kielder, Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies, Nick Whale/Sally Wood and Martin McCormack/Liam Moynihan all won their respective categories. However, while McCormack/Moynihan took a spectacular overall victory, it was Richard Tuthill/John Bennie who set the pace, only to be denied victory by a puncture. A superb 74-car entry thrilled the fans as the BHRC returned to Kielder after an absence of around eight years. Category 1 The Sunbeam Tiger of Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies was quickly into its stride on Friday evening, although some gear selection problems struck over the last two stages. Meanwhile Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911) were struggling with tyres and Jonathan Gale/Graham Gale slid the other Tiger into a ditch. The Lotus Cortina pack was the scene of more fierce competition as Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson, Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson and Philip Atkinson/Simon Coates battled for seconds and their contest was only resolved on the final stage on Sunday. With Bean sliding off on the penultimate stage, Atkinson really attacked the last stage in Pundershaw to beat Calvert by six seconds. "I think we took the wrong tyres last night," said Atkinson. Up front, Watts nursed the Tiger to victory as gearbox problems returned and they ran the final stage with only third gear. In B2 Mike Barratt/Jody Watson went out on Friday after a smashed rim led to their Cooper S taking to a ditch, as Terry Cree/Richard Shores lost eight minutes with a rotor arm failure, but still won the class. Class B1 was eliminated when Nick Pinkett/Alex Lucking put their Saab into a ditch during Saturday. Category 2 Tuthill/Bennie took control right from the start of Chamot Hill and look good for a cracking victory until a puncture in Archies Rigg cost them over three minutes. They won five of the seven stages, to prove their class. "Flat out as always was the plan," said Tuthill. Instead, a great performance from Whale and Wood claimed category 2 spoils for the Tuthill team. New to the region, they turned in a fine drive and arrived back in Carlisle 22s up on David Stokes/Guy Weaver, who fired up the leader board with a big push through the final two stages. Third in category 2 for Steven Smith/John Nichols was some reward for persevering with major clutch problems and then brake failure in their Porsche, while a puncture cost Sean Lockyear/Chris Wood (Porsche 911) a good result. Tim Mason/Graham Wild had a strong rally to take fourth in the category. With Russell Morgan/Martin Kenyon out with major clutch problems in their Escort on Friday night, class C3 was won by Irishmen Drew Wylie and Dean Beckett in their Escort Mk1. First stage disasters hit John Worthing/Bill Robertson (engine) and Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes (electrics), so Vince Bristow and Dean Mitchell (Escort Mk1) took a commanding win in C2 from Richard and Pat Egger. Category 3 Though they had never seen Kielder before, McCormack and Moynihan set a fabulous pace on Friday evening to lead category 3, although a lack of brakes led to a moment on the fourth stage and steering damage. That was fixed with the help of Gareth Lloyd and the Irish crew duly claimed a mighty victory. A cracking run from Grant Shand/David Young earned second in the category and a first finish for Shand in Kielder after three attempts. Just a fifth of a second behind Shand were Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, and they were delighted to pip Jimmy McRae/Andy Richardson by a tenth of a second as McRae fought back into contention. Major brake problems on Friday evening cost McRae a lot of time, but he was the biggest rival to Tuthill on overall stage times. Richard Lane and Frank Richer took class D3 spoils in their Escort Mk2, although it might have been closer had Mark and Brett Clifford not suffered a disastrous Friday night, which included a back injury for Brett and a hand injury for Mark. Simon Hawthorn/David Curtis had a good run to second in class ahead of the Cliffords. Martin McCormack and Liam Moynihan Ford Fiesta's - Jones takes control of the Pirelli Twenty two Ford Fiesta ST’s yesterday started the second round of the 2007 Fiesta SportingTrophy UK, the Pirelli National Rally, based at Carlisle Airport. After 50 miles of competition over seven stages in the forest complexes of Kershope and Kielder, the winner was 26 year old Fraser Jones from Ayr, South West Scotland, with his co driver Lee Burgess from Chesterfield. After the recent tropical weather in Cumbria, competitors faced cooler temperatures and the possibility of light rain making tyre choice a gamble. With four stages totalling 28 miles of competition mileage in very close succession before service, the pressure was on the drivers to perform immediately. Getting off to a good start were Jones and Burgess as they were fastest on the opening two five mile speed tests. On SS3, 25 year old Welshman Tom Curtis from Haverfordwest with fellow Welshman Dai Roberts calling the pacenotes, set the fastest time. However, on SS4, Glen Dhu the longest stage of the day at over nine miles, it was Jones that once again set the fastest time. He arrived back at the mid point service at Carlisle Airport with a 15 second lead over the winners of the first round of the series, Tom Walster and Tim Sturla. 