Cheviot Keith Knox Stages - 23 Oct 11

HOT COLE’S FINAL FLING!….

Posted: October 25, 2011 2:44 PM

Notwithstanding the fact that they had already clinched the 2011 REIS MSA Asphalt Rally Championship on the previous round, Damian Cole/James Morgan decided to contest the final event, the Otterburn Military Ranges-based UTS Cheviot Keith Knox Stages, and won that too! However, the Champions did not have things all their own way...

A misty and wet morning greeted competitors and, in the absence of 2010 Cheviot winner John Stone, Cole/Morgan were first away from the start on the Ranges in their familiar Ford Focus WRC. Right behind them were late entry – and former Cheviot winner – Steve Simpson with Patrick Walsh in his Impreza WRC and Otterburn experts Michael Glendinning/Paul Hughes in another Subaru.

After the opening stage of the day it was Simpson from Glendinning and Cole, and that’s how it remained for the next six stages. Then, just when you thought it was safe… Two hundred yards from the start of Stage 8, and in full view of those watching from the service area, a loud bang emanated from the gearbox of Glendinning’s car, forcing him to pull over and, about the same time but further into the stage, Simpson was indulging in a lurid spin which cost sufficient time for Cole to nip in front – and stay there until the finish.

Simpson/Walsh were 2nd and John Indri/Dave Engwell overcame what can only be described as ‘difficult’ conditions for a two-wheel drive car to take an excellent third in their Darrian T90 GTR. Andy Davison/Mike Curry also put in an excellent performance to bring their BMW M3 home in 4th place, ahead of Jim Sharp/Amy Mackinnon whose Impreza also took a class win on the event. Having changed cars during last winter, Jim has had what can only be described as a ‘challenging’ season and, saving his best performance until last, was awarded the John Horton Motorsport Management ‘Star Performer’ award for his efforts. Rounding off a Top Six occupied exclusively by REIS Championship contenders were Adge Spencer/Mark Hewitt in another Impreza. And so it went on… Seventh were Richard Clews/Hamish Campbell in their Group N Subaru, a result which confirmed Richard as winner of Class N4 this year, ahead of Chris Daykin who takes a hard-fought second in the category.

The top Millington Escort Challenge finisher was Paul Swift who had the vastly experienced Ken Bills sitting in his MkII on this occasion, while Pete Rayner, with Lee Carter, took 2nd on the day. In between the two Escorts, having lost four minutes on the penultimate stage, were David Hardie/John McCulloch but, fortunately, their Impreza had already made sure of 4th place in the overall Championship standings before the start of the Cheviot.

Chris Marshall/Steve Hallmark took a well-earned 14th place in their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO5, while Darren & Sue Underwood’s first visit to Otterburn resulted in a Top 20 finish for their 1600cc Nova. The driver had been suffering from a tooth abscess which had put the whole trip in doubt until the last moment, but maximum Championship class points made it all worthwhile!

Chris & Katherine Singer were the Underwoods’ nearest rivals, their Citroen Saxo S1600 finishing one place in front of Tim Daltry’s Peugeot 205 GTI. Leading B10 prior to the start of the Cheviot, Craig Jose/Nigel Hewett journeyed up from the south-west with their 205 knowing that Geordie crew Kev Monaghan/Chris Purvis merely had to finish the rally to take the class win from them. Victory seemed to be heading to the north-east but, as the saying goes, ‘it’s never over until the fat lady sings’ and there was no sign of her when, with just one stage to go, Monaghan’s Vauxhall Corsa S1600 ground to a halt with a holed sump. Whoops!

Having long since claimed Class A6 in the Championship, Rod Bennett/Henry Richardson came up to sample the Otterburn stages for the first time, completing the route and gaining valuable experience for next season. On the other side of the coin, Michael & Josh Davidson nearly didn’t make the start, never mind the finish. They just couldn’t get their Proton Satria to run but, after a great deal of head-scratching and fiddling with the electrics, it burst into life and went on its merry way.

The unfavourable weather probably had the effect of slowing people down but, for an Otterburn event, the retirement rate was remarkably low. Of the 61 starters, 24 of whom were REIS Championship registered, only 15 failed to be classified as finishers. In addition to those already mentioned above, Peter Taylor/Andrew Roughead put their Renault Clio into a ditch on SS4, round about the same time as Simon Mauger/ Brian Cammack did likewise with their Fiesta R2. Having secured the runners-up spot in the overall Championship behind Cole/Morgan, they accepted preparation expert Paul Benn’s kind offer of a run in the car to see how they got on. Their speed in a rear-wheel drive Escort MkII has become the stuff of legends but they found front-wheel drive a whole new ball game and they, too, ended their rally in a ditch. The car was not badly damaged but, by the time it was mobile again, it was OTL.

