Argyll (Tarmac) Stages Rally - 23-24 Jun 23

Series leader Neil Roskell targets first Protyre MSUK Asphalt Rally Championship win of 2023 in Argyll

Posted: June 22, 2023 9:43 AM

There have been four different winners from the first four rounds of this year’s BTRDA-organised Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship, setting the scene for an exciting second half to the UK’s premier sealed-surface series – which begins with the Dunoon presents Argyll Rally (23/24 June).

But it’s Neil Roskell who leads the overall drivers’ standings going into Round 5 of the eight-round series – despite not having won a round so far this year. And that’s something the Blackpool driver is keen to put right on the challenging Argyll and Bute closed roads, having finished second and third on the last two rounds respectively.

David Henderson won the opening round of this year’s series, the Reed Group East Riding Stages, and scored maximum points on last year’s Argyll Rally in his Keco/PAR Petroleum-backed Ford Fiesta Rally2. Having missed the double header Manx National Rally, the Oakenshaw driver is eighth in the points standings and able to, along with co-driver Chris Lees, count all their remaining scores in the run in to the end of the series, making them a very series title contender.

David Wright/Paula Swinscoe took home maximum points at the end of day one on the Isle of Man (Round 2) in their Fix Auto/Grove Hill Garage Ford Fiesta R5. The Lancaster driver is third in the overall points table and returns to Argyll for the first time since 2021, when he finished fourth.

Callum Black/Jack Morton honoured their promise to take overall victory on the Manx (on Black’s first asphalt rally for 10 years) to score maximum points on day two (Round 3) in their Pallas Connections Ford Fiesta Rally2. The Brackley driver is second in the points standings and his sensational current form sees him seeded at number one for his first appearance in Argyll.

James Ford/Neil Shanks scored maximum points on Round 4 of the Protyre Asphalt Championship, the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally – but has elected to skip this round in his Citroën C3 Rally2.

But leading them all is Roskell and co-driver Andrew Roughead. They have been the measure of high-speed consistency in their ND Civils/Burdens/Witham Motorsport Ford Fiesta Rally2 this year – give or take a few moments, like ploughing through a field on the East Riding – and with two podium finishes lead the overall drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings by 17 points.

Hugh Brunton/Drew Sturrock made an impressive Protyre Asphalt debut on the Jim Clark, although their finishing position was compromised thanks to spending two minutes in a hedge on the penultimate stage. They’ll be one to watch again this time in their PM Print Škoda Fabia Rally2.

John Stone had a torrid Argyll Rally last year, with intercom problems on Leg 1 and an off on Leg 2 which saw spectators pushing his Legend Fires Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 back onto the road. He still left with the Protyre Asphalt Championship lead – and he’ll be hoping to strengthen his title challenge this time too, as he and co-driver Laura Connell start at car number nine.

Wayne Sisson/Peredur Davies will also be aiming for a top result in their AMS Arnside Motorsport Mitsubishi Evo 10, as will fellow top four-wheel drive contenders Steven Ormond-Smith/Dafydd Evans (ORMCO Accounts/Manx Rally Sport Mitsubishi Evo 9), Anth Eaton/Ian Jackson (Autotest Ford Fiesta R5), Lee and Cole Hastings (Subaru Impreza), Chris Ford/Rob Fagg (Citroën C3 Rally2) and Joe McKeand/Charlotte McDowall (Subaru Impreza).

One of the stars of this year’s Protyre Asphalt Championship have been Will Hill/Richard Crozier in their Hills Ford Fiesta Rally3. They lead class B14, but their incredible overall results puts Hill fourth in the overall drivers’ table, showing what a well-driven M-Sport-built four-wheel drive 1.5 litre EcoBoost engined 215bhp Fiesta Rally3 can achieve.

Only four seconds separated Brad Cole and Darren Atkinson on last year’s Argyll Rally, after an hour of flat-out competition. The two class B13 two-wheel drive stars will be battling hard again – with Atkinson (co-driven by Mark Twiname) leading the class this time in their Haldane Fisher Escort Mk2 and Cole and co-driver Neil Colman hoping for a clean run in their Hydroline Solutions 2.5-litre Escort Mk2.

Gerry Fitzelle is second in the class B13 points standings for drivers, while his partner Mark Mason leads the co-driver’s section. They be aiming to continue their great run of form in their Bothmans Escort Mk2 – and will be up against the likes of Mark Holmes/Mark Perryman (Mark Holmes Auto Engineering Escort Mk2), Andy Scott/Ian Robertson (P.A.C.E. Escort Mk2) and David Cluckie/Ealish Baxter (ORMCO Accounts BMW 325),

Michael Harbour/Ian MacDougall arrive leading class B11 in their VS Pro Pressure Washing Services/Miller Waste Water Escort Mk2. The Ayr driver is just one point ahead of Olly Hunter, who will be out to steal the lead with Matt Daniels in his HES Electrical Contractors Escort Mk2.

