Jonathan Greer/Dai Roberts (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9)
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Posted: October 27, 2008 5:57 PM
Greer's Season Ends On A High
Posted: October 27, 2008 5:52 PM
Five Driver’s could have clinched the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge title at the final round the Bulldog Rally held in Oswestry, Unfortunately young up and coming Driver Jonathan Greer was not one of them after a luckless challenge campaign his aim for the weekend was to gather some valuable experience.
With a strong championship finish out of the question it was debated by Jonathan whether to attend the rally but the temptation of a free entry, his prize for winning last years ANCRO clubman championship along with the addition of the Bulldog to the British Championship Calendar for 2009 were the deciding factors.
The 65 mile event using stages in the North of Wales was held on Saturday 18th October and saw a blistering pace set by the Evo challenge competitors all fighting for the championship honours. Jonathan managed a trouble free run, something that had been a rare occurrence as of late to end the day 4th in the Evolution challenge and in doing so equalling his best result to date. The top moment of the day was second fastest in the challenge on the final stage.
20 year old Mechanic Jonny stated “The event was very enjoyable, I am very happy with some of our stage times although it took us a while to really get going, it is good to end the season on a high note”
With the Evolution challenge over for 2008 and the final round of the British Rally Championship being Rally GB which is a stretch of budget for the team last weekends event was Jonny’s last of the season, and his focus now turns towards 2009
“we have looked long and hard at contesting Rally GB, with our current championship position in 4th it is unlikely that we will be able to influence the result of the championship and will instead be competing hoping other competitors run into problems, which is not the way we want to enter the rally. So the decision has been taken to miss it and look towards 2009”
Jonny would like to thank Toyota Materials Handling, Carryduff Forklift and BOTT LTD for their continued support.
Barry overcomes the odds to finish a spirited second
Posted: October 22, 2008 4:36 PM
Eniskerry rally driver Daniel Barry, together with his co-driver Martin Brady from Navan, ended their season on a high when they finished second in the final round of this year’s Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge, the Bulldog Rally. The result enabled Daniel to end the season third in the highly-competitive one-make Mitsubishi series and allowed Martin to secure the Champion Co-driver’s title.
Following accidents in his previous two gravel rallies, Daniel was a little apprehensive before last weekend’s event, especially as he was still recovering from an injury to his hand for which he had been receiving special Cryotherapy (extreme-cold treatment) in order to speed up the healing process.
Added to this, the damage sustained to his Mitsubishi in the Rally Yorkshire at the end of September meant that Daniel and his team had hired a replacement Evo IX for the event, ironically the car in which Martin had co-driven for the first half of the year.
The Bulldog Rally featured 65 miles split into six stages on the gravel roads of the north-Wales forests. Needing to get his confidence back, Daniel started the rally cautiously, but still emerged from the first stage fourth in the Evo Challenge standings.
Gradually increasing his pace, he then moved up to third following the second stage and could have easily taken second place on the third stage, but when he saw the leading Mitsubishi had crashed out, his concentration wavered. But he was now a lot more comfortable with his pace and having got used to his change of car, Daniel and co-driver Martin felt capable of going even faster in the afternoon’s three remaining stages – which they did.
With just one stage left to go, Daniel found himself just 2.5 seconds behind Neil McCance who he would need to beat in order to finish third in the championship. Mustering his determination for a final charge, Daniel went on to snatch second place by 2.7 seconds and in fact ended the rally only 7.6 seconds off the leader!
“Following the problems of the past few events I’m really pleased with the result”, said Daniel. “If I had not started the rally so cautiously then I’m fairly certain we could have been in with a chance of winning, but I went to the event to do a job – and that was to get to the finish safely in the highest position possible. Therefore, I achieved what I set out to do and I’m satisfied with that.”
Daniel’s result sees him finish third in the final Evolution Challenge standings, third in Group N in the Pirelli MSA National Gravel Championship and also win the PIAA Junior Award for under 25 year-old drivers.
He and the Barry Motorsport team now look towards 2009 and are already building a new Mitsubishi Lancer in readiness for next season.
