Woodpecker / Sixty & Worcestershire National Rally - 4 Sep 10

Milner Wins 2010 MSA Gravel Rally Championship

Posted: September 4, 2010 10:33 PM

Former double British Rally Champion Jonny Milner and co driver Ian Windress took maximum championship points on the Sixty & Worcestershire National Rally today to take their third victory of the season and in doing so wrapped up the 2010 MSA Gravel Rally Championship with one round remaining.

Needing a victory in the National A element of the penultimate round of the ANCRO-organised series, Milner, the 2002 and 2003 British Rally Champion, was only sixth fastest through the opening stage of the Ludlow-based event and by contrast, championship rivals Roger Duckworth (Silverstone) and Nick Broomfield (Towcester) were some five seconds faster in their Subaru Impreza WRC.

Duckworth was a further two seconds quicker through the 8.76 miles of High Vinnalls and by first service held a slim six second advantage over Milner. However by the end of the seventh test the title was all but decided when Duckworth was sidelined with a broken gearbox leaving Milner with a 12 second cushion over Charlie Payne (Ripon) and Craig Thorley (York) in their Ford Focus WRC.

Milner and Windress needed those maximum points to secure the title with a round to spare but their task was only made easier when Payne suffered clutch failure on the start line of the penultimate stage. Whilst Payne and Thorley were able to complete the route the time loss ensured that Milner would end the day 15 seconds ahead and with the 25 points that he needed to take the championship victory.

In the Production Class category the Subaru Impreza N10 of Alex Allingham (Stalybridge) and Mark Glennerster (Wanborough) triumphed over the Mitsubishi Evo 9 of season long rivals Tom Naughton (Bury) and Horace Saville (Bury) to move one step closer towards taking the Production Class crown. The pair only requires a podium position on the season-ending Trackrod National Rally to secure their second major title in succession after winning the BTRDA Production Class in 2009.

A number of championship contenders had more than their fair share of dramas during the day. Stephen Petch (Hamsterley) and John Richardson (Northallerton) spent the morning quite literally in a spin when they began the event with the wrong compound tyres on their Hyundai Accent WRC. Their day did not improve when the pair suffered a broken exhaust manifold and when the turbo failed during the final loop of stages the pair were relieved just to see the finish ramp. Likewise Nigel Seabold (Headley) and Tim Barton (Epson) had a fraught day in their Subaru Impreza when first their launch control button fell off the dashboard and then the pair had issues with their intercooler spray, but were very happy to finish their first Gravel Championship event of the year.

Robert Cholmondeley (Barnt Green) and Dave Evans (Leeds) took maximum points in the Viking Ford Escort Challenge by virtue of being the only starters in the category.

Milner's day wasn't without its problems and a puncture threatened to spoil their hopes late on but the end result is that Milner goes into his local event, the Trackrod National Rally later this month, knowing the title is safe meaning he can enjoy his favourite stages in the Yorkshire forests.

Jonny Milner:
"I felt that there was more pressure on me today than when I won the BRC! I was struggling with a long brake pedal in the morning but we did what we had to for the championship and now I'm looking forward to going flat out in Yorkshire!"

Charlie Payne:
"I really enjoyed the stages today. We had a small off-road excursion on the one stage where we ran wide and went into the undergrowth, I was waiting for a big bang but thankfully we just popped back onto the road again! The locals really know this event so I challenge them to come to Yorkshire so we can try and even the score!"

Alex Allingham:
"We lost a lot of time with a front puncture on one of the morning stages which was pretty frustrating and then we had an issue with hanging dust as well but all in all it's been a great day out in the woods."

Woodpecker Win Sees Perez Clinch BTRDA Championship

Posted: September 4, 2010 10:31 PM

Driving the BTR-prepared ex Marcus Gronholm Ford Focus WRC07 and partnered by Welsh co driver Paul Spooner as normal, the Chesterfield ace set fastest time on six out of seven stages on the Ludlow-based event to take the win by nearly a minute ahead of nearest rivals Roger Chilman Jnr and Andrew Sankey (Subaru).

The pair reported no problems throughout the 45-stage mile event organised by Sixty & Worcestershire Motor Club Ltd which got underway when they stopped the clocks six seconds to the good over Roger Duckworth on the opening stage in Bringewood. The next stage in High Vinnalls saw the pair extend their lead to 23 seconds and they added another three seconds to their advantage in Hopton.

Following the Cwn y Gerwyn test, Perez's lead was up to 41 seconds and another three were added following Ednol Hill. Into the last two tests and Perez was eyeing victory and the one second he dropped to Chilman on Wigmore was addressed when he set fastest time by ten seconds on the final stage in Haye Park to cross the finish ramp 59 seconds ahead of Chilman.

Perez's fourth victory of the campaign, adding today's win to that of the Malcolm Wilson, Dukeries and Quinton, means he doesn't need to contest the final round of the series, The Cambrian Rally in North Wales next month, and the result sees Perez add the prestigious BTRDA title to that of his 2003 British Historic Rally Championship and the 2004 MSA National Rally Championship.

"The BTRDA series is where I first started competing in the sport as a co-driver so it means a lot to me to win it as a driver. After the problems we had on the opening round, when we were excluded for displaying the championship decals incorrectly, I made sure all was above board as I didn't want to miss out this time. We had a trouble free run and I had to make sure we made no mistakes today which is what we did. It's been a tough season and the car has been faultless, my thanks go to Tim Ashton and his team and also to Paul for doing a great job. I'm going to enjoy a couple of drinks tonight and then think about what to do next year which will probably involve a lot more events in the Lancia Stratos."

