Thorburn Makes Up for Wyedean Retirement Although they led the opening round of the REIS – Get Connected BTRDA Rally Series, the Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally, for a time, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton eventually headed back north over the Scottish Border pointless after falling oil pressure halted their Ford Focus WRC’s progress with just one stage to go. Fast forward three weeks to the Lake District and the Malcolm Wilson Rally and the sponsor was no doubt delighted that said Focus arrived at the finish to take victory, while the Scottish crew were equally pleased with the maximum Gold Star Championship points that went with it. And so they should be! At a stroke, they move up into the Top Ten and are within striking distance of the leaders. Still dining out on their very popular Wyedean victory, Ulstermen Connor McCloskey and Francis Regan arrived at M-Sport’s premises in Dovenby as leaders of the Gold Star Championship (obviously!) but, more to the point, their 3 rd overall on Round 2 also saw them returning home in that coveted position – and with an increased lead! As in the Forest of Dean, a lack of local knowledge didn’t seem to be counting for much – Top Six times on all but one of the seven stages in their Impreza WRC helped them on the way to another impressive result. Now the oft-used expression ‘to finish first, first you must finish’ will seem extremely poignant at the moment to both David Wright/Michael Wilkinson and Hugh Hunter/ Andy Marchbank. Excellent runs on the Wyedean should have sent them heading for the Lake District brimming with confidence but, unfortunately, the wheels fell of – literally in Wright’s case – during the day. The Lancaster driver’s Lancer EVO9 became three-wheeled on the second stage, Comb, while Hunter had just set FTD on the first run through Greystoke and was up to third, seven seconds off the lead, when his Focus’ turbo caught fire. Good job mother wasn’t listening!... Having entered the Wyedean in the Lancia Stratos and then had to withdraw as it wasn’t ready following its Norwegian testing inversion, 2010 Gold Star Champions Steve Perez/ Paul Spooner are back for more in their familiar Kick Energy Ford Focus WRC. They opened their account with 4 th overall, just six seconds adrift of McCloskey by the finish of the Malcolm Wilson after 45 miles of Cumbrian forest tracks. CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSLETTER No. 3 - 2013 Euan Thorburn
Transcript
Thorburn Makes Up for Wyedean RetirementAlthough they led the opening round of the REIS – Get Connected BTRDA Rally Series, the Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally, for a time, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton eventually headed back north over the Scottish Border pointless after falling oil pressure halted their Ford Focus WRC’s progress with just one stage to go.
Fast forward three weeks to the Lake District and the Malcolm Wilson Rally and the sponsor was no doubt delighted that said Focus arrived at the finish to take victory, while the Scottish crew were equally pleased with the maximum Gold Star Championship points that went with it. And so they should be! At a stroke, they move up into the Top Ten and are within striking distance of the leaders.
Still dining out on their very popular Wyedean victory, Ulstermen Connor McCloskey and Francis Regan arrived at M-Sport’s premises in Dovenby as leaders of the Gold Star Championship (obviously!) but, more to the point, their 3rd overall on Round 2 a lso saw them returning home in that coveted p o s i t i o n – a n d w i t h a n increased lead! As in the Forest of Dean, a lack of local knowledge didn’t seem to be counting for much – Top Six times on all but one of the seven stages in their Impreza WRC helped them on the way to another impressive result.Now the oft-used expression ‘to finish first, first you must finish’ will seem extremely poignant at the moment to both David Wright/Michael Wilkinson and Hugh Hunter/Andy Marchbank. Excellent runs on the Wyedean should have sent them heading for the Lake District brimming with confidence but, unfortunately, the wheels fell of – literally in Wright’s case – during the day. The Lancaster driver’s Lancer EVO9 became three-wheeled on the second stage, Comb, while Hunter had just set FTD on the first run through Greystoke and was up to third, seven seconds off the lead, when his Focus’ turbo caught fire. Good job mother wasn’t listening!...
Having entered the Wyedean in the Lancia Stratos and then had to withdraw as it wasn’t ready following its Norwegian testing inversion, 2010 Gold Star Champions Steve Perez/ Paul Spooner are back for more in their familiar Kick Energy Ford Focus WRC. They opened their account with 4th overall, just six seconds adrift of McCloskey by the finish of the Malcolm Wilson after 45 miles of Cumbrian forest tracks.
CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSLETTER No. 3 - 2013
Euan Thorburn
Stephen Petch has forsaken his Lancer EVO9 for a Focus WRC and, with Ian Windress pointing the way, the Bishop Auckland driver took 6th, marginally ahead of Charlie Payne/ Craig Thorley’s similar car. Although this was somewhat of a subdued day for the Yorkshire pair, Charlie will be pleased to have finished after ending his day in a Lakeland ditch on last year’s rally. They are currently in 3rd place, one point behind Matt Edwards/Will Rogers whose Lancer is still not performing to the best of its abilities. The problem manifested itself on the Wyedean and, frustratingly, has yet to be isolated and cured. However, although it is all very tight, with two finishes from two starts to their credit, they find themselves occupying 2nd place, behind McCloskey/Regan. Just think what might happen when the car is restored to full health!...
The battle of the Group N Lancer EVO9s also has the makings of a good scrap – Luke Francis/John Roberts had the better of Jamie Anderson/Ella Flynn by a mere point on the Wyedean, while the roles were reversed on the Malcolm Wilson, leaving the two crews on identical points, with Francis/Roberts getting the nod on the tie-break for 4th place. Somerset Stages next – Hunter/Marchbank have won that for the past two years. What price a hat-trick?...
Connor McCloskey
Steve Perez
ONIONS MAKES IT TWO OUT OF TWO
Following the Wyedean it was a slightly
depleted field that assembled at M Sport although it was pleasing to see Matthew Robinson make his first outing in the defence of his title. A titanic battle between the current Champion and will Onions was eagerly anticipated and neither was Dave Brick to be discounted.
As crews emerged from the first 2.5 mile thrash through Hobcarton it was Onions who held a slender one second lead over Robinson with Alex Parpottas in his Fiesta R2 a further 7 seconds further back. Theo Bengry and Pete Smith had resumed their customary battle with just a second separating the pair and Rob Wheeler in the trusty Golf was 3 seconds off Smith. Sadly for Dave Brick his trip back to Shropshire wasn’t long in coming as he failed to emerge having come second best in an encounter with the Cumbrian scenery. Stage 2 took crews into the hairy Comb stage (get it…?). Robinson immediately showed his pace beating Onions by 3 seconds over the 5 miles. Once again Parpottas was a solid third and Bengry had taken another 2 seconds off Smith in the Mk2 v MK1 Escort battle. To keep them honest Barry Jordan had equalled Smith’s time and was just 4 seconds off Smith after the opening pair of stages.
Five miles through Greystoke followed but Robinson didn’t get to enjoy it as his Escort succumbed to an oil leak after SS2. Onions was again fastest but Smith had obviously decided he’d had enough of chasing Bengry and posted second fastest to move him into a tie for third with his rival. Parpottas had dropped a bit of pace and posted fifth fastest but
with the demise of Robinson was happy to have moved up to second overall.
Following Service at Penrith Truck Stop crews went into two Grizedale stages which totalled 18 miles combined. Onions was fastest through both and emerged with a 36 second lead over Parpottas who was putting in an excellent drive in the R2 Fiesta. Whilst Bengry had gone well in the first Grizedale, disaster struck in the second and he plummeted out of contention with a time he will not wish to be reminded of. Suffice to say it took the interest out of the contest with Smith
whose fortunes went in the opposite direction as he cemented his third place.
In the N3 class Aaron McClure was getting noticeably quicker, posting fourth quickest over the 11 miles of Grizedale South which moved him up to sixth Silver Star overall. Throwing caution to the wind was Rob Wheeler who recorded 3rd fastest over the 11 miles, just a second quicker than McClure.
Stage 6 was a reverse run of the earlier Greystoke stage and Onions continued serenely on his way by setting yet another fastest time. Barry Jordan demonstrated his pace by stopping the clocks in second, just ahead of Smith who had taken enough time off Parpottas to knock him down to third, six seconds ahead of the improving Jordan.
The final stage was a quick blast through Wythop. Onions wasn’t going to let it slip and exited the stage 8 seconds up on Parpottas whose time was equalled by McClure who was getting quicker with every mile. Smith was a further second adrift and Jordan another 2 further back.