Daniel’s 2008 campaign was supported by: Tech-Plus, Irish Shipping and Transport, BPI Telecom, Henco under-floor heating and SC Signs.
UK Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Elsmore wins as Bogie becomes Champion
Posted: October 20, 2008 12:25 PM
David Bogie crossed the line of this weekend’s Bulldog Rally to finish fifth in the final round of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge and, in doing so, became the 2008 Champion. Nik Elsmore did all he could to secure the title by being the first Mitsubishi home but, by ending the season on exactly the same points total, Bogie claims the series victory by virtue of scoring more highly on the opening round.
Starting and finishing in Oswestry, with all of the event’s six stages and 65 competitive miles taking place in the north-Wales forests, the Bulldog Rally provided the arena for this year’s Evolution Challenge finale. As well as Bogie and Elsmore, three other drivers were in with a mathematical chance of taking the title, Neil McCance, Daniel Barry and Keith Cronin.
Knowing that he would have to win and for others to falter if he was to succeed, Cronin was on a mission right from the start and went through the first stage a staggering 31.7 seconds quicker than his closest rival McCance. His pace was such that he also held second place overall! However, the other potential Champions were in hot pursuit, with Elsmore just 0.1 second further down and Barry a slender 1.2 seconds behind him.
But where was Bogie? A rock-hard brake pedal and almost no brakes meant he lost nearly a minute to the leader and most significantly he had dropped to seventh place. However, things went better on the next stage and he passed Tom Naughton and Evo Challenge returnee Jonny Greer to grasp the all-important fifth place.
As cars entered the first service halt in Dolgellau, the time sheets showed Cronin still out in front with Elsmore now 45.2 seconds behind in second. Barry was third, McCance fourth and then Bogie, who was now able to get his brakes checked by his team.
With a comfortable lead, Cronin set off on SS3 intent on not taking any risks, but even at his slightly reduced pace he was caught out on a deceptive bend two-thirds through the stage, when the car slid straight on, dropped into a ditch and slowly rolled onto its roof. Although only superficial damage was sustained, his Mitsubishi was stuck-fast and his excellent run had come to an end.
Also retiring in the same stage was Tom Naughton who admitted he was struggling to understand the pace notes, his American co-driver’s accent proving to strong on occasions. He too left the road and was unable to continue.
At the second service halt after stage three it was now Elsmore who held the lead by ten seconds from McCance and then Barry, who was just a further two seconds behind. Next came Greer who had passed Bogie, but with Cronin out it didn’t matter, the young Scot admitting he had now backed off to ensure he made it to the finish in fifth place, as he was unlikely to be caught by Johnathan Sparks in sixth who was now nursing his overheating car to the finish.
But the drama wasn’t over and, as he exited stage four, Bogie became aware that his car’s head gasket had started to leak, causing him to drive with one eye on the temperature gauge for the remainder of the event.
Positions at the front of the Evo Challenge field stayed the same for SS4 and SS5, but on the sixth and final stage, a final push by Barry saw him edge ahead of McCance to take second place behind Elsmore, who was a little disappointed not to become champion, but very pleased with his day’s work.
“I did all I could to take the title by winning today, but it depended on David (Bogie) finishing sixth or lower”, said Elsmore. “I’m not too disappointed though, as the event has gone really well and the car ran perfectly. It’s been an excellent season and great to be battling for the title right up to the end, so I’m looking forward to coming back for more next season.”
Crossing the line in fifth place, a delighted and relieved Bogie said: “That was close! At one point I thought I wasn’t going to make it, so as soon as I got into fifth place I just took it steady. It was really difficult to know what speed to drive and I would like to have been up there with the rest battling for position today, but I came here to do a job and I’m delighted to win the Evo Challenge title.”
Bogie will now go on to receive his award, which has recently been announced as a works drive in this year’s rally GB. However, Mitsubishi is currently looking at other options, details of which will be confirmed in the next few weeks.
