Jim Clark Rally - 1-3 Jun 12

Posted: July 19, 2012 10:37 AM - 10421 Hits

Jim Clark International Rally - 1-3 Jun 12
Jim Clark National Rally - 1-2 Jun 12

Round 4 - 2012 British Rally Championship
Round 3 - 2012 MSA Asphalt Rally Championship

Jim Clark Reivers Rally - 3 Jun 12
Round 4 - 2012 Scottish Rally Championship

Photo: British Rally Championship

Twingos' Tarmac triumphs, trials & tribulations

Posted: July 19, 2012 10:37 AM

The UK’s inaugural Twingo Renaultsport R1 & R2 Trophies had a mixed fourth round of the MSA British Rally Championship this weekend, as the Scottish Borders reverberated to the sound of the pocket rockets on the Jim Clark International Rally.

The Kelso based event saw local lad Garry Pearson and fellow Scots co-driver Craig Wallace seal the Twingo Renaultsport R1 Trophy UK simply by crossing the start line; a triumph followed by trials and the tribulation of retirement on the final day.

Pearson & Wallace scooped the Twingo R1 Trophy despite retiring from their home event Pearson & Wallace scooped the Twingo R1 Trophy despite retiring from their home event

Having had double British Rally Champion (and this weekend’s rally winner) Keith Cronin as a hare on the opening round in an identical Twingo R1, it now fell to Evo magazine’s features editor Henry Catchpole to try and keep apace with Pearson on asphalt.

It is safe to say that the combination of Pearson’s local knowledge, local support and experience in the 133 horsepower Twingo, combined with Catchpole’s lack of any of the above, meant that the youngster had the edge from the start.

The opening tests though the youngster’s home town of Duns allowed Catchpole to stay relatively close to his one-off rival. But as the first stage on Saturday morning would show, the team-work required in rallying is something that takes time to gel; time the journalist did not have.

Nearly 150 miles of competition did give him and former one-make series co-driving team-mate Chris Brooks time to get used to the car and each other; the pair eventually reaching the finish line with a trophy apiece for their troubles.

Pearson had already survived an off on a notoriously tricky and fast left-hander, scene in the past of some spectacular exits from the event. The incident was caught by Greenlight TV’s cameras for posterity; the only real evidence a dented tailgate and no doubt a sharp intake of breath from the crew.

But it was to be the sticky Scottish asphalt that caused their ultimate demise, a driveshaft proving the weak-point in the transmission of power to road. With an immense seven minute lead in Class 10, unlucky stage 13 claimed Pearson as its third victim, gifting the class win to Catchpole.

In the Twingo R2 Trophy, battle was rejoined between seventeen year-old Chris Ingram and the USA’s Nick Allen, both newcomers to the Borders lanes. But it was Allen’s first ever experience of rallying on asphalt and his approach was a sensible one of learning at a sensible pace.

Chris Ingram & Ieuan Thomas survived a massive moment to finish tenth overall in Scotland Chris Ingram & Ieuan Thomas survived a massive moment to finish tenth overall in Scotland

Ingram was certainly the front-runner on a surface with which he has plenty of experience. The 2011 Formula 1000 champion spent last year proving his pace on sealed-surface airfield events, so with the vastly experienced co-driver Ieuan Thomas alongside, he set about making his mark.

Rectifying a misfire with a replacement fuel pump, Ingram was fastest on every one of the stages and missed out on the BRC Class 6 podium by a single place. But en-route the pair had what he described as “The biggest moment of my life.”

The Swinton crossroads has long been recognised as a uniquely difficult part of this event with a super-fast approach, difficult sight-line and tricky jump and kick. With the rear suspension set hard for the fast tarmac, the rear end of Ingram’s Twingo kicked high on the bump, the car spearing him to the left on landing.

Thankfully, with reactions borne from his F1000 experience, he caught the slide, but not before gathering a grille full of grass from the hedge bottom – a near miss that could so easily ended in disaster.

And so it did for title rival Allen and co-driver Andy Bull; taking a slightly different line through the same crossroads the car landed similarly sideways, but Allen hit the brakes and the resulting slide was brutally interrupted by a tree.

Mercifully the impact spun the car back onto the road right-way-up and both crew members walked away from the decidedly second-hand car unscathed. Once again Greenlight TV were there to catch both incidents, no doubt footage that will be intimately scrutinised by both drivers to see what went wrong.

Just minutes later Ingram and Catchpole, who was delayed by Allen’s massive crash, took their respective honours back in Duns town square, Ingram still reeling from the near-miss, while Catchpole considered himself lucky to have been slowed on the approach by marshals.

With an eleven week gap before the crews cross to Northern Ireland for the Todds Leap Rally NI, part of the Ulster Rally, there is plenty of time for everyone to recoup, although it will be with some trepidation, as titles are at stake on this penultimate round of the series.

Tarmac tests BRC title hunters

Posted: July 19, 2012 10:34 AM

The tarmac of this year’s Jim Clark International Rally not only put the combatants for the overall MSA British Rally Championship title to the test, but battles raged throughout the field on the Scottish Borders lanes this Diamond Jubilee weekend.

MSA British Manufacturers Rally Championship

This year’s MSA British Manufacturers’ title is a three-way battle between the brands: Citroën, Renault and Ford. Scores towards the title are calculated from the two leading cars from each of the manufacturers.

Keith Cronin’s and Tom Cave’s first and second places means that Citroën UK extended its lead in the standings. Elfyn Evans’ fourth and Matthew Cathcart’s eighth saw Ford Motor Company the second-highest scoring manufacturer on this occasion, with Mark Donnelly’s sixth and Chris Ingram’s impressive tenth overall finish allowing Renault UK to stay one point ahead and hold second place.

MSA British Junior Rally Championship

Underpinning the BRC’s commitment to reward its rising stars, a new-look Junior Championship has been introduced for this season. Open to drivers of 23 and under in Class 10 (R1) cars, this initiative sees the winner recognised with the prestigious title of MSA British Junior Rally Champion.

20-year old Renault Twingo R1 driver Garry Pearson was in line to win the Junior category for the third time this season, right up until stage 13, when a driveshaft problem sidelined his chances. However, with his main rival Steve Røkland from Norway not entering this event, it’s status quo for the title race.

