North West Stages (Blackpool) - 8-9 Feb 13

Photos

Posted: February 16, 2013 7:43 AM

pro-rally.co.uk

Bad Luck For Sensational Swift On North West Stages Rally

Posted: February 13, 2013 12:08 PM

Darlington rally driver Paul Swift saw his hopes of a good result disappear when mechanical failure saw him retire after just seven stages of the Legend Fires North West Stages Rally based in Blackpool today.

Along with co-driver David Cox, the defending AS Performance North of England Tarmac Rally and Fuchs Titan Race ANCC Stage Rally Tarmac Champion was hoping to improve on last year's 15th place finish overall but his rally couldn't have got off to a worse start on Friday night when a spin on the opening Trax stage saw the car stranded in mud and by the time the marshals had extracted him, Paul was languishing down in 74th place.

Undeterred, the seven times British champion fought back with a top ten time on the opening Clifton stage to bump himself up to 39th which he followed up with a cracking sixth fastest on the second run in the 2.4 litre Millington Ford Escort Mk2 to elevate himself to 26th overall.

The next two tests were on Blackpool Promenade and in front of the usual massive crowd at the popular resort, Swift scorched to an incredible fourth fastest on each stage to hold an impressive 18th overall at the overnight halt.

Saturday dawned bright but cold and Swift immediately set about making up for lost time as he set a quite simply sensational fastest time on the opening Fleetwood stage to climb to 15th overall but on the very next run through the same stage, a half shaft broke meaning he had to limp out of the stage and into retirement.

A disappointed Paul commented:
"I can't start to describe how I feel as I think we could have made a serious impact on the leaderboard if we hadn't broken the half shaft. I was on the back foot from the start as a silly spin on the very narrow kart track which comprised the opening stage saw us get stuck in the mud and we lost at least a minute. From there, the only way was up and our times were competitive but sadly, on SS7, there was a big bang and we were going nowhere. We've spent a lot of time developing the engine so we now need to look at the transmission as we are producing a lot more power which leads to things like this happening. Right now, I'm off for a pint to help ease the pain!"

Paul's next scheduled event is the Manx National Rally over the weekend of 10/11th May.

Bird Wins North West Stages - 'This One's For Lexi'

Posted: February 13, 2013 12:04 PM

Paul Bird made up for the disappointment of last year to take a comfortable win on this weekend's Legend Fires North West Stages Rally based in Blackpool and immediately dedicated the win to his daughter!

The Langwathby near Penrith driver took the lead after the opening stage on Friday night and was never headed over the next 25 stages as the expected challengers couldn't match the pace of the Fuchs Titan, Rapid Solicitors and Kick Energy-backed Frank Bird Poultry Ford Focus WRC07 driver.

Along with Welsh co driver Aled Davies, the pair held a 41 second lead overnight before gradually increasing their advantage throughout today to reach the Blackpool finish line this evening one minute and 26 seconds ahead of second placed former winner Kevin Procter, who incurred a one minute road penalty on Friday evening.

Last year, Bird was hit with a hefty road penalty of six minutes before recovering to end up fifth but there were no such problems this year for the 2005 National Champion who will again combine selected rallies with his PBM UK team owner duties in MotoGP and British Superbikes.

As well as making up for last year's disappointment, the win signalled the end of Bird's run of three successive retirements when he was leading the Manx and Grizedale Stages before sliding off the road and then co driver Kirsty Riddick sustaining a hand injury at Croft which forced them out of the Jack Frost Rally last month.

More importantly, it's a step in a positive direction for Paul who has recently had some well documented problems in his personal life and also with his health but after losing over three stones in weight over winter after returning to training, he is determined that this is a fresh start.

Paul Bird:
"I'd like to dedicate this win is for my daughter Lexi who I haven't seen recently so I wanted to do it for her. OK, I've had it tough lately but this is the new me and I'm determined to turn things around. I've always wanted to win this rally and this is another achievement in the right direction. Apart from one spin this morning, I've not put a foot wrong and the car was perfect. Aled was simply brilliant on the notes and I can't thank him enough but once we had built a lead, I backed it off as I really wanted to win this. I'm in the best shape I've been in a long time; I feel I'm driving the best I have done in ages so hopefully we can continue in this vein as I'm loving driving the car again."

Results

Posted: February 13, 2013 12:02 PM

1 Paul Bird/Aled Davies - Ford Focus 07 WRC - 1:41:27
2 Kevin Procter/Dave Bellerby - Subaru WRC - 1:42:53
3 Chris Anderson/Chris Thirling - Ford Fiesta - 1:49:26
4 Simon Bowen/Richard Robinson - Subaru Impreza - 1:49:28
5 Bob Grant/Pete Carstairs - Subaru Impreza - 1:49:30
6 Alex Taylor/Cala Sharp - Subaru Forester - 1:49:35
7 Alan Kirby/Lawrence Kirby - Subaru Impreza - 1:49:56
8 Howard Chopping/Ken Bills - Subaru Impreza - 1:50:31
9 Chris Phillips/Sarah Hughes - Peugeot 106 Gti - 1:50:38
10 Andrew Varley/Paul Wild - Ford Escort Cosworth - 1:51:14

North West Stages (Blackpool) - 8-9 Feb 13 - RESULTS

Results on line (North West Stages 2013) | Results by: Tynemouth Computer Services Rally Results

Bird 'Not Here To Finish Second'

Posted: February 8, 2013 12:26 PM

Cumbrian rally driver Paul Bird returns to this weekend's Legend Fires North West Stages Rally in Blackpool pledging to put his misfortune behind him after his fifth place finish on last year's event.