20 year old Walster from Nottingham had a fraught preparation for the event as a result of an injury to his foot sustained in the build up to the event. After a 20 minute service, drivers set out to tackle the remaining 22 miles of competition stages in the daunting Kielder Forest. For SS5, Jones set a time of 4mins 38s over five miles of special stage to set not only the fastest FST time but the fastest time overall in the National event. Over the final two stages, Walster felt the nature of the stages better suited his driving style and he went on to prove this by setting fastest times on both tests, setting equal fastest time overall in the National event on the eight mile Archie’s Rigg stage. This team had extra incentive to be fast on the stages as co driver Sturla had to travel straight from the end of the event to Newcastle Airport to catch a flight to London as he is due to race in the London Marathon. However, on the penultimate stage there was drama among the top five contenders as 19 year old Bristol based driver Adam Gould, with co driver Simon Sparey, misjudged a 90 degree right hand corner and ended wedged in the bank. More drama was to follow as 18 year old Welshman Elfyn Evans, with 2006 FST Champion co driver Richard Edwards, made an identical error and rolled their car at the same location, the Welshman’s car coming to rest on the bonnet of Gould’s. With none of the crews injured, spectators where quickly on the scene to separate the cars and allow Gould to set off again. Evans, who had been fourth among the FST crews going into the stage, was unable to continue but Gould struggled to the end of the stage only to retire in the following test with a mechanical failure. After the drama of the penultimate stage, the 17 remaining crews returned to Carlisle praising the format and the condition of the stages. Despite being a relative novice on gravel, young Alastair Fisher from Enniskillen and the experienced Neil Dashfield crossed the finish ramp in fourth place, over five seconds ahead of Jonathan Greer and Jonny Hart. James Everard and David Jobling finished over 40 seconds adrift but were delighted with their result, sixth of the FST finishers. David Higgins - PIRELLI PROGRESS TQ driver David Higgins turned the worst day of his rally career around to set stunning stage times on a testing Pirelli International Rally where he drove his TQ RED Toyota S2000R for the first time. After a stressful run-up to the event when some parts for the car were late arriving from South Africa, David and his co-driver Ieuan Thomas had a successful recce last Friday. But then the day turned into what David describes as his worst day in rallying when he found himself at the start ramp with no car. “The TQ RED team did an amazing job to get the car to Carlisle and through scrutineering on time because they found fuel pump problems which they fixed before they left the factory,” said David. “But on the road from the service park to the start ramp they got caught in traffic, so the car was late and we started the event OTL.” Being OTL meant David picked up a ten minute penalty for each of the four Friday night stages and used the event as a test, knowing he was out of the race to win. Then on the third stage of the evening the car stopped when the battery died. “I saw the car for the first time at the start ramp,” explained David. “So when I got in I didn’t know where all the switches were. I accidentally flicked on the heated screen and that resulted in the battery going.” The RED team worked on the car on Friday night, and on Saturday David’s times showed the promise of the car as he set two second fastest stage times, one of which was just 0.4 seconds off fastest. “Friday was my worst day in rallying, but Saturday was the best fun I’ve ever had in a rally car,” said David. “When you drive a Group N car you need to see your stage times to get satisfaction, but with the Super 2000 driving the car is satisfaction enough. It was fantastic.” On top of setting stunning times, the Super 2000 car thrilled spectators and other drivers in the event. While spectators loved the noise the car made compared