Rally of the Midlands Nuneaton (asphalt) - 21 Jun 08

BTRDA ASPHALT RALLY SERIES - WELCH AT THE DOUBLE!..

Posted: June 22, 2008 10:58 PM

2nd place overall on the TRINITY HYUNDAI RALLY OF THE MIDLANDS has given MARK WELCH (Ford Escort Cosworth) his second consecutive maximum score in the Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series. Co-driven by ANDY WYNN who is also contesting the MSA Asphalt Championship with Roland Jones, Welch put in a well-judged performance in less than ideal conditions to move up to 4th overall in the Drivers’ points table with an event ‘in hand’.

Intermittent heavy rain made tyre choice critical throughout the weekend as the stages were, at times, very slippery. A 16-mile stage within the confines of MIRA was used three times during the event and Welch posted two 2nd fastest times and one 3rd to keep his pursuers at a relatively safe distance!

The current owners of the Ford Focus STI which won last year’s Rally of the Midlands outright, CHRIS JONES/RICHARD WILLIAMS finished 5th overall – from a start number of 18 – and, in the process, moved into the lead of the BTRDA Series at the halfway stage. Bearing in mind, Chris is still getting used to his ‘new’ car, he was awarded the John Price Rallying ‘Star Drive’ salver for his efforts over the weekend.

The Rally of the Midlands was split into two legs – six stages on the Friday evening and a further thirteen on Saturday. As crews retired to their digs on Friday night, GARY LE COADOU/PAUL HOLLINGHAM topped the time sheets in their Toyota Celica GT4. Fastest times on both the runs through the stage in the centre of Hinckley had seen to it that they would start the second leg, for which the entire entry was reseeded, at the front. However, it all went wrong on the first run through MIRA when the inside of the Toyota misted up, causing a necessary easing-off in their pace. They surrendered their lead to finish an eventual sixth, but are still in 2nd position in the BTRDA Series, just two points off the lead.

GRAHAM MUTER/STEPHEN PRINCE put in another giant-killing performance to bring their 1300cc Ford Escort into 9th overall, and an unsurprising class win!… Three excellent finishes from three starts put them into 3rd in the points, but they now have Mark Welch breathing down their necks!

Half-a-minute behind the Escort, GARY BARLOW/NICK CHAPMAN (Vauxhall Nova) also made the Top Ten, even after a lurid spin at MIRA following an excursion on to the grass during an overtaking manoeuvre!

PAUL KENDRICK/ANTON BIRD (Chrysler Sunbeam) have lost none of the verve that saw them finish in the runners-up spot in the 2007 BTRDA Asphalt Series. Retaining their 100% finishing record (which began at the start of last season), they brought their 1600cc car back into Hinckley not only in 12th overall but also in a class-winning position.

Having got itself wedged between two gateposts in Merevale, the Subaru Impreza of PETE DONNACHIE/PHIL ROWLEY was looking less than pristine, but it was points that they were after – and points they got! Reliability does not appear to be an issue for NIGEL KILLERBY/COLIN WATSON whose Mitsubishi Lancer EVO5 returned home with another fistful of points after its best finish of the season so far.

Nigel is a mere one point ahead of SARA WILLIAMS whose Honda Civic Type ‘R’ now has a healthy lead in its class. In spite of being held up by a preceding car that had spun and got stuck at one point, she has also finished three out of three and is 6th in the overall points table.

With his usual Ford Escort MkI still in a large number of pieces, series sponsor RICHARD EGGER was forced to sit this one out, but his wife PAT had hitched a ride in Robert Whitehouse’s Lancia Delta Integrale. A finish in the points now puts her higher up than Richard in the overall tables which will, doubtless, give rise to tension at the dinner table!…

Moving on to those who, unfortunately, did not feature in the list of classified finishers, SIMON SELBY/HAYLEY HENDERSON were the first to go in their Austin Seven. Unspecified bothers put them out during Friday evening, whilst the others waited until Saturday to post retirements!

The first run through MIRA on Saturday morning was not a good place to be if you were in a Peugeot 205 – both PAUL BOXALL/TERESA BUTLER and TOM BYE/PETE HOWES started the stage, but didn’t finish it, while CRAIG JOSE/CHRIS HOWELLS made it to the fourth run through Mallory Park before broken suspension put their 205 out of the running.

JOHN HARLAND was 2nd overall on the 2007 Rally of the Midlands in his Darrian T90 GTR but, with PAUL PRICE pointing the way, the watersplash at MIRA proved to be their undoing. A large amount of water got into the power steering pump’s electrics, and that was that!