Back at the finish, Onions had a winning margin of 1m 10 seconds over Parpottas who had clawed his way back to tie with Smith, but managed to reclaim second on the Stage 1 tie decider. Barry Jordan took fourth, pipping Wheeler by 2 seconds who was a similar margin ahead of McClure.
Although Onions has taken two wins, with the extra event the fight for the Silver Star battle will go season long. Don’t forget too that Silver Star crews also score Gold Star points and Onions, Smith and Bengry lie 6th, 8th and 9th in the Gold Star table.
Will Onions
The GMF Wyedean Rally gave 1400 champion Julian Wilkes a clear message that the 2013 title race wasn’t likely to be straightforward with newcomer Mat Smith putting in a performance that made a few people start to lick their lips at the thought of a season long contested battle. Heading up to Cumbria, an area that neither competitor could put down as their home territory, gave the outcome even more uncertainty.
Well that was until we got to the Hobcarton stage where Wilkes immediately pulled out a 4 sec gap on Smith over the 2.57 miles. David Bennett fresh from his confidence building finish on the ‘Dean came in a further 2 secs adrift but things were not going to prove fruitful for him as the day wore on. However pushing his way into the top three was Sion Matthews who showed that his 1.4C model Escort could dice with the big boys finishing 1 sec down on Smith. Harry Gardner came in in fifth place with a 3.06 followed by Roger Priestnall and Ash Slights both on 3.11. For Slights this was naturally something of big relief as his new Toyota Yaris 1400S finally saw a rally start after many many hours of building work, as well as a number of disappointments, but they had at least got past the often first stage new car hiccups.
There was no help for Smith to close the gap in the 5.27 mile Comb stage as a puncture meant a further 9 secs went the way of Wilkes who finished on 6.26. Matthews again filled the third slot but over the longer stage was 16 secs adrift of Wilkes. Slights and Priestnall continued their personal battle with Slights gaining a 1 sec advantage over Priestnall who also tied with Gardner. David Martin’s / Richard Simmonds second event of the year proved no more successful than the first, when their Vauxhall Astra stopped in stage.
Whether it was from anger in dropping a huge 1.50secs in Comb, superb driving, or both but in Greystoke Bennett tore through the 7.3 mile stage to take 2 secs out of Wilkes, who was in turn 10 quicker than Smith. Kris Farrell was starting to climb up the leader board after a relatively slow start and clearly found the stage to his liking as they finished in fourth place. Heading into service at Penrith Wilkes had built up a satisfying 23 sec gap over Smith who in turn had 25 secs on Matthews. Gardner and Priestnall were squabbling over fourth place on the equal time of 18.38 while Farrells‘ improvement had moved him into sixth. Also no doubt happy to have made service was Slights but needed a good run in Grizedale to close the 7 sec gap to Farrell. Irishman Leroy Mills in eighth was on his first mainland event since the Plains in 2012 but wasn’t seeming to be able to make an impression on the front runners and was in danger of being caught by Cameron Davies who was debuting his new Toyota Aygo.
The next two Grizedale stages became the sting in the middle as they accounted for three of the five 1400 retirements. First to go was Bennett whose track rod end shattered when they hit what look liked a fairly innocuous rock on a corner and his good day was over. They were soon joined by Gardner and Graham whose equally potentially class winning run came to an end on the same rock, but this time ripping off the wheel and suspension off their Peugeot 106 which in turn wrecked the wing and door. Also joining them, sadly once again with engine problems reminiscent of 2012, was Matthews whose third place and 1400C class lead was burnt away along with the valves.
Wilkes Prizes Open A Gap Over Smith
Julian Wilkes
Back at the sharp end Smith clearly found the twistier of the two stages to his liking and pulled 5 seconds back despite having a two wheeled moment in there, however it seems that as soon as Wilkes knows he hasn’t had a good run he immediately bounces back and on the faster and longer Grizedale South pulled back 3 of the lost seconds to depart the lovely lakeside scenery with a 21sec lead over Smith. With the demise of Matthews and Gardner, Priestnall was now in a fairly secure third place albeit 1.11 down on Smith. Farrell was now in fourth but the gap to Priestnall had opened up to 31secs not helped by a time consuming spin and Slights sat in fifth 40secs down. For Mills a jump start penalty on SS4 cost him a minute penalty but only meant a drop of one place.