to the quiet Group N cars, the other drivers are already worrying about what times David will be capable of setting after he and the TQ RED team have had time to test properly ahead of the next round, the Jim Clark International Rally on 26/27 May. David’s team mate and sponsor, TQ Education and Training managing director Hugh Evans and his co-driver Iestyn Williams finished 13th in their Mitsubishi Lancer E9. The Pirelli International was Hugh’s first experience of both the BRC and the infamous Kielder forests. Silverstone Tyres 1400 Stars - ROUND ONE TO HARRIS The opening round of the Silverstone Tyres Stars 1400 Rally Championship, the Pirelli National Rally was won convincingly by Mike Harris and Ben Garrod in their Citroën C2. Harris set quick times on every stage in his lightweight 1400 flyer and reported no problems at all over the 50 miles of Kielder forest stages. “The car ran faultlessly throughout the event,” he said, “The only slight scare was over a big jump when the boot lid flew up; I didn’t know if something had fallen off.” He also finished sixteenth in the main event, ahead of several much more powerful cars. The competition for second place was eventually settled in favour of Matt Cotton who had traveled from Cornwall for the event. His rally had started badly though, dropping around a minute on the very first stage on Saturday morning with an intermittent fuel pump. “We had to stop four times, stop the engine and restart.” he explained. They thought they were going to stay in last place but having pushed hard all day, they moved up the leaderboard and took the lead of the FIA class with a stage to go. Next placed Robertson admitted he had backed off a little too much towards the end. “It was a good battle but I was a bit complacent and didn’t realise how hard Matt was going. It is sometimes difficult to know how hard to push to stay in front.” His day had not been plain sailing either, losing his intercom on stage one then accidentally knocking the engine kill switch on stage three. He finished having experienced a couple of big moments and a severely leaking front shock absorber. Fourth was Tony Simpson who was making his third visit to the rally. He had a tough morning with a 30 second penalty on top of fuel surge and spins on stage one. His plan from the outset was to take it easy over the rougher sections and get to the finish which he achieved, describing it as a minor miracle and praising his mechanics for their hard work. Mark Gamble finished in fifth with a decidedly second-hand looking car. He landed heavily after a big jump then spent a minute off in a ditch, damaging the front of the car. He also picked up a minute penalty for being six minutes late at an arrival control, having been beached and unable to extricate the car while in the queue. The final classified finisher was Richard Sykes who had more tales to tell than anyone. He was fastest on the first three stages although the gear linkage broke after 100 yards on stage one, leaving Simon holding it in. He then had the accelerator stick on full throttle and as he entered the service area the clutch cable broke. As if this wasn’t enough, the car spent the second half of the rally with a blowing exhaust and after hitting a rock, the steering arm broke, pitching them off the road. SD Roy failed to finish following an accident which left the car upside down in a ditch while Andy Hercliffe holed both sump and radiator and failed to finish. This despite a Herculean effort at service where SD Roy’s team and Steve Graham’s International crew both pitched in to help get him back out for the second loop. Pos Driver Co driver Car Class 1 Mike Harris Ben Garrod Citroen C2 MSA 2 Matt Cotton Anthony Godden MG ZR FIA 3 Dale Robertson Paul Beaton MG ZR FIA 4 Tony Simpson Phil Hall MG ZR FIA 5 Mark Gamble Stephen Link Citroen C2 MSA 6 Richard Sykes Simon Taylor Peugeot 106 MSA Pirelli International Rally – Results 1 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX): 1:36:08.3 2 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza N12B): 1:37:22.2 3 Ryan Champion/Craig Thorley (Mitsubishi Lancer EVo 9): 1:39:49.4 4 Wyn Humphreys/ Ally Mackay (Subaru Impreza): 1:41:22.6 5 Conrad Rautenbach/David Senior (Citroen C2): 1:43:01.8 6 Nick Kenny/George Gwynne (Subaru Impreza): 1:46:07.5 7 David Meredith/Jemma Bellingham (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX): 1:47:44.0 8 Rob Gill/Anders Howard (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX): 1:49:35.2 9 Lorna Smith/Joanne Oakey (Suzuki Swift): 1:58:12.0 10 Jason Pritchard/Martin Jones (Citroen C2): 2:05:09.1
PRE EVENT NEWS