The Bulldog Rally also saw the conclusion of the Co-drivers Championship, the title going to Martin Brady, who partnered Richard Cathcart earlier in the season before joining Daniel Barry for the final two rounds. The outcome also sees Barry take the PIAA Junior Award for under 25-year old drivers and Elsmore win the Performance Friction Brakes Cup..
The 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is backed by Mitsubishi Motors UK and Ralliart, with support from its associate sponsors: Pirelli tyres, Speedline Corse wheels, Sparco racewear, Performance Friction Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, ADR Motorsport, Walkinshaw Performance and PIAA lights, who sponsor the junior award for under 25 year old drivers.
Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Round Seven
Results
1 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Craig Drew (Bream) 1:02:19.3
2 Daniel Barry (Enniskerry)/Martin Brady (Navan) 1:02:26.9
3 Neil McCance (Comber)/Graham Hopewell (Worcester) 1:02:29.6 4 Jonathan Greer (Carryduff)/Dai Roberts (Camarthen) 1:03:22.7
5 David Bogie (Dumfries)/Kevin Rae (Hawick) 1:04:11.2
6 Jonathan Sparks (Glastonbury)/Chris Davies (Abergavenny) 1:09:34.8
Retirements
SS3 Keith Cronin (Cork)/Greg Shinnors (Limerick) Accident
SS3 Thomas Naughton (Bury)/Alex Kihurani (USA) Accident
DODD MAKES IT FOUR IN WALES!
Posted: October 19, 2008 8:05 PM
Poole driver Marcus Dodd made rallying history this weekend as he won the Bulldog Rally and in doing so, became Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Champion for the fourth time.
Together with Manx co-driver Andrew Bargery, the HPM Motorsport crew had a dramatic run up to the rally. Piston failure in testing prior to the rally meant that Dodd had less than 24 hours to find a car in which to contest the Oswestry based event. Step forward fellow HPM Motorsport driver Peter Egerton, who owns an identical Hyundai Accent WRC4 to Marcus.
Egerton offered Marcus his car for the event and the car was despatched from the Poole workshops to Oswestry overnight. With suspension and brake settings adjusted to suit Marcus it was all set for action in the classic forests of North Wales. In a style befitting a champion, Dodd hit the ground running by taking fastest time on the first three stages, building a comfortable lead over his nearest rival. The championship situation entering the final round meant that Dodd and Bargery had to take maximum points in order to be champions. Only a win would do!
The Flitewise, Pirelli and Revolution Wheels backed Hyundai was in complete control at the head of the field. Marcus wasn’t pushing too hard but was content to be doing ‘enough’ to keep ahead of the chasing pack. Rival Steve Perez did his best to up the ante over the final three stages with some fast times but by then Marcus was already in cruise mode as he throttled back the Hyundai in slippery conditions. Marcus was able to coast through the final stage in Dyfnant forest to take a 32 second victory from Perez, and in doing so, won the Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship for a record breaking fourth time.
Dodd was both happy and relieved at the finish back in Oswestry:
“I was beginning to think luck was against me this year! We had a huge lead on the penultimate round in Yorkshire only for the engine to fail in the last stage. To then have another engine problem in testing prior to the Bulldog Rally really did suggest that this wouldn’t be our year. I can’t begin to thank Peter Egerton enough for loaning me his car at the last minute. It was a very generous gesture and I’m pleased we were able to bring the car home in one piece for Peter. We really owe him one!
I’d also like to thank Flitewise, Pirelli Tyres and Revolution Wheels for their support during the season, and of course Andrew for his efforts during the year. In particular I would like to say a huge thank you to all the guys at HPM Motorsport for their efforts in running the cars this year and their efforts and sleepless nights over the weekend of the Bulldog Rally. It was well worth it! I’m really delighted to be the first person to have won the championship four times and it’s great to make it back to back wins as well. The competition gets tougher each year so I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to get the job done again!”
Further information on the Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship can be found at www.gravelrally.co.uk. Further information on the HPM Motorsport Championship winning Hyundai Accent WRC’s can be found at www.hpmmotorsport.co.uk – including opportunities for sale and hire for the 2009 season.