So after a quick service it was back to Greystoke which had favoured Wilkes in the morning. And so it was on the second run as Wilkes stopped the clocks 9secs quicker than Smith and put himself in an uncatchable position with just the short 3 mile Wythop stage remaining. In fact Priestnall also seemed to enjoy the stage being 20secs faster than the morning run which had he had that pace then would have put him quickest, as he pushed Smith down to third fastest by 2secs.
Nothing to be gained but plenty to be lost in the final stage meant that everyone held station through Wythop. Wilkes kept the screw turned and grabbed a further 4secs off Smith and take his second set of maximum points. Smith equally repeated his second position from the Wyedean and although the points gap has opened he still sits on Wilkes’s shoulder. Priestnall came in third to also confirm his third place in the points table 3 points behind Smith. Farrell lost his previous stage pace giving best to Slights who was probably as pleased to bring his new car home safe and sound on an event that would have tested all parts as well as getting his first and useful 25 points on the board. Unfortunately for Smith the next event, the Butlins Somerset Stages, is certainly home territory for Wilkes, so whilst Smith can always hope for a change of form for Wilkes his next best hope will be to just continue to haunt him and at least not let him get too much farther away in the points table.
1400COnce Sion Matthews started to struggle with engine woes on SS4 Cameron Davies was only to pleased to take up the lead in the 1400C class battle as he sat sixth amongst the ‘S’ cars, despite this being the first outing for his new Toyota Aygo, which like Slights as had a difficult road to competition. MG ZR driver Chris Hellings was the best of the rest but had a deficit of 53secs to Davies. Rachael Patterson no doubt wanted to overcome the disappointment of her second place retirement on the Wyedean and therefore would have been pleased to bring her “Percy” Peugeot 106 out of Grizedale in third place with local Cockermouth crew Andrew and Reg Irving in their similar 106 over 90secs adrift in 4th. Ashley Hagon lay in fifth hampered by a minute jump start penalty on SS4.
However rallying always has a way of biting back and Davies tumbled down the leaderboard in SS5 when he took a stage maximum allowing Hellings to take the class lead. Davies fought back taking fastest times on the remaining two stages and although he climbed a couple of places the gap was simply too big to have any real impact. This left Chris Hellings to take a second maximum points score making the long journey North well worthwhile, as it was also for Rachael who managed to take second place and 18 points, while Cameron’s third place means he also gets points on the board.
Ash Slights
Chris Hellings
Tom Naughton and Horace Saville made up for the disappointment of a last stage retirement on the Wyedean Rally to dominate the Group N category on the Malcolm Wilson. Six fastest times out of the seven stages showed that the A One backed Mitsubishi Evo was now back to full health and it was time to make up for the loss of points. This they did in style with just a slow fourth stage giving the chasing pack a glimmer of hope, which ultimately proved fruitless as they finished with a 47 sec gap over Jamie Anderson and Ella Flynn.
Wyedean Group N winners and title leaders, Luke Francis and John Roberts, only just survived hitting the same rock on the Dean which put Naughton out and which was dramatically shown in the Special Stage programme. They naturally wanted to extend their points lead but a spin early on did little for their hopes and after the first three stages went into service 30 secs down on Naughton, but just 10 away from Anderson. They made a push through Grizedale South to get within 6 secs of Naughton but heading back through the final two stages the gaps continued to grow and they ended up third, 56 secs off the lead. Nevertheless the 17 points gained still keeps them in top spot, albeit by just 1 point ahead of Anderson.
Running second throughout the day were Jamie Anderson and Ella Flynn, who after a puncture on the final stage of the Wyedean were hoping to reproduce their anticipated form on the Wilson. A very slow start in Hobcarton immediately put them at a disadvantage and a similar 9 secs went away in Comb. After service they had a revival and in the first Grizedale took 9 secs out of Naughton, but in the next stage brake problems started to plague the car. After stopping to sort them out on Greystoke they then caught a slower running car, which didn’t pull over, so more seconds were lost, although going by the pace of Naughton its doubtful it would have changed their final second place.
Scott Faulkners’ and Dom Adams two out of two finishes and consecutive fourth places in their first season on gravel, despite a very hairy moment on the penultimate stage, means they sit in third in the points table and will all help to build confidence that they are getting to grips with things in this most competitive category.