Pirelli Star Driver

This year’s Pirelli Star Driver competition again selects a winner from each round. Each of the six winners will then go forward to an end-of-season shootout where they can win a Pirelli funded prize designed to boost their progression in the sport.

So far this season, Mark Donnelly and Tom Cave have been awarded yellow jerseys and a nomination towards the end-of-season finale for winning rounds one and two respectively, with Jussi Kumpumäki the recipient for his performance on round three. This time it was Matthew Cathcart that had the accolade bestowed upon him, in light of his impressive and committed display of driving this weekend.

BRC Teams Cup

The new-format BRC Teams Cup is aimed at professional motorsport teams running two cars. Six teams are currently registered.

Drivers are pre-nominated, but can change from event-to-event. All six rounds count towards the final championship classification, with the first of the team’s two cars scoring points.

Top-scorer in this category was Tom Cave, who’s second place provided maximum points for Davies Motorsport Services and sees them jump from fifth to sixth ahead of Ford Junior Rally Team Finland, after both Niko-Pekka Nimenen and Jussi Kumpumaki failed to finish due to their visits to the Berwickshire countryside.

Second best on this occasion was Elfyn Evans for M-Sport Ford, his efforts ensuring that his team stays at the top of the table. Third finisher in this category was Jukka Korhonen, which keeps Pirelli TEG Sport in second place, whilst Callum Black’s fourth sees the Millers Oils 586 Team to get off the ground with a score of 15-points.
And, helping AVS Motorsport to retain its third place once again was Gethin Jones, the Fiesta driver not letting his Super Rally run on Sunday get in the way of his sixth place finish for teams’ points.

Ravenol Oils BRC Privateers Cup

For competitors who compete outside of one of the six official teams, the Ravenol Oils BRC Privateers Cup allows 18 out of the 27 registered drivers to score points towards this recently introduced category.

Rally winner Keith Cronin was again the highest finisher in this category, which sees him take the lead the standings ahead of previous leader Desi Henry, who drops to second after his car suffered electrical problems on Saturday and forced him to Super Rally on Sunday.

Mark Donnelly finished as the fourth privateer, which is enough for him to hold third place, whilst Jonny Greer’s second in the category elevated him to fourth ahead of Peter Taylor, who retired when his Renault Clio got stuck in a ditch on stage 14.

BRC one-make series

The MSA British Rally Championship also features three, one-make series: The Citroën Racing Trophy UK, Fiesta SportTrophy and the Twingo Renaultsport R1 & R2 Trophies UK.

Round four of the Citroën series was won for the second time by overall rally winner Keith Cronin and once again Elfyn Evans was the quickest of the Fiesta runners. Chris Ingram took maximum points in the Twingo R2 Trophy following his impressive tenth-place overall finish. Garry Pearson’s luck may have run out on stage thirteen, but he still took victory in the Twingo R1 Trophy by crossing the start line. He still needs to seal the BRC Juniors though, before he can take his Rallye du Var prize drive.

Next event

The next and penultimate round of the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship stays on asphalt and moves to the stunning countryside of counties Antrim and Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Todds Leap International Rally NI, part of the Ulster Rally, is based in Antrim and takes place over Friday and Saturday 17th & 18th August.

Second on Jim Clark boosts Tom Cave back to head BRC standings

Posted: July 13, 2012 12:36 PM

A storming second place on this weekend's Jim Clark Rally, the fourth round of the MSA British Rally Championship, by Tom Cave and co-driver Craig Parry saw Cave retake the lead of the championship overall, tying with fellow Welshman Elfyn Evans at the head of the tables.

The Jim Clark Rally is unique on the UK mainland - it is the only event using closed public roads and the tarmac stages have a fierce reputation.

The event began with two runs around the famous Duns town centre stage and Cave took these very easy, acutely aware that while there was little to be gained on the two 1.2mile stages, there was plenty of opportunity to lose time and a good result. A spin on the first of the two for Tom cost him around 10 seconds and he took the second run easy to prevent any more mistakes.

On paper, it looked as though they had taken it too easy, lying 16th overall as the crews headed towards the first of Saturday's eight stages. However, the balance was soon redressed, as Tom and Craig went third fastest on the next two stages, followed by a second-fastest and eventually, a stage win on the last of the morning's four stages, to arrive at the mid-day service in second place overall.

They took the stage win on the first of the afternoon's stages also, a repeat of the morning's win and claimed second-fastest to former double BRC Champion Keith Cronin on the remainder of the day's stages, to reach the end of the first day in a strong second place, a minute adrift of Cronin but more importantly, more than a minute ahead of Jonathan Greer in third.

Tom and Craig began Sunday as they meant to go on, claiming the stage win on the opening test before being caught out by unexpected rain on the second of the day. However, Cronin lost even more time, putting him a tantalising 32 seconds in front of Tom.

With three stages to go, Tom decided to push to try to catch Cronin and overhaul him for the win. However, on the first of the day's last loop of three stages, Tom was again hampered by rain, which started to fall as he started the stage. Because he was on hard tyres, against Cronin's softs and the latter on dry roads, he could not close the gap, losing time on the first four miles of the stage, unable to get heat into the tyres.

With two stages to go, Tom and Craig decided to safeguard the result and ensure that they claimed the best possible points haul without taking any risks. Therefore, they reduced their pace for the last two tests and arrived at the event finish in Duns in second place. As a result, they now share the lead of the BRC tables after four rounds with Elfyn Evans, one of Tom's long-time friends.

Commenting, Tom said:
"It was a hard weekend but a very good result for the championship. I'm really glad that we managed to climb back up to the top of the championship leaderboard after a good rally - everything seemed to click and while it looked like we might be able to be closer to Keith, a couple of bouts of rain meant we couldn't.

"We had a small spin on the opening stage so I made sure that we had a clean rally after that and didn't make any mistakes - if you lose time, it would be very hard to make it back up again. Saturday went very well for us - we were consistently quick and that was just what I wanted to achieve.

"Sunday was a bit more of a day; we lost time when it started to rain for us, Keith and two more cars on Stage 11 but in stage 12, I saw that Keith spun - I could see his tyre marks and grass on the road and then, on top of a plateau, I could see him maybe 25 seconds ahead of us, so I knew we'd closed on him.

