Sunseeker Rally - 24-25 Feb 06

Posted: February 26, 2006 6:38 PM

Driving the Matador Tyres backed Hyundai Accent WRC the 26 year old beat 2004 ANCRO Champion Steve Perez and co driver Neil Dashfield (VK Ford Focus WRC) by nearly half a minute with defending Champions Paul Bird and Ian Windress (Subaru WRC) in third just eight seconds adrift.

In claiming maximum points for the MSA Gravel Rally Championship Middleton, who endured a number of problems throughout the two day, seventy stage mile event revealed he has yet to decide if he is to contest the rest of the ANCRO series.

“I had planned to pick and choose my events this year but I may have to reappraise the situation now” said a delighted Middleton. “But for now I’m savouring the win as it sure beats missing out by 0.8 of a second as we did in 2004.”

Middleton suffered a catalogue of problems as he claimed his second career ANCRO win, what with brake problems and power steering failure but he still saw off the ex Dani Sola Ford Focus 05 of Perez who claimed his best ever Rallye Sunseeker result by finishing as runner up.

“I’m still getting used to the car but I’m pleased. I’m even more delighted to have beaten my mate Birdy!” quipped the Chesterfield businessman.

Third up after experiencing gearbox problems throughout the day was Cumbrian Paul Bird who repeated his 2005 result on the South Coast event.

“I lost fourth gear on the very first stage this morning and was going to call it a day but I’m glad I continued” said the Pirelli sponsored driver who subsequently announced his desire to defend the crown he won last year – having originally planned not to.

In a day of high drama in the Dorset forests local ace Marcus Dodd and co driver Andrew Bargery (Hyundai Accent WRC) led in the early stages following Bird’s overnight heroics before going out with clutch problems on SS9 to join Ulsterman Kenny McKinstry who retired on the opening event with gearbox problems.

Former champion Roger Duckworth and co driver Mark Broomfield retired their Subaru after SS8, again with gearbox problems, as many of the leading runners fell by the wayside.

A titanic battle then ensued for the lead as double Scottish Champion Barry Johnson held sway and despite demolishing the front of his car on SS9 – before both Perez and then Middleton mounted a late challenge as Johnson and Bird faded back.

Eventually Johnson and co driver Stewart Merry ended up in fourth position after another day of dramas in the Barrier Surveillance Subaru WRC with Richard Gower and Aled Davies (Hyundai Accent WRC) in fifth just ahead of John Lloyd and Pauline Gullick in their Subaru WRC.

Local aces Anthony Willmington and co driver Andy White took honours after a hard fought Group N battle ahead of Scotsman Alistair Tough and co driver Alistair Mackay with Rob Smith and Alun Cook in third. Willmington drew first blood in the opening round of the Mitsubishi Cup with Tough doing likewise in the Subaru Masters and Jamie Hickman along with co driver Tom Wood took the victory in the Peugeot 206 Super Cup also.

The next round of the Championship takes place next month (March 18th) when the Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally gets underway in Jedburgh whereby Johnson will start as favourite on his home ground.

Final Results
1. Craig Middleton/Robin Hernaman (Hyundai Accent WRC) 1:07:33.9
2. Steve Perez/Neil Dashfield (Ford Focus WRC) 1:08:00.3
3. Paul Bird/Ian Windress (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:08:08.4
4. Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:08:18.6
5. Richard Gower/Aled Davies (Hyundai Accent WRC) 1:11:38.1
6. John Lloyd/Pauline Gullick (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:12:10.2
7. Steve Hendy/Mark Milton (Ford Escort WRC) 1:12:37.9
8. Anthony Willmington/Andy White (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO) 1:13:18.8
9. Alistair Tough/Alistair Mackay (Subaru Impreza) 1:13:26.4
10. Michael O’Brien/Steve Smallbone (Subaru Impreza) 1:13:40.0

Full Results and News on: Rallye Sunseeker

Rallynews (by Brian & Liz Patterson)

• 2006 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship

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PRE EVENT NEWS

• ALL SET FOR SEASIDE SPECIAL - ANCRO PREVIEW
• Paul Bird to Use Derek McGarrity Subaru
• High Quality Entry List
  Kenny McKinstry leads Irish Challenge
• SUNSEEKER COMES OF AGE!
• Regulations available

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20/01/06
ALL SET FOR SEASIDE SPECIAL
The eagerly anticipated battle for the 2006 MSA Gravel Rally Championship gets underway just one week tonight when crews from all over the UK, and a few from even beyond, converge on the seaside resort of Bournemouth for the annual ANCRO season opener as the 21st annual Rallye Sunseeker bursts into life.

