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Malcom Wilson - 01 Mar 08Posted: March 20, 2008 12:33 PM - 7939 Hits
Round 2 - 2008 BTRDA Rally Championship
Scottish driver Bogie wins Malcolm Wilson RallyPosted: March 20, 2008 1:33 PM
Dumfries driver David Bogie claimed his first victory on the Malcolm Wilson Rally as he won the Cumbria-based event on Saturday (1 March).
Full ResultsPosted: March 2, 2008 8:39 PM
PRE EVENT NEWS
28/02/08 HECTIC WEEKEND IN STORE FOR BIRDY Hot on the heels of his teams points scoring results last weekend in the 2008 World Superbike Championship in Qatar, Vent Axia VK Honda team owner Paul Bird has another busy weekend planned. Spaniard Gregorio Lavilla left the Losail Circuit with a 13th and 14th place finish to show for his efforts despite some minor problems and he and the rest of the team are bound for Australia where the Phillip Island circuit hosts the next two rounds on Sunday (March 2nd) But team boss Bird isnt making the trip Down Under as after taking a couple of days off in Dubai, he is returning back home to Penrith in order to contest the Malcolm Wilson Rally in his native Cumbria on Saturday (1st March). Birdy has won the event three times in the past (2004, 2006 & 2007) and is aiming to make it a record-equalling four victories which is held by Bill Dobie going back 25 years. The Subaru WRC that hell be using, which will be unveiled at the start of the event, has been re-branded in the new teams corporate colours of red and black with backing from Vent Axia and VKs new energy drink, Kick 26/02/08 Fiesta SportingTrophy UK has the ‘green light’ for 2008 The third year of the Fiesta SportingTrophy (FST) UK kicks off on 1 March 2008 with the Malcolm Wilson Rally based in Cockermouth, Cumbria, at the headquarters of M& Sport in the heart of the English Lakes District. Registered competitors will tackle 45 stage miles in the classic forests of Hobcarton, Comb, Wythop, Greystoke and Grisedale. With several competitors returning as well as many new registrations it looks as though it will be another exciting and closely fought series. The championship is once again supported by Chesterfield)based Global Brands Limited through the ‘Vodka Kick’ brand. 2008 also sees the introduction of two new important sponsors. The Malcolm Wilson Rally will be the first test for the new technical partner, Pirelli, who will supply the ‘control’ tyre for the series. Pirelli are strong supporters of motorsport in the UK and this will be the first event of a long)term agreement that sees a number of benefits to FST competitors. The second change is the incorporation of environmentally friendly bioethanol E85 as the control fuel for the series. The fuel, supplied by series supporter Greenergy, improves the car’s performance as well as offering a reduction in CO2. 2007 saw a close battle for the overall series win with Jonathan Greer from Northern Ireland eventually taking the title. With the drivers returning to the series for a second or even a third year, as well as new drivers coming to the series for the first time, there are so many talented drivers in the championship that the winner for the first round is almost impossible to predict. Among the series contenders is returnee Alastair Fisher from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Fisher (19) finished second in the 2007 series and he will use the same car he rallied with such success in the 2007 FST series in Ireland. Fisher’s pace in the UK series last year improved all season and he will be looking to go one step better in 2008. Elfyn Evans (19) from Machynlleth, Mid)Wales, returns for a second year in the championship. With new team GEMsport overseen by his father, former Ford factory driver Gwyndaf Evans, Elfyn is expected to perform well in search of his first FST UK victory. Elfyn also has a new team)mate in the form of Meilyr Evans, the two)car team is expected to be a real championship contender. Northern Irish driver Liam Regan (20) from Belfast, returns to mount an attack on the series with a brand new car. Regan finished a solid fifth overall in 2007 and is expected to improve on this in 2008. Co)driving for Regan will be the experienced Neil Dashfield who is a former co)driver to championship sponsor Steve Perez (VK). James Everard (22) from Hull is another driver returning to the series. Everard has been working hard over the closed season with tuition from top rally drivers hoping that this will give him the speed he needs to take his first overall win in the series and improve on his sixth place from 2007. He also has a new co)driver in the form of Sam Collis. Two returning competitors making the trip across the water from Ireland are Barry Greer (20) from Carryduff and Kyle Orr (18) from Dromore. Greer is the brother of last year’s winner Jonathan and is tackling the whole of the UK series and attempting to keep the title in the family. Orr also returns for the whole series and looks to complete all events after an unfortunate accident in Ireland in 2007 meant that the UK series could not be completed past round two. 2008 also sees a group of new drivers joining the series including Steven Brown and Kris Hall. Both these drivers have stepped into the series as members of the MSA British Rally Academy and will use the FST UK to enhance their training and development alongside the MSA British Rally Scheme. Prior to the first round registered contenders will be able to take part in a pre)season test/training event organised for the FST crews. Drivers will get a chance to test their cars at the M)Sport Greystoke test facility on Thursday before the event and then on Friday undertake a series of physical tuition, sports psychology with Hugh Richards from the Edinburgh University Sports Science Department and co)driver training from Glenn Patterson – a tutor with the MSA British Rally Academy and former J)WRC co)driver. All registered crews will be competing for a prize fund of £17,550 over the course of the year, with the winner on each round taking home £750, decreasing to £75 for eighth position – a total of £2,925 on each round of the series. At the end of the season the winner will choose between a Ford Fiesta road car or an M)Sport funded drive on the FIA World Rally Championship event, Wales Rally GB 2008. In addition one ‘wildcard’ from the series will also be given the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Adam Gould, by competing head)to)head with competitors from all over the world at the FST International Shootout, for an opportunity to win a year’s contract with the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team. Andrew Wheatley, Business Manager, M"Sport said: “There have been a number of small tweaks to the programme during the off)season which we hope will have reduced the costs for competitors and increased the overall competitiveness of the series. The incorporation of the new Greenergy E85 bioethanol fuel is a positive step for motorsport as a whole and the change to Pirelli tyres has given us as the series promoters some great opportunities going forward. The enthusiastic support of Steve Perez through the VK brand is also going to really benefit competitors going forward into the new season. We are really excited to see that the championship will once again be fiercely competitive with rallies fought over seconds – exactly the type of situation that we envisaged when the series started in 2006.” Entry list on event website: |
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