"I took hard tyres for the last three stages, as the information we had was it would be dry. Keith took softs and literally as we engaged first gear for the start of Stage 13, it started to rain, for the first four miles of the stage. I couldn't get any heat into the tyres and could see that he was able to brake 30-40 metres later into the early corners than I could. By that point, I realised we weren't going to catch him, so we decided to settle for second, which was a great result.

"It's been a really tough few weeks for me and the family after Dad died, so this result has given us a little moment to smile about."

The BRC now takes its traditional summer break, with 11 weeks until the next event, the Toddsleap International Rally in Ulster, Northern Ireland

'Shoestring' Jim Clark Rally For Luckless Swift

Posted: July 13, 2012 11:59 AM

Darlington rally driver Paul Swift saw his hopes of a good result disappear on the very last stage of this weekend's Jim Clark National Rally but in the end was counting his blessings as he managed to limp to the finish.

Along with Cumbrian co-driver Edwin Cook, the pair were showing good pace in their Motoscope-backed 2.0 litre Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800 and after a steady start around the streets of Duns in the Scottish Borders on Friday evening, they gradually climbed the leaderboard yesterday and by SS7, they were up to 17th overall and third in class.

However, drama struck on the very next stage as Swift recalls:
"All seemed to be going fine when the alternator belt broke and sent the engine temperature soaring. We had no alternative but to stop in stage and take the alternator off and because we didn't have a spare belt with us, it was a case of tying a shoelace around it to work the water pump. It was a very crude method but it worked and we were able to limp back to the finish so it just goes to show that it's never over till the fat lady sings. But talk about rallying on a 'shoestring', we've taken that to a new level this weekend!"

Despite the setback, the seven times British Champion managed to bring the car home in 45th place overall and ninth in class but didn't manage to increase his championship position in the REIS-Get Connected MSA Asphalt Rally Championship.

Paul would like to thank his sponsors and partners for their help and looks forward to another successful season in 2012.

Bitter Sweet Weekend For TEG Sport On Jim Clark Rally

Posted: July 13, 2012 11:46 AM

Round four of the 2012 British Rally Championship saw competitors head for the closed public roads of the Scottish Borders and it turned out to be a weekend of mixed fortunes for the Pirelli TEG Sport Team.

After the disappointment of a final stage retirement on the opening round of the series, Finnish driver Jukka Korhonen has since been the model of consistency and again co driven by his namesake Mikael, brought the Pirelli-backed Skoda Fabia R2 to a third consecutive top seven placing overall and the first of the season on pure asphalt.

In doing so, the 27-year-old from Siikajarvi, who won last year's Pirelli UK Star Driver award, improved to eighth in the overall championship standings as well as consolidating his second place in Class R2 behind former TEG Sport driver Elfyn Evans, with whom he once again battled hard all weekend.

Hoping to continue his recent good form on sealed surfaces, including winning the recent John Overend Memorial Stages on his 4WD debut, it was back to BRC action for 17-year-old Arron Newby in the Pirelli TEG Sport Team's Robert Wiseman Dairies-sponsored Skoda Fabia R2.

The young driver from Carnforth, along with co-driver Martyn Taylor made a brilliant start around the opening stages in Duns on Friday evening to hold a fantastic seventh overall but after a spin on Saturday's opening stage which dropped him 20 seconds, he went off the road on the following stage which led to retirement.

Jukka Korhonen:
"This was my first time driving on tarmac and I am very happy with my result. We had a good test on Monday and the car was very good so to improve my overall championship position and to pull clear in second place in the very important R2 class means we have done a good job this weekend. Hard luck to Arron, he was going really well before he retired so hopefully we can enjoy another battle on the next event and get some more success for the Pirelli TEG Sport team and for Skoda."

Arron Newby:
"After the good results in non-BRC events at the Manx and Melbourne, I was hoping to continue the run here but it wasn't to be. I was really pleased with our performance on Friday and the fact that Jukka and I were first and second in class was very important for Skoda, but naturally I'm extremely disappointed we retired. Thanks to the team and to Robert Wiseman Dairies for their support and I hope to put things right on the International Rally Northern Ireland next time out."

Stuart Newby, Team Owner:
"This is an impressive result from Jukka as he has never done a rally on tarmac before so to bring the car home in seventh overall and to consolidate his second place in R2 is job done. As for Arron, we are all disappointed but we accept that he has to take the rough with the smooth, and these things happen the faster you get, it's all part of the deal. We can take positives away and as well as Jukka's improvement in the points table, we have also moved up to second in the BRC Teams Cup so we are very confident going to Ulster for the next round in August."

The ToddsLeap International Rally Northern Ireland is based in Antrim and uses the closed public roads in the province over the weekend of August 17/18th.

Cronin/Marshal show class to score second BRC victory of the season

Posted: July 13, 2012 11:41 AM

A quality performance by Keith Cronin and co-driver Marshall Clarke saw them record a second MSA British Rally Championship victory of the season this weekend by winning round four, the Jim Clark International Rally. Having taken the lead on a third of the event’s 15 stages, Cronin/Clarke overcame the understandable concerns caused by a recurring broken brake pedal, to cross the finish line one-minute and 16-seconds ahead of their closest rivals, Tom Cave/Craig Parry.

Making a Citroën DS3 1-2-3 and also finishing one-minute 16-seconds behind the car in front, Jonny Greer/Gordon Noble rounded off the podium positions ahead of fourth-placed Elfyn Evans – who this time was accompanied by Dale Furniss – to make it four Class 6 (R2 category) victories out of four for the Welshman. This result means that Evans and Cave now share the championship lead with Cave/Parry with a score of 60-points.

The Jim Clark Rally is unique, as it’s the only event of its kind that takes place over closed public roads on the British mainland. The International element of the event began on Friday evening with the now traditional ceremonial start in the centre of Duns, which was immediately followed by two runs of a 1.2-stage through the town in front of 1000s of spectators.

Fastest through both stages were Finns Jarkko Nikara/Petri Nikara in their Citroën DS3, who booked into the overnight Parc Fermé at Kelso Racecourse with a 1.9-second lead ahead of Cronin/Clarke. Third at this point were Callum Black/Paul Wakely, who were pleased to be on the pace in their brand new Citroën DS3, bearing in mind they were getting used to the car and Black had admitted he was dialling himself in following the accident that sidelined his Suzuki Swift in round one of the championship – Rallye Sunseeker – in February.