Phil Sprason/Andy Boswell were chasing Millington Escort Challenge points in the MkI but when the clutch failed after SS2, they were on their way home. It was a similar fate that befell Ian Copping/Dave Rowley when their Fiesta RWD went out just after the halfway point.

And so ended the 2011 REIS MSA Asphalt Rally Championship season. It has been hard-fought but hugely popular series in which registrations have risen by 50% year on year. Motors TV have filmed every round for broadcast, the Cheviot footage is due to be aired on 26th November at 22.35. This is the night of the Championship Awards – so we hope everyone will set their recorders before leaving home to join us in the West Midlands!

Results

Posted: October 25, 2011 12:45 PM

Cheviot Keith Knox Stages - 23 Oct 11 - RESULTS
Results by: North East Rally Services

MSA ASPHALT CHAMPIONSHIP 2011 - CHAMPIONS’ CHEVIOT OUTING!....

Posted: October 18, 2011 11:36 AM

Notwithstanding the fact that they have already been crowned 2011 REIS MSA Asphalt Rally Champions, Damian Cole/James Morgan have entered the final round of the series, the UTS Cheviot Keith Knox Stages Rally, in their Ford Focus WRC. In the absence of last year’s Cheviot winner John Stone, whose Skoda Fabia is nearly ready following its rebuild – but not quite! – Cole/Morgan will lead the field away from the start. Although lacking experience of the Otterburn Military Ranges, the pair already have ‘form’ in the area, having won the Tyneside Stages Rally earlier in the year.

Joining them for the trip north will be REIS Championship runners-up, Simon Mauger/Brian Cammack, who will be having their first taste of a Ford Fiesta R2, kindly loaned to them for the event by Paul Benn whose company also prepares Cole’s Focus. Mauger has shown time and time again what he can do in a rear-wheel drive car and is now about to put that skill to good use in a front-wheel drive machine.

Third-placed REIS Championship crew John Indri/Dave Engwell will be bringing their Darrian T90 GTR up from Essex in the hope of improving on the 4th overall they achieved on their last visit to Otterburn for the Tyneside Stages. Meanwhile, David Hardie/John McCulloch took a class win on the same event in their Impreza and can reasonably hope for a similar finish this time. Their season started off at a canter but consecutive retirements on Rally of the Midlands and the ALMC Stages have put them on the back foot in recent times. Good scores on the Tyneside Stages and Mewla Rallies steered them back on course to the point that Class B13 is already theirs.

Richard Clews/Hamish Campbell and Chris Daykin/Rob Cook will be involved in a fight to the finish for Group N honours in their respective Imprezas. Clews is currently five points ahead of Daykin in the class but, with 15 on offer for a win, neither driver can take anything for granted! Other four-wheel drive machines entered for the Cheviot include Imprezas for Michael Glendinning/Paul Hughes, Adge Spencer/Mark Hewitt and Jim Sharp/Amy Mackinnon while the Mitsubishi Lancer is represented by Chris Marshall/Steve Hallmark and Mark Borthwick/Ian Wozencroft.

The Millington Escort ‘Challengers’, who will obviously not be joined by Simon Mauger on this occasion, are Pete Rayner/Lee Carter, Paul Swift/Ken Bills, Tommi Graham/Mike Bailey and Phil Sprason/Andy Boswell. Missing from the list, following his huge accident last time out on the Patriot Stages, is Chris Lloyd but we wish him well and hope to see him with us again in 2012.

Andy Davison/Mike Curry brought their BMW M3 home in 5th place on the Tyneside Stages, one in front of the Renault Clio of Peter Taylor/Andrew Roughead and, in both cases, there is no reason to doubt that similar results cannot be attained on this occasion.

Ian Copping/Dave Rowley (Ford Fiesta RWD) and Tim Daltry/Emma Morrison (Peugeot 205) will be battling for 2-litre Class B11 points, but it is in B10 (up to 1600cc) where fireworks can really be expected! Kev Monaghan/Chris Purvis were leading the class in their Pirtek Vauxhall Corsa until a non-appearance on the Patriot Stages allowed the Peugeot 205 of Craig Jose/Nigel Hewett to sneak in front. There are just four points between them but now, at the end of the year, Monaghan actually has to beat Jose by at least two places within the class to stand any chance of restoring the status quo – in his eyes at least! Then, although not in a position to challenge for class honours, Darren & Sue Underwood are heading up north from Herefordshire with their amazingly quick Nova which could snatch points from either of the top two. At the same time, Michael & Josh Davison (Proton Satria) and Chris & Katherine Singer (Citroen Saxo S1600) could also upset the applecart...