Bird, from Langwathby, produced one of the best drives of his career when he stormed back from 81st overall following a timing error on the opening night to clinch a sensational fifth place overall on his debut.

Now, he's returning and also hoping to end his run of bad luck which has seen him unusually retire from his last three events in the Fuchs Titan, Rapid Solicitors and Kick Energy-backed Frank Bird Poultry Ford Focus WRC07 he'll be sharing with Welsh co driver Aled Davies as regular co driver Kirsty Riddick is still injured following the freak service area accident at Croft recently.

The British Superbike and MotoGP team boss, who was National Rally Champion in 2005, is vowing to give it his all on the popular two-day event which sees many of Britain's top drivers in action.

Paul Bird:
"I'm not going to finish second, that's for sure! I really enjoyed the event last year and that's why I'm back but with the road penalty, it was always going to be tough. This year, I'm the fittest I've been in years and now I have an idea of the stages, I'm going all out for victory. I've drafted Aled in who is one of the most experienced and successful co-drivers around so I'm looking forward to it and to give my old mates Bardy and Procter a run for their money!"

The event gets underway in Blackpool at 18.30 tomorrow (Friday) with a loop of stages in darkness before the overnight halt. The remainder of the 75 stage miles are tackled in daylight on Saturday before the finish at around 18.00 hours. For more information please visit www.nwstages.co.uk and www.pbmuk.net.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: February 7, 2013 12:10 PM

1 Tony Bardy/Neil Colman (Nissan Sunny GTI-R) [D]
2 Paul Bird/Aled Davies (Ford Focus 07 WRC) [D]
3 John Stone/Lee Carter (Skoda Fabia WRC) [D]
4 Kevin Procter/Dave Bellerby (Subaru Impreza WRC) [D]
5 Graham Coffey/John Vance (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10) [D]
6 Nigel Mummery/Fiona Scarrett (Ford Focus WRC) [D]
7 Mark Roberts/Gareth Twiss (Ford Escort RS Cosworth) [D]
8 Chris Anderson/Chris Thirling (Ford Fiesta) [C]
9 Darren Doherty/Andrew Faulkner (Subaru Impreza) [D]
10 Simon Bowen/Richard Robinson (Subaru Impreza) [D]
11 Alex Taylor/Cala Sharp (Subaru Forester) [D]
12 Mark Holmes/Craig Simkess (Rover Metro 6R4) [D]
14 Bob Grant/Pete Carstairs (Subaru Impreza) [D]
15 Nigel Hobson/Tim Hobson (Subaru Impreza N11) [D]
16 Howard Chopping/Ken Bills (Subaru Impreza 555) [D]
17 James Ford/Steve Hartley (Subaru Impreza) [D]
18 Pete Rayner/Richard Bonner (Ford Escort Mk 2) [D]
19 Peter Jackson/Kevin Parkinson (Ford Escort MkII) [D]
20 Paul Swift/David Cox (Ford Escort RS) [C]
21 Andrew Varley/Paul Wild (Ford Escort Cosworth) [D]
22 Jim Sharp/Craig Wallace (Mitsubishi EVO) [D]
23 Adrian Atkinson/Chris Melling (Mitsubishi Evo 6) [D]
24 Adam Taylor/Loic Ditchburn (Ford Fiesta ST) [C]
25 Duncan Taylor/Stephen Graveson (Seat Ibiza) [C]
26 Alan kirby/Lawrence kirby (Subaru Impreza) [D]
27 Keith Richardson/Jackie Richardson (Ford Escort Cosworth) [D]
28 Craig Pennington/Michael Calvert (Mitsubishi Evo) [D]
29 Duncan Wardrop/Ian Crosbie (Subaru Impreza) [D]
30 David Benson/Steven Benson (Honda Civic) [B]
31 Dave Welch/Bridie Hall (Subaru Impreza) [D]
32 Stuart Walker/Julie McGuire (Mitsubishi EVO8) [D]
33 Alistair Hutchinson/StJohn Dykes (Renault Clio LPG) [C]
34 Chris Phillips/Sarah Hughes (Peugeot 106 Gti) [B]
35 Mathew Roberts/Richard Bestwick (Citroen Saxo) [B]
36 Dylan Thomas/Eilir Williams (Peugeot 106) [B]
37 Mark Constantine/Andrew Constantine (Vauxhall Corsa) [A]
38 James Antony Collins/Reginald Marshall (Subaru Impreza) [D]
39 Nick Stamper/Heather Mary Stamper (Subaru Impreza) [D]
40 Llion Owen/Rob Hopewell (Seat Toledo) [C]
41 Philip Ball/Martin Stembridge (Ford Escort Mk1) [C]
42 Derek Blyth/Phil Peak (Subaru Impeza N12B) [D]
43 Mike Axford/Dave Thomason (Ford Fiesta RS) [B]
44 David Greenbank/Garry Green (Subaru Impreza) [D]
45 Mark Bentley/Ed Bentley (Subaru Impreza N12) [D]
46 Barrie Thomson/Jerry Hettrick (Peugeot 106 Group A) [B]
47 Geoff Simpson/Mighty Mick Johnston (MItsubishi Evo 6) [D]
48 Malcolm Davey/Paul Slingsby (Ford Escort Mk1) [B]
49 Barry Grant/Emyr Hall (Peugeot 106) [B]
50 Alan Kitson/Ronald Aspinwall (Sunbeam Imp Sport) [A]
51 Allister Wells/Rob Moore (Subaru Impreza) [D]
52 Matt Griffin/Chris Spilsted (Renault Clio 172) [C]
53 Kevin Williams/Andrew George (Ford Escort mk2) [C]
54 Kev Tennick/Ian Jackson (Peugeot 205) [C]
55 Gary Keenan/William Campbell (Opel Manta) [C]
56 Mark Thompson/Phil Kenny (Peugeot 206 GTI) [C]
57 Garry Houghton/Steve Davies (Toyota Starlet) [C]
58 Drew Barker/Shona Hale (Vauxhall Corsa) [A]
59 Callum.James.Cross/Anthony.John.Cross (Ford Fiesta.XR2) [C]
61 Mark Wiltshire/Adam Dunn (Ford Escort) [D]
62 Dave Fairhurst/Craig Fairhurst (Vauxhall Corsa) [A]
63 Dave Hobson/Matt Hobson (Subaru Impreza init) [D]
64 Philip Jennings/George Jennings (BMW 318 Ti Compact) [C]
65 Brian Harris/Gary Whittington (Peugeot 205 Gti) [C]
66 Andy Reid/Alex Reid (Peugeot 205 Maxi) [C]
67 Ian curwen/Katy mashiter (Vauxhall Nova) [A]
68 Jim McDowall/Charlotte McDowall (Hillman Avenger) [H]
69 Danny Brown/Darren Riley (Nissan Micra) [A]
70 Marcus Tinsley/Rachel Clark (Peugeot 205 Rallye) [A]
71 Jeffrey Simm/Graham Hutchinson (Ford Fiesta zetec) [A]
72 Jon Trenholme/Alison Trenholme (Subaru Impreza) [C]
73 Martin Payne/Sarah Lindsey Payne (Vauxhall Astra) [A]
74 Alex Jackson/Martin Young (Ford KA) [A]
75 Michael Sean Judson/Paul Blanchard (Vauxhall Astra 16v) [C]
76 Paul Stringer/Wayne Montrose (Ford Escort Cosworth) [D]
77 Anthony North/Tom Phillips (Subaru Impreza) [D]
78 Bill Bates/Kari Bosworth (Peugeot 106 Gti) [B]
79 Graham Chesters/Ian Rayner (Talbot Sunbeam) [B]
80 John Cooke/Rob Kershaw (Nissan Almera) [C]
81 Terry Mills/Derek Lord (Subaru Impreza) [D]
82 Robert Stephen Mills/Phillip James Mills (Ford Escort Mk1) [C]
83 Bryan Gibson/Chris Paskin (Ford Escort MK2) [A]
84 Paul Dolan/Chris Purvis (Vauxhall Corsa) [A]
85 Martin Melling/Calum Davidson (Austin Mini Mayfair) [A]
86 Matthew Broadbent/Joe Cruttenden (Volvo 340) [A]
87 Pat Masters/Steve Coombes (Nissan Micra) [F]
88 Hazel Johnson/Steven Butler (Nissan Micra) [F]
89 Peter Jones/Simon Povey (Nissan Micra) [F]
90 Alan Paramore/James Sunderland (Landrover Wolf 300tdi) [L]
91 Curtis McKerlie/Ross Hunter (Landrover Wolf 300TDi) [L]
92 Adam Entwistle/Stacey Hadlum (Landrover Wolf 300TDi) [L]
93 Gari Hazelby/Robert Birch (Landrover Wolf 300TDi) [L]
94 Steve Partridge/Charlotte Thomson (Landrover Wolf 300TDi) [L]

TV Coverage

Posted: January 23, 2013 12:46 PM

2013 Legend Fires North West Stages will be filmed for TV and shown on the Motors TV channel on 22nd Feb at 8pm.

Entries Received

Posted: January 23, 2013 12:45 PM

Available at:

www.rallies.info/webentry/2013/northwest/

Regulations / On Line Entry / Event Website

Posted: December 13, 2012 8:57 AM

• North West Stages Rally