All 25 BRC competitors made it through the two spectator stages without issue, the crews mindful that the rally couldn’t be won there, but it could certainly be lost. Starting with the infamous 16-mile Abbey St. Bathans stage on Saturday morning, Cronin/Clarke were on it from the word go and, taking three seconds off Nikara/Nikara, they arrived at the finish control with a 1.1-second lead.

Such was the pace of the team-mates, they had pulled a gap of 34-seconds ahead of Peter Taylor/Andrew Roughead in their Renault Clio in an excellent third, with Cave/Parry fourth, split by 1.1 seconds. In fifth and leading the Class 6 (R2 category) were Jukka Korhonen/Mikael Korhonen, an impressive start by the Finns in the Pirelli Star Driver Škoda Fabia, bearing in mind this event was their first ever asphalt rally.

Whilst the front-runners defied the spectre of the Abbey St. Bathans stage’s reputation, others did not. First to go were Niko Nieminen/Pasi Haataja; a patch of mud at the end of a long straight just three-miles in catching them out and sending their Fiesta off the road and into the trees. Thankfully the two Finns emerged unscathed, but the same could not be said for their car.

Next to exit stage left were James Grint/Phil Clarke, when their car’s brake pedal went to the floor and, although provoking frantic evasive action to avoid contact with the Berwickshire landscape, their Citroën DS3 inevitably spun and ended its day in a ditch. Once recovered, their team was able to replace the car’s rear beam and enable it to reappear on Sunday under Super Rally regulations.

Also having problems in SS3 and opting to ‘Super Rally’ on Sunday were Desi Henry/Niall Burns, when a drive belt tensioner caused their Citroën’s power steering and water pump to stop working. However, by far the most spectacular retirement of the day was that of Arron Newby/Martin Taylor: a heavy landing following a flat crest catapulted their Škoda Fabia off the road and into a series of rolls.

Although shaken, both climbed out unharmed and, even though the car wasn’t too badly damaged, it was going no further. A great shame after such a promising start, as they were second of the Class 6 (R2) runners and seventh overall following the two Duns stages on Friday evening.

Stage five saw Cave/Parry overhaul Taylor/Roughead - who felt their Renault was not going as quickly as it could – and then, on stage six, the round-two winners found themselves in second, when Nikara/Nikara lost third gear and dropped time as a consequence. This stage was to prove entertaining for spectators when a damp patch of road on the approach to a 90-left saw over half the BRC field overshoot the corner and go straight on down a track and into a field, Taylor/Roughead and Alex Parpottas/Chris Davies winning the prize for traversing the furthest distance from the road they should have been on.

Following the lunch-time service halt at Kelso Racecourse, the morning’s four stages were tackled again, albeit not in the same order. For a moment, the rally leaders thought that stage seven was to be their last, when Cronin’s brake pedal broke. But with a combination of skill - and a bit of luck – the twice British Rally Champion was able to avoid the surrounding scenery and make it to the end of the stage, where he and Clarke instigated a temporary fix.

Even though the Irishman said he was not driving at 100% from then on, he was still able to increase his advantage – his cause helped when Nikara/Nikara retired on stage nine after their gearbox problems became decidedly worse. The Finns’ exit also helped Cave/Parry, who admitted that they had backed-off a little to consolidate their lead of just over a minute ahead of third-placed Jonny Greer/Gordon Noble – also in a DS3. Taylor/Roughead were now fourth – and closing – whilst Elfyn Evans/Dale Furniss were fifth and now the leading Class 6 (R2) car.

Not relishing the afternoon’s quartet of stages were Gethin Jones/Kevin Devine, when their Fiesta’s gear linkage came adrift in stage eight and would force them to opt for Super Rally on Sunday. Round one winners Mark Donnelly/Dai Roberts were seeded at number one and, although expectations were high for the Renault Clio R3 crew, an electrical problem caused their car’s engine to lose power which meant they were languishing in ninth place when cars returned to Kelso Racecourse for the overnight halt.

Although clouds were present in the skies over Berwickshire throughout Saturday, the rain had held off. But, this was not the case on Sunday when, just as the leading cars were about to start the first of two runs through the eight-mile Bothwell stage, rain started falling. As there was bright sunshine when the cars left the racecourse at the start of the day, all were caught out on the wrong tyres and only those that had carried intermediates as spares were able to improve their chances of finding any grip.

After the first six cars started stage eleven, the rain stopped as quickly as it had begun, a factor that helped the cars running further down the field – especially the lower-powered variety - that found more traction than the usually quicker R3 cars. This sudden change in conditions threw a curved ball as far as the stage times were concerned: Whilst Cave/Parry recorded the fastest time on stage eleven, Parpottas/Davies were second in their Fiesta R2. But even more impressively, stage twelve saw Matthew Cathcart/James Morgan set the fastest time, with Jussi Kumpumäki/Jani Salo third on the two runs through Bothwell – both crews in Fiesta R2s.

Whilst all this paranormal activity was going on, Cronin/Clarke had a fright, when a recurrence of the broken brake pedal cost them over 30-seconds and an off-road excursion in stage twelve. Therefore, the gap between him and Cave/Parry when cars booked into the mid-morning service halt was down to 32-seconds.

With three stages left, the rally leaders decided to stamp their authority on proceedings and, with a trio of fastest times, increased their margin to one-minute 16-seconds ahead of Cave/Parry, who did likewise ahead of Greer/Noble. Even though seventh-placed Korhonen/Korhonen were getting quicker, they could not catch Evans/Furniss, which meant the talented Welshman scored his fourth Class 6 (R2) victory out of four. This result places both Evans and Cave at the top of the drivers’ points table, with Cronin next in line and just two points behind.

Osian Pryce/Iestyn Williams had a better day than they had on Saturday and claimed an eventual fifth place in their Citroën DS3, with Donnelly/Roberts also having a more productive time and brought their Renault Clio R3 home in sixth.

In eighth place and third in Class 6 were Matthew Cathcart/James Morgan in their Ford Fiesta. Of all the BRC crews, they were the ones who grasped this morning’s wet and slippery conditions by the scruff of the neck. This performance saw Cathcart presented with the coveted Pirelli Star Driver yellow jersey at the finish and with it, a nomination to go forward to the end-of-year shoot out.

