Mixed fortunes for Tom Cave on Severn Valley Stages
Posted: June 8, 2011 5:53 PM
This weekend saw yet more frustration for teenage rally driver Tom Cave, as he tackled the Severn Valley Stages rally at the wheel of his Subaru Impreza Group N car. The power steering failed on the first loop of stages and despite excellent performances in the afternoon, he and co-driver Craig Parry were unable to climb any higher than fifth in the limited stage distance.
Once again, it seemed that luck had deserted Tom this weekend. No more than 400 metres into the first of the opening three stages, the power steering on the Impreza failed, a broken pipe eventually diagnosed as the cause.
This meant that Tom was forced to drive the 18 stage miles of the opening loop with no power steering, haemorrhaging time in the process. In fact, by the time the crew returned to service after the first loop of three stages, they were lying 11th overall, more than a minute off the lead.
Once the Davies Motorsport Services technicians had resolved the power steering problem, Tom and Craig launched a flat-out attack on the remaining three stages.
They were third fastest behind a pair of World Rally Cars on the fourth stage, second fastest by just 0.8seconds on the penultimate and took the stage win on the last timed test of the event. This was despite catching the Ford Focus World Rally Car that was running ahead of them on the road and actually stopping within the stage for 10 seconds, as they could not see through the Focus' dust cloud.
By the time they arrived at the finish ramp, they had climbed to fifth overall and third in the Welsh championship class, 53 seconds behind the eventual winner.
Commenting, Tom said; "It was a very frustrating event to begin with, particularly as we knew there was nothing we could do to resolve the problem. We just tried to push on as well as we could but it's such hard work to drive with no power steering and you end up losing so much time.
"I think if there had been a couple more long stages, we might have been able to improve our position even further. But then, you can't keep thinking about 'What Ifs...'. The general pace of the event was very high and I'm pleased with our performance and to get a finish under our belt. That was good for team morale, after a lot of non-finishes recently."
Tom's next event will be this coming weekend (11 June), when he contests the Dukeries Rally, the fifth round of the BTRDA series and taking place in the heart of England, in Sherwood Forest. Tom currently leads the Production Cup of the series, after three dominant wins earlier this season and he will be keen to extend his advantage at the head of the field with another victory.
Barnes wins Porsche Challenge while Tuthill makes class-leading return
Posted: June 7, 2011 2:22 PM
London-based driver Andrew Barnes has won the Tuthill Porsche Challenge classification on the Severn Valley Historic Rally last weekend: a result that has moved him to the head of the driver rankings on the series: the only one-make rally championship for Porsche 911s in the world.
Barnes, co-driven by Guy Simmons, made consistent progress throughout the day’s eight all-gravel stages – many of which are used for Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship – to climb up the order. “It was good fun,” said Barnes. “I’m getting more used to the car now and we had a really solid run today. The stages are absolutely fantastic: it’s a real pleasure to drive on them. It’s been a great weekend and a great day out.”
The event also witnessed the return of Tuthill Porsche director Richard Tuthill to competition after a two-year break. Tuthill, who in the past was a frontrunner in both the British and American Rally Championships, led the Severn Valley Historic Rally overall in his 911 from the morning stages, fighting with the established championship frontrunners.
Tuthill was leading after setting two fastest times on the event but was forced to retire with just two stages to go after picking up two rear punctures.
“It was a pity we had to retire in that way, but I think we proved a point,” said Tuthill. “Our Porsches are capable of battling at the very front of the historic rally field, meaning that our drivers can be in a position to challenge for overall honours as well as the Porsche Challenge prizes. As I’ve not driven competitively for a couple of years the first few stages were a bit wild, but my co-driver Nick Beech did an excellent job and we were soon able to show the speed of the car.”
Porsche Challenge regular John Lloyd was forced to retire at midday service due to illness, while making her debut on the event was Brenda Sullivan: the wife of 1985 Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan. She made excellent progress throughout the day to record a well-deserved finish in her Porsche 911. “I felt more and more confident as the rally went on,” said Sullivan. “These are really great cars to drive: the more you push them the more you get out of them.”
For a fully-inclusive cost of just £42,500, Tuthill Porsche Challenge competitors drive on five rounds of the British Historic Rally Championship in a 3.0-litre Porsche 911 with all expenses covered. The winner at the end of the year gets a fully-funded rally in the FIA European Historic Championship, with a spectating trip to the Safari Rally as second prize, and an ice-driving course in Norway as third prize.
The next round of the Tuthill Porsche Challenge is the Ulster Rally in Northern Ireland from 19-20 August.
BHRC report, round four: Severn Valley Historic Rally
Posted: June 7, 2011 11:50 AM
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.
Rallyfest is being run in conjunction with the Severn Valley National Rally, which is also based at the showground over the same weekend. The events will bring World Championship and British-based rally crews to mid-Wales for a day of action that will highlight the extended four day itinerary of 2011's Wales Rally GB, which runs from 10th to 13th November.