Four-times winner and very much the local hero, Marcus Dodd from nearby Poole and co-driver Andrew Bargery from just down the coast at Hove leads the eighty car entry in their FliteWise sponsored Hyundai Accent WRC and after a number of improvements to the car over winter, the pair are favourites for win number five:

“I've plenty of confidence going into Rallye Sunseeker. It is a very special event both to me and the team being on our 'home soil', so the pressure is on to put in a good performance in front of family and friends. Andrew and I are both keen to get the year off to a good start, so I'm sure it will be a very exciting event for everyone concerned” said Dodd, who finished runner up last year.

Having sold the championship Ford Focus WRC, reigning champion Paul Bird from Penrith is a surprise late entry having announced initially that he had no intention of defending the title he won last season but the Cumbrian makes the trip south at the wheel of an ex works Subaru Impreza WRC in the colours of Irishman Derek McGarrity.

Along with co-driver Ian Windress from Northallerton, the British Superbike team boss has been fastest on all four Winter Gardens stages the past two years and is hoping to cause a stir this year too:

“It’s been an ambition of mine to drive a late model Subaru for some time now and I’m not going just to make up the numbers” declared the driver who finished third on Rallye Sunseeker last year. “It will be maximum attack from SS1 right through to the finish” said Bird who won the final two ANCRO events of 2005 on his way to the title.

But in addition to both Dodd and Bird, both former motocross champions incidentally, there is any number of class drivers looking to draw first blood on the championship opener:

Double Scottish champion and runner up in the ANCRO series last year, Barry Johnson, is back again for another stab at the National crown and along with Channel Islander Stewart Merry, the County Durham businessman is hoping to get his season off to a great start in his Barrier Surveillance-backed Impreza S9.

Former champions from Towcester, Roger Duckworth and co driver Mark Broomfield, will be looking for honours in their Subaru WRC, as indeed will 2004 champion Steve Perez from Chesterfield who again teams up with Somerset’s Neil Dashfield in a new VK-backed Ford Focus WRC 05.

Ulstermen Kenny McKinstry and Kenny Hull should be challenging for honours in their Subaru WRC and expect the likes of Welshman Craig Middleton (Hyundai Accent WRC), Isle of Wight visitor Will Nicholls (Subaru WRC) and local star Steve Hendy (Escort WRC) to figure prominently.

With drivers being allowed to drop two scores this season, expect caution to be thrown to the wind and there will be plenty of action guaranteed in the stages around Ringwood and Wareham.

As well as the various MSA Gravel Rally Championships to be contested over the 15 special stages comprising some 70 miles, there are a number of other championships running concurrently with the event including The Peugeot 206 Super Cup, The Subaru Masters, The Mitsubishi Cup and The REAG Rally Cup as well as two regional championships.

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16/02/06
Paul Bird to Use Derek McGarrity Subaru
2005 National Rally Champion Paul Bird returns to the place where his successful campaign got underway twelve months ago, when he contests the Rally Sunseeker based in Bournemouth next weekend.

After clinching the title last year, the Penrith businessman announced he was scaling down his rallying activities in order to concentrate on re-establishing his British Superbike Championship team but the temptation of contesting the opening round of the MSA Gravel Rally Championship proved too much for him and as a result, he’ll be lining up on the South Coast next Friday evening:

“We got a lot sorted very early on in the close season regarding the Superbike team and both my riders were signed up in early November which has given me a little more time than I thought I’d have” said Bird.

Having sold his championship-winning Ford Focus WRC, Bird, along with co driver Ian Windress from Northallerton, has resorted to Subaru power for Rallye Sunseeker and will take to the wheel of an Impreza WRC owned by Irishman Derek McGarrity for the two day event:

“It’s been an ambition of mine for a while now to drive a late model Subaru WRC and I’m really excited about the prospect. Steve Smith at Prodrive was very keen to get me in one of their cars and Derek has come up with the goods and the deal we have done means I can use one of his cars on whatever events I want.”