19/04/07 GASS READY TO GO IN ‘07 Darren Gass and Neil Shanks begin their assault on the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship with this weekend’s Pirelli International Rally in Carlisle. After a long break since the last 2006 championship round, both Darren and Neil are raring to go. Darren has kept busy with the family business and managed a couple of events in four wheel drive machinery, finishing 4th overall on the Down Rally in a Celica, also taking a late entry on the Aghadowey race circuit rally. Unable to test the regular Super 1600 Fiesta before the Carlisle based Pirelli Rally, he is still keen to post a good result, “Obviously we are all on Pirelli tyres now so that will take a little while to get used to,” said the youngster from Armagh, “But we have had work done on the engine at Jondel who have found a bit more power so we hope to be close to the pace setters. Neil has competed on this event since 2002, so with my experience last year we should be able to get the pace notes right.” The Crozier Motorsport run team is also keen to try the new engine management set-up which promises to make the car more driveable. Despite the engine only being re-fitted last week, Darren is confident for the forthcoming event, “The dark stages on Friday night tend to be quite difficult for everyone so it should give us a chance to settle in without losing too much time. The problems we had with suspension on last year’s event are now sorted and I’m really looking forward to getting back to the Championship.” The team has a varied year planned, with the British series complemented by some outings on Irish tarmac including the possibility of Rally Ireland and Donegal. But closer to home the season gets underway from Carlisle at teatime on Friday, utilising stages in Kielder Forest and returning to the finish in the City Centre on Saturday afternoon. Darren would like to thank Castrol, Dalzells of Markethill, EMC Autopax, PIAA, AC Vehicle Components, Alpha Cam, Killycarn Sand & Gravel, Crozier Motorsport Engineering and ID Graphics for their continuing support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at
17/04/07 BRITISH CHAMPION TO HELP CHAMPION! Former British Rally Champion Jonny Milner has stepped in to help fellow Yorkshireman Ryan Champion's bid for the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship, starting with this weekend's Pirelli International Rally. Despite a successful 2006 with Mitsubishi UK when Champion was runner up in the BRC, he was recently told that he was not part of the manufacturer's plans for this season and was unsure if he would be entering this weekend's opening round. However, seeing as though Milner is not contesting the event due to business commitments, he has given Champion the use of his Merlin International Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Champion, co driven by Craig Thorley, won the Carlisle-based Pirelli International in 2006 and will lead the field into Kielder Forest on Friday as the event gets underway. "I'm very grateful to Jonny for giving me the chance to do the event. It has been a little uncertain over the last few weeks but hopefully we can get the year off to a good start and contest the full Championship. I'm really looking forward to the rally and it should be a great battle at the front" said Ryan who will test the Pine Direct supported car on Thursday in preparation for the event. "I also have to say thank you to Mark Robson at MSR Motorsport in Thirsk for his help in putting this deal together. I'm not going to make any predictions but it would be nice to be on the podium!" The event starts in Carlisle on Friday evening before heading into the fast gravel tests of Kielder Forest before finishing back in the city on Saturday evening. DAVID HIGGINS - PIRELLI PREPARATIONS TQ driver David Higgins and his co-driver Ieuan Thomas are facing the prospect of sitting in their TQ RED Super 2000 car for the first time on the start ramp of the Pirelli International Rally on April 20/21. “The RED crew are doing everything they can and more to try to get the car ready in time for a test,” says David. “But a crucial part hasn’t arrived yet so it’s still being built. But if the part doesn’t arrive soon, RED will fly someone out to pick it up and bring it back to Britain in person so there is no worry about the car not being ready for the rally.” “It’s not an ideal way to start a new season in a new car in a new category, but this time last year I didn’t know I was doing the Pirelli. Then when we got a last minute deal I didn’t have time for a test but we led the rally after the first stage and finished fourth after transmission problems. If we don’t get time for a test, we will go to get points and hope to be on the pace by the second day.” While he waits for his wheels to arrive, David has resorted to rallying indoors on his PS2 and keeping his fitness levels up by spending hours every day running and cycling. David will be joined on the Pirelli International Rally by his TQ RED Rally Team mate Hugh Evans, managing director of David’s sponsor TQ Education and Training. Evans will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer E9. The team is sponsored by TQ, Proflex, PIAA and the Forest Experience Rally School. Pinder / Taylor Join Forces for Pirelli The brand new rally pairing of Shipley West Yorkshire based Luke Pinder (Driver) and Martyn Taylor (Co-Driver) from Kendal will compete together for the first time on next weekends Pirelli National Rally. Both crew members are registered for the “Stars of the Future” Rally Championship which runs alongside several of the British Rally Championship events. With former co driver Kim Baker leaving the team in order to contest the full BRC Pinder was faced with finding a new co driver. “We met Martyn for the first time today (Sunday) and we seemed to get on well so we are looking forward to getting in the car next weekend”. I know that he is a very experienced road rally navigator as well as a very competent co driver. He certainly knows his stuff so I am confident we will work well together”. The car is a Ford Ka, It has been built by Chris Birkbeck and is very special. It has an 1400 Puma kit car engine and a dog box. Pinder is due to spend a full day in the car on Thursday next week in order to set the car up prior to the rally. Pinder said “The Ka is left hand drive, so it is perfect that I will get a full day testing, I have driven plenty of left hand drive cars, but the last time was last July in a Peugeot 206 super cup car in Norway”. The Pirelli will be my first rally since Rally GB, but I have managed to stay sharp with some testing, a couple of magazine photo shoots and some rally school work. I did the Pirelli “Stars” rally last year and was lying 2nd overall in an N1 VW Polo when it broke a driveshaft. The nature of the event is some long very fast stages that should suit the Ka. Having said that the “Stars” championship will be very competitive this year. On the Pirelli there are 3 Citroen C2’s and a Peugeot 106. All of the cars are competitive and all of the drivers have proven ability, it should be a cracking year. Pinder / Taylor will be supported in their campaign by RK Furniture, Sintura, Chris Birkbeck Rallyesport and Leeds based City Transport and Storage Ltd 16/04/07 BHRC preview, round two: Pirelli Historic Rally The second round of the 2007 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will take crews into the vast Kielder forest complex in Northumberland for the Pirelli Historic Rally (20/21 April 2007). A superb 74-car field will gather in Carlisle on Friday as the BHRC heads to Kielder for the first in the modern era of the championship. The crews will tackle four stages on Friday evening and a further four stages on Saturday, starting and finishing with a ceremonial flourish in Carlisle city centre. Category 1 Running first on the road will be the category 1 cars (pre '68) and it is defending champions Patrick Watts and Elgan Davies who are sure to set the pace in their Sunbeam Tiger. Watts has never rallied in Kielder before, but the former touring car racer has proved to be a fast learner and the Tiger should fly. But the car that Watts used last year will also be out as Jonathan Gale has his first run in a Sunbeam Tiger, co-driving by his father Graham. Chasing the Tigers will be a gaggle of Porsches, including Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride and John Keatley/James McKeefry. Nutt and McBride are BHRC regulars, of course, but Keatley and McKeefry are not, so their pace will be watched with interest. Not far behind the Tigers and 911s will be the leading Lotus Cortinas in class B4, with Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson taking on veteran Bob Bean and Malcolm Smithson as well as Philip Atkinson/Simon Coates. In B2, James Stait/Gill Cotton will be tough to beat in their MG Midget, while the Saab 96s will battle in B1. Category 2 Category 2 ('68 to '74) is all about Escort Mk1s and Porsche 911s and it was Richard Tuthill/John Bennie who set the pace on the opening BHRC round, the Robin Hood Stages in March. More very quick Porsches are in the hands of Steven Smith/John Nichols, Sean Lockyear/Chris Wood, Nick Whale/Sally Wood and Cumbrian Paul Drinkall, who is partnered by Chris Sykes. Lining up against the Porsches, and capable of giving the 911s a really hard time, is the Datsun 240Z of Dominic Frattaroli/Cliffy Simmons. Frattaroli reckons it is about 18 years since he rallied in Kielder! The Escort challenge in class C5 is topped by David Stokes/Guy Weaver, who will be chased by Ian Rix/Daniel Stone and Graham Samuel/Tony Phillips. However, the