Another good score would put Mal Boyd/Brian Stubbs right back into the mix in their Ford Escort Mk2 as they arrive in Argyll third in class, while Antony Allery/Richard Bonner return in their Escort Mk2 after radiator and clutch problems forced them out of day one and two respectively on the Manx National. Mark Booth/Callum Young reappear in their Escort for the first time since gearbox failure put them out of the first round, Nick Heard/Oliver Mathison (Ginetta G40) are also back, while Mick Quinn/Chris Walker will have it all to do from near the back of the field having been seeded at car number 118 in their 2-litre CS Motorsport Developments Renault Clio.

Ashleigh Morris (co-driven by Steve Harris) scored maximum class B10 points last time out in his Three Brand-backed Ford Fiesta R200 – and another class win could see the Rugby driver tie for the class lead.

Archie Swinscoe/Jane Nicol will be aiming to make it four R2 class wins in a row in their Rallytech Composites/Asset Alliance Group Opel Adam. The 19-year-old driver from Chorley in Lancashire was F1000 Junior English and Scottish champion in 2021 and has been on great form this year in his rapid 1600cc car.

Swinscoe is also just four points behind Sam Adams in the battle for the Fuchs Lubricants / OnThePaceNote supported Protyre Asphalt Junior title. The reigning Northern Ireland Junior rally champion has also been on brilliant form in his maiden season in the series and, partnered by Michael Johnston, is well ahead in class B12 in his Pinto-engined Escort Mk2.

Class H8 leaders Graham Muter/Steve Hallmark will be aiming to strengthen their BTRDA Historic Asphalt Cup challenge in their Escort Mk2.

If any crew deserves a good clean run then it is surely Jonathan Stepney/Aled Davies. The reigning class B12 champions had to replace their Peugeot 205 GTi after a big crash on the opening round but have been plagued by technical and mechanical problems ever since in their new Griffiths Group/Motorhome Services Scotland-backed Renault Clio Sport 2.0 16v. Hopefully a few weeks in the workshop will have sorted the issues and they’ll be back to their normal class-winning and giant-killing speed again in Argyll.

Protyre Motorsport will take a large number of tyres to the Argyll Rally, including Pirelli, Michelin and Hoosier, and operate an on-event fitting service for all registered Championship contenders.

Special Stage TV will be live streaming the action from the event on its Facebook page.

Based at the Dunoon Stadium, this year’s Argyll Rally is longer than last year, with 14 stages totalling 65.54 stages miles, held over two legs. Leg 1 starts at 19:30 on Friday 23 June and goes straight into two runs over the popular Dunoon Town Centre stage, followed by the new Tarsan Dam stage, two runs of Kinlochruel in quick succession and finally the Otter Ferry stage which, at almost 14 miles, is the longest of the event and run in the dark. The first car is scheduled to finish Leg 1 at 22:54.

Leg 2 will start at 09:00 on Saturday 24 June and will feature a 19.81 mile loop of four stages (Glendaruel, Bealach Maim, Loch Fyne and Whistlefield) on the picturesque Cowal Peninsula, which will be repeated in the afternoon. The first car is scheduled to arrive at the finish at 16:52.

Having analysed data from the previous two events, Mull Car Club has been able to remove a significant number of chicanes without compromising the safety of the event.

KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship - Tarmac Challenge Continues in Argyll

Posted: June 22, 2023 9:40 AM

The KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship descends on Dunoon for the 2nd tarmac round of the season, the Dunoon Presents… Argyll Rally.

Top SRC seeds, David Henderson & Chris Lees come fresh from a fantastic performance at the Jim Clark Reivers Rally, missing out on the overall win by less than 3 seconds. Argyll has been a happy hunting ground for them in the past, finishing 2nd overall in 2022.

Speyside winners Finlay Retson & Paul Beaton line up behind their fellow Fiesta crew. Paul fresh from taking the Reivers win alongside Euan Thorburn whereas Finlay was in the mix for a top 5 until a final stage mistake put him out with damaged suspension.

Championship leader Jock Armstrong & Hannah McKillop got the maximum they could out of the Impreza at the Jim Clark. This will be the 1st time the famous Orange car will have competed on the Argyll tarmac having only been seen in the forests in the past.

Hugh Brunton & Drew Sturrock come to Argyll after an excellent performance in the Borders. The Fabia crew kick starting their season with a podium finish despite the disadvantage of a smaller turbo restrictor on the fast stages. The more technical stages in Argyll could suit them even more.