No Stopping Naughton
TYRED OUT ! You may have seen an item in the recent MSA News about the discussions of the MSA Stage Rally Tyre Working Group. For some time it has been recognised that UK Stage Rallying needs to minimise the damage it causes to Forestry Commission gravel roads and as part of that process we will have to move away from the more aggressive forest tyre patterns. We anticipate that this will be a gradual process and that the first step may be to prohibit the cutting of additional grooves into the tread patterns of forest tyres. This is likely to be followed by a MSA list of less aggressive forest tyres from all manufacturers which are suitable for use on forest stages. The use of less aggressive tyre tread patterns is not a new concept and is already in place in most of the Cross Country disciplines. Whilst the principle reason for adopting less aggressive tyres is to reduce the damage caused to the FC gravel roads, there will be the benefit that they will generally wear better and last longer.
Tom Naughton
Smith Ties Up With Bengry It was only a two crew competition on the Malcolm Wilson in the BTRDA Historic Cup but it took just one stage to settle where the maximum points were going.
Theo Bengry / Les Forsbrook [Ford Escort Mk 2] and Pete Smith / Patrick Walsh [Ford Escort Mk 1] renewed their battle after a close run on the Wyedean, when Bengry took the spoils with Smith coming home in second place. On the Wilson after completing two stages Bengry held a 4 sec advantage, however on Greystoke, Smith, having earlier warned Bengry to take care in there, used the tactic to his advantage and turned the tables on the 7.3 mile stage by taking the 4 secs back, meaning that going into service the Escort duo could not be separated.
The first Grizedale stage saw Bengry re-assert his position by 3 seconds but disaster struck in Grizedale South when a rear wheel shattered resulting in a stoppage to change it and an event ruining 2.45 loss to Smith, which while unfortunate, as they have not changed a wheel in many a long time isn’t actually a bad time. There was no coming back from this and a further 30 secs went Smith’s way over the final two stages as the “points make prizes” principle became more important to Bengry than fastest stage times. This left the points positions reversed from the Wyedean with Smith taking the 30 points meaning that he and Bengry sit in joint first position in the Historic Cup. Bearing in mind that last year the title was only decided in Smith’s favour over Bengry by 2 points, 2013 has all the signs of not being able to get the proverbial cigarette paper between them again.
Peter Smith
There was a very select group of MG ZR’s out on the Malcolm Wilson Rally and the trio were lead home by Chris Hellings / Glyn Thomas followed by Jayne and David Auden with Rory Jones / Tom Hughes in third place.
With two rounds gone Chris and Glyn, who run their car in support of the R4CR (Rally 4 Cancer Research) charity, lead the table with two maximum scores from “The Audens” and Rory and Tom sharing third place with David Fowler-Bishop and Tudur Rees.
For more details on the R4CR Charity and how you can give your support, go to www.Rally4CancerResearch.co.uk.
Rally First - Marko makes his markThe talking point was the performance of Marko Jaram from Slovenia who is currently living in the UK and working at M Sport. Accompanied by Steve Green in a Nissan Micra which was emblazoned with “Sponsored by the Slovenian Mafia”, they were outstanding throughout the day and were the fastest Rally First crew on every stage. Marko is not new to rallying and has achieved a number of very notable results in competitions in Europe but unfortunately he has not had the funds to compete at the highest level. Their main opposition was expected to be Joe Evett / Calvin Houldsworth but they were forced to use Joe’s old white Nova because of last minute problems with the MG ZR. The car had not been used in serious competition for some time and the pace at which they were going was just too much for the brakes on the car which gradually faded and needed pumping to have any effect. Joe was still trying hard on SS5 but went off the road at high speed and hit a rock which threw the car over, causing extensive damage. James West and Steve Eggington in the Rallyschool VW Lupo took up the chase of Marko and were certainly the best of the rest for most of the day to finish second in the Rally First category. This good result sees James and Steve currently leading the BTRDA Rally First Championship after 2 events. The RF1.0 class saw a welcome return of Mick Smith / Paul Osmond (Nissan Micra) and they used all their
experience to stay ahead of the other 1 litre Micras. They were chased all day by Nick Carr / Joe Sturdy and by 17 year old Niall Moroney / Ian Jones but they finished in that order. Following on from the unprecedented retirements on the Wyedean Rally it is pleasing to report that apart from Joe’s big accident, (sorry Joe) all the other Rally First crews finished the event and so restored the reputation and finishing record of the BTRDA Rally First cars.