Whilst the front-runners were forging ahead, in contrast, Sunday’s final three stages others were not the best for others: Garry Pearson/Craig Wallace had their chances of taking a third Junior category win scuppered when one of their Renault Twingo R1’s driveshafts took a turn for the worse on stage 13. For Taylor/Roughead and Kumpumäki/Salo SS14 was to be their nemesis, with both of them going off on the same stretch of road and getting their cars stuck in a ditch.

But the most bitter of pills was reserved for North American driver Nick Allen and his Midlands-based co-driver Andy Bull. On the 15th and final stage they were caught out by the infamous Swinton crossroads jump, which caused their Renault Twingo R2 to spear off the road and into a tree, the impact bringing their rally to an abrupt halt.

At the finish in Duns town centre, a delighted Keith Cronin said: “This certainly wasn’t the easiest of events, especially with the brake pedal problem, but I’m delighted that the result was the right one in the end. It’s great to win this event, especially against such strong competition and because it’s been so tough. This has really helped our chances in the championship.”

The MSA British Rally Championship now takes an 11-week Summer break before round five, the Antrim-based Toddsleap international Rally NI – the second of the season’s two asphalt events - which takes place on 17th & 18th August. But to keep teams up to speed and the championship in the news, BRC organisers have arranged a test and sponsors day at MIRA on 21st July.

Results

Posted: July 13, 2012 11:37 AM

Results on Line (Jim Clark 2012)
Results by:

Tynemouth Computer Services Rally Results

rallyfm.net

Tarmac twists and turns for Twingo Trophy

Posted: May 30, 2012 9:40 AM

The Twingo Renaultsport Trophy UK follows the MSA British Rally Championship onto tarmac for the first time this season, as crews leave the forests and move to the lanes of the Jim Clark International Rally.

With the Twingo R2 Trophy having started on the second round of the BRC, Chris Ingram and Nick Allen have had just two opportunities to score points towards the end of season prize-drive on the final round of the French Rally Championship.

First blood went to Allen, the Californian driver ably assisted by Solihull’s own Andy Bull. But in a fit of chivalry, the crew made a decision that could ultimately decide the championship, helping young Ingram to the final service area after he and co-driver Joe Cruttenden had fuel problems.

Despite not being strictly in the rule book, Allen’s kind gesture and Ingram’s resulting points may be annulled at the end of the season, when each crews’ worst score is discounted.

The second round of the series for the R2 runners was the Pirelli International Rally where Ingram was certainly quick. But whatever speed he attained in the infamous Kielder Forest complex would have bested Allen, as the affable Yank retired with transmission troubles on Saturday’s first stage.

So it is Ingram who leads the R2 Trophy ahead of the move to asphalt, a surface with which he is very familiar. With a Junior 1000 Championship title, an excellent result on the IRC Circuit of Ireland under his belt and the vastly experienced Ieuan Thomas alongside, it would be folly to bet against the 17 year-old on the Jim Clark Rally.

But rallying is a sport where experience in both seats counts and if it success on an event has ant bearing, then bring on Nick Allen’s co-driver Andy Bull. He and Thomas locked horns as co-drivers on the event in 2008, Bull taking the second podium spot alongside Stuart Jones, one place higher than Thomas with former BRC Champ David Higgins.

The fight for the Twingo R1 Trophy may well be all but done after its three rounds so far, Garry Pearson needing just to start his home Jim Clark International Rally to take the title. But the young Scot and his co-driver Craig Wallace will have competition on the tar once more, despite a clash for his British Junior Rally Championship sparring partner Steve Røkland.

Local lad Garry Pearson needs to hold his nerve on the Jim Clark International Rally

The Norwegian will not make this Scottish BRC counter, but Pearson cannot tie up the title on home tarmac, needing at least one more score after the Jim Clark to guarantee the prestigious title.

Pearson will instead vie for Class 10 honours on the event with former one-make series protagonist Henry Catchpole. Henry is fortunate to be the features editor for Evo magazine, so has plenty of opportunity to drive fast cars fast. But he is also an avid rally fan, securing a drive in the Swift Sport Cup in 2008, a 1600cc series similar to the Twingo Renaultsport Trophy UK.

He and co-driver Chris Brooks acquitted themselves well during their single season, Henry taking fifth in the series despite a retirement on the final round. It has been a while since his skills have been pitted against others on the closed roads of the Scottish Borders though, and with Pearson living practically on the rally route, he will be up against stiff competition.

With a share of the £3000 per-event prize fund and Rallye du Var prize-drive at stake, the Twingo Renaultsport Trophy UK runners and riders ready themselves for this unique rally, which takes place on the closed public roads of the Scottish Borders.

The Jim Clark International Rally is based in Kelso with a ceremonial start and spectator stage on Friday night in Jim Clark’s home town of Duns. The stages loop around the two towns, returning to Kelso several times for essential maintenance at Kelso Racecourse.

Duns hosts a ceremonial start and two town centre special stages on Friday evening, cars arriving for the pre-start autograph session from around 18:00hrs. The bulk of the action takes place on Saturday from 08:00hrs, finishing back in race & rally legend Jim Clark’s hometown of Duns after 145 competitive miles at 14:30hrs on Sunday.

First asphalt encounter for new-look BRC

Posted: May 30, 2012 9:35 AM

Next weekend’s Jim Clark Rally hosts the fourth round of this year’s MSA British Rally Championship and, following three gravel rallies so far, the Scottish Borders-based event provides the first asphalt encounter of the season. So, with the championship switching to two-wheel-drive cars only this year, it begs the question; who will be on top on tarmac?

To underline the competitiveness the BRC’s new 2WD format, the first three rounds have produced three different winners, with only a handful of seconds separating the front-running crews. Jarkko Nikara has challenged for the lead in all three rallies, but each time has found himself a nemesis.

In round one – the Rallye Sunseeker - it was Mark Donnelly; round two – the Bulldog Rally of North Wales - it was Tom Cave and, in round three - the Pirelli Rally - it was Keith Cronin. Therefore, the Finnish ace hopes that he can turn the tide on tarmac and record his first win of the season.