Behind the top 4 seeds, Michael Binnie & Claire Mole are back in their Evo that saw them take a podium finish on this event in 2022.

Mark McCulloch & Michael Hendry’s Proton should be a weapon on the Argyll roads, sporting a new suspension setup that should suit the bumpy and technical nature of the stages.

John Wink & Neil Shanks are still adapting to the i20 in tarmac spec but should be strong contenders, 2023 has been one of John’s best so far behind the wheel with 2 podiums already.

Rory Young & Allan Cathers were very quick at the Jim Clark in their 1st experience of Citroen power. They are always in the mix at the top of the SRC rounds when they compete.

Willie Paterson & Angus Lawrie will be resuming their battle from the Jim Clark.

The Fabia & Evo ended up separated by just 2 seconds at the end of the Reivers. Also worth keeping an eye on is the return to R5 power for Ian Forgan, finally back after his big Snowman accident in 2022. Ian has form in Argyll, taking a top 10 in 2021 in his Impreza.

The Autoshop 2wd and Albyn Garage Challengers ranks will be in for a shake-up with both category leaders, Peter Stewart & Paddy Munro, missing this round.

Topping both categories in the entry list, John Crawford & Josh Davison have had a solid year, in and around the top 5 in both divisions on every event.

Challengers wise they have an army of Evo’s chasing them down with Fraser Smith & Nikki Addison, Scott Peacock & Craig Wallace and Johnnie Mackay & Michael Cruickshank all looking to take the fight to the MK2.

Fresh from an incredible Jim Clark weekend, Archie Swinscoe & Jane Nicol are 2nd 2wd seed and top Moates Offshore Junior competitor in their Adam R2. One of the highlights of this should be Archie & Jane

squaring off against Robert Proudlock & Dave Robson in the 2nd Adam R2. Both drivers are young talents with a lot of speed and capable of taking the fight to the bigger engined cars. Other drivers to look out for in a strong Junior representation are Justin Gunning’s Clio R3T, Meghan O’Kane’s Fiesta, Ryan Ingram’s Honda Civic, Owen Macleod’s 205 and Lochlan McIver’s Fiesta.

Jordan Anderson & Harry Stubbs top the Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup seeding. Jordan finally turning his luck around on the Clark, taking his 1st finish and Cup win of the season last time out.

Liam Richardson and Darren Kennedy are the other Subaru Cup runners on the event on which Liam debuted the car in 2022.

Another 4wd Challenger crew to look out for are Brian Watson & Sean Donnelly. Brian has clearly taken a blow to the head as he’s picked Argyll to mark the return of his Audi Quattro S1. An absolute monster of a car to manhandle on these narrow and technical stages.

Local man Alister MacArthur & Chris Robertson were strong at the Jim Clark in their Sunbeam. They line up just ahead of one of 2023’s most unlucky crews.

David Hardie & John McCulloch have shown great pace on every event but have yet to see the finish. The Clark particularly cruel, retiring while in a commanding 2wd lead.

Gordon Murray is the sole Haddo Energy Super Seniors representative, looking to kick start his season after a dnf on the Clark.

David Mcleod & Eamonn Boyle top the historic entries in their lovely Sunbeam. Allan McDowall has swapped his Mk1 for his iconic and very rapid Opel Kadett. The car that has brought him so much success over the years will be right in the mix with the fastest of the 2wds.

The Ladies battle should be a nice 4-way fight. Aileen Forrest tops the entry, Argyll hasn’t been a particularly happy hunting ground for the Evo pilot, although 2023 has been her strongest start to a season so far.

Ashleigh Morris was the Argyll winner in 2022. For this round she has Steve Harris in the hotseat of her Fiesta R200, a car and crew combination that should suit these twisty stages.

Meghan O’Kane took her 1st win of the season at the Jim Clark, sampling her Dad’s Impreza for the 1st time. For this round she is back in her own Fiesta. The car, sporting a newly fitted 2-litre engine for this season, should also suit the Argyll stages. Finally, joining the 3 regular competitors is former 2 times Scottish Ladies Champion Linzi Henderson in a Fiesta R2T.

The action gets under way with 2 runs through the centre of Dunoon from 7:30pm this Friday (23rd). Another 4 stages take place on Friday, culminating in the almost 14 miles of Otter Ferry tackled in the dark. Saturday will see the crews tackle 4 stages twice giving a total of almost 66 competitive miles.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: June 9, 2023 2:42 PM

Argyll (Tarmac) Stages Rally - 23-24 Jun 23 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Entries Received / On Line Entry / Regulations / Details

Posted: May 10, 2023 5:54 AM

https://rallies.info/webentry/2023/argyll/

Argyll Stages - www.argyllrally.co.uk