most exciting car in the BHRC also runs in C5 in the form of the Lancia Stratos of Steve Perez/Claire Mole. The Stratos is getting quicker and quicker and if the engine dramas that struck on the Robin Hood are resolved, Steve will fly. After all, he's already won in Kielder this year in his Ford Focus WRC. The class battles in category 2 are always excellent and in C3 it is Russell Morgan/Martin Kenyon who should set the pace after a cracking run on the Robin Hood. Class C2, for the 1600cc cars, will surely be another in the series of sporting battles between John Worthing/Bill Robertson, local aces Ken Forster/John Stanger-Leathes and Vince Bristow/Dean Mitchell. Category 3 New as a full part of the BHRC this season is category 3 for the 197-81 cars and the Ford Escort Mk2 is the car to have. Winner of the main event back in 1991, Jimmy McRae is now loving his time in historics and, partnered by Andy Richardson, will be tough to beat after taking maximum points on the Robin Hood in his Stobart-backed Escort. However, plenty of very quick Escort Mk2s will be lining up to try and beat the veteran Scottish ace. Jason Lepley/Howard Pridmore, Phil and Mick Squires, Grant Shand/David Young, Charlie Taylor/Steve Bielby, James Potter/Bob Stokoe, Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing and defending champions Gareth Lloyd/Ryland James are all very quick in the hugely competitive class D5. The potential pacesetters also include rising Irish star Martin McCormack, partnered by Liam Moynihan for his first foray into Kielder. Championship sponsor Martin Freestone also runs his Escort in D5 and will be competing with Michelle Calvert co-driving for the first time. Ranged against the Escorts will be a brace of Vauxhall Chevettes and the superb Opel Ascona of Steve Magson/Geoff Atkinson. Finally, D3 is a fast-growing class and is an ideal way to get into the BHRC, perhaps with a Pinto-powered Escort. Father and son Mark and Brett Clifford should set the pace, but Chris White/Chris Dewsnap and Chris Shooter/Bev LeGood are some of the other contenders. Fiesta SportingTrophy prepares for KILLER Kielder Round two of the FST UK championship kicks off next Saturday at the Pirelli National Rally based in the border city of Carlisle, with Rally HQ and service+park located at Carlisle Airport. Twenty two registered competitors will tackle the 50 stage miles in the notorious stages of Kielder forest, the largest man+made forest in Europe. The region has a reputation for being a true test of man and machine as the FST regulars will be battling not only against each other but the rugged terrain as well. On the first round of the championship, the Malcolm Wilson Rally, the leading battle was a three+way between 20+year+old Tom Walster from Nottingham, 19+year+old Adam Gould from Bristol and 18+year+old Jonathan Greer from Carryduff, Northern Ireland. After a superb start by Gould and co+driver Simon Sparey, it was Walster with new co+driver Tim Sturla who took advantage of the difficult driving conditions on the final stages to record his First FST win. Gould suffered a puncture on the penultimate stage slipping from first to third behind Ulsterman Greer who was co+driven by Jonny Hart. Of the new drivers to the series, Tom Curtis came out on top. The 25+year+old lad from Newport supported by fellow Welshman, Dai Roberts, used all their experience from competing in the International FST series in 2006 to great effect finishing fifth overall on the classic Lake District stages. 18+year+old Elfyn Evans from Machynlleth also impressed on his debut in the series setting consistently good times whilst learning about the new car to finish sixth. After running as high as third in round one Fraser Jones will be looking to attack next weeks event after final stage mechanical woes last month dropped him back to seventh in the championship. One driver unlucky on the Malcolm Wilson stages but keen to impress on the Pirelli Rally is 18+year+old Alastair Fisher from Enniskillen. Fisher is one of a small number of drivers competing on both the UK and Irish versions of the FST. On the first round in Cumbria, Fisher had to retire, whilst holding a very strong sixth place, with an oil leak from the transmission. With the unit repaired he competed on the recent UAC Easter Rally based around Omagh – the second round of the FST Ireland. After a day+ long battle, Fisher finished an excellent second place overall, only 7.8 seconds off the lead. Kyle Orr, who is registered for both Irish and UK FST championships, missed the Malcolm Wilson Rally as a result of a heavy impact on the Galway Rally, round one of the Irish series. He intends to carry out extensive testing next week in order to gain experience on a loose surface. The 17+year+old from