MSA ENGLISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPCurrent Champions Julian Wilkes and Will Rutherford (Vauxhall Nova) again had to fend off a very robust challenge from Mat Smith and Giles Dykes (Ford Ka) in order to score maximum points in Class E2 and as a result they move just ahead in the overall championship standings. 19 year old Alex Parpottas (Fiesta R2) won the up to 1600cc class on the event and with it maximum points in Class E3, whilst it was 18yr olds Aaron McClure and Tom Woodburn (Ford Fiesta ST) who scored maximum points in Class E4. In complete contrast it was the vastly experienced Peter Smith and Patrick Walsh (Ford Escort Mk1) who scored maximum points in Class E5. However, perhaps the best result of the day was that of Marko Jaram from Slovenia, currently living in the UK and working at M Sport, who finished some 2 minutes ahead of his rivals in Class E1 in his standard Nissan Micra.
Despite class wins by Alex and by Aaron on the Malcolm Wilson Rally it is 19 year old Nick Carr from Doncaster who currently holds a one point lead in the MSA English Junior Driver category ahead of Kris Farrell and Robert Wheeler.
Marko Jeram
Nick Carr
Mick Smith
FORTHCOMING EVENTS Butlins Somerset Stages ~ Saturday 20th April Entries are coming in well for the next championship event with more than 70 already received, so we encourage competitors to enter this event as soon as possible. The rally will again use the Butlins Holiday Park at Minehead for Rally HQ and the main Service Park before heading out across the Exmoor countryside for the forest stages. However, one of the most exciting stages of the event is the double run up the Porlock Toll Road, 3.73 miles of sometimes twisty, sometimes flat out tarmac. Master that and it can give you an advantage over other competitors, get it wrong and see yourself tumbling down the leaderboard.
For onl ine entry go to the event website www.somersetstages.com, or to contact the Entries Secretary Katie House, Tel 0845 095 1381Email: [email protected]
Plains Rally ~ Saturday 18th MayRegulations and online entries are also now available for the Plains Rally in May.
The event will again utilise the superb fast and flowing stages of Dyfi and Garthieniog as well as a trip through the challenging Hafren forest. Based in the welcoming town of Welshpool the event always produces a fast and tight battle throughout the Mid Wales Stages.
Regulations can be found at the event website www.plainsrally.co.uk/regulations.html along with the link to make an online entry or paper download. The Entries Secretary is Chris Kettle who can be contac ted on Te l 01606 44007 or Emai l [email protected]
Cambrian Rally ~ Saturday 19th OctoberAnd with a very quick leap to the end of the year some early information that the Cambrian Rally have announced they will be holding their Press Day on Thursday 10th October running on the Great Orme. They will be sending out invitations shortly or maybe if you are interested you could contact them, [email protected]. We are also told that as a result of ongoing forestry work this year they will be shortly announcing some exciting new changes to their route for 2013. Watch this space.
A remarkable photograph of Malcolm Wilson event winners Euan Thorburn & Paul Beatontaken on the Wyedean Rally courtesy of Mark Stevens CM Photography
Francis leads from Farrell in the 2013 Champions on Ice AwardLuke Francis continues to hold the lead in the 2013 Vital Equipment Champions on Ice award, but just by one point from the 1400 Proton driver Kris Farrell. Dan Wakefield retains his third place after the Wyedean but is 9 points adrift of Farrell.
The Champions on Ice award is one of the most unique awards to be given in the Championship. It is free to enter and open to all Drivers under the age of 23 at the 1st Jan 2013 who use Vital Equipment fuel products on 5 of the 9 round BTRDA Series. The prize consists of a funded four-day trip to Ice Drive Sweden to hone the drivers skills on a frozen lake and after the success of the competition in 2012 won by Cameron Davies (see earlier story) Vital Equipment has confirmed that the same prize will be available again in 2013.
Vital Equipment’s aim has been to provide an award that should help develop a driver's skill and propel them forward in their rallying career. One of the most widely acknowledged ways to do this is for drivers to take part in an ice driving event, learning car control in low grip situations. And it is exactly for this that the 2013 scheme will deliver once again.
Each driver will receive two days of training with Matt Edwards of MERallyDrive. Matt finished second overall in the 2012 Gold Star Championship and is a former BTRDA 1400, MSA English and Welsh National Group N Champion. Driving a Group N Ford Fiesta ST fitted with DMack tyres, they will spend the two days at the Ice Drive Sweden facility.
All associated costs, including flights, transfers and accommodation will be met by Vital Equipment.
The competition is open to all Junior drivers (i.e. under 23 as at the 1st Jan 2013) in the BTRDA and SRC series. Drivers must register for the scheme and use fuel supplied by Vital Equipment exclusively, for at least five events during the season. This can be products from the Carless Racing Fuels range, such as Turbo Ultimate or Vital Equipment's low-cost option, of super unleaded fuel. Competitors must also carry Champions on Ice stickers on their cars on every rally, highlighting their participation in the scheme.
And because of the way the BTRDA calculate the points for Juniors, based on an Index of Performance method, it means a 1400 competitor has as good a chance of winning as someone in a World Rally Car.
For more information, including registration details for Champions on Ice and order forms for Carless Racing Fuels and DMACK tyres, call 01981 241169, Email: [email protected] or visit website www.vitalequipment.co.uk.
Happy Birthday BTRDA - 1938 to 2013 2013 marks the 75th Anniversary of the British Trial & Rally Drivers Association and to celebrate the event we are holding a special day on the 27th April - and everyone is invited to the Party!
The daytime activities will be at Curborough (just off A38 north of Lichfield) and Catton Park, with Autotests, AutoSolos, Car Trials, Sporting Trials demonstrations, tuition and competitions. There will be events for Rally cars too. Catering will be laid on at both venues. The rallying side will be based at Curborough but you can also pop 15 minutes up the road to Catton Park if you fancy a go at Car Trials or watching the Sporting Trials cars climb hills that you struggle to walk up.
You can bring your own road or competition cars if you wish, have a ride with one of the drivers, or if you are very well behaved someone there may let you use theirs. Not intended to be top competition but just a good day out trying something different.
The evening then begins with the reception at Drayton Manor Park Hotel (near Tamworth) at 19.15, before enjoying a four course dinner. There will be interviews with Special Guests followed by entertainment from the excellent band The Subterraneans. Discounted rooms are available at the hotel, just mention BTRDA. Reminiscing, meeting old (and not-so-old) friends, and a wonderful evening are all to be expected. Get a bunch of friends and family and make a day/night of it. You can mix and match as suits you - come to the day activities but not the evening, or come to just the evening, but then you will only have half the fun.
Contact Mike Broad at [email protected] for more information and tickets or find a booking form at http://www.btrda.com/General_News/article_1112.php or speak to one of the Championship Coordinators.
MINTEX / QUESTMEAD BONUS SCHEMEThe winners of the Mintex Awards on the Malcolm Wilson Rally, each of whom receive a set of FREE competition brake pads from Questmead Ltd, were:-
Best Improvement on Start Number in GS/SS Championships: Robert Smith - Ford Escort Mk2 (B10) Best Improvement on Start Number in Millers 1400/MG/RF: Marko Jeram - Nissan Micra (RF1.4)
Alan Brown from Questmead can be found in the service area at most events. To claim your rewards and to contact him in advance to arrange the required product please call Alan on 01706 860088.
Special Stage TV ProgrammesFollowing on from the successful TV coverage of the Championship in 2012 Special Stage will again be providing coverage of all nine rounds of the Championship on Motors TV. As a result of the success of the programmes Special Stage have managed to negotiate additional air-time for the Championship with the Millers Oils 1400‘s now having its own dedicated half hour programme and the Gold and Silver Star having their own hour long programme. This exciting development will allow more exposure to crews in both sections.
The GMF Wyedean programme has come and gone but the report is still available on our websites www.btrdarally.com or www.reis.co.uk. The Malcolm Wilson will have had its first showing by the time you get this but a number of repeats will still be shown. Just go to the Motors TV UK TV schedule for more details, www.motorstv.com/tv-guide-uk. Please note that on occasions the 1400 report will be on a different night.
