MSA ASPHALT - KYNASTON & DAVIS LEAD THE WAY ON EPYNT!…
Posted: March 20, 2008 12:40 PM
2006 MSA Asphalt Rally Champions DAVID KYNASTON/ANDY RUSSELL (Audi A3 Quattro) finished in 2nd place overall on the John Price Rallying Tour of Epynt, the opening round of the Richard Egger Insurance MSA Asphalt Rally Championship, at the weekend to lead the points table at this early stage.
Meanwhile, a Top 10 finish for the Darrian T90 of CHRIS DAVIS/BRANDON PARKER puts them into a similar position in the Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series.
The combined Championships were responsible for almost 50% of the 95-car entry on the Port Talbot Motor Club-organised event and, as ever, competitors experienced a whole range of fortunes!
In amongst a class field, event sponsors JOHN & CAROLINE PRICE brought their MG Metro 6R4 home in 5th place to claim 2nd in the Championship points, while former MSA Gravel Champions DAVID MANN/ALUN COOK (Subaru Impreza WRC) opened their account with an impressive 7th. This was the Norfolk driver’s first run over the Epynt Ranges in a World Rally Car and, in the company of many who have far more experience of the unforgiving roads, the result was all the more commendable!
DAVIS/PARKER were 9th while another crew with very limited Epynt mileage, ANDY FENWICK/LEE TINDALL, completed the Top 10 in their Skoda Octavia WRC.
Just a handful of seconds behind the Skoda, SIMON MAUGER/BRIAN CAMMACK were the first two-wheel drive MSA Championship-registered crew home in their Ford Escort RS, narrowly edging out defending Asphalt Champion STEVE SIMPSON (Hyundai Accent WRC) for 11th place. Indeed, Simpson, JOHN STONE/LEE CARTER (MG Metro 6R4) and GRAHAM HOLLIS/ASHLEY TRIMBLE (Ford Escort RS) were all separated by less than 15 seconds after 75 miles of competition.
Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9s held sway in Group N, with CHRIS & JO TOOZE winning the category, both on the event and in the MSA Championship, from ROB TOUT.
2007 BTRDA Series winners ADRIAN SPENCER/MARK HEWITT (Subaru Impreza) have moved up to the MSA Championship this season and, in spite of inadvertently driving over a marshal’s foot at one point (well, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it was inadvertently!..), put in a solid finish to open their account in the points.
Second place in the BTRDA Series went to CHRIS JONES/RICHARD WILLIAMS who are the current owners of the Ford Focus STI that led last year’s series for a while. 2007 runner-up GARY LE COADOU was third with PAUL HOLLINGHAM in his Toyota Celica GT4, while GRAHAM MUTER/STEPHEN PRINCE had an extremely quick run over the Ranges in their 1300cc Ford Escort to finish just ahead of the Darrian T90 of JOHN HARLAND/PAUL PRICE whose performance was blighted by the addition of a road penalty.
The ‘John Price Rallying Star Drive’ salver was awarded to TRACEY-LOUISE MUIR who is embarking on her first season of Asphalt Championship events and had travelled all the way south from her home in Peterhead to contest the Tour of Epynt. First in Championship Class B9 in her Citroen AX, co-driven by husband GARRY, was a very creditable result on territory that was totally alien to both of them!
Unusually, on an event that is notoriously hard on transmissions, especially in the dry, only two of the original Top 20 starters failed to make the finish. This will be of absolutely no comfort to CHRIS MARSHALL/SIMON HUNTER whose Mitsubishi Lancer EVO5 disappeared during the second loop of stages.
The next event in the MSA Asphalt Rally Championship is the RBS International Manx Rally on 9/10th May, whilst contenders for the BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series don’t have so long to wait as they will reconvene in Camborne for the Tour of Cornwall on 5th April.
Full Results
Posted: March 2, 2008 8:57 PM
PRE EVENT NEWS
- MSA ASPHALT RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
& BTRDA ASPHALT RALLY SERIES PREVIEW
- Top 10
- Unseeded list of Entries available
- Regulations available
21/02/08
MSA ASPHALT RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
& BTRDA ASPHALT RALLY SERIES PREVIEW
The ‘John Price Rallying’ Tour of Epynt opens both the 2008 Richard Egger Insurance MSA Asphalt Rally Championship and Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series on Sunday 2nd March and, following the torrential rain that dogged the progress of last year’s event, the organisers, Port Talbot Motor Club Ltd, are hoping for somewhat drier conditions this time!
The first of four special stage rallies each year to utilise the Epynt Military Ranges, in the Brecon Beacons, has attracted a quality entry which includes the MSA Asphalt Rally Champions for the past three seasons. STEVE SIMPSON (Hyundai Accent WRC) begins the defence of his 2007 title in the presence of DAVID KYNASTON (Audi A3 Quattro), who claimed it the previous year, and event sponsor JOHN PRICE (MG Metro 6R4) whose record-breaking 12th National Asphalt Rally Championship crown came in 2005.