Results

Posted: September 4, 2010 10:26 PM

1 Steve Perez/Paul Spooner - Ford Focus WRC - 0:44:41
2 Roger Chilman Jnr/Andrew Sankey - Subaru Impreza - 0:45:40
3 Nigel Griffiths/Jon Scott - Subaru Impreza - 0:45:52
4 Jonny Milner/Ian Windress - Toyota Corrolla WRC - 0:46:03
5 Charlie Payne/Craig Thorley - Ford Focus WRC - 0:46:18
6 John Lloyd/Adrian Cavenagh - Ford Focus WRC - 0:46:30
7 Alex Allingham/Mark Glennerster - Subaru Impreza - 0:46:57
8 Tom Naughton/Horace Saville - Mitsubishi Evo IX - 0:47:04
9 Stephen Petch/John Richardson - Hyundai Accent WRC - 0:47:33
10 Gary Cooper/Jon Riley - Subaru Impreza - 0:47:33

Woodpecker Rally 2010 - Full Results and Times

Tynemouth Computer Services Rally Results | BTRDA RALLY SERIES

Three events in three different rally cars for Tom Cave

Posted: September 4, 2010 11:40 AM

September will be a particularly busy month for teenage rally driver Tom Cave. The youngster from Aberdovey will contest two rallies and appear at RallyDay, the UK's premier rally event, at the wheel of three very different rally cars, including his S2000 Proton Satria Neo and two Group N cars.

His first foray will be this weekend, when he tackles the Woodpecker Stages rally in the Group N Subaru N10 which he used to clinch his first ever outright rally win on the Coracle Stages. Tom and co-driver Craig Parry are seeded ninth overall and second car in N4, based on their performance on the Coracle Stages. The one-day event is based at the Ludlow racetrack and sees the crews compete over seven stages, including the classic Radnor test.

Two weeks later on 18 September, Tom will again be in action, this time without the pressure of actual competition, as he takes his Proton Satria Neo Super2000 to RallyDay, arguably the UK's premier rally event. He will be running the Satria around the feature stage of the event, using part of the Castle Combe Circuit and putting on a show for the crowds with the normally aspirated rally car.

The following week, 24/25 September, he returns to competition, though this time in Latvia, where he spent three years competing and earning his international rally license. He will be tackling the Baltic nation's flagship event, Rally Latvia for the fourth time although on this occasion, in the most technically advanced car he has driven to date.

He will be at the wheel of the MML Sports Group N Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX, the latest iteration of the famous Lancer brand and developed by the company formed from the works Mitsubishi rally team.

Since it debuted in Latvia last year, the car has shed 60Kg of weight and gained 65Nm of torque and Mark Higgins recently described it as the best Group N car he has driven, so Tom is understandably excited by the prospect.

Commenting, Tom said;
"It's going to be a busy month, that's for sure. I'm looking forward to getting back in the Subaru for the Woodpecker stages, as the last event, the Neath Valley stages, was very frustrating. We lost the rear diff early on and that cost us a result. However, we got a stage win and two second fastest times, so hopefully, the car will run without any problems and we'll have a good event. It'll be tough, as there are a lot of world cars on the event but we'll enjoy it nonetheless.

"I'm also looking forward to RallyDay. It will be good to be out in the Proton again after the disaster on Ypres. It will be a good opportunity to see if the engine is back together OK after its rebuild and see whether the additional power we have been told it has is noticeable. I went to RallyDay last year and really enjoyed it - everyone who's anyone in rallying is there and it's always a great day out.

"And then Rally Latvia in the MML Sports Group N EvoX - that's going to be very interesting. The Latvians seem very pleased that we will be competing on the event again and I have to say, it's a fantastic rally with amazing atmosphere. I'm very excited to be driving the MML Sports Lancer and am looking forward to seeing how it compares with the Subaru and the Proton.

"I think that after these three events, we'll be able to make a decision about what we'll be doing next year, as I will have driven all the potential cars within four weeks!"

Entry List

Posted: August 27, 2010 9:44 AM

Seeded Entry List available:

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2010 MSA Gravel Rally Championship - Sixty & Worcestershire Rally Entries Open

Posted: August 6, 2010 7:20 PM

The Sixty & Worcestershire National Rally will take place on Saturday 4th September and entries are now available for prospective competitors who intend to contest the penultimate round of the MSA Gravel Rally Championship.

Running alongside the Woodpecker Stages, the event will be using the usual fantastic stages in and around the Welsh Marches area, including the ever popular Hopton stage which makes a return after three years. The usual stage at Haye Park will be used twice together with the smaller but exciting stages of Wigmore and Bringewood.

To test the drivers even further, the National rally will also make two visits to Radnor, the morning visit taking in 12.5 miles of very fast and demanding roads whilst in the afternoon a further two stages totalling 15.5 miles will be run before returning for the final stages around Ludlow.

With Rally GB using Radnor this year the Sixty & Worcestershire National rally will be ideal practice for those wishing to experience Radnor before Rally GB. The start, finish and service halts will all take place at Ludlow Racecourse. The first car is due to start at 08:30 and finish around 17:45 having totalled 60 stage miles.

Regulations / Details

Posted: January 1, 2010 12:01 AM

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