The events selected by Rod Bennett/Henry Richardson (Fiat Punto S1600) are largely dependent on Rod’s availability from his farm. However, they have already found enough time to make Class A6 their own and are coming up to Otterburn for experience which they hope to put to good use next year.

As can be seen, the REIS MSA Asphalt Rally Championship is heavily represented in the entry for the Cheviot Keith Knox Stages – 25 from an entry of around 60 is very gratifying, especially at the end of the season. The first car leaves the start of the UTS Cheviot Keith Knox Stages Rally on the Ranges at 8.30am on Sunday 23rd October and arrives back at the finish at 4.30pm that afternoon.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: October 18, 2011 11:35 AM

No Driver/Co-Driver (Car) [Class]
1 Damian Cole/James Morgan (Ford Focus WRC) [A8]
2 Michael Glendinning/Paul Hughes (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
3 John Indri/Dave Engwell (Darrian T90 Gtr) [B12]
4 George Mackey/Lee Tindall (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.9) [B13]
5 Peter Taylor/Andrew Roughead (Renault Clio R3) [Group N]
6 Andy Davison/Mike Curry (BMW M3) [B12]
7 David Hardie/John McCulloch (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
8 Simon Mauger/Brian Cammack (Ford Fiesta R2) [Group N]
9 Paul Swift/Ken Bills (Ford Escort Mk2) [B12]
10 Barry Lindsay/Michael Lindsay (Peugeot 106 Gti) [B10]
11 Stuart Baillie/Dave Cranston (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
12 Adrian Spencer/Mark Hewitt (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
14 Jim Sharp/Amy Mackinnon (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
15 Chris Marshall/Steve Hallmark (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) [B13]
16 Pete Rayner/Lee Carter (Ford Escort Mk 2) [B12]
17 Mark Borthwick/Ian Wozencroft (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) [B13]
18 Phil Sprason/Andrew Boswell (Ford Escort Mk1) [B12]
19 Mark I'Anson/Ron Roughead (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [B13]
20 Fred Davidson/Plug Pulleyn (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) [B13]
21 Tommi Graham/Mike Bailey (Ford Escort Mk11) [B11]
22 Chris Anderson/Chris Thirling (Ford Fiesta) [B11]
23 Darren Underwood/Sue Underwood (Vauxhall Nova) [B10]
24 Dave Seed/Mick Morpeth (Ford Escort G4) [B11]
25 Richard John Clews/Hamish Campbell (Subaru Impreza STI) [N4]
26 Christopher Singer/Katherine Singer (Citroen Saxo S1600) [B10]
27 Ken Brown/Alan Brown (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
28 Kevin Monaghan/Chris Purvis (Vauxhall Corsa B1600) [B10]
29 William Jarman/Mark Fisher (Ford Escort Cosworth) [B13]
30 Des Campbell/Alex Orr (Peugeot 206 Cup Car) [B10]
31 Kevin Knox/Jimmy Knox (Ford Sierra) [B11]
32 Alex McClelland/Brian McClelland (Vauxhall Chevette HSR) [B11]
33 David Thirlwell/Dean Grabham (Ford Escort Mk2) [B12]
34 Tim Daltry/Emma Morrison (Peugeot 205 GTI) [B11]
35 Edward Todd/Andy Brown (GTM Coupe) [B11]
36 Craig Jose/Nigel Hewett (Peugeot 205) [B10]
37 Rod Bennett/Henry Richardson (FIAT Punto S1600) [A6]
38 Sean Robson/David Robson (Peugeot 205 GTI) [B10]
39 Tom Hynd/Sue Hynd (Peugeot 205 GTI) [B10]
40 Christopher Daykin/Robert Cook (Subaru Impreza) [N4]
41 Ian Copping/Dave Rowley (Ford Fiesta RWD) [B11]
42 Michael Davison/Josh Davison (Proton Satria Compact) [B10]
43 Keith Fisher/Philip Kenny (Peugeot 205 Gti) [B10]
44 David Crozier/Graeme Rumney (Peugeot 205) [B10]
45 Barney Pilgrim/Andy Wooller (Peugeot 106 Rallye) [B10]
46 Phil Morton/Jo-Emma Hind (Fiat X19) [B9]
47 Micheal Davidson/John Coates (Peugeot 205 Gti) [B10]
48 Michael Ord/Mark Whitehouse (Vauxhall Nova) [B10]
49 Joanna Wickham/Guy Wickham (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
50 Andy Plunkett/Paul Firth (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
51 Chris Pedley/Chris Pedley Snr (Peugeot 106 Gti) [B10]
52 Neil Prior/Peter Littlefield (Ford Escort mk6 RS 2000) [B11]
53 Derek Belbin/John Stanger-Leathes (Ford Escort mk2) [B11]
54 Patrick Messer/Natalie Messer (Peugeot 205 XS) [B9]
55 Adrian Stewart/Richard Simmonds (Morris Mini Cooper S) [B9]
56 Andrew Irving/Ann Forster (Peugeot 205) [B9]
57 Ray Cummings/Geoff Fletcher (Vauxhall Astra) [B11]
58 Sian Beaty/TBA (Ford Ka) [B9]
59 Paul Banks/Rachael Taylor (Peugeot 106) [N1]
60 Nick Jarvis/Baz Cannon (Suzuki Swift) [N2]
61 James Thomson/Alison Woodcock (Peugeot 206) [B10]
62 Tony Harris/Andy Smallridge (Land Rover Freelander V6) [Group N]
63 Graeme Smith/TBA (Honda Civic) [B10]
64 Alex Laffey/Chris Williams (Ford Fiesta R2) [Group N]
65 David Conley/Mike Scrimgour (Hillman Avenger BRM 16v) [B10]
66 Stephen Simpson/Patrick Walsh (Subaru WRC S12 Impreza) [A8]
68 William Midgley/Jonathan Driver (Toyota Corolla) [B10]

