rally.ie - Stories - Trackrod Stages

Pritchard and Clarke seal BHRC title

Posted: June 16, 2017 6:20 AM

Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke won the 2016 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship with a steady run through the Yorkshire forests on the Trackrod Historic Cup (30 September/1 October).

While Steve Bennett and Paul Spooner were top BHRC finishers after 55 fast stage miles in warm sunshine, Pritchard and Clarke did more than enough to become only the second crew to retain the BHRC crown.

The rally started with a 10-mile stage through Dalby in the dark of Friday evening and continued with five more classic Yorkshire stages on Saturday, including the 13-mile Langdale test. Knowing that they only had to finish the rally to retain their BHRC title, Pritchard and Clarke turned in a controlled performance to win the Holton Homes Category K after a trouble-free rally.
“It was hard to concentrate, but we did what mattered,” said Pritchard, who had spent the rally listening to every noise from the car. However, the Ford Escort Mk2 ran faultlessly and their measured pace was still good enough for third among the BHRC contenders.

On Saturday morning, Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis headed the BHRC field and a first championship maximum score for the Fiat 131 seemed within reach. Unfortunately, the Fiat was out after two more stages. A propshaft vibration set in through Langdale and the shaft failed completely as they left service.

With Pritchard and Robinson out of the reckoning for BHRC victory, it was Steve Bennett and Paul Spooner who took over as leading BHRC crew to give Bennett his first championship win. However, there was a scare over the final two stages in Cropton and Gale Rigg.
“It didn’t want to go into first gear at the stage starts,” said Bennett. “But once it did go in, it was fine.” They also won the RSR Historic Engineering Category 3.

In class D3, for the Pinto-powered Escorts Mk2s, Shawn Rayner and Declan Dear clinched the BHRC class title after a major battle with rivals and friends Ben Friend and Cliffy Simmons. Friend chased hard but two spins in Dalby on Saturday took the edge off his challenge. Meanwhile, Chris Skill and Tom Jordan again topped class D2 in their 1600cc Escort, but two minutes in a ditch in Gale Rigg cost them what would have been a fabulous sixth overall in the historic field.

One of the drives of the rally came from Adam Milner and Roy Jarvis in their crossflow-engined Ford Escort Mk1. Their pace in the under-powered car was nothing short of sensational and they were second among the BHRC contenders as they won the Capital Construction Category 2. That was probably the first time that a 1600cc car has won Category 2 on a BHRC round.

Warren Philliskirk and Nigel Hutchinson had a scare with fuel vapourisation early in Dalby on Saturday after a delay at the stage start, but otherwise had a very good day on home ground for second in Category 2 from the Datsun 240Z of Jeremy Easson/Mike Reynolds. The other Category 2 class winners were Terry Cree and Richard Shores (BMW 2002) in class C3, despite being short on the usual power available from the BMW.

In the Vintage Car Radiator Company Category 1, Bob Bean and co-driver Captain Thompson brought the venerable Lotus Cortina home well clear of the puncture-delayed Mini Cooper of Phil Harris and Paul Kendrick.

The Trackrod Historic Cup was organised by the Trackrod Motor Club.

Results

Posted: June 16, 2017 6:15 AM

Trackrod Stages - 30 Sep-1 Oct 16 - RESULTS (Historic Cup & Land Rover Challenge)

Trackrod Stages - 30 Sep-1 Oct 16 - RESULTS (Trackrod Forest Stages)

Results on Line - Trackrod Historic Cup 2016- Friday & Saturday

Results on Line - Trackrod Forest Stages 2016 - Saturday

Tynemouth Computer Services Rally Results

BHRC set for finale in Yorkshire

Posted: September 26, 2016 10:15 AM

Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke head to Yorkshire this weekend for the Trackrod Historic Cup (30 September/1 October) with a strong chance of retaining the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship title.

Following a perfect score on the Isle of Man, Pritchard and Clarke only have to finish in order to secure back-to-back titles in their Ford Escort Mk2. Major rival Paul Barrett will sit at home in Northern Ireland waiting to see if Pritchard hits problems. If the defending champion fails to finish, Barrett will be champion.