Dromore County Down will be co+driven by John McCay. With the points system being changed for 2007 to favour drivers that win events, the pressure will be on the competitors to push from the first stage! All registered crews will be competing for a prize fund of £23,400 over the course of the year, with the winner on each round taking home £750, going down to £75 for eighth position. At the end of the season the winner will be presented with a Ford Fiesta ST road car and the top two, plus one ‘Wildcard’ from the series, will be given the opportunity to compete head+ to+head with competitors from all over the world at the FST International ShootOut for an opportunity to win a years work experience with the BP Ford World Rally Team. FST first round winner Tom Walster, 20 from Nottingham, said: “I am looking forward to getting through all of the stages as I only did two stages last year and ended my rally in an air ambulance. Hopefully we will be somewhere in the top three as I am thinking of the championship and I know that Kielder can be quite tricky.” Mitsubishi Motors UK Rally Team - Round One Preview The Mitsubishi Motors UK Works Rally Team is delighted to report that, following a successful test last week in Kielder Forest, all signs point to a great start to the season and the opening round of the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship, the Pirelli International Rally on 20th & 21st April. The test saw the Mitsubishi team’s 2007 driver line up of Guy Wilks and Gwyndaf Evans get acquainted with the two brand-new Lancer Evolution IXs they will be using this season. Each covered nearly 200 miles on Wednesday and Thursday with the team consequently delighted to report that although the cars had hardly turned a wheel beforehand, both ran faultlessly throughout the two days, allowing the drivers and engineers to establish excellent set-ups. For Wilks it was his first ever drive in a works Mitsubishi and, more significantly, his first time in a Group N car on a proper forest stage. “I have to admit that I approached the test with some apprehension and made sure I took time to dial myself into the car,” explained Wilks. “However, it didn’t take long before I found that I could really attack the corners when the car was set up how I wanted it – which it is now.” Wilks added: “After such a good test and having been able to spend so much time in the car, I am really looking forward to the Pirelli Rally and I’m very pleased to be with a team which will give me the best chance of winning the British title.” Evans was also delighted with the test and the amount of ground that was covered in the two days. “I’m more than happy with the way things went,” he said. “We were able to spend time getting the car just right and it never missed a beat, which really inspired me with confidence. It was clear right from the start that everyone in the team is committed to the same goal and therefore, I’m pleased to be part of it.” General Manager for Ralliart and Mitsubishi UK motorsport boss Paul Brigden witnessed proceedings last week and was impressed with what he saw: “During the test both drivers fed back masses of information, which really helped our engineers. Its interesting to note that the two cars are now set up almost identically, which allowed us to make significant strides forward with suspension and ECU settings. ADR Motorsport must be praised for preparing the new cars so well and having seen what I did in Kielder last week, I am confident that we go into this season with a very strong team indeed.” Wilks (26) from Darlington, will be partnered by his regular co-driver Phil Pugh from Twyyn, whilst Evans (47) from Dinas Mawddwy, will be reunited with his co-driver who guided him to victory in last year’s Evolution Challenge, Huw Lewis from Machynlleth. The Pirelli Rally is based in Carlisle with all of the event’s 100 competitive miles taking place over the gravel roads of Kielder Forest. Starting at 7.00pm from the City Centre on Friday, there are four timed special stages that evening, with a further nine on Saturday before competitors return to Carlisle for the finish, 24 hours after the rally began. The Cirencester-based Mitsubishi Motors UK rally team is supported by HKS, Pirelli, Sparco, Speedline Corse, PIAA, Ricardo and Performance Friction Brakes. The team’s two Lancer Evolution IXs are built and run on events by ADR Motorsport of Chesterfield. Entry Lists available on Rally Website:
21/03/07 Mitsubishi confirms Guy Wilks for Works Drive Mitsubishi Motors is delighted to announce that Guy Wilks has today signed a season-long contract to drive for its UK Works Rally Team. The 26 year old from Darlington will compete in all six rounds of this year’s Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship, driving one of the team’s Group N (production class) Lancer Evolution IXs. The announcement comes after weeks of speculation as to who would join Gwyndaf Evans, his seat already confirmed by virtue of him winning last year’s Evolution Challenge. Paul Brigden, General Manager for Mitsubishi UK Ralliart, said: "We have taken our time to appoint someone for the second seat to make sure we got the best driver possible. We are therefore delighted that Guy has agreed to join us this year and, together with Gwyndaf, will give us what I believe will be the best chance of achieving our goal, which is to win both the teams and drivers titles." Having accepted the invitation to drive for Mitsubishi, Wilks is excited about the season ahead: “This is a great opportunity for me. With Mitsubishi I now have a real chance to challenge for the British Championship. I’m pleased that the team is happy for me to continue to compete on World events this year, alongside the BRC campaign. I intend to give Mitsubishi 100% to help them to achieve their target of two British titles. I can’t wait to get started!” The team has confirmed that both Wilks and Evans will run on equal status, there being no number-one and number-two driver. Wilks is scheduled to test his car for the first time in April, in readiness for the opening round of the British series. He will be partnered throughout the season by his regular co-driver, Phil Pugh from Gwynedd. The team’s two Lancer Evolution IXs are currently being built by ADR Motorsport of Chesterfield, the company that has prepared all of the works Group N cars since the UK programme began in 2004. ADR is also responsible for running the cars on events and the ongoing development of the Production Class Lancer. 21/03/07 Higgins/Kennedy to Defend BRC title Mark Higgins will chase a fourth Bitish champioship title in a TEG Sport Subaru Impreza N12, The 35-year-old will be a part of a two-car TEG Sport team in the BRC alongside Wyn Humphreys. Both men drove their N12's as course cars on the Malcom Willson Rally last Saturday (3rd of March). "I had to be sure the team and the car could deliver what is needed to win in 2007," said Higgins, who will be attempting to win a third consecutive British title this year. "Its something that has never been done, and the championship will be so tight it's critical I have the best team to work with." Humphreys was top junior driver in the MSA Gravel Rally Championship in 2006 and will be new to the BRC this year. He has reccived driving tuition from Higgins in the past. "With both Mark and Stuart Newby [of TEG Sport] helping advise me this is a chanse to learn from the best in the business," said Humphreys. "I hope i can deliver results, but my focus is to soak up all the information I can during testing and rallies, so by the end of the year we can compare times with Mark and see how we have improved." Higgins will be co-driven by Rory Kennedy, the man who helped him to the BRC title last year. Ally Mackay will Navigate for Humphreys this year. 28/02/07 CARLISLE CLASSIC TO KICK START CHAMPIONSHIP The 2007 Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship kicks of in Cumbria with one of the countries classic events, The Pirelli International Rally, providing the action for the top crews who will descend on Carlisle, plus of course, the hordes of eager enthusiasts who flock to watch their heroes in action. The two day rally will feature a compact route with new and revived stages in the North of Cumbria and in the legendary Kielder Forest, a mecca for rally enthusiasts who this year will have the opportunity to see the cars in action on some night stages, the fearsome “Killer Kielder” in darkness sure to be a stern test for the drivers. The organisers have worked hard to reduce the road mileage of the event and to offer a better stage/road mileage ratio. The rally base will again be in the historic border city of Carlisle and the rally will feature a high profile city centre start, while the central service area will be located at Carlisle Airport where the vast expanse of runways will also host the rally control and media centre. A hugely anticipated bonus for 2007 is the arrival of a brand new event, The Pirelli Historic Rally, which will run in tandem with the International event and will be a round of the prestigious MSA British Historic Rally Championship. The sight and sound of legendary cars from yesteryear such as the Ford Escort BDA’s, Opel Manta’s, Talbot Sunbeam’s and Porsche’s will be a tremendous attraction for spectators and with the historic championship going from strength to strength, a huge turnout is expected. Regulations and Entry Forms available on:
Topics:
Pirelli Rally (BRC)
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