Trackrod Rally Yorkshire - 8-9 Oct 05

Posted: October 8, 2005 12:49 AM

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Austin & Gareth MacHale have both withdrawn from this weekend's BRC round due to Business commitments

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IT'S BACK TO THE FORESTS FOR THE MITSUBISHI TEAM
Galligan keeps his sights set on Production title.
Higgins targets strong finish in Yorkshire

After competing on three consecutive asphalt events, round seven of the Kwik-Fit Pirelli British Rally Championship sees the Mitsubishi Motors UK Rally team return to gravel roads for the Trackrod Rally, which takes place in the forests of the North Yorkshire Moors next Saturday and Sunday (8th & 9th October).

After a stunning drive last time out on the Ulster Rally, in one of the two works Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MRs, David Higgins, from Trefeglwys and his co-driver, Daniel Barritt, from Burnley, claimed maximum Production Championship points, a result which went some way to dispel what has been a season of mixed fortunes for them so far.

The result in Northern Ireland moved Higgins up to 5th in the overall Championship standings and 6th in the Production category table, but the reigning British Rally Champion is set on improving his position on this and the eighth and final round of the series:

"I had a good run on the Rally GB last month which reassured me that I was back to full fitness. I'm therefore looking forward to this weekend and making sure that we have a strong finish to the season. My only experience of the Trackrod Rally was last year and all was going well until we ended up with only three wheels! I don't intend for that to happen again!"

Driving the second of the two works Mitsubishis, Rory Galligan, from Oldcastle and his co-driver, Greg Shinnors from Limerick, have so far notched up an impressive four Production Class wins this season.

This string of impressive results see them hold 3rd place in the overall Championship standings and, although currently lying second in the Production category, they are currently the team in the strongest position to lift the PBRC title due to teams having to drop two scores from the series' eight rounds.

However, it's not been plain sailing for the Irish pair, their season being momentarily turned upside-down when they rolled their Mitsubishi on the fourth stage in Ulster, Galligan determined to set the records straight and get back to business as usual in Yorkshire:

"Up until the Ulster Rally the year has been great for us, but I'm now putting that event behind me as my aim is to drive for the Championship from here on. I'm 100% confident in the car and I've competed on this event twice before, so it's a case of keeping an eye on the others in the class and making sure we get to the finish in a good points scoring position."

The season is already looking good for the Mitsubishi team as a whole, as it has led the Teams Cup since the opening round and currently holds a 20 point advantage.

The Trackrod Rally starts and finishes in Pickering and comprises eighth stages on Saturday and a further six on Sunday. 11 of the stages take place in the fast and flowing North Yorkshire forests, with three spectator stages held at Pickering Showground.

The two Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MRs are prepared by ADR Motorsport of Chesterfield on behalf of Cirencester based Mitsubishi Motors UK. The team is supported by: Pirelli, Shell Racing Fuels, Rampage Performance Motorparts, Speedline Corse, PIAA and ADR Motorsport.

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28/09/05
No Driver/Co-Driver (Car)
1 Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Ford Focus WRC)
2 Austin MacHale/TBA (Ford Focus WRC)
3 Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin (Ford Focus WRC)
4 Steve Perez/Neil Dashfi eld (Ford Focus WRC)
5 Jon Ingram/Ian Allsop (Ford Focus WRC)
6 Gareth MacHale/Paul Nagle (Toyota Corolla WRC)
7 David Higgins/Daniel Barritt (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 MR)
8 Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8)
9 Rory Galligan/Greg Shinnors (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 MR)
10 Richard Gower/Aled Davies (Hyundai Accent WRC)
Full Entry list on:

www.rallyyorkshire.co.uk

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06/09/05 Regulations are now available for the 7th Round of the British Rally Championship.

Regulations on:

www.rallyyorkshire.co.uk

• 2005 British Rally Championship