After three non-finishes in a row mid-season, Pritchard battled back into contention for the title with a double victory on the Isle of Man and is now in a strong position heading for the Yorkshire forests. With class and category points, as well as bonus start points, Pritchard and Clarke will be champions simply by finishing the rally. However, Pritchard knows only too well that rallying can be full of surprises and a year ago, with the title secure, he rolled out of the Trackrod in the Dalby stage.

The Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club promotes the MSA BHRC under a five-year contract and 2016 is the second year of that agreement. The calendar covers six gravel and two asphalt rallies, with a double-header on the Isle of Man to make nine rounds. The team at Special Stage is filming all eight events and producing hour-long programmes to give the BHRC some of the best TV exposure in British rallying.

Pritchard and Clarke, running their Ford Escort Mk2 in the Holton Homes Category K, need to resist getting involved in a battle for victory on the rally and that could boost the chances of a landmark BHRC victory for the Fiat 131 of Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis. This is very much home ground for the project and a first win at this level is clearly within reach.

Lining up against the Fiat in the RSR Historic Engineering Category 3 are the rapid Escort Mk2s of Steve Bennett/Paul Spooner and Simon Webster/Jez Rogers. Both crews showed exceptional pace on the famous Yorkshire stages a year ago. Leading the chase of the BDG-powered cars will be the top Pinto-engined Escorts of Ben Friend/Cliff Simmons and Shawn Rayner/Declan Dear from class D3. Chris Skill and Tom Jordan will set a cracking pace in class D2 in their giant-killing 1600cc Escort Mk2.

However, the 1600cc car best placed to cause a major stir is the Escort Mk1 of Adam Milner and Roy Jarvis, back in action after crashing out of the Severn Valley Stages in June. They will be first on the road among the contenders in the Capital Construction Category 2 and will set a stunning pace on home ground despite the car’s lack of power for the fast Yorkshire stages.

Another local crew, Warren Philliskirk and Nigel Hutchinson, top the class C5 entry on their home event with category opposition from Jeremy Easson/Mike Reynolds (Datsun 240Z), Mark Tugwell/Steve Pugh (Escort Mk1), Aziz Tejpar/Alister Crook (Escort Mk1) and Terry Cree/Richard Shores (BMW 2002).

Finally, Bob Bean and Captain Thompson (Ford Lotus Cortina) and Phil Harris/Paul Kendrick (Mini Cooper) contest the Vintage Car Radiator Company Category 1. Sadly, the number of pre-1968 cars competing on gravel has now hit an all-time low due to the changes to event running order.

The Trackrod Historic Cup is based at Scampston Hall near Malton with scrutineering on Friday afternoon followed by the rally start at 7pm and one 10-mile special stage. The rally resumes at 9.30am on Saturday and the crews will return to Scampston from around 3.15pm.

The Trackrod Historic Cup is organised by the Trackrod Motor Club.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: September 20, 2016 6:42 AM

Trackrod Stages - 30 Sep-1 Oct 16 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

First 120 entries in for Trackrod Rally Yorkshire

Posted: September 12, 2016 10:11 AM

The entry list for Trackrod Rally Yorkshire is filling fast with over 120 places already taken for the 30th September/Saturday 1st October rally.

Trackrod Rally Yorkshire features two individual events, the Trackrod Forest Stages and the Trackrod Historic Cup. The overall event will form a round of no less than 15 national and regional championships and demand for entries is high. The organisers expect a capacity entry and urge intending competitors to enter as quickly as possible.

Following the penultimate round of the BTRDA Rally Series, the Woodpecker Rally, a rush of entries for the Trackrod Forest Stages has taken the tally for this element to more than 80 cars, while the field for the Trackrod Historic Cup is already close to 40 cars. A final surge of historic entries is expected following Rally Isle of Man, the penultimate round of the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship.

The rally will use the very best of the famous Yorkshire forest stages from the new rally HQ at Scampston Hall near Malton on Friday. The first historic starts from Adderstone Arena at 7.31pm on Friday night, while the combined field restarts from Adderstone Arena on Saturday at 9.31am. The first car is due back at Scampston at approximately 3.15pm on Saturday afternoon.

Scampston Hall base for 2016 Trackrod Rally Yorkshire

Posted: July 13, 2016 3:50 AM

The organisers of Trackrod Rally Yorkshire are delighted to confirm that the magnificent setting of Scampston Hall near Malton will be rally HQ for the 2016 event.

Scampston Hall will be the base for rally HQ, scrutineering, documentation and the finish of the event, which will again use the very best of the famous Yorkshire forest stages on Friday 30th September and Saturday 1st October.

This will be the first rally to be based at this prestigious venue, thus maintaining the compact route which is a popular feature of the rally. The new base will retain the event’s HQ in Ryedale and the corresponding closeness to the forests.

Scampston Hall is a regency style house set within Capability Brown Parkland. The Hall was remodelled in 1800, and was restored to its regency glory in the 1990s. It is best known for its award winning contemporary Walled Garden which sits within the 18th century kitchen garden walls which open to the public annually between Easter and October.

Scampston Estate has been in the same family for over three centuries. The current custodians are the Chris and Miranda Legard who live in the Hall and manage the estate. To make a traditional farming estate like Scampston a success in the modern day, the Legard's have worked hard to diversify.

This includes welcoming the public into the Hall and gardens, as well as using the Hall and Parkland for weddings, events, conferences and for filming. The latest venture is Scampston Park Lodges - luxury holiday lodges which are being developed on an idyllic part of the estate.

The plan for 2016 is to start the rally from the Central Service Park based at Adderstone Arena in Dalby Forest, which will reduce road mileage still further. As usual, the main action for the rally will be on the classic gravel stages in the Yorkshire forests.

The Trackrod Historic Cup will start at 7pm on Friday, while on Saturday the first car will start at 9.30am and return to the finish at around 3.15pm after two visits to the main service area.

Regulations for the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire are due to be published in early August.

New base for 2016 Trackrod Rally Yorkshire

Posted: June 24, 2016 9:12 AM

The organisers of Trackrod Rally Yorkshire have revealed a change of rally HQ for the 2016 event, which will again use the very best of the famous Yorkshire forest stages on Friday 30th September and Saturday 1st October.

The rally’s traditional HQ venue at Pickering Showground is under-going a major upgrade and will not available for use in September. However the organisers hope to shortly announce a new nearby prestigious venue, thus ensuring the compact route which is a popular feature of the rally. The new base will retain the event’s HQ in Ryedale and the corresponding closeness to the forests.

The plan for 2016 is to start the rally from the Central Service Park based at Adderstone Arena in Dalby Forest, which will reduce road mileage still further. As usual, the main action for the rally will be on the classic gravel stages in the Yorkshire forests.

Trackrod Rally Yorkshire features two individual events, the Trackrod Forest Stages and the Trackrod Historic Cup. The overall event will form a round of no less than 15 national and regional championships.

The Trackrod Forest Stages is a round of:

The Trackrod Historic Cup is a round of:

The Trackrod Historic Cup will start at 7pm on Friday, while on Saturday the first car will start at 9.30am and return to the finish at around 3.15pm after two visits to the main service area.

Regulations for the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire are due to be published in early August.

2016 Trackrod Rally Yorkshire unveiled

Posted: May 18, 2016 6:43 AM

The organisers of Trackrod Rally Yorkshire have unveiled outline details of the 2016 event, which will use the very best of the famous Yorkshire forest stages from a base in Pickering on Friday 30th September and Saturday 1st October.

Trackrod Rally Yorkshire features two individual events, the Trackrod Forest Stages and the Trackrod Historic Cup. The overall event will form a round of no less than 15 national and regional championships.

The Trackrod Forest Stages features 45 stage miles and is a round of:

The Trackrod Historic Cup features 55 stage miles, including a 10-mile stage in the darkness of Friday evening, and is a round of:

The Trackrod Land Rover Challenge, which will run alongside the Historic Cup, will include the Defender Challenge by Bowler Motorsport and competitors from the Armed Forces Rally Team.

The entire event will be based at Pickering Showground which will be the venue for scrutineering, documentation, start and finish, regroup control and central servicing. However, the main action for the rally will be on the classic gravel stages in the Yorkshire forests.

The Trackrod Historic Cup will start at 7pm on Friday, while on Saturday the first car will leave Pickering at 9am and return to the finish at around 3.30pm.

Regulations for the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire are due to be published in mid-July.

Regulations / Website / Details

Posted: May 18, 2016 6:40 AM

Trackrod Motor Club

Trackrod Stages - 30 Sep-1 Oct 16