PEREZ CLAIMS SECOND ON BULLDOG
Posted: October 19, 2008 7:41 PM
Kick Energy rally driver Steve Perez rounded off the 2008 MSA Pirelli Gravel Rally Championship with a fighting second place on today's Bulldog Rally which was based in Oswestry.
Driving the 2005 Ford Focus WRC with Paul Spooner on the notes, the Chesterfield businessman dropped time on the opening stage in Dyfnant due to an incorrect tyre choice in the muddy conditions and also an overshoot but by SS3, the former ANCRO Champion was back on the pace and up to second as he chased champion-elect Marcus Dodd in the Hyundai Accent WRC.
Perez continued his relentless pursuit of Dodd and despite setting fastest time on two of the final three stages; he couldn't quite bridge the gap and ended up just over half a minute behind winner Dodd, who claimed the championship as a result.
For Perez, despite missing three rounds of the series as he recovered from injuries sustained last winter on the East African Safari Rally and also missing the Severn Valley Stages which clashed with the Barbados Rally, he secured sixth in the overall standings and second in class A8.
"We were on the wrong tyres this morning, we should have started on mud tyres, but we started going better and things went much better on the final three stages. I'm happy with the result, I would have liked to have pushed Marcus more but well done to him he's a worthy champion" said Steve at the finish.
Perez now turns his attentions to the Roger Albert Clark Rally which takes place next month, whereby he'll be tackling the event as usual in his VK Lancia Stratos whereafter he will contest Wales Rally GB in the Ford Focus WRC.
DODD WINS BULLDOG AND CLAIMS MSA PIRELLI TITLE
Posted: October 19, 2008 7:39 PM
Marcus Dodd took a record-breaking fourth ANCRO title as he sealed the 2008 Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship crown after winning the final round of the series with today's Bulldog Rally.
With series leader Jon Ingram absent as he cared for his wife following a recent horse riding accident, nothing less than a victory would suffice for Dodd and co-driver Andrew Bargery as the title went right down to the wire.
Needing maximum points in their Hyundai Accent WRC, Dodd and Bargery didn't falter as the crew set the pace from the outset and never looked back, posting fastest times over three of the six stages to win the 65 stage mile event outright and in doing so, added to the title which Dodd won in 2000, 2001 and again in 2007.
In winning the championship by the slenderest of margins - one point - the pair beat the Ford Focus WRC of former champion Steve Perez and co-driver Paul Spooner by 32.2 seconds on the Oswestry-based event with the Subaru Impreza WRC of Julian Reynolds and Patrick Walsh in third.
"It's great to win again and take the record. I'm really grateful to Pete Egerton for lending me the car," said Dodd, whose regular Hyundai cracked a piston on Thursday, so he borrowed customer Egerton's for the event.
"It's been an up and down season but we're here and I'm delighted with today's victory and with the championship win."
However, Dodd had a concerning moment when the right front hub collapsed on the final stage but made it round to claim his third Bulldog Rally win. Reynolds and Walsh also had a heart-stopping moment when their Impreza suffered an engine management problem on leaving the second service.
Nik Elsmore and Craig Drew were fourth in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 after earlier taking a wrong slot on stage one and took the Group N victory in the process.
Irish duo Daniel Barry and Martin Brady claimed fifth in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 after a problem-free run, followed by Neil McCance and Graham Hopewell in their Evo.
Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson were seventh in their Hyundai Accent WRC after a difficult day. They lost their brakes towards the end of stage three before the hydraulics failed, seeing them drop down the order from sixth. Charlie Payne and Jamie Edwards were eighth in their Evo 9 after struggling through the first two stages with a loose wheel bearing as Jonny Greer and Dai Roberts followed them home in their Evo 9.
Scottish crew David Bogie and Kevin Rae wrapped up the honours in the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge and the Production Cup as they finished 10th overall despite having a problem with the brakes early on.
Roger Duckworth and Mark Broomfield had to settle for 11th despite setting the pace on stage two in their Impreza WRC. They also took the wrong turn on stage one but a puncture on stage three put paid to them making up any lost time as they had to stop five miles into the fifteen-mile test to change the tyre, losing around three minutes.
