2006 Rallye Sunseeker - 24-25 Feb 05

Posted: November 2, 2005 9:28 AM

During that time the event, which will see many of Britain's top rally drivers heading for Bournemouth over the last weekend in February, has progressed from its humble beginnings to become one of the most popular events in the calendar and one that the town has really taken to its heart. This important milestone in the history of the rally, which is jointly organised by Southern Car Club and Croydon & District Motor Club, will be marked by a number of special events, including a reunion for many of the past winners.

Clerk-of-the-Course Rick Smith, who has overseen the growth of the rally throughout the whole 21 years, is delighted with its achievements. "The pundits said, 20 years ago, that we couldn't organise a National Championship round in the south of England. Well, we've proved them very wrong! Hard work, a fantastic team of organisers, an enthusiastic host town and some great sponsors are the key to that success."

This will be the eighth consecutive time that Poole-based Sunseeker International have been headline sponsors of the opening round of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship. Back in 1986, the event was known as the Citroen Winter Rally, in deference to the French car manufacturer's involvement. Coincidentally, 1986 was also the last time that a two-wheel drive car took top honours, as the Ford Escort RS of local estate agent Colin Short, co-driven by broadcaster Gary Champion, arrived back at the finish for the champagne celebrations.

Over the years, the National Rally Championship has often been used as a test-bed by manufacturers for their new cars and so it was in 1987, when Malcolm Wilson's factory-run MG Metro 6R4 took the first of a string of event wins in the series. Japanese car-maker Mazda took over the mantle of event sponsor for six years from 1988 and, apart from Mika Sohlberg's sole victory in a Lancia Delta in 1990, Fords were to prove unbeatable for almost a decade.

Pete Doughty's Sierra opened the scoring in 1988, followed by the similar car of Trevor Smith, who went on to become one of the event's three-time winners (1989/91/92). Ulsterman Stephen Finlay's victory in 1993 was the last for a Sierra, while Scottish Rally Champion David Gillanders ushered in the era of the Escort Cosworth with wins in 1994 & 1995.

Multiple National Rally Champion Chris Mellors took his one and only victory on the south coast when he won the Bournemouth Winter Rally in 1996, again at the wheel of an Escort Cosworth, while Raymond Munro put his name on the winner's trophy the following year in a Metro 6R4, fully ten years after Malcolm Wilson's success in the car. The Subaru Impreza first appeared on the winner's rostrum in 1998, in the hands of Roger Duckworth, which then brings us to the Sunseeker era.

In recent years, the name of Marcus Dodd has become almost synonymous with Rallye Sunseeker. Originally sponsored by Sunseeker Sales, the winner of the rally four times in the next five years, in both Escort and Subaru World Rally Cars, he was also leading in the snow of 2004 before an accident put him out, and he finished runner-up last year. It was Irishman Kenny McKinstry who denied Dodd five straight victories, while Roger Duckworth survived the treacherous conditions of 2004 to take his second win.

2005 saw David Higgins make a rare appearance in Bournemouth, as he went on to win in a borrowed Hyundai Accent WRC. At the Awards Presentation that evening, the defending British Rally Champion was magnanimous in his praise of the event's organisation, commenting that others could learn from the level of professionalism displayed.

But that was last year. As to the name on the trophy for the 21st Anniversary Rallye Sunseeker - well, that's anyone's guess!

Looking for Past Rally Winners
The organisers want to contact all the past winners - drivers and co-drivers - to invite them to the birthday celebrations (including a Gala Charity Dinner on Thursday 23 February).
They can get in touch by contacting Clerk of the Course Rick Smith via e-mail: rick@xenogamy-plc.co.uk