Race2Recovery takes it stage by stage

Posted: October 11, 2011 9:10 AM

Following on from its exceptional stage rally debut, where Corporal Tom Neathway co-drove Major Alan Paramore to victory in the Land Rover Challenge category of the recent Trackrod Rally, Race2Recovery has confirmed its program of stage rallies to the end of the season. The team will compete on the UTS Cheviot Keith Knox Stages Rally, the Tempest Rally and the finale of the FIA World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB as it amasses experience and knowledge to use in its campaign to compete on the 2013 Dakar Rally and raise much-needed funds for service charities.

The Cheviot Keith Knox Stages Rally takes place on 23 October on the infamous Otterburn Ranges, a venue familiar to most of the Race2Recovery team, from numerous training exercises. However, the rally will put a very different spin on the venue, with Captain Tony Harris taking the wheel of the team's Land Rover Freelander, which it currently uses in the Britpart Cross Country Championship.

Neathway is also keen to compete and the team is in discussion with several teams and drivers to secure a seat for Tom in another vehicle contesting the event, since regulations do not allow two disabled competitors in the same vehicle.

Two weeks later on 5 November, the team will head for Aldershot, the famous military base and the Tempest Rally, based at the Pegasus Village sport arena. The event runs primarily on gravel but around 10% of the full distance is on asphalt, making it very tricky and technical. Tony Harris should be competing and once again, Tom Neathway will assume co-driver duties on the event.

But by far the biggest challenge will be one week later on Wales Rally GB, the finale of the WRC. The final round of this year's series will most likely see the drivers' championship decided, since there are three drivers within three points of each other with two rallies to go.

Neathway will join the Armed Forces Rally Team again, in one of its famous Land Rover Wolfs. Running at the tail end of the field, the AFRT is renowned for its spirit of competition but also, it's propensity to forgo competition to help out other competitors in need. For example, three years ago the team used its Wolfs to aid two wheel-drive competitors up an ice-covered hill and two years ago, were more than happy to help stranded competitors back onto the road.

Tony Harris will again take to the wheel of the Race2Recovery Freelander on the event with an experienced stage rally navigator, as they tackle the event, which this year sees the return of the infamous Great Orme road, as the event stretches the full length of Wales.

Commenting, Captain Tony Harris said:
"I am delighted that the Race2Recovery team will be competing in three more stage rallies and of course, extremely grateful to our comrades in the Armed Forces Rally Team, for helping to make these events possible.

"Tom gained a huge amount of experience alongside Major Paramore on the Trackrod and these next events will add to that greatly. They will also give the rest of the team the chance to work alongside the AFRT and begin to work together under pressure, developing their mechanical skill, teamwork and communication massively. These will all be essential skills that we will need when we get to Dakar and before that, the two international cross-country events we will be contesting next year."

Wales Rally GB begins on 10 November and is based in Builth Wells, with the finish of the event in Cardiff on 13 November.

Unseeded Entry List

Posted: September 12, 2011 12:52 PM

Available at:

www.rallies.info/webentry/2011/cheviot/entries.php?type=u

Regulations / On line Entry / Details

Posted: January 2, 1990 3:05 PM

Available at:

Cheviot Stages

Whickham and District Motor Club (Cheviot Stages & Border Counties)