With Donnelly in his Renault Clio seeded at number one and Cronin in his Citroën DS3 at number two - and both hailing from the land synonymous for closed-road rallying - the form books suggest that the round one and three winners will be tough to topple. Nikara starts at three with his Citroën DS3, whilst current championship leader Elfyn Evans carries number four on the door of his Ford Fiesta.

Even though the Welshman is running in Class 6 (the R2 category), he cannot be ruled out as a possible victor. He has already shown that despite the power disadvantage he gives away to the three Class 5 (R3) drivers running ahead of him, he can be more than a match – especially if it rains – as the Berwickshire lanes have a reputation of being treacherous when they’re wet, which will go some way to equalise the differences in engine output.

At five is Osian Pryce, who has a habit of springing surprises and, although more familiar with gravel than asphalt, is another Citroën DS3 driver to watch. In similar machinery and seeded at six is Jonny Greer who, from Northern Ireland, is certainly no stranger to tarmac and contested a rally in Southern Ireland last weekend to bring himself up to speed with a car he admits he is still getting used to.

Peter Taylor has also shown he can cut it at the front and is eager to put his Renault Clio R3 into a high scoring position next weekend, as he currently shares third place in the Championship with Cronin. Right behind him on the road will be Cave who, bearing in mind he holds second place in the standings, is likely to improve on his seeding – even though he is another driver who has had more seat-time on gravel than on tarmac.

The second of the four Scandinavian drivers - and second of the Class 6 (R2) category competitors - is Jussi Kumpumäki. Seeded at nine, the young Finn – driving a Ford Fiesta - starts just ahead of fellow countryman Jukka Korhonen in the Pirelli Star Driver Škoda Fabia R2. The fourth Finn to take to the tarmac is Niko-Pekka Nieminen, who starts at 15 – also in a Ford Fiesta - and will be happy if he can stick with Northern Ireland’s Matthew Cathcart, who starts one place ahead of him in a similar car.

Also from Northern Ireland and a driver who excels on asphalt is Desi Henry. He starts at 11 in his Citroën DS3, whilst at 12 and making a welcome comeback for the first time since his spectacular retirement during the Rallye Sunseeker in February, is Callum Black, who will be debuting his DS3. Next to take to the stage will be the ever improving James Grint – another Citroën driver – with Class 8 leader Gethin Jones in his Ford Fiesta ST starting at 17.

Seeded at 18, Fiesta driver Ruary Macleod will be looking to break his run of no-scores from the past two rounds, whereas Škoda driver Arron Newby hopes that his outright win last weekend at a single-venue event will give him a boost this weekend. Another teenager, Chris Ingram, starts behind Newby in a Renault Twingo R2, with current leader of the MSA British Junior Rally Championship Garry Pearson in his Renault Twingo R1 next.

Rounding off the field of 24 BRC entries is Fiesta driver Alex Parpottas at 22, Citroën C2 Max driver Christian South, Renault Twingo R2 driver Nick Allen – who continues to commute to the UK from his home in the USA, Evo magazine’s Henry Catchpole in a one-off Twingo drive and Louise Cook, the 2011 British Ladies Champion returning to the BRC in her Ford Fiesta ST.

The Jim Clark Rally continues to be the only competitive event of its kind to be held over closed public roads on the UK mainland and, for 2012, the event sees an extended format. Starting from the centre of Duns on Friday evening, competitors go straight into a stage that takes them through the centre of the town. And, if previous years are anything to go by, spectators will be lining its 1.2-mile route.

After a second run of the same stage before the overnight halt, Saturday comprises a further eight stages over some of Berwickshire’s familiar rally roads, including the infamous 16-miles of Abbey St. Bathans. Five stages follow on Sunday, with a 10.2-mile run through Swinton providing the 15th and final test of the rally before the ceremonial finish in Duns town square at 2.30pm.

Tom Cave heads north for round four of BRC

Posted: May 30, 2012 9:34 AM

Young rally driver Tom Cave heads north of the border this weekend, to contest the Jim Clark Rally, round four of the 2012 British Rally Championship. The 20 year-old will be buoyed by his recent performance on the Carlow stages in Ireland, where he finished 10th overall, first in class and first front wheel-drive car but in contrast, is still mourning the sad demise of his father just two weeks ago.

This will be Tom's third time on the Jim Clark, having competed in his Group N Fiesta and last year, in the Group N Mitsubishi Lancer. However, the event has gained an extra day for 2012, with just two stages around the centre of Duns on Friday night and a further two full days of competition on the tight and twisty asphalt roads around the birthplace of motorsport legend and event namesake, Jim Clark.

The Jim Clark is the first of two tarmac rounds in the series and Tom contested the recent Carlow Stages rally in Ireland in preparation, after the three gravel rallies that opened the series.

Despite a huge field including numerous high-specification Ford Escorts and several World Rally Cars, Tom and co-driver Craig Parry finished the event in 10th place overall, first in class and the first front wheel-drive car, a remarkable achievement against fierce competition. And while the Carlow gave invaluable tarmac experience, Tom is under no illusions that this weekend's event will be a walk in the park.

Commenting, he said;
"It's been a tough few weeks and it's hard to describe how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm still a bit numb after Dad died but I need to focus on this event and try to ensure that we get a reasonable result to keep the championship going.

"I think the key this weekend will be to drive my own rally, try to find a rhythm and pace that I'm comfortable with and enjoy the event. Hopefully if I can do this, then the result will come. I don't want to put myself under too much pressure, as I'll just set myself up for a fall.

"We're still second on the championship so ideally, a podium would be good to try to keep towards the top of the tables. But it won't be easy; it's a very competitive event and there will be some very quick drivers out, like Elfyn [Evans], Keith [Cronin], Mark [Donnelly] and Jarkko [Nikara].

"I've done the rally twice before but don't have a huge amount of experience of the stages, so Craig and I will be spending some time ahead of the event reviewing our notes from the previous years and working on systems ahead of this weekend.

"The event is also longer than last year - there are just two stages on Friday compared with six last year then 90 miles on Saturday and another 40 on Sunday, so it will be a tough event but I just want to enjoy it without putting myself under too much pressure."