Over the course of the day, open from 11am to 6pm, visitors to Rallyfest will be treated to live demonstrations and static displays by a variety of National, Group B, Historic and Suzuki Swift Rallycross cars, as well as a show by one of Europe's leading stunt drivers, Terry Grant. The Severn Valley National Rally top finishers will also take to the Rallyfest demonstration area at the close of the day.
World Rally Championship teams will be supporting the event with cars and drivers - with rallying fans being given the opportunity to get autographs signed throughout the day. Official merchandise and clothing from World Rally Championship teams and Wales Rally GB will also be on sale.
As well as the cars, there will be a wealth of entertainment for the whole family, including live music, local food and drink and face-painting. Gaming and software company, Codemasters, will be showcasing the brand new rallying game for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC - Dirt 3 (released 24th May 2011), while Virtual Eventz will be providing driving simulators and Scalextric tracks for 'wannabe' rally fans and racers to have a go themselves.
Children's entertainment will be provided by circus skills workshop company, Circus Dayze, and face-painting artist Looby-Lou, while Crazy Castle Hire will be bringing a bouncy castle to the event. While the kids have fun, adults can relax in the live music marquee with Birmingham-based Indie-rock band, The Breaking Ties, who will be previewing their new EP before its official launch on 3rd July.
Rallyfest 2011, supported by the Severn Valley National Rally, Powys Council and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, is free to attend. The Royal Welsh Showground is easily accessible via all major motorway networks (the M5 from the Midlands, the M6 and M56 from the North West, the M4 and M5 from the South West, London and the South East and the M42 and M5 from the North).
Wales Rally GB 2011 will be run over four days and will start with an opening test on the Great Orme on Thursday 10th November, taking in much of Wales, before finishing in Cardiff on Sunday 13th November.
BHRC preview, round four: Severn Valley National Historic Rally
Posted: May 30, 2011 2:48 PM
A fabulous 70-car entry will gather in Builth Wells on Saturday (4 June) for round four of the Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Severn Valley National Historic Rally.
The final gravel rally before the summer break and a switch to asphalt will pit crews against classic Welsh forest stages at a time when the overall title contest is building nicely.
Simon Wallis and Graham Wride will lead category one away in their Lotus Cortina, while David Stokes and Guy Weaver are first on the road in category two in their Ford Escort Mk1. In category three, the Ford Escort Mk2 of Julian Reynolds and Ian Oakey will lead the way.
Category 1
Category one - for the pre '68 cars - is providing some tremendous competition this season and it is the Lotus Cortina of Wallis and Wride that has set a mighty pace on the gravel events to date. But they have plenty of rivals, including current category leaders Rikki Proffitt and John Stanger-Leathes in their Porsche 911. Consistently strong pace has put Proffitt and Stanger-Leathes to the top of the overall BHRC standings after three rallies and they are determined to maintain that title bid over the balance of the season.
Following Wallis into the stages will be the ever-spectacular Volvo Amazon of Graham Waite and Gill Cotton, which should fly on these stages despite its power disadvantage, while Paul Mankin and Peter Scott are overdue a good result after a run of engine drama to date this season.
It has been a trying year to date for former champions Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in their Porsche 911. They have struggled to find their regular form over the opening three rallies, so will be aiming for a return to front-running pace on the Severn Valley.
There will be domestic rivalry in category one as Gwilym Roberts is co-driven by Debby Myers in his Lotus Cortina and Nick Pinkett is partnered by Debby's husband Hugh in his Saab 96. Meanwhile, brothers John and Stephen Moxon venture onto Welsh gravel with their Volvo Amazon and Edmund Peel and Janet Craine field their Porsche 911.
Category 2
The contest at the head of category two for the cars from 1968 to 1974 should be one of the best of the rally with three Escort Mk1s going head to head. Stokes and Weaver currently have the upper hand with three victories from three rallies, but they are under major attack by Rupert Lomax/David Alcock and Stefaan Stouf/Joris Erard.
Lomax has suffered some bad luck so far but has the pace to win, while Stouf is getting quicker and quicker as his experience of the Welsh forests builds. Stokes remains a formidable benchmark, but he knows he will need another maximum attack to fend off his challengers. Other front runners in class C5 include Chris Browne and Liz Jordan in their Escort Mk1 and the similar car of Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne.
The contest for class C3 is without Andrew Siddall this time as he is away competing on Rally Barbados, but there should still be a great contest between the Escorts of Tim Jones/Don James and Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing. Chasing them will be BHRC newcomers Mark Holmes and Tony Lindsay in their Escort Mk1, while brothers James and David Young should be quick. Taking the fight to the Escorts will be the BMW 2002 Ti of Terry Cree and Richard Shores.
Class C2, for the 1600cc cars, will be a battle between the Escort Mk1s of Nick Danks/Martin Corbett, Rex Ireland/Adrian Scadding and David Kirby/Sean Kennedy, while the Lancia Fulvia of Steve and Tony Graham runs in class C1. The Lancia will again run at the tail of the category one pack.
Category 3
The contest at the head of category three for the 1975-1981 cars has been dominated by two crews to date this season and this event will mark another instalment in the fabulous battle between the Ford Escort Mk2s of Nick Elliott/Chris Brooks and Reynolds/Oakey. Both crews are performing superbly this season and there will be little to choose between them again over these classic Welsh stages.
However, the chasing pack is working hard to close the gap to Elliott and Reynolds and a gaggle of quick Escorts will be in hot pursuit, headed by Will Onions/Dave Williams. More rapid Escorts are campaigned by Tim Pearcey/Neil Shanks, Alan Walker/Jez Rogers, Richard Lane/Frank Richer, Nick Woodman/Simon Mills and Gareth Lloyd/Ryland James.
But category three is not just about Escorts and three cars from class D4 stand out as big threats the Fords. Making a welcome return to competition will be Richard Tuthill in a Porsche 911 and he could just be the man to take the fight to Elliott and Reynolds. Back after engine problems on the opening rally of the season is the Vauxhall Chevette of Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman, while the Opel Ascona of Steve Magson/Geoff Atkinson should also be right up there.
In class D3, the Escort Mk2 of Stuart Clarke/Andy Ballantyne should set the pace, battling hard with the non-BHRC registered car of Guy Woodcock/Hu Kent, while Shawn Rayner and Declan Dear will be aiming to close in further on the class pacesetters.
The 1600cc Escort Mk2 of Vince Bristow and Tim Sayer will start alone in class D2, but their aim will be to beat as many more powerful cars as possible.
Tuthill returns to the driving seat on Severn Valley Rally
Posted: May 26, 2011 9:14 PM
Historic Porsche specialist Richard Tuthill is returning to rallying after two years out of the driving seat to take on the pace-setting Escorts on the Severn Valley National Historic Rally (Saturday June 4).
The event, based in Builth Wells in mid-Wales, marks the third round of the new-for-2011 Tuthill Porsche Challenge and also counts as round four of the Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship. Tuthill’s last appearance on a stage rally was in 2009, with his last outing in the British Championship in 2007.
In fact, it was on the Severn Valley that Tuthill, managing director of Tuthill Porsche, the foremost preparation firm for historic Porsche rally cars, last competed, winning the event in his 3.0 litre Porsche 911 in 2007.
The Oxfordshire resident knows that winning the rally again will present a tough challenge, but is keen to discover the level of pace in the Historic championship, which is being dominated by Julian Reynolds and Nick Elliot in their Escorts.
“I always set out in a rally with the aim of winning but I think this may be too much to ask this time,” said Tuthill. “I haven’t driven a rally car competitively for more than two years and I know the pace will be pretty fast out there. I’m not expecting to win, but the pressure will be on; I am unbeaten in the UK so have a lot to live up to.”
Richard will be among five other drivers in Tuthill-prepared Porsches on the gravel event. Brenda Sullivan, wife of the 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan, will drive with support from the Tuthill team for the first time. Regulars Dessie Nutt and Edmund Peel will be competing alongside Tuthill Porsche Challenge competitors Andrew Barnes and John Lloyd in their 3.0 litre historic-specification 911s.
Tuthill continues: “The Severn Valley Rally is a great event and I’m also delighted to welcome Brenda Sullivan to the team. Not only is it fantastic to have the wife of a legend like Danny on board, but it’s great to have a female behind the wheel of a historic Porsche.”
He continued: “I’m also really pleased with how the Challenge is going. We’ve seen great drives from John Lloyd and Andrew Barnes so far this season and have been lucky enough to have Francois Delacour and Jimmy McRae involved too.”
The Severn Valley Rally covers some of the most challenging and fast flowing special stages Wales has to offer, which feature on Britain’s round of the world championship, Wales Rally GB. The event is based at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells and features 53 competitive miles over eight special stages. The first driver will leave the start in Builth Wells at approximately 0820hrs on Saturday June 4.
Tuthill will be co-driven by ex British rally champion Nick Beech, with whom he drove with in the USA for Hyundai, they will start the event with competition number 266.
For an all-inclusive fee Tuthill Porsche Challenge competitors will have the use of a Challenge-specification 3.0-litre Tuthill Porsche on all remaining rounds of the series, with all costs, including maintenance, consumables, accommodation, entry fees and insurance, fully covered. The winner will receive a fully-paid entry in an FIA European Historic Rally Championship round, using one of Tuthill Porsche’s full-specification 3.0-litre Porsche 911s.
Joe Shinnors (Jnr) & Derry Healy to compete in Severn Valley
Posted: May 24, 2011 12:28 PM
Joe Shinnors (Jnr) and Derry Healy are seeded at 28 for the 2001 Severn Valley Rally/
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