Bird, who will test the car next week just prior to Rallye Sunseeker, will start at number four on the Southern CC & Croydon & DMC event which gets underway with the traditional blast through the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth on Friday evening – whereby the Cumbrian has been fastest for the past two years - before a day spent in the forests around Ringwood and Wareham on Saturday and he’s planning on a successful event:

“I’m not going to make up the numbers, that’s for sure and I’ll be shooting for the hat-trick of ANCRO wins having won the last two events of 2005. I’d love to win the Sunseeker but second place is of no interest to me, I’m going down there to win and it will be maximum attack from SS1 right to the finish” declared the former GP motocross rider and triple Irish Supermoto champion.

More Details on:

Rallye Sunseeker

• 2006 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship

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High Quality Entry List
RALLYE SUNSEEKER (24/25 th February) has attracted such a high-quality entry that the first 15 crews are all using World Rally Cars in their attempt to win it! 2006 is the 21 st year that the event has formed the opening round of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship – and what a way to celebrate!

MARCUS DODD (Hyundai Accent WRC), the only driver to have won the event four times, takes the No.1 slot but, as the two Friday-night stages in the centre of Bournemouth use ‘reverse-seeding', the honour of being first over the start ramp falls to the crew of Car No.90 – DARREN JONES/PAUL BURLEY in their Skoda Felicia.

Following the overnight halt, the Saturday-leg will see Marcus Dodd being harried by a number of current and former champions, ensuring that any designs the Poole driver may have on increasing his tally of victories are, by no means, a foregone conclusion!

2005 Scottish Rally Champions, BARRY JOHNSON/STEWART MERRY (No.2 - Subaru Impreza WRC), also finished runners-up in the MSA series and are setting out to go one better this year, while Irishman KENNY McKINSTRY (No.3 - Subaru Impreza WRC) is a past National Champion who won Rallye Sunseeker outright in 2002. PAUL BIRD (No.4 - Subaru Impreza WRC) is the current National Champion, but business commitments dictate that he is unable to defend his title fully, opting instead to contest events that fit in with his busy schedule. Bird was the overnight leader of Sunseeker in both 2004 & 2005, but has been unable to convert his proven speed into an overall win – perhaps this will be his year!

STEVE PEREZ (No.5 - Ford Focus WRC) & ROGER DUCKWORTH (No.6 - Subaru Impreza WRC) are also both former National Champions - Duckworth took victory on the south coast in both 1998 & 2004.

Rallye Sunseeker is also a qualifying round of the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, the Subaru Masters, the Mitsubishi Cup, the REAG Rally Cup, and the ACSMC/ ASEMC Wallis's Wagons Multi-Venue & ASWMC Plymouth Agencies Loose Surface Championships. Contenders for each individual series will be slugging it out during the rally and, while not necessarily fighting for the overall lead, will be creating any number of battles throughout the whole entry.

The esteem in which Rallye Sunseeker is held is aptly demonstrated by local driver JAMES WESLEY who, with co-driver GLYN THOMAS, will be starting at No.87 in their MG ZR. The pair were finalists in the 2005 Lucozade Rally Competition, the prize for which was a fully sponsored drive on the Telestra Rally Australia . While awaiting the verdict on TV, they decided to do a UK rally together – ‘and there is no better event than this one'!

Top 10
1 Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery (Hyundai Accent WRC) X21 HMC
2 Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Subaru Impreza WRC) S70 WRC
3 Kenny McKinstry/Kenny Hull (Subaru Impreza WRC) X12 SRT
4 Paul Bird/Ian Windress Subaru Impreza WRC
5 Steve Perez/Neil Dashfield (Ford Focus WRC) VK3
6 Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield (Subaru Impreza WRC) W23 SRT
7 Craig Middleton/Robin Hernaman (Hyundai Accent WRC) X18 HMC
8 Will Nicholls/Nick Broom (Subaru Impreza WRC) X50 WRC
9 Steve Fleck/Anthoney Ettlinger (Subaru Impreza) X14 SRT
12 Steve Hendy/Mark Milton (Ford Escort WRC) H3NDY

Full Entry List on:

Rallye Sunseeker

• 2006 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship

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03/01/06
SUNSEEKER COMES OF AGE!
Rallye Sunseeker, the biggest motorsport event of its type in the south of England, returns to Bournemouth on the 24 th & 25 th 2006, celebrating its 21 st birthday as the opening round of the UK National Rally Championship. Regulations and Details on:

Rallye Sunseeker

• 2006 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship