RACING EXPOSURE :: Club level motorsport e-magazine

Tour Britannia will have its first works entry when the classic race and rally tour runs for the eighth time on 6-8 June. In the concurrent targa category for post ’75 cars, Radical will field its fully road-legal SR3 SL for journalists Richard Meaden and Jethro Bovingdon.

Neither Richard nor Jethro have driven the SR3 SL before, but its race and track-proven pedigree – including scooping EVO’s Trackday Car of the Year – should make it ideal for the task. Both drivers have experience in a wide range of disciplines, both contesting the Nurburgring 24-hours amongst other events, and will be aiming for lap and stage records at every venue.

Targa Britannia is open to any post ’75 road legal car, including sports, GT and saloon cars capable of carrying a crew of two, and complying with MSA race regulations. The competitors will tackle 20 asphalt special stages as well as races at Croft and Cadwell Park, with the car being driven on the public road between the venues. It will be a real test of a car’s ability to perform in competition and be used on the road, all within the same event.

The Radical SR3 SL is a fully road-legal track car without compromise. The SR3 SL scores on all levels: performance, handling, styling and specification. It is powered by the advanced turbocharged Ford EcoBoost engine, delivering 240bhp, with direct fuel injection and a fly-by-wire throttle, coupled to a six-speed paddle-shift gear change. Confidence-inspiring handling comes from bespoke adjustable dampers, developed specifically for the car’s unique race-proven suspension arrangement.

It features a lightweight spaceframe chassis that’s been tested and approved to sportscar racing standards. Fully-floating 280mm disc brakes front and rear provide stopping power beyond the abilities of any other supercar. Despite a dry weight of only 725kg, the SL comes with trimmed bucket seats, a wraparound LCD dash, electrically-adjustable wing mirrors, cockpit heating and courtesy lighting.

More details about Tour Britannia and Targa Britannia can be found at the event website: www.tourbritannia.com and entry forms can be downloaded from the site.

Competitors in the 2012 edition of Tour Britannia (6-8 June) will tackle 20 special stages and two races during two and a half days of intense competition following final sign off of the route for the eighth running of the classic race and rally tour.

As always the stages are interesting and novel, with four of the venues completely new to motorsport. There are unique variations at some venue, including the Harewood Hillclimb course being tackled in the opposite direction to normal. Meanwhile, the team at the event HQ hotel of Rudding Park in Harrogate is surfacing a new road in the grounds to be used on the first stage of the event.

Tour Britannia will visit 10 venues, with another new to Tour Britannia special stage venue confirmed as Blyton Park Driving Centre near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. “The stages for 2012 are new and interesting and should provide a great challenge and a lot of fun for our competitors,” said event director Alec Poole.

Full-on asphalt stages like Blyton Park, and another recent addition at Tockwith, contrast nicely with the beautiful parkland roads at Raby Castle and Aske Hall and the iconic stages at Harrogate and Newark Showgrounds. There really is something for everyone in the 2012 route.

Meanwhile, the organisers are dealing with a flurry of entries as the closing date approaches, including 2011 winner John Clark and rallying crew Tony Robinson and Jon Cropper in one of nine Porsches already on the entry list for the competition event.

In the concurrent regularity rally, a fabulous array of classic cars will compete, ranging from a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud to a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and, marking the 50th anniversary of the model, an MGB. Also represented in the regularity entry are classic marques liker Porsche, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Austin Healey, Lancia and Bentley.

More details about Tour Britannia and Targa Britannia can be found at the event website: www.tourbritannia.com and entry forms can be downloaded from the site.

Roger Duckworth's impressive Impreza storming down the Mountain.

On Easter Sunday rallying returned to Cadwell Park for the first time in 7 years. The rally was organised by the Border Motor Club and was being run in memory of their late president Alan Healy. The rally was set across ten stages around the Cadwell Park grounds including various tarmac access roads across a competitive 46 miles. Forty seven cars were entered into the rally and this included a range of both ex-World Rally Championship machinery and classic rally cars.

The stages included some of the circuit’s most famous sections in reverse, such as travelling down the Mountain as well as going up the Gooseneck providing spectators with a real treat. The weather for the event remained mostly overcast with the constant threat of showers – luckily the circuit remained dry for most of the day.

Graham Coffey was pushing his car to the very end of the rally.

In the early stages of the rally the battle for the overall lead was between Roger Duckworth/Aled Davies, Graham Coffey/John Vance and David Turnbull/Matthew Whattam all in their Subaru Impreza WRC’s. After two stages only 2 seconds separated the top three.

Unfortunately on stage 5, Turnbull did one lap too many giving him the maximum time for the stage of 8:48. This ultimately pushed his overall position down to 29th ending his hopes of taking the rally win. Meanwhile with half of the rally completed Roger Duckworth and Graham Coffey were still battling it out with only six seconds separating Coffey from a potential rally win.

Through the forest, Turnbull's rally win hopes would end prematurely.

In Class D Pete Rayner & Richard Bonner were dominating the rally in their fantastic Ford Escort Mk2, managing to even secure a few 2nd/3rd’s in some of the stages against the much quicker 4WD modern counterparts. Pete and Richard would ultimately end up winning their class by a phenomenal one minute and four seconds – despite receiving a one minute time penalty for arriving at SS10 too early. They finished the rally in fourth position overall.

Over the last 5 stages Roger Duckworth and Graham Coffey would continue to push for the lead of the rally. The final stage saw a new problem for the competitors to tackle as rain fell heavily upon the track causing competitors to struggle for grip – particularly in the Mountain section of the course.

Escort Mk2 powersliding around the Hairpin entertained the crowd.

After a dramatic rallying return at Cadwell the victory fell into Roger Duckworth’s & Aled Davies hands completing the rally in a total of 41 minutes and 22 seconds. Graham Coffey finished 13 seconds behind giving him the second spot on the podium. The spirit of the rally award was given to Tony Wales and Julie Dungey who had to retire before SS1 of the rally but after fixing the problem completed the rest of the stages (despite not being part of the official results) in their white Vauxhall Chevette.

This was a great event; the competition was strong, there was even a reasonable amount of spectators on the banks (despite the weather). I really do hope it becomes a fixture in Cadwell Park’s calendar for 2013 and onwards.