The rally begins with two runs around the centre of Duns, Jim Clark's birthplace on Friday evening before seven stages on Saturday and five on Sunday. The first crews are expected to reach the finish ramp at 14.40 on Sunday.

British title races continue on Tarmac

Posted: May 30, 2012 9:07 AM

MSA British Manufacturers Rally Championship

This year’s MSA British Manufacturers’ title is a three-way battle between the brands: Citroën, Renault and Ford, with scores towards the title calculated from the two leading cars from each of the manufacturers.

Wins in rounds two and three means that Citroën UK leads the standings by 18-points, with Renault UK’s win on round one seeing them hold second place – albeit only three points ahead of Ford Motor Company, who has shown that consistency, rather than having an R3 category car, can pay off.

Citroën UK has definitely had the best of it so far though, with at least one car on the overall podium on each round; Desi Henry, Osian Pryce, Tom Cave, Keith Cronin and Jarkko Nikara all scoring points for the French manufacturer in their respective DS3s.

Renault UK has also had a number of different drivers score; Mark Donnelly, Peter Taylor and Nick Allen using the Clios and Twingo to good effect in the quest for Manufacturers points. Renault ahs also had its share of podium places, but so far it is just Donnelly who has taken to the podium with a win and third place to his credit.

Elfyn Evans and Jussi Kumpumäki are joined by Matthew Cathcart in scoring for Ford Motor Company so far this season, Evans not only taking a podium spot on the opening round of the championship, but topping the overall championship in his Fiesta R2.

MSA British Junior Rally Championship

Underpinning the BRC’s commitment to reward its rising stars, a new-look Junior Championship has been introduced for this season. Open to drivers of 23 and under in Class 10 (R1) cars, this initiative sees the winner recognised with the prestigious title of MSA British Junior Rally Champion.

20-year old Renault Twingo R1 driver Garry Pearson currently holds a 20-point lead in the category and, if all goes well, he is destined to extend his advantage on the Jim Clark Rally, especially as his main rival Steve Røkland from Norway has not entered this event.

Local lad Pearson cannot seal the title in his home town of Duns where the Jim Clark Rally starts and finishes, as the final championship round carries a 50% additional weighting. But with additional support comes additional pressure, so he must remain focussed in his hunt for Junior points.

Both MSA British Junior and Manufacturers Rally Championships switch to asphalt on this weekend’s Jim Clark International Rally, which starts on Friday evening with an autograph session and spectator stage in Duns town centre.

Catch the action on Sky Sports and British Rally Radio

Coverage of the classes and cups from round three of the MSA British Rally Championship will be shown at 18:30hrs on Sky Sports 4 & 4HD this Wednesday (30th May). Coverage of the main Jim Clark International Rally will be freshly edited by Greenlight Television immediately after the event and can be seen at 20:00hrs on Sky Sports 3 & 3HD on Monday (4th June). Full schedule HERE

From 19:00hrs this Friday (1st June) and during the rally you can tune in to British Rally Radio either via the BRC website or via the BRC smartphone and tablet app. It is worth noting that RallyFM, the team behind British Rally Radio, will be broadcasting from Barbados by the miracle of modern technology.

THE KEY TO THE TITLE?…REIS - Get Connected MSA Asphalt Rally Championship Preview

Posted: May 24, 2012 2:48 PM

Still the only closed-road asphalt rally on mainland UK, the Jim Clark Rally and its constituent parts hold a certain aura amongst those fortunate enough to be able to take part. Ask Damian Cole – he’s won the National section of the event for the past two years on his way to consecutive MSA Asphalt Rally Championship titles. The trouble is, from Damian’s point of view, that 2009 Champion Melvyn Evans did exactly the same three years ago – and he’s back once more!

Prior to the start of the third round of the REIS – Get Connected MSA Asphalt Rally Championship, the entry list shows 33 registered contenders (up from 25 this time last year) will cross the start-line in the Scottish Borders town of Duns during the evening of Friday 1st June. In deference to his win in 2011, Damian Cole, co-driven on this occasion by Seb Marshall, will be the first away in his Ford Focus WRC. Right behind him is the Subaru Impreza WRC of Melvyn Evans/Aled Davies who have won the first two rounds of the MSA Asphalt Championship outright and, to put it mildly, are proving to be a thorn in Cole’s side as he attempts to become only the second person in the series’ 30-year history to take a hat-trick of titles.

Trying their hardest not to get involved in the battle raging ahead of them will be John Stone/Rob Fagg in their Skoda Fabia WRC. The Blackburn driver is no stranger to the territory, having led the event in the past at the wheel of a Metro 6R4 and finished 3rd & 5th respectively over the past two years. John Indri/Janice Moore lead the Championship two-wheel drive runners in their Darrian T90 GTR whilst, at the same time, attempting to consolidate their advantage in the Millington Darrian Challenge. No-one can ever accuse the Chelmsford driver of not trying in what must be quite a handful, especially if it’s wet! He was 8th last year, one place behind David Hardie/ John McCulloch whose Impreza will leave Duns immediately behind the ‘yellow peril’!

For 2007 Asphalt Champion Steve Simpson and co-driver Patrick Walsh, last year’s Jim Clark National Rally was one of the high spots of the season. They took their Impreza WRC to runner-up spot, finishing just five seconds behind Cole after 120 miles of stages, having set fastest times on four of the last six. Darlington’s Paul Swift leads the Millington Escort Challenge runners in his MkII, while Rob Tout/Dan Holley’s Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9 will be disputing Class N4 superiority with the Imprezas of Michael Glendinning and Championship newcomer Julian Barnett.

Renewing their tussle in the AB Motorsport Peugeot 205 Challenge, after no points were scored on the Isle of Man, are Tim Daltry and Craig Jose. Last time both drivers contested the Jim Clark National was in 2010 and Jose’s long trip up from Cornwall was rewarded with a finish just outside the Top Twenty.

Notwithstanding any further registrations that may be received before the flag drops, the full list of REIS – Get Connected MSA Asphalt Rally Championship crews contesting the Jim Clark National Rally is as follows:

Whilst the rally actually begins on Friday evening in Duns, the meat of the event takes place on Saturday, with the finish back there early on Saturday evening. Come rain or shine, the pace is frenetic and merely to complete the course is a tremendous achievement in anybody’s book. To win is something else again!...