Having broken a gearbox mounting on the start line of the opening stage, TIM SEIPEL/MARTIN HAGGETT had tip-toed through the opening leg, hoping not to cause any more damage to their MG ZR. They succeeded but, when a driveshaft broke on SS14, there was no way back for them and retirement ensued.

Contenders for the Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series now have a break of a couple of months before they reconvene on the Builth Wells-based Eventsigns Mewla National Rally on Sunday 24th August. With the introduction of the Patriot Stages at Caerwent a month later, followed by the season-closing Keith Knox Stages in mid-October, the respite will be welcomed by many!…

Full Results and Times

Posted: June 22, 2008 10:55 PM

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BTRDA ASPHALT RALLY SERIES - MIDLANDS MARK MID-POINT!...

Posted: June 17, 2008 1:23 PM

From its last appearance at Millbrook, in Bedfordshire, the Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series moves north to Hinckley on Friday 20th June for the start of the TRINITY HYUNDAI RALLY OF THE MIDLANDS. Marking the halfway point of the series, the capacity entry once again sees almost all the series registered contenders heading for the Leicestershire town except, of course, leader after the opening round, CHRIS DAVIS, who is recuperating after an accident at Millbrook.

Inseparable at the top of the Drivers’ points table after two rounds are GARY LE COADOU (Toyota Celica GT4) and CHRIS JONES (Ford Focus STI) who are joint leaders. It is worthy of note that the original owner of the hybrid Focus STI, Andy Barker, won the 2007 Rally of the Midlands outright in the car!… Their respective co-drivers, PAUL HOLLINGHAM & RICHARD WILLIAMS, are just one point apart at this stage.

Top scorer last time out, MARK WELCH (Ford Escort Cosworth) will be hoping to carry on where he left off, while two exceptional runs from GRAHAH MUTER/ STEPHEN PRINCE in their 1300cc Ford Escort have put them in 3rd place in the table. Similarly, PAUL BOXALL/TERESA BUTLER (Peugeot 205) not only lead their class (C3) but are also 4th overall, ahead of Welsh teenager SARA WILLIAMS (Honda Civic Type ‘R’).

NIGEL KILLERBY/COLIN WATSON are 6th in the overall table and third in class in their AVO UK Mitsubishi Lancer EVO5 while JOHN HARLAND (Darrian T90 GTR), co-driven by PAUL PRICE, took the runner-up spot on Rally of the Midlands last year. Following a retirement at Millbrook, he really needs another good result to put his season back on track, as do PETE DONNACHIE/PHIL ROWLEY (Subaru Impreza). They were an early casualty on the opening round on the Epynt Ranges, but survived the rigours of Millbrook to open their account in the four-wheel drive Class S.

No-one scored any points in the up to 1600cc Class C2 on Epynt, but then TIM SEIPEL/MARTIN HAGGETT (MG ZR) & PAUL KENDRICK/ANTON BIRD (Talbot Sunbeam) arrive in Hinckley in 1st & 2nd places, ready to reopen their battle for series points.

CRAIG JOSE/CHRIS HOWELLS (Peugeot 205) make the trip up from their homes in Cornwall while TOM BYE/PETE HOWES (Peugeot 205) will be leaving the South Devon traffic behind as they journey north to start the rally. BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series sponsor RICHARD EGGER (Ford Escort MkI) has somewhat less of a journey from Leicester! Richard and his wife PAT normally rally together but, on this occasion, she has had her head turned by a Lancia Delta Integrale and will be sitting alongside ROBERT WHITEHOUSE….

Better known for their exploits on gravel, GARY BARLOW/NICK CHAPMAN (Vauxhall Nova) joined the series at Millbrook, acquitting themselves admirably, and SIMON SELBY put his Austin Seven into a points-scoring position on the same event. For the Rally of the Midlands, his sister, HAYLEY HENDERSON, joins him once again in the co-driver’s seat.

In a variation to the normal format, the Rally of the Midlands kicks off with six stages on the Friday evening, including two runs through the spectator stage in the centre of Hinckley. Saturday then features a full day’s sport before a finish at teatime. Rally HQ will be at Marstons Stadium, the home of Hinckley United Football Club where the central service area will also be located.

Regulations Available

Posted: January 28, 2008 10:41 PM

Rally of the Midlands

• 2008 MSA Asphalt Rally Championship & BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series.