The special award winners in the opening round of the 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Red Kite Stages (Sunday 1 February) have been announced following the rally that also featured the opening rounds of the Motorsport Auctions Welsh Challenge and the Holton Homes Clubmans Challenge.
The Motorsport Auctions Welsh Challenge will be contested over the four gravel rallies and one asphalt event based in Wales and so the early lead has gone to rally winners Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke (Ford Escort Mk2). Builth Wells-based Pritchard was on one of his home events, while Clarke is based just across the border near Ludlow. Pritchard only flew back into the UK on Saturday morning after spending a week working with the Viking Motorsport team on the Classic Rally South Africa, so their last stage victory was even sweeter.
The event was also the first round of the Holton Homes Clubmans Challenge, which is for crews using a maximum of six tyres per rally. The top overall finishers from the strong Clubmans Challenge field were Ben Friend and Sean Kennedy, who had a great run in their Pinto-powered Ford Escort Mk2 to win class D3 and finish 16th overall. Just one second behind them was the Ford Escort Mk2 of Tim Freeman and Paul Williams while Richard Lane and Frank Richer were next up.
The ‘Spirit of the Rally’ product award from Fuchs Lubricants went to Bob Gibbons who made a popular return to rallying in his Ford Cortina Mk2. Co-driven by his son Dale, this was Bob’s first rally since the tragic death of his wife Di last summer. He got back into the swing of rallying and gave the fans a show with his usual sideways style.
Peter Smith and Patrick Walsh collected the award for the ‘Best Improvement on Seeding’, which is a set of axle brake pads from Mintex. They took their Opel Kadett up into tenth place overall after an excellent performance.
Finally, Terry Brown won the ‘Hard Charger’ award of a 20-litre jerry can from Green Valley Industrial Supplies. Despite losing third gear on the opening stage, Brown and Den Golding battled on and narrowly missed overall victory with a mighty charge.
Beveridge stars in WWRS R.A.C. Rally Championship opener
Posted: February 1, 2015 9:47 PM
Ian Beveridge/Paul Price and Philip Burton/Mal Capstick were the major winners on the opening round of the West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship, today’s Red Kite Stages (Sunday 1 February).
While Capstick and Burton marked their championship debut with victory in the Open Category in their Ford Escort Mk2, Beveridge and Price turned in a mighty performance to win Category 1 in their rare Volvo PV544. An inspired tyre choice for the opening snow and ice-bound stage in Crychan set Beveridge on course for victory.
The Red Kite was a great start to the new R.A.C. Championship season and the hard work and professionalism of the organising team at Amman and DMC was rewarded with a fine day’s sport. Great credit is due to all the marshals and officials out on the stages for keeping the event running smoothly in challenging conditions.
Pritchard takes BHRC cliff-hanger on Red Kite Stages
Posted: February 1, 2015 9:45 PM
The 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship got off to an incredible start on today’s Red Kite Stages (Sunday 1 February) as early ice and snow delivered truly challenging conditions. Then, as conditions improved, Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke flew through the final stage to jump from fourth to first as just 15 seconds covered the top five crews.
It was a sensational start to the new season and the fact that the rally run at all is testament to the hard work and professionalism of the organising team at Amman and DMC as well as all the marshals and officials out on the stages.
Pritchard (Ford Escort Mk2) went into the final Caeo stage in fourth place overall behind David Stokes/Guy Weaver (Ford Escort Mk1), Richard Hill/Iwan Jones (Ford Escort Mk2), Terry Brown/Den Golding (Ford Escort Mk2). In just nine miles, the results were turned on their head as Pritchard won from Hill, Brown and Stokes, while Matthew Robinson/Sam Collis grabbed fifth as they also charged back into contention.
With one of many outstanding drives on the rally, Stokes/Weaver won Category 2 and with Pritchard winning Category K, it was Hill who claimed Category 3 spoils. Rikki Proffitt and Graham Wild slithered through the morning ice in Crychan to win Category 1.
Category winners were:
Category 1: Rikki Proffitt/Graham Wild (Porsche 911)
Category 2: David Stokes/Guy Weaver (Ford Escort Mk1)
Category 3: Richard Hill/Iwan Jones (Ford Escort Mk2)
Category K: Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke (Ford Escort Mk2)
West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Championship starts on Red Kite
Posted: January 29, 2015 10:44 AM
The West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship will burst into life on the Red Kite Stages (Sunday 1 February) with the first of eight rounds for the championship aimed at clubman competitors.
The championship, organised by the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club, will run in parallel to the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship and is aimed at the clubmen historic crews as well as those running in the Open Category. With containing costs for clubmen as a prime aim, the championship runs to a six-tyre rule on all events.
The WWRS R.A.C. Championship covers seven first class gravel rallies as well as the Harry Flatters Rally on the asphalt of the Epynt ranges.
Notable contenders lining up this weekend include several Category 1 crews as well as crews from Category 2 and 3 in 1600cc cars, while more contenders are expecting to start their campaigns on round two of the championship, the Mid Wales Stages (Sunday 1 March).
In Category 1, the battle is likely to be between the Lotus Cortinas of Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson and Gwilym Roberts/Don James along with the Volvo PV544 of Ian Beveridge/Paul Price. Category 2 contenders include the Ford Escorts of Malcolm Bayliss/Siobhan Pugh and Stuart Cariss/Linda Cariss, while in Category 3 the contest is between David Hopkins/Tony Vart (Talbot Sunbeam) and Keith Davison/Henry Richardson (Chrysler Avenger).
The Open Category features three leading crews from the 2014 season including defending champions Simon and Alister Crook in their stunning Opel Manta 400. They will be keen to get their title bid off to a strong start after a non-finish a year ago.
Leading the chase of the Crook brothers will be the Ford Escort Mk2 of Barry Stevenson-Wheeler/John Pickavance and Layton Waters/Kevin Bowcott (Toyota Starlet), who won the Open Category on the 2014 Red Kite. However, the real dark horse should be championship newcomer Phil Burton with Mal Capstick co-driving in the very rapid Ford Escort Mk2.
The rally will be based in Llandovery with Rally HQ at the Castle Hotel and the central service area at the adjoining Llandovery Mart. The first car will start at 8.30am on Sunday and return to the finish just after 2pm.
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