SRC: Bogie eyes more Metro 'magic'

Posted: May 21, 2012 11:29 AM

For the second year running, triple Scottish champion David Bogie will contest the Jim Clark Reivers Rally on June 3rd in his family's iconic MG Metro 6R4.

The 25-year-old car certainly proved its worth on the tarmac event in 2011, with the Dumfries-based driver setting a blistering pace to finish more than a minute ahead of the rest of the field.

So far this season, Bogie has notched up three straight wins in the 2012 MSA Scottish Rally Championship in his more familiar Mitsubishi EVO 9.

Co-driven by Kevin Rae, he has been quickest through twelve of the fifteen stages completed so far this season, sharing the fastest time on another, and will aim to continue the pair's unbeaten run with a fourth successive victory on the Duns-based Reivers.

Second seed Euan Thorburn - runner-up to Bogie for the past three years on his home event - will be hoping local knowledge counts as he takes to the Berwickshire lanes in his new-for-2012 Ford Focus WRC '01, alongside navigator Paul Beaton.

The Duns man had a difficult opening two rounds as he familiarised himself with the car, but showed real intent on the Granite City - keeping Bogie in his sights before a last stage overshoot put paid to what could have been a very close finish.

Late entry Jock Armstrong - who finished third on the Reivers in 2010 and 2011 - lines up for his first SRC event since his Subaru Impreza sustained heavy damage on last year's Speyside Stages.

Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy will also be targeting a podium spot after finishing fourth in Duns last year in their BSW Timber Mitsubishi EVO 6.

The duo had a strong start to the 2012 season - finishing second on the two opening rounds - but lost ground on the Granite City with a series of problems, including two punctures and a mis-fire.

It meant that John McClory moved into second in the drivers' table ' eighteen points behind Bogie ' after taking a third top-ten finish alongside co-driver David Hood.

Four points further back, Quintin Milne, with Martin Forrest on the notes, has been pushing for a podium place in his Mitsubishi EVO 9. He has been in the top-five overall going into the final stage on each of the three rounds, only to be denied almost within sight of the finish.

Barry Groundwater, currently fourth in the drivers' points in his EVO 9, is one of several drivers (Thorburn is another) who have also entered for the previous day's National rally. Groundwater will have fellow Stonehaven competitor Daniel Paterson back on the notes.

Other EVO crews targeting a good points haul include Chris Collie/Lisa Watson; Rory Young/Allan Cathers; Donnie Macdonald/Andrew Falconer; Alistair Inglis/Colin Inglis; and John Morrison/Susan Shanks.

Steve Bannister, co-driven by Louise Sutherland, will be fighting for 2-wheel drive supremacy with fellow Mk2 Escort crews Keith Robathan and Ian Nicoll; David Wilson and Dave Robson - who took top 2WD honours on the Granite; local duo Mike Horne and Robbie Mitchell; and Isle of Mull-based Eddie O'Donnell Jnr, who will have Stuart Loudon from Larkhall on the notes.

In the 1600cc category, John Boyd and Chris Williamson are back in action in their Ford Fiesta R2, after dominant performance on the Granite which saw them keep their noses in front in Class 4.

Graeme Schoneville and Michael Hendry who are currently second in the drivers' and co-drivers' points respectfully in their Honda Civic, and third-placed Graeme Smith and Laura Marshall, also in a Civic, will be battling for honours on the fast and unforgiving Berwickshire lanes, while Paisley's Alasdair S Graham, with Laura Stuart navigating, will be desperate to get his campaign back on track after two retirals in a row in his Vauxhall Corsa.

Class 3 will see three of the current top four crews fighting for championship points: namely Blair and Alex McCulloch (Vauxhall Nova); Tom and Sue Hynd (Peugeot 205Gti); and Iain Haining and Mairi Riddick (Vauxhall Nova).

In Class 2, young Dumfriesshire Vauxhall Nova driver Greg McKnight, co-driven by dad Chris, holds a slender two point lead over Morayshire's Alex Pirie and navigator David Law in a Vauxhall Corsa.

Seeded Entry Lists

Posted: May 21, 2012 11:24 AM

Jim Clark Rally - 1-2 (3) Jun 12 - SEEDED ENTRY LISTS

Jim Clark Memorial Rally

Entries Received

Posted: May 17, 2012 2:24 PM

Available at:

www.rallies.info/webentry/2012/jimclark/entries.php?type=u&combined=1

New routes for the Jim Clark

Posted: April 30, 2012 2:04 PM

The 2012 Jim Clark Rally is just 5 weeks away and some new mileage will feature during this year’s event.

Rally organisers can now release more details of this year’s route which includes high speed action on around some new look stages.

The rally, which runs on a special Parliamentary Order, was first run on the Closed Roads of the Scottish Borders back in 1997. The order limits the event to operating the necessary closures within the old county boundaries of Berwickshire a limit that restricts the number of roads available.

Roads in the Auchencraw area will feature for the first time as an addition to the International and National Rally’s ‘Edrom’ stage. Running over both fast ‘B’ roads and narrow classic Berwickshire county lanes the organisers are promising a great new challenge for the drivers. Not to be out done the Reivers Rally will also feature an extension to the Bothwell stage which has not been used by the Scottish Rally Championship counter before.

The rally gets underway on the Friday evening with the very popular Duns ceremonial start and street stage. The Rally, round four in this year’s British Rally Championship, retains most of the classic stages like ‘Abbey St Bathans’ which will this year be part of the eight stage 100 mile Saturday itinerary. All of the events which make up the Jim Clark’s ‘Great Rallying Weekend’ also retain their Duns start and finishes.

The rally takes place at the start of the Queens Jubilee bank holiday weekend between the 1st and 3rd June.

On behalf of the organising team, Colin Pagan, the rally manager said.
“We have always managed to put together a route interesting to both drivers and spectators and this year is no exception. The committee are forever trying to improve and find new challenges but after 14 years we thought we had looked at all of the possibilities, so to be able to find and utilise more of these excellent rallying roads is great news. I’m sure the competitors are particularly going to enjoy them.
This comes in a year when we have had other challenges, particularly as the event runs during the Queens Jubilee weekend while other local functions are going on. Thank you very much to the people of Berwickshire.

Regulations / On line entry

Posted: March 30, 2012 1:18 PM