One of the classic rally cars going around the picturesque Cadwell Park circuit.

Overall Awards

1 – Roger Duckworth/Aled Davies – Subaru Impreza WRC (Class E) – 0:41:22

2 – Graham Coffey/John Vance – Subaru Impreza WRC (Class E) – 0:41:35 (Diff: 0:13)

3 – Chris Marshall/Simon Hunter – Mitsubishi Evo 5 (Class E) – 0:44:10 (Diff: 2:48)

Class A

1 – David Martin/Richard Simmons – Vauxhall Astra Mk1 (A) – 0:47:31

Class B

1 -  Andrew Turner/Dennis Turner – Peugeot 106 (B) – 0:45:34

2 – Graham Gibbs/Tom Hutchings – Peugeot 106 Cup (B) – 0:48:02 (Diff: 2:28)

Class C

1 – David Tinn/Stephen de Vere – Ford Escort Mk2 (C) – 0:46:20

2 – Chris Langthorne/Michael Hollis – Ford Escort RS (C) – 0:47:12 (Diff: 0:52)

3 – Stuart Popplewell/Gary Hirst – VW Golf (C) – 0:47:29 (Diff: 1:09)

Class D

1 – Pete Rayner/Richard Bonner – Ford Escort Mk2 (D) – 0:44:14

2 – Graeme Bell/Russ Radford – Ford Escort (D) – 0:45:18 (Diff: 1:04)

3 – David Patrick/Jonathan Stockdale – Opel Manta (D) – 0:46:18 (Diff: 2:20)

Class E

1 – Roger Duckworth/Aled Davies – Subaru Impreza WRC (Class E) – 0:41:22

2 – Graham Coffey/John Vance – Subaru Impreza WRC (Class E) – 0:41:35 (Diff: 0:13)

3 – Chris Marshall/Simon Hunter – Mitsubishi Evo 5 (Class E) – 0:44:10 (Diff: 2:48)

Award – Best Border Motor Club Crew

1 – Mel Hudson/Roy Bell – BMW E30 325i (D) – 0:48:05

Award – Spirit of the Rally

1 – Tony Wales/Julie Dungey – Vauxhall Chevette (C)

Words: Adam Pigott

Photographs: Adam Pigott Photography

The Cadwell Park Stages Rally is being held in memory of former Border Motor Club President and competitor Alan Healy

Stage rallying returns to Cadwell Park after a break of eight years this Easter Sunday (8 April). The Border Motor Club will provide a holiday treat with the Alan Healy Memorial Cadwell Park Stages Rally, an event which follows on from similar recent rallies run at Brands Hatch and Snetterton.

The challenging Cadwell Park circuit lends itself well to the sport of rallying and even has its own forest section to make the competitors feel at home! Organisers have mixed in classic sections including the Mountain and the Gooseneck corner, plus the tarmac access roads to provide 8 stages covering approximately 45 miles.

The rally is being run in memory of Alan Healy, the late President of the Border Motor Club and one of their founder members. In a long and varied career, Alan had been a driver, a Steward, sponsor, Clerk of the Course, and a Lombard RAC Rally control officer; but he was just as comfortable and at home operating a radio or simply being a marshal. Alan was also in attendance at the first of the South Bank Cadwell stages held at the circuit in the past.

The entry list for the Cadwell Park Stages Rally includes classic rally machinery, with several Subaru Imprezas

Running five classes ranging from cars up to 1400cc, to large-engined all-wheel-drive rally specials, the event will start at 9am, with the first of the eight stages. Entries include multiple British Rally winner Roger Duckworth, who will compete in one of many Subaru Imprezas. There are also winners of past Cadwell Park stage rallies, including Yuk Hodgson and Dave Holland, who will drive the same Mk I Escort that won the last event in 2004.

Tickets for the Alan Healy Memorial Cadwell Park Stages Rally are available on the gate for £13, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.cadwellpark.co.uk

STAGE RALLYING RETURNS TO BRANDS FOR SUMMER SPECTACLE

Pic: M&H Photography

MSV and Chelmsford Motor Club are delighted to announce the second running of a Stage Rally in 2012 at the iconic Kent venue on Monday 27th August 2012, the August Bank Holiday Monday.

Following two successful and well supported winter events run by Chelmsford Motor Club, MSV and Chelmsford Motor Club are working together to make the summer event even better than the two previous events. This includes improved facilities for spectators with access to the infield of Druids, outside of Paddock Hill Bend and the “rally stage” area usually used by the Brands Hatch Rally School. The stages are expected to once again utilise as much use of the venue as possible, with stages covering the “rally stage” area, outer paddock, pitlane and Indy Circuit. To improve access to previously restricted areas, a managed crossing point will be operated.

Clerk of the Course Tony Clements commented, “Thanks again to MSV’s innovative approach, we are looking forward to a summer spectacular of rally action at Brands Hatch on Bank Holiday Monday August 27th 2012. We have worked hard to open up more viewing areas for spectators and Chelmsford Motor Club sees this very much as a joint effort with MSV. We look forward to welcoming competitors, marshals and spectators back to Brands Hatch for a second rally in 2012.”

Regulations will be available during June with entries opening on 1st July 2012.

Chelmsford Motor Club, the JLT Sport / MSA Club of the Year 2009, secured a full entry within only two days of entries opening for the January event with the capacity field enjoying the variation of stages on offer. Chelmsford MC organise many events throughout the year and have around 400 members, the majority of whom are active competitors, marshals and organisers.

Overall Winners of the TRS Brands Hatch Stages 22nd January 2012, Jeremy Straker and Mark Straker.

Courtesy of M&H Photography.

Repeat victories for Nick Elliott/Dave Price (Ford Escort Mk2), Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh (Ford Escort Mk1) marked round two of the 2012 Kololi Beach Club MSA British Historic Rally Championship on the Bulldog Historic Rally on Saturday (24 March).

While the Mid Wales winners continued to head their respective categories, it was all change in Category One as Rikki Proffitt and Phill Harrison took advantage of late dramas for Graham Waite and Gill Cotton to take victory.

On a day of implausibly warm weather, dust was an issue and changing levels of grip caught some crews out. But the chance to compete over classic Welsh gravel stages made the Bulldog another popular event with the BHRC contenders.

Category One
It was another excellent event for the 14-strong Category One field, although not so good if you were running a Lotus Cortina. Mid Wales winners Paul Mankin and Desmond Bell were out with front end damage and the Simon Wallis/Graham Wride car broke a halfshaft on the startline of the Penllyn stage.

From the very start it was Waite setting the pace in the flying Volvo and he arrived at main service in Dolgellau with 20s in hand over Proffitt. Meanwhile, going better on gravel than for some time, Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride were in a strong third place.

Waite continued to build his lead through the two stages in the Aberhirnant complex near Bala but disaster struck on the final stage in Dyfnant. First they had to stop to re-attach a plug lead but worse was to come when a broken gear lever led to a trip up a bank and a gentle roll. They got going again, but lost over two minutes in the stage and dropped to third behind the Porsche 911s of Proffitt and Nutt.

Proffitt was delighted with a trouble free day and a strong result, while Nutt was only 18s behind after a good day on gravel. Behind Waite, Terry Brown/John Stanger-Leathes battled home fourth with a Porsche 911 that would not rev.

Geoff Taylor and Steve Greenhill had a strong run to sixth and Class B1 victory in their Sunbeam Imp Sport and Callum Barney/Ron Channon took B3 in their Ford Cortina GT after clutch failure sidelined the Ford Anglia of Peter Stimson/Mark Butler.

BHRC CATEGORY ONE RESULTS:
1 Rikki Proffitt/Phill Harrison (Porsche 911) 58m38.3s
2 Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911) 58m56.3s
3 Graham Waite/Gill Cotton (Volvo Amazon) 60m21.4s
4 Terry Brown/John Stanger-Leathes (Porsche 911) 61m12.9s
5 Derek Boyd/Peter Scott (Porsche 911) 61m25.5s
6 Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill (Sunbeam Imp Sport) 61m55.2s

Category Two
Reynolds took control of Category Two from the opening stage of Big Ray and was never really troubled as he swept to victory by 1m49s. His main concern was avoiding punctures in the bid for maximum points and a nicely measured drive was the result.

In Reynolds’ wake, David Stokes and Guy Weaver were always a strong second and had a clear run through stages that Stokes always enjoys. But Stokes could never relax too much as the battling cars of Ernie/Will Graham and Rupert Lomax/Baz Green chased hard and only around half a minute down going into the final stage. Any plans that Lomax had for an attack were dashed when a pin came out of the clutch pedal and he ran the 8.6-mile stage with no clutch, dropping around 16s as a result.

Instead, the Graham father and son team took an excellent third by just three-tenths of a second as Andrew Siddall and Carl Williamson completed the top five.

Dick Slaughter and Tim Sayer again topped Class C3 with an excellent run to keep Mark Holmes/Tony Lindsay at bay by around 50s. Class C2 was won by Matt Fowle/Jane Edgington who set the pace as rivals Nick Danks/Martin Corbett and David Kirby/Rob Cook retired.

BHRC CATEGORY TWO RESULTS:
1 Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh (Ford Escort Mk1) 52m18.6s
2 David Stokes/Guy Weaver (Ford Escort Mk1) 54m08.4s
3 Ernie Graham/Will Graham (Ford Escort Mk1) 55m01.5s
4 Rupert Lomax/Baz Green (Ford Escort Mk1) 55m01.8s
5 Andrew Siddall/Carl Williamson (Ford Escort Mk1) 56m02.7s
6 Dick Slaughter/Tim Sayer (Ford Escort Mk1) 56m16.7s

Category Three
Elliott went into the rally looking for a fourth straight Bulldog Historic victory and duly delivered with another classy drive over stages that likes and knows well. He went eight seconds clear in the opening five miles in Big Ray and has extended that margin to 43s by the time the finishers returned to Welshpool.

Behind Elliott there were battles and dramas and a fierce contest raged for second between Will Onions/Dave Williams and Kevin Davies/Dale Furniss. Onions drove a strong rally to get the nod by just two seconds but then elected to miss post-event scrutineering and was later excluded.

Instead, second went to Davies after an excellent performance that fully marked him out as a rising new star in the BHRC.
Despite going off on the opening stage to avoid the rolled car of Alan Walker/Andrew Sankey, Tim Pearcey and Neil Shanks recovered to take third as Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies and Warren Philliskirk/Matt Whattam rounded out the top five registered crews.

Shawn Rayner and Declan Dear were dealt a massive blow in Class D3 with a substantial engine failure on the opening stage and it was Rex Ireland and Adrian Scadding who took maximum D3 points by half a minute over Chris Shooter/Bev LeGood.

Meanwhile, James Stait and Marcus Cartwright returned to competition in Stait’s Lotus Sunbeam and claimed Class D4.

BHRC CATEGORY THREE RESULTS:
1 Nick Elliott/Dave Price (Ford Escort Mk2) 52m02.0s
2 Kevin Davies/Dale Furniss (Ford Escort Mk2) 52m45.7s
3 Tim Pearcey/Neil Shanks (Ford Escort Mk2) 53m17.7s
4 Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies (Ford Escort Mk2) 53m42.8s
5 Warren Philliskirk/Matt Whattam (Ford Escort Mk2) 53m57.8s
6 Matthew Robinson/Nigel Hutchinson (Ford Escort Mk2) 54m35.2s

The snow and ice of the Wyedean Rally weren’t the ideal start to the season for Brecon’s young female rally driver, Sara Williams. A cautious event saw Sara finish 8^th in class on the difficult event in her KLARIUS Group backed Subaru Impreza GpN12b.

With the slippery conditions still fresh in her mind, Sara headed to Sweded to hone her driving skills on the frozen lakes with professional tutor, Martin Snell at Extreme Rally. With temperatures as low as -20^c the lake stays frozen throughout the winter months and provides an ideal location to test a drivers speed and skill.

“It was completely different to the conditions on the Wyedean Rally. Driving on the ice, in Sweden, you’ve got studded tyres which give you a similar amount of grip to driving on gravel but on the Wyedean we were driving on gravel tyres on a polished ice surface – this is because studded tyres are illegal to use in the UK.

“It was great preparation for this weekends Mid Wales Stages. We got to drive a Subaru Impreza, which was very similar to mine, plus also try out a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. I felt my speed and car control improve and I can’t wait to get out in to the Hafren and Myherin stages on the Mid Wales, the same stages we competed on back in November on Wales Rally GB.”

Sara is planning to contest the Pirelli Welsh National and Welsh Clubman Championships in 2012, as well as selected REIS-Get Connected! BTRDA Rally Series with support from KLARIUS Group, Ian Jones Tyres, Woodford Trailers, Brecon Car Rentals and Brecon Motors as well as Millers Oils.

The Mid Wales Stages starts from Theatr Hafren, Newtown on Sunday morning. Spectator car parking is available in Sweet Lamb Rally Complex.

You can keep up to date with Sara’s progress on the Mid Wales Stages and throughout the year by following her on Twitter @SaraRally and visiting her website, www.sararally.com.

Report: Dave Benson / RallySport Media

The Rallye Sunseeker officially started at Poole Quay, where the public could meet the drivers, sign autographs and get a close look at the cars, before being waved off the start by the Mayor of Poole, the cars then drive pass the crowds and back to Canford Park Arena ready for the action to start the following morning.

For the second year running the Rallye Sunseeker is the first round of the British Rally Championship. It`s a single day event running through 66miles of Dorset forests including a couple of stages at Somerley Park estate. The first of the day is Wareham forest for a single stage before moving north to Uddens forest then into the forests around Ringwood. Many of these stages are run twice through out the day, normal once in the morning then revisited again in the afternoon. The stages are run in the same direction with no changes to the route.

With four different groups, Rallye Sunseeker International, National, Challenge and the classic cars with the Rallye Sunseeker Historique. But James Ford and Neil Colman won the Sunseeker Challenge in their Mk2 Ford Escort  beating much more modern cars like the Citroen C2R2 Max, showing that there is life in this classic old car.

The rally finishes at Bournmouth Pier for a Champagne finish for the winners of each group, with trophies made by Poole pottery  presented by the Mayor of Bournmouth and the Pirelli girls of course. Then the madness of the Champagne starts with drivers, photographers and normally the crowds getting covered for good measure. For the Sunseeker Historique winners they have a much more orderly finish at Somerley House.

And that ends the first round of the British Rally Championship, the championship moves onto North Wales for the Bulldog Rally for round 2. See www.rallybrc.co.uk for full details.

The Rallye Sunseeker will return to Poole Quay and the forests of Dorset in 2013.

Report & Photography: Tim Surman

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Rallye Sunseeker International 2012

It was a very intense battle all day that was only really settled when Jarkko Nikara, retired on SS11 with an Engine fire that the victory went to Mark Donnelly / Dai Roberts in a Renault Clio R3 over Desi Henry / Niall Burns in a Citroen DS3  by almost 2 minutes. The battle between Donnelly and Nikara kept everyone entertained during the day and it was a superb battle that enthralled everyone. Equally impressive was the fact that Desi Henry then finished 0.2secs ahead of Elfyn Evans in a super finish in his Ford Fiesta. Mark Donnelly also went on to claim the Pirelli Star driver award at the finish ramp on the seafront finish ramp in Bournemouth.

1st 2 Mark Donnelly/Dai Roberts – Renault Clio R3 1:07:06.0
2 – 9 Desi Henry/Niall Burns – Citroen DS3 R3 1:08:55.5
3 – 4 Elfyn Evans/Andrew Edwards – Ford Fiesta R2 1:08:55.7
4 – 10 Osian Pryce/Iestyn Williams – Citroen DS3 R3T 1:09:28.4
5 – 7 Peter Taylor/Andrew Roughead 5 Renault Clio R3 1:09:29.1

Rallye Sunseeker National 2012

The Spectators on Rallye Sunseeker National 2012 were treated to a great days rallying in the National category on this years event. Last years winners Roger Duckworth / Mark Broomfield in their Subaru WRC headed home the Ford Focus WRC of Michael O’Brien Paul Spooner by just overt a minute. Michaels son Daniel O’Brien, also in a Ford Focus WRC with Paul Morris alongside made it a family affair by making the podium in 3^rd spot 58.4secs ahead of local crew Anthony Wilmington / Andy White in their Mitsubishi EVO6. Stuart Larbey with son Simon co-driving the Childrens Trust MG Metro6R4 finished behind them in 5^th place.

1st – 35 Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield – Subaru Impreza WRC 0:53:22.7
2 – 37 Michael O’Brien/Paul Spooner – Ford Focus WRC 0:54:35.4
3 – 38 Daniel O’Brien/Paul Morris – Ford Focus WRC 0:56:02.5
4 – 36 Anthony Willmington/Andy White – Mitsubishi EVO6 0:57:00.9
5 – 42 Stuart Larbey/Simon Larbey – MG Metro 6R4 1:01:16.2

Rallye Sunseeker Challenge 2012

After a day of battles in the forests of Bournemouth and Poole, it was James Ford / Neil Colman who ran out winners of the Rallye Sunseeker Challenge 2012, in their Ford Escort MkII. They led home the Citroen C2R2 Max of Richard Sykes / Simon Taylor by 53.1 secs. Making the final podium place was another Citroen C2R2 of Gareth White / Matt Dickson just over a minute behind.

1st – 79 James Ford/Neil Colman – Ford Escort Mk2 0:54:49.6
2 – 77 Richard Sykes/Simon Taylor – Citroen C2R2 Max 0:55:42.7
3 – 89 Gareth White/Mike Dickson – Citroen C2R2 Max 0:56:58.5
4 – 83 Mark McCulloch/Mike Curry – Proton Satria 0:58:27.4
5 – 91 James Watts/Steve Hartley – Volkswagen Polo 0:59:15.2

Rallye Sunseeker Historique 2012

After 8 Stages, and a finish at Somerley Park it was the Ford Escort MKII of James Potter / Nick Broome that finished in first place and came home ahead of the similar car of Robert Dennis / Bob Stokoe by just over two minutes. Southern Car Club member Matthew Fowle, with co-driver Elliott Edmondson in a Ford Escort Mexico finished in 3^rd place, just under a minute ahead of Nick Danks / Martin Corbett again in a Ford Escort Mexico.

1st – 102 James Potter/Nick Broome – Ford Escort MK2 0:45:10.0
2 – 104 Robert Dennis/Bob Stokoe – Ford Escort 0:47:18.2
3 – 105 Matthew Fowle/Elliott Edmondson – Ford Escort Mexico 0:48:27.9
4 – 106 Nick Danks/Martin Corbett – Ford Escort Mk1 Mexico 0:49:23.8
5 – 109 Bob Gibbons/Stuart Cardell – Ford Cortina MK2 0:51:43.2

TRS (ESSEX) LTD BRANDS HATCH STAGE RALLY

Stage Rallying returned to Brands Hatch on Sunday 22nd January 2012 with the successful second running of the TRS (Essex) Ltd Brands Hatch Stage Rally.

Chelmsford Motor Club, the JLT Sport / MSA Club of the Year 2009, secured a full entry within only two days of entries opening. The capacity field enjoyed the variation of stages on offer, which utilised the full venue including the Indy circuit, paddock, pitlane and rally course.

Over 1500 spectators attended the event and with such strong support the rally has established itself as the annual opening fixture of the Brands Hatch calendar. Clerk of the Course Tony Clements commented, “We are pleased with how everything went and thanks must go to MSV and Jonathan Palmer for their co-operation in bringing stage rallying back to Brands Hatch.”

With drama striking the early leading crew of Nigel Mummery / Fiona Scarrett in their Ford Focus WRC and subsequent leaders John Indri / Keith Hounslow in their Darrian T90, it was the Darrian T9 of Jeremy Straker / Mark Straker who came through to win the event. Jeremy said

“With the high quality entry I wasn’t expecting to be standing here making the winner’s speech today, fortunately things went my way and I have achieved my first outright win in 14 years of rallying.”

Chelmsford MC organise many events throughout the year and have around 400 members, the majority of whom are active competitors, marshals and organisers.

Overall Winners Jeremy Straker and Mark Straker. Courtesy of M&H Photography

Award Winners

1st Overall Jeremy Straker / Mark Straker (Class C ) Darrian T9 45:05

2nd Overall Paul King / Alicia Miles (Class C ) Ford Escort RS 46:06

3rd Overall Tom Roberts / Nicky Marriott (Class E ) Mitsubushi Lancer Evo 6 46:12

1st Class A Ian Barnard / Will Barnard Vauxhall Nova 48:35

1st Class B Richard Davies / Gareth Wilcox Ford Escort MK II 47:25

1st Class C Alan Thompson / Helen Straker Ford Fiesta 46:16

1st Class D Ian Hucklebridge / Gary Johnson Ford Escort 46:50

1st Class E Gareth Hurford-Jones / Emlyn Hurford-Jones Ford Escort Cosworth Grp A 49:26

Full results available at http://www.mcsrallyresults.co.uk/2012TRSBHS.html

Spectacular sideways action to warm the winter crowd

The all-season sport of rallying makes a return to Brands Hatch later this month (Sunday 22 January) as the Kent circuit hosts the TRS (Essex) Ltd Brands Hatch Stage Rally. The event follows a successful running in 2011, after a 20 year hiatus, and utilises special gravel stages and sections of the circuit’s paddock as well as parts of the Indy layout.

Over 90 entries have been recorded so far and many more are expected in the coming days as drivers finalise their plans after the Christmas break. Plenty of rally classics can be found amongst the list, including Escorts spanning the years, Mini Coopers and GTs, small hatches from Lotus Sunbeams to Focuses and Peugeots, and 4WD world-beaters from Subaru and Mitsubishi.

There are also examples of exotica on the list. The names Aston Martin and Ferrari may not be synonymous with gravel, pace notes and flying finishes but a four-litre AM GT and 308 GTB Michelotto will be competing. They’ll be lining up to beat last year’s winning Darrian piloted by John Indri and Dave Engwell.

Several thousand spectators witnessed the unusual car win after a strong challenge from Nigel Mummery and Fiona Scarrett ended up with their Ford Focus beached at Paddock Hill. However the gravel is a lot shallower elsewhere on the course, and the sideways spectacle of a thrilling sport rarely seen in the south east will be something to behold.

Another feature familiar to rally drivers is running in the dark and the event will finish after dusk, leaving a spectacular sight as the cars are distinguished by bright headlights, exhaust flames and glowing brake discs.

With the eight stages extended from last year and a bigger entry list, a strong crowd is expected for the opening event of a spectacular 2012 season.

Tickets for the TRS (Essex) Ltd Brands Hatch Stage Rally on 22 January are available in advance from £10 until Tuesday 17 January at midday, with free entry for children 12 and under. For more information, call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk

Category One winner John Moxon

The three winners of the Holton Homes ‘Spirit of Clubmen’ Awards within the Kololi Beach Club MSA British Historic Rally Championship have been announced.

John Moxon, David Kirby and Will Rowlands will all receive a fully paid entry fee for a round of the 2012 championship thanks to the support of Holton Homes, the company of BHRC contender Peter Egerton.

The three drivers, one from each category, were selected by an expert panel, which looked for crews that typify the ethos of clubmen, competing in a self-prepared car and running on limited funds. The panel also considered crews that had endured more than their share of misfortune across the season.

Category Two winner David Kirby

Category One award winner John Moxon, and his co-driving brother Stephen, started to contest a few more events in 2011 in their Volvo Amazon as retirement was allowing them more time to spend rallying. Unfortunately, their season ended when the Volvo nosed into a building in Ulster, and was then pushed further into it when a Subaru in the modern event went off in the same place. The free entry will be a great incentive as they progress a pretty major rebuild of the Amazon.

Category Two award winner David Kirby is the youngest regular competitor in the BHRC and had a great 2011 season in his Ford Escort Mk1 Mexico, co-driven by 17-year old Ben Friend. However, funds were tight and David had to pick and choose the events he could afford to do, so the Holton Homes award will be a real boost to his 2012 campaign.

Category Three winner Will Rowlands

Category Three award winner Will Rowlands had a tough start to his career in historic rallying with a beautifully built, 16-valve Ford Escort Mk2. His 2010 season was a nightmare with gearbox and other expensive car woes, but in 2011 he came back and had good runs on a couple of the gravel rallies and on his first asphalt event, the Harry Flatters Rally.

“All three winners are most deserving recipients of the Holton Homes Award,” said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. “Rallying at any level is not cheap, and this generous award will make a real difference to these three crews. We are extremely grateful to Holton Homes for providing the awards.”

The Holton Homes ‘Spirit of Clubmen’ Awards will be repeated at the end of the 2012 season, with three more crews selected to receive paid entries into BHRC events in 2013.

2011 Overall Winners John Indri and Dave Engwell. Pic: M&H Photography

TRS (ESSEX) LTD BRANDS HATCH STAGE RALLY

Stage Rallying will return to Brands Hatch on Sunday 22nd January 2012 after the successful return of a stage rally at the venue in 2011, which was the first time a stage rally had been held at the venue in twenty years.

Chelmsford Motor Club, the JLT Sport / MSA Club of the Year 2009, are pleased with the continued support of MSV and the event sponsors, TRS (Essex) Ltd, and look forward to running another successful event in 2012.

The 2012 event will run a similar format to 2011, however the stage mileage has been extended by approximately 1 mile per stage by maximising the use of all the roads available to bring the total stage mileage to approximately 40 stage miles over 8 stages. The event will start at 10am and finish at 5.30pm, allowing stages to be run into the darkness. Regulations will be available on http://brandshatchstages.co.uk on 1st December 2011 with entries opening on 12th December 2011.

The event was hugely popular this year with competitors, marshals and spectators and Chelmsford Motor Club look forward to welcoming many people back to this historic and popular venue in 2012. Spectator charges are £10 per person in advance or £13 on the day, with six passes available per competing crew and discounted spectator tickets available at a “competitor ticket” rate of £8 per person all through MSV directly. Hospitality suites are available from £250 + VAT by contacting MSV directly on 01474 854900.

Chelmsford MC organise many events throughout the year and have over 300 members, the majority of whom are active competitors, marshals and organisers. With a longstanding community partnership with Thames Gateway College and the club annually raising over £2500 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Chelmsford MC are extremely active in both motorsport and the local community.

For futher information visit http://brandshatchstages.co.uk

Rallye Sunseeker International will once again host the opening round of the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship next year, when the competing crews arrive in Bournemouth and Poole on 24th and 25th of February 2012.

Recently awarded the prestigious title “2011 Rally of the Year” at the MSA British Rally Championship awards, held in Manchester and voted for by the Organisers, Crews and Competitors, this years event will be just as demanding as last years, with Southern Car Club promising a few changes along the way as well to keep all the crews on their toes throughout the event.

BRC Rally Manager Mark Taylor told Rallye Sunseeker at the awards “This years championship started for us with Rallye Sunseeker, way back in February. We had never been there before as a Championship, so to a certain extent it was new for us, but on the other hand everyone has heard of the event as it had been one of the leading National events for years. It was a superb event, it really was, compact, demanding and slippery stages too, so it was a really good opening test for the crews to start with. Poole on Friday night was amazing with all the Spectators that were there, and there is no doubt that the Championship is looking forward to going back next February”

For next year though the MSA British Rally Championship, entering its 54th season, will be for 2wd cars only, in a move to generate closer competition and help cap the costs for those competing. This is endorsed by the fact the there are several one make Championships taking place within the confines of the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship as well, and these include the Citroen Racing Trophy UK, R2 Fiesta Sport Trophy*, Twingo R1 and Twingo R2 UK Trophy.

Once again the Championship is well covered in terms of TV, and Rallye Sunseeker International will be shown in a one hour programme on the Monday after the event on Sky TV, as well as repeated editions of the show through the week.

Rallye Sunseeker 2012 will feature a 10% increase in Stage Mileage, with 11 Gravel Stages for FIA homologated R1, R2 and R3 cars as well as Group A and N. Once again the event will begin with a Ceremonial Start on Poole Quay for all competitors on the Friday evening. Last years event attracted crowds in the region of around 8000 people, a fact that was not lost on Rallye Director Rick Smith who told us “Although Rallye Sunseeker has been running for many years, as we all know, its was our first time in the MSA British Rally Championship, and in turn for them the first time they were here. Last year in Poole Quay was amazing and showed what the rally means to the people in this area, and it was not lost on the organisers of the BRC, who to be honest were impressed with it all and genuinely surprised to see so many people out and about on the Quay. Thing is too, that after the event we had so much positive feedback from the crews who thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet the public and get time with them on the Friday evening, as the rally had begun for them, but in a relaxed and enjoyable way. It will be nice to do it again next year.”

Rallye Sunseeker is also the opening round for the new 2012 BRC Challenge for 2 Wheel drive cars up to 2000cc, which was won this year by Jack Rowe in his first year of Rallying.

The Rallye Sunseeker National Rally will take place as well, and will cater for Two and Four Wheel drive cars, all homologated R4, N4 and Super 2000 cars, Modified and the Military Challenge for the Armed Forces.

Returning once again to grace places like Somerley Park, are the competitors from the 2012 HRCR Stage Rally Challenge, and this year again has categories for pre-1968, pre-1975 and pre-1982 vehicles.

Once again the event will visit the fantastic Somerley Park on the Saturday for a morning and afternoon run around the Parks lanes and tracks for the drivers, but more importantly for the Spectators is that the Somerley Park Motor Fair will run once again to keep everyone entertained throughout the day with loads of activities for the whole family. Last year the crowds flocked to Somerley Park where they were treated to some superb entertainment a fact not lost on Clerk of the Course Rob Pike who told Rallye Sunseeker “Somerley Park last year for me was one of the highlights of the event. There were thousands of people there, who were kept fully entertained by the attractions that we had. Thing is too that, for the competitors who came here this was the first time they has been through the estate when it was busy, and they loved seeing the spectators lining the stage as they drove through. The water splash was a big hit too for the photographers and crews as well, and we are working just as hard now for next February to have a bigger and better Motorfair, for the whole family to come and enjoy”

This was borne out too, by the eventual 2011 British Rally Champion David Bogie and his co-driver Kevin Rae. On receiving their award for the Championship they were asked what for them was the highlight of the year and David said “Aye well for us it was winning Rallye Sunseeker to be honest. We sort of went down there unfancied as it were and came away with the win in really difficult conditions and it set us up very well for the rest of the year. Sunseeker was one of those short sharp events that really does test you and the car. The stages are different to what we would normally be used to, but it was so well run, y’know we really did enjoy it.” Co-Driver Kevin Rae added “Yeah I agree, Rallye Sunseeker would be the highlight to me too. We went to a tricky and difficult event, but David and I came away with the win and that really did set us up to maintain our challenge for the rest of the events”

For this year Rallye Sunseeker organisers, Southern Car Club have increased the options for access to news and updates leading up to and on the event itself. As well as regular Press Release and Motorsport forum updates, for Fans, Spectators, and Crews Rallye Sunseeker now features on the likes of Twitter, You Tube, Facebook, etc and these can all be found on the event website www.rallyesunseeker.co.uk

The event itself is one of the biggest each year on the South Coast of England, and it brings a lot of investment into the area at a quiet time of the year, an area that has outstanding natural Beauty and facilities. This has been taken on board by the local businesses and people of Dorset in their support of the event and the recent award picked up by Rallye Sunseeker has had huge benefits for those involved along the South coast that the rally brings to the area each year and speaking to Rallye Sunseeker, Bruce Grant Braham, Chairman of the Poole Tourism Management Board told us “What a superb result, and it is super news for the Dorset Area to receive this award. Rick and his team put on a magnificent event, and Poole Tourism welcomed everybody with open arms, and we are delighted to be welcoming them all back again next February. We have a bigger welcome planned for 2012 and this award have given us the impetus to put on a good show in both Bournemouth and Poole when they come. I am delighted for all of those locally who are involved in the rally, and make the effort to support it, and this award is a really good reflection of that.”

The name Sunseeker International is synonymous with the event, and the area and has been for many years so it was a delighted Stewart McKintyre- MD of Sunseeker International that told Rallye Sunseeker “With the success of last years event, we are looking forward to sponsoring the 2012 Rallye Sunseeker rally, with this being our 14th year as title sponsors. We are delighted to be involved in such a prominent motorsport event once again this year, as a local business it’s an important date for us in our event calendar – we are lucky to have it right on our doorstep!”

Once again the Media plays an important and pivotal part of any event, and Rallye Sunseeker is no different. We look forward to welcoming all aspects of the Media that wish to join us next year and the relevant forms can be downloaded from the Media section of the Rallye Sunseeker site. All news items will be listed on our website, but will also be distributed via the new Media outlets as shown on the website.

All that remains for now is for the Organisers of Rallye Sunseeker to say we look forward to seeing you all next February in Dorset where you can be assured of a warm welcome.

* – Awaiting Confirmation for 2012

FIA class created for 2012 BHRC

Cars running to FIA historic specification will be able to compete within the 2012 Kololi Beach Club MSA British Historic Rally Championship.

The BHRC management team has confirmed that, following approval from the MSA, a separate HRCR FIA Cup will be run for cars built to FIA specification and running with FIA Historic Technical Passports. This facility will not be available in any other UK-based championship.

The same cut off date of 31 December 1981 will apply and the FIA cars will compete in their own class for separate awards and will not score overall BHRC points. The HRCR FIA Cup will run in parallel to the main BHRC, covering the same calendar of events.
“This development is good news; it will be run in 2012 on a trial basis in consultation with the MSA,” said championship manager Simon Marks. “We will shortly announce a class structure for the HRCR FIA Cup and look forward to welcoming crews with FIA cars to rounds of the BHRC.”

New title for 2012 BHRC

The MSA British Historic Rally Championship will have a new title for 2012 thanks to on-going backing from former competitor Martin Freestone though his Kololi Beach Club operation.

To be titled the Kololi Beach Club MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the series will take in eight events starting with the Mid-Wales Stages on Sunday 4 March. Dunlop continues as tyre supplier for 2012, and major backer of the championship, despite not now appearing in the title.

“We are delighted that Martin Freestone is continuing to back the BHRC,” said championship co-ordinator Simon Marks. “In recent years we have seen Gambia and WONAGO branding, and for 2012 the marketing focus shifts to Kololi Beach Club.

Kololi Beach Club provides holiday ownership at resorts in The Gambia, China and now Bali. Kololi Beach Club is associated with over 2,500 quality resorts worldwide, including names like Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and Disney.

Kololi Beach Club provides luxury one and two bedroom villas and apartments and is classified a ‘premier’ resort by the world’s leading holiday ownership exchange company; Interval International. This classification has been awarded to Kololi Beach Club for the past 25 years; in recognition of providing ‘outstanding resorts with excellent services’.

“I have not rallied for several years, due mainly to business commitments,” said Freestone. “Sponsoring the championship keeps my interest in historic rallying with the type of cars I drove in the 1970 and 1980s. I will be back competing soon!”

Date change for 2012 BHRC schedule

The date for the second round of the 2012 Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship has been changed.

The organisers of the Bulldog Historic Rally have brought the date of their event forward one week and it will now run on Saturday 24 March. All other details of the Bulldog, including the rally HQ at Welshpool Livestock Sales remain unchanged.

The remaining BHRC dates are as previously published.

The full BHRC calendar is:
Sun 4 March; Mid Wales Stages (gravel)
Sat 24 March; Bulldog Rally (gravel)
Sat 28 April; Pirelli Historic Rally (gravel)
Sat 9 June; Severn Valley Stages (gravel)
Sun 29 July; Harry Flatters Rally (asphalt)
Fri/Sat 17/18 August; Ulster Historic Rally (asphalt)
Fri/Sat 7/8 Sept; Tour of Flanders (asphalt)
Sat 6 Oct; Colin McRae Stages (gravel)

BHRC season review DVD released

The review of the Dunlop/Wonago MSA British Historic Rally Championship is now available from David Winstanley at RallyTV. The DVD covers all seven rounds of the championship as the BHRC crews delivered an outstanding spectacle from the forests of Wales to the asphalt of Ulster.

The two-hour long review comes with a free two-hour on-board DVD featuring stunning footage from top line drivers like Julian Reynolds, Nick Elliott, Will Onions and David Stokes. The complete package, providing a full four hours of entertainment, is priced at just £20.

The DVD package can be ordered on-line at:

http://www.bazaarbuilder.com/cgi-bin/rallytv/myshop.php?merchant=rallytv&catparid=3

Backing for the 2011 TV coverage of the BHRC came from TV partners CES (www.cesuk.com), Sherwood Engines (www.sherwoodengines.co.uk), Skipton Ford (www.skipton-ford.co.uk), Tuthill Porsche (www.francistuthill.co.uk), West Wales Rally Spares (www.westwalesrallyspares.co.uk) and XS Racing (www.xsracing.net)

Mummery & Scarrett win Snetterton Stages

Rallying returned to Snetterton for the first time since 2003 this weekend with the Tamdown Stage Rally.     Eight stages would be run, using variants of the Snetterton 300 circuit. After a two hour delay due to fog, rallying got underway at 11:15am.

Stages 1 and 2 were 2 laps of the Snetterton 300 circuit, run in reverse to how it is normally run, with some additional chicanes added.    Rather than the using the normal Esses (Nelson and Brundle), the escape roads were used, with coned chicanes halfway down the Bentley Straight, the Senna Straight and one between Palmer and Agostini corners.

The Escort Mk 2 of Peter Rayner and Richard Bonner took stage 1 with a time of 5m 44, but stage 2 would go to Ray Brammer and Mark Loomes in their Subaru Impreza WRC.    An early casualty would be the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Rally of Alan Thistlewaite and Mick Klien who misjudged braking at Murrays and slid into the Armco – there isn’t much run off when running the circuit the wrong way to usual.

The Aston Martin Vantage was the first casualty

Stages 3 and 4 were similar, although there was an extra loop of the 100 circuit run each lap.

Brammer and Loomes would take stage three and Nigel Mummery and Fiona Scarrett would take stage 4 in their Ford Focus WRC.

Stages 5 and 6 were as stages 3 and 4 but run in the traditional direction. Mummery and Scarrett would take both stages to cement their lead

Stages 7 and 8 were as stages 1 and 2 but run in the traditional direction. Rayner and Bonner would win both stages, but Mummery/Scarrett had done enough and would win the first running of the Tamdown Snetterton Stages by 1 second.

Class Winners:

Rayner and Bonner pushed hard but had to settle for 2nd

Class 5: Nigel Mummery / Fiona Scarrett,
Ford Focus WRC – 49m 47 – 1st overall

Class 4: Pete Rayner / Richard Bonner,
Ford Escort Mk 2 – 49m 48 – 2nd overall

Class 3: Martin Hodgson / Andrea Hodgson
Ford Escort Mk 2 – 51m 02 – 3rd overall

Class 2: Johnnie Ellis / Dave Green
Ford Fiesta – 52m 57 – 4th overall

Class 1: Aron Rayner / Stanley Graham
Citroen AX – 54m 25  - 7th overall

Engine problems meant the Lancia Delta Integrale of Smith and Glew retired after stage 3

Pics: Norwich Photo

Will Rogers put all his co-driving experience to good use at the weekend to complete his first ever international event, Wales Rally GB. The 22year old, competing alongside Becky Kirvan in the Cristal Global backed Ford Fiesta, took to the world stage to contest the five day epic in the final round of the World Rally Championship.

“It’s completely different to anything else I’ve done.” said Will. “It’s like contesting a national event every day for five days on the trot – you’ve got to think about playing the long game if you want to finish.”

The crew started the event on Thursday evening on the tarmac stage of The Great Orme in Llandudno. They moved from there in to the first real forest stage of the event – Clocaenog, in the dark.

“We hit a lot of foggy patches in the forest, which was made even more tricky with such slippery stages. They really set the theme for how tough the weekend’s rallying was going to be.”

The seaside town of Conwy hosted the ceremonial start later in the evening with Will and Becky being welcomed by hundreds of fans and locals, set against the impressive backdrop of Conwy Castle.

Day two, Will and Becky had eight stages to tackle with an early start and a late finish to welcome them.

“We had a plan to push on the first run, when the stages were reasonably smooth, and then just avoid any problems during the second run. Running quite near the back of the field meant that there’s often been over 200 cars on the stages before us so there were quite a few holes which could have easily ended our rally.

“We got through most of the stages without any dramas and headed in to the second run of Dyfnant, again in the dark.”

It was only Becky’s second time competing in the dark in the forest, the first being the night stages that the crew had tackled the previous evening.

“We encountered thick fog in Dyfnant – neither of us had ever seen fog so thick and with competitors all around us running in to problems we were lucky and thankful to get through the stage.”

By the end of the first full day of competition, Will Rogers and Becky were running up in 64^th overall and first in class.

Day three was a slow start for the pair as they headed in to some of the fastest and longest stages in the World Championship, Hafren & Myherin. With two runs again through each stage, Will and Becky knew that a mature drive would be the order of the day.

“We picked up a puncture in Sweet Lamb. It’s only a 3 mile stage so decided to drive through to the finish than spend a couple of minutes changing it on the stage.

“The welcome we got from the crowd, wherever we went, was amazing. To see nearly 10,000 spectators in Sweet Lamb was incredible – it’s a place I know well having helped organise an event there just a few weeks before.”

The final day saw the pair head from Cardiff up to the famous military ranges of Epynt. These stages have been the host to many world championship battles in the past and included both fast forest and tricky tarmac.

“I’ve competed on the ranges quite a few times before, in the forest and on the tarmac, but never competed on both surfaces on one event.

“The stages were great in the forest but as soon as we hit the tarmac sections on Halfway and Crychan the road conditions became treacherous. We were very lucky to get to the end of both runs of stages with a spin on Halfway and Crychan.”

Will Rogers guided Becky Kirvan home to an incredible 39^th overall, on their international debut, and first event together.

“We only got together last weekend and were thrown in to the deep end on the recce. We’ve proven that with a mature and professional attitude an amateur team can come and conquer the World Rally Championship. Hopefully we’ll get to compete together again soon!”

Will and Becky were supported during their first foray in to the World Rally Championship by local businesses RP Joinery and FutureFurniture Group – “Without the support of all our sponsors, the team, the marshals on the stages and the event organisers none of this would be possible” commented Will.

Photos: David Benson/RallySport Media