Ford Fiesta crew Kit and Tim Leigh won the Two-Wheel Drives on the event as Andrew Coley and Dan Pearce claimed the class A6 honours in the series in their Peugeot 206.
Irishmen Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors were unfortunate as they retired on stage three after leaving the road whilst in an impressive second place overall in their Evo 9.
In the ANCRO Rally Challenge Dave and Bryan Hull took the honours in their Proton Satria as they finished 41st overall.
The ANCRO Championship will return next year whilst the ANCRO Rally Challenge's final round takes place in two weeks time on the Malton Forest Rally on Sunday 2nd November.
Fresh from his 10th overall in Corsica with Barry Clark, Paul Nagle has been called up to co-drive for Mark Higgins in the MG 2000 this weekend.
ANCRO Preview - JON INGRAM TO MISS BULLDOG RALLY AS MARCUS DODD EYES RECORD-BREAKING FOURTH ANCRO CROWN
Posted: October 14, 2008 12:46 PM
The answers to any remaining questions will be revealed come Saturday evening when the 2008 MSA Pirelli Gravel Rally Championship reaches its conclusion with this weekend's Bulldog Rally which gets underway in Oswestry.
And the battle for the overall driver's and co-driver's titles will go right down to the wire, especially given the extraordinary circumstances in which the leading to contenders have found themselves in.
Altrincham property developer, Jon Ingram and co driver Ian Allsop, was the model of consistency in the opening five rounds, finishing all of them in his Subaru WRC, including a win and three second places. However, following his wife suffering a serious accident just prior to the Trackrod rally last month, he withdrew and given he is still caring for her, he will not compete on this weekend's event either.
Ingram's absence means that triple ANCRO champion Marcus Dodd, and co driver Andrew Bargery, will be hoping to secure a record-breaking fourth crown to add to the ones he won in 2000, 2001 and 2007.
But following a dramatic final stage on the Trackrod, when the Hyundai Accent WRC ground to a halt on the final stage in Yorkshire when leading, it means nothing short of a win will do for the Poole businessman.
The dropped scores permutations means that if Dodd scores maximum ANCRO points on the Wolverhampton & South Staffs car club event, he will pip Ingram by a single point, but if he finishes second behind another ANCRO crew, he will lose it by two points meaning Ingram would be crowned champion in his absence!
Despite winning the event twice in the past, the last time being in 2001, Dodd's task is going to be no easy one, especially with the level of entry that has been attracted. Former champion Steve Perez will be a major threat in the classic mid-Welsh forests in his 2005-specification Ford Focus WRC, as will another ex champion, Roger Duckworth, in his Subaru and late entries Charlie Payne (Mitsubishi WRC) and Julian Reynolds (Subaru WRC).
Other contenders for overall honours include the likes of Dave Weston (Ford Focus WRC) and Mark Higgins (MG Super 2000 Sport) but with them not being registered for the ANCRO Championship, it means Dodd doesn't have to win outright, he just needs to finish top ANCRO-points scorer!
There is similar drama set to unfold in the battle to become the 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Champion, which is also set to be decided on the Bulldog Rally.
Currently sharing the championship lead are David Bogie and Nik Elsmore, both drivers tying on 44 points. With three Evo Challenge wins under his belt this season, Bogie is best placed to lift the crown and can do so by finishing fifth or higher.
However, it's never that easy and drivers often say that competing at a less than flat-out pace can lead to lapses in concentration, so the pressure is on for the young Scot.
With competitors having to drop a score from one of the championship's seven rounds it means that Elsmore, who has finished all the events so far, starts the Bulldog Rally in the knowledge that he will have to drop at least six points. Therefore, he has to cross the line ahead of the rest and is relying on Bogie, who has already dropped a score, not to finish.
As well as hosting the two major championships, the various classes within the series will also be decided. Mirroring the Evo Challenge, either Elsmore or Bogie will be crowned Production Cup winner with Stephen Petch (Hyundai Accent WRC) set to do battle with Bogie for the Junior Driver title. Nathan Crewe and John Connor (MGZR) have already boxed off the Two Wheel Drive Challenge although Harry Dodd and Rod Bennett have still got to claim zimmer-frame rights in the Prima Motorsports 'Old Stagers' class!
Bennett and Andrew Coley (Peugeot 206) are tied on points in Class A6, whereas Kit and Tim Leigh have secured Class B12 and co driver Kevin Rae heads the Production Cup and N4 categories in his respective classes.
The event also is the penultimate round of the ANCRO Rally Challenge.
Dodd will lead the cars away from Bulldog Rally Base in Oswestry at 08.00 before tackling six stages totalling 65 stage miles before retuning to the finish around 16.30.
Further details of the event are available at www.bulldog-rally.co.uk or for information on the 2008 MSA Gravel Rally Championship, please visit www.gravelrally.co.uk
UK Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Who dares wins!
Posted: October 14, 2008 11:29 AM
The battle to become 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Champion has come down to 65 miles within the six special stages of the seventh and final round, the North-Wales based Bulldog Rally, which takes place on Saturday 18th October.
Currently sharing the championship lead are David Bogie and Nik Elsmore, both drivers tying on 44 points. With three Evo Challenge wins under his belt this season, Bogie is best placed to lift the crown and can do so by finishing fifth or higher. However, it’s never that easy and drivers often say that competing at a less than flat-out pace can lead to lapses in concentration – so the pressure is on for the young Scot.
With competitors having to drop a score from one of the championship’s seven rounds it means that Elsmore, who has finished all the events so far, starts the Bulldog Rally in the knowledge that he will have to drop at least six points. Therefore, he has to cross the line ahead of the rest and is relying on Bogie, who has already dropped a score, not to finish.
With Richard Cathcart withdrawing from the championship, the trio of remaining contenders for the Evo Challenge title are Neil McCance (38 points), Daniel Barry (36 points) and Keith Cronin (36 points). All three are relying on Bogie not getting to the finish and will need to be at the front of the field in order to become champion.
Although not having enough points accrued to bid for the title, Thomas Naughton and Jonathan Sparks will be seeing their seasons’ out and, if any of the drivers battling at the front allow the pressure to get to them, then there is a good chance that these two stalwarts of the championship may well end their year with an excellent result.
It should not be forgotten that the battle to become the Evolution Challenge Champion Co-driver is also to be fought out next weekend, the aspirants for this category being Martin Brady and Kevin Rae.
The rally also hosts the conclusion of the PIAA Junior Award for under 25 year old drivers, Bogie, Cronin and Barry being the eligible candidates for the prize. The event also provides the finale of the Performance Friction Brakes Cup, which is currently led by Elsmore.
The Bulldog Rally starts and finishes in Oswestry, with the competitive element taking place in the forests near Dolgellau. The event is also the final round of the Pirelli MSA National Gravel Championship, which sees an overall entry of 42 cars, the Evolution Challenge representing 17% of the field.
The 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is backed by Mitsubishi Motors UK and Ralliart, with support from its associate sponsors: Pirelli tyres, Speedline Corse wheels, Sparco racewear, Performance Friction Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, ADR Motorsport, Walkinshaw Performance and PIAA lights, who sponsor the junior award for under 25 year old drivers.
Announced in August, the Evolution Challenge continues to offer its champion one of the best prizes in British Motorsport, the winner of the 2008 series being given an official works drive in this year’s Wales Rally GB in a brand new Group N Evolution X. The winning driver will also be considered for selection when details are announced about Mitsubishi’s 2009 works campaign.
Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Round Seven Entries – not necessarily in starting order
8 Keith Cronin (Cork)/Greg Shinnors (Limerick) J
9 David Bogie (Dumfries)/Kevin Rae (Hawick) J
10 Neil McCance (Comber)/Graham Hopewell (Worcester)
17 Thomas Naughton (Bury)/Horace Saville (Bury)
19 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Craig Drew (Bream)
20 Jonathan Sparks (Glastonbury)/Chris Davies (Abergavenny)
TBC Daniel Barry (Enniskerry)/Martin Brady (Navan) J
J = Junior Driver
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