Simpson & Price battled to the last in 2007, with the nod eventually going to the former by the narrowest of margins. Taking the final Championship podium place behind them was TOMMI GRAHAM (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) and he, too, will be taking his place in the line-up in Llandovery once again.
A newcomer to the MSA Asphalt Championship, but no stranger to UK rallying, is former MSA Gravel Rally Champion DAVID MANN (Subaru Impreza WRC99). He and co-driver ALUN COOK are both familiar with the stages on Epynt and, looking further ahead, are past winners of the second round of the series, the RBS International Manx Rally.
2007 Group N champions NICK JAMES/BILL ROBERTSON are back in a yet-to-be-nominated car, while CHRIS & JO TOOZE have forsaken their 2006 category and class-winning Vauxhall Corsa and are returning in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9 as they attempt to put their name on the ‘production’ trophy.
JOHN MARSHALL (Subaru Impreza) is one of several drivers who will be making the long journey from north of the border. John is from Dunblane, while RYAN BORTHWICK will be bringing his Peugeot 206 from his home in Melrose. However, in terms of distance travelled, TRACEY-LOUISE MUIR (Citroen AX) wins the prize on this occasion as she travels to Llandovery from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire.
Contenders for the Front-Wheel Drive category include the Top 3 from last year - RICHARD CLEWS (Peugeot 106), PAUL HAREWOOD (Vauxhall Astra GSI) & RICHARD BUTLER (Honda Civic Type R) – and they are joined by DAVE WEST (Peugeot 306 Maxi) this time.
Meanwhile, the Rear-Wheel Drive contingent are led by GEOFF GLOVER (Vauxhall Astra RWD), with IAN COPPING (Ford Fiesta RWD) no doubt in close attendance.
Championship stalwart MARTIN NEWSON begins another season in his MG ZR and has the similar car of newcomer ROLAND JONES for company.
The winners of the 2007 BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series, ADRIAN SPENCER/ MARK HEWITT (Subaru Impreza), have moved up to the MSA Championship for the new season, leaving us to speculate on their possible successors!
Prior to the start of the final round of last year’s Championship, GARY LE COADOU (Toyota Celica GT4) was the only driver in a position to deny Spencer/Hewitt the title. Things didn’t go according to plan, but Gary and co-driver PAUL HOLLINGHAM are back once again and, with the experience gained from events last year, should be up there once again.
Also registering again are CHRIS DAVIS/BRANDON PARKER who, apart from a maximum score at Millbrook, had a miserable season in their Darrian T90 and are surely due some better luck in 2008!… Darrians are a force to be reckoned with on asphalt and a second one, in the hands of COLIN & MARTIN HAGGETT, begins the season on Epynt.
For a while last year Andy Barker’s Ford Focus STI was showing the opposition a clean pair of heels and the car’s current owner, CHRIS JONES, is hoping that he and co-driver RICHARD WILLIAMS will be able to emulate its past success.
PETE DONNACHIE & ELIOT DUNMORE/SUSANNA KENNISTON will be contesting Class S in their respective Subaru Imprezas and, restricting themselves to two-wheel drive, series sponsor RICHARD EGGER and his wife PAT will be venturing on to the Epynt Ranges in their Historic Ford Escort MkI.
BYE/PETE HOWES & CRAIG JOSE/CHRIS HOWELLS both have Peugeot 205s and GRAHAM MUTER will be chasing honours in the 1400cc class in his Ford Escort.
The Top 10 Starters on the John Price Rallying Tour of Epynt are as follows :
1 Steve Simpson/Patrick Walsh Hyundai Accent WRC
2 John Dalton/Gwynfor Jones Darrian T90 GTR
3 David Kynaston/Andy Russell Audi A3 Quattro
4 Peter Lloyd/Graham Handley Subaru Impreza WRC
5 Eian Pritchard/Martin Jones Subaru Impreza WRC
6 Bob Fowden/Kevin Lewis Subaru Impreza
7 John Price/Caroline Price MG Metro 6R4
8 David Mann/Alun Cook Subaru Impreza WRC99
9 John Stone/Lee Carter MG Metro 6R4
10 John Indri/Dave Engwell MG Metro 6R4
Spectators are welcomed on the ‘John Price Rallying’ Tour of Epynt, although they are asked to access the rally ONLY via the ‘Dual Carriageway’ from the A40 at Llywel. A charge per car will be levied and proceeds will go the Air Ambulance of Wales in recognition of the vital work the service can – and does – provide to motorsport in times of emergency.
The first car leaves the start at 9.00am on Sunday 2nd March and arrives back at the finish in Llandovery at 4.00pm that afternoon.
There will be 10 special stages in total and, for the first two laps, the centre road will be closed by the organisers as an experiment with the army. Consequently, Dixies Corner will be used competitively for SS1 (09.05) & SS3 (10.25). Following the completion of SS3, the road reopens for normal through traffic until 14.30 when it is closed again for SS10. Diversions will be in force whenever the road is closed.
Unseeded list of Entries available
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