Special Stage always want to make the programmes as extensive and entertaining as possible and to achieve this depends very much on information from competitors both during and after the event. Therefore they will always welcome information from you telling how your day went and any particular incidents or dramas. They will also consider taking film coverage taken from your in-car cameras. Contact them on [email protected].
EVENT EVENT DATE TV PROGRAMME DATE TIME
GMF Wyedean Rally 9th February BTRDA - Friday 1st March 9.00pm GMF Wyedean Rally 9th February 1400’s - Friday 1st March 10.00pm
Malcolm Wilson Rally 2nd March BTRDA - Friday 22nd March 9.00pm Malcolm Wilson Rally 2nd March 1400’s - Friday 29th March 10.00pm
Butlins Somerset Stages 20th April BTRDA - Friday 10th May 9.00pm Butlins Somerset Stages 20th April 1400’s - Friday 10th May 10.00pm
Plains Rally 18th May BTRDA - Friday 7th June 9.00pm Plains Rally 18th May 1400’s - Friday 7th June 10.00pm
Dukeries Rally 8th June BTRDA - Friday 28th June 9.00pm Dukeries Rally 8th June 1400’s - Friday 28th June 10.00pm
Nicky Grist Stages 13th July BTRDA - Friday 2nd August 9.00pm Nicky Grist Stages 13th July 1400’s - Friday 2nd August 10.00pm
Woodpecker Stages 31st August BTRDA - Friday 20th September 9.00pm Woodpecker Stages 31st August 1400’s - Friday 27th September 10.00pm
Trackrod Rally 28th September BTRDA - Friday 18th October 9.00pm Trackrod Rally 28th September 1400’s - Friday 25th October 9.00pm
Cambrian Rally 19th October BTRDA - Friday 8th November 9.00pm Cambrian Rally 19th October 1400’s – Friday 15th November 9.00pm
Season Reviews - BTRDA - Friday 20th December 8.30pm Season Reviews - 1400’s - Friday 27th December 10.00pm
Competitors CraicGot something to tell us about your successes (or failures) on events? Had a report published? Let us have your story (or photos) and we will try and fit them into the next newsletter.
McCloskey’s impressive run continues in Cumbria
TITLE hopeful Connor McCloskey extended his advantage at the top of the BTRDA drivers' standings by seven points following his top-three finish on Saturday's Malcolm Wilson Rally.
Navigated by Francis Regan, the Kilrea driver ended the seven-stage competition just over a minute behind eventual winner Euan Thorburn and 44sec in arrears of runner-up Paul Bird.
But because Bird has not registered for the REIS Get Connected-backed series, it means the former Northern Ireland champion returned home on Sunday with second-place points instead. 2010 BTRDA Rally victor and energy drink entrepreneur Steve Perez was satisfied with fourth after getting the better of South Africa's Mark Cronje in his 1.6-litre Ford Fiesta World Rally Car.
McCloskey, who continued his impressive run of form following last month's victory on the Wyedean Rally, said: "The result proves that we are more than capable of competing for wins.“A lot of the guys have already driven the stages - they were basically unchanged from last year except for 1.2-miles - so knowing that certainly put me under more pressure to try and do well.“When I decided to enter the Championship my aim was to finish the opening three rounds and pick up good scores; we're two thirds of the way there already and I'm very pleased about that."
McCloskey made his intentions for a podium finish clear on the opening 'Hobcarton' stage, setting the third fastest time before organisers awarded him and seven other drivers a notional time on the next stage when rival David Wright rolled his car out of contention. Although he and Michael Wilkinson emerged unscathed, a small in-car fire meant 'Comb' had to be cancelled.
The Subaru driver's pace was hampered on the next test when, much to his and Regan's confusion, the car stalled when the handbrake was called upon to help negotiate tight hairpins.
In all, McCloskey lost roughly 25sec on 'Greystoke 1' and 'Grizedale North', dropping two places to fifth on the first before managing to regain a place on the second with a time of 8min 33sec. The problem was later traced back to the car's boost pack by McCloskey's team of travelling mechanics, which caused the engine to cut-out when the hydraulic handbrake was applied.
The 26-year-old managed to retake third place on 'Grizedale South' - a position he would end the day given that Thorburn and Bird were both well out of sight with just two stages remaining.
“It wasn't the easiest rally," McCloskey admitted to Chronicle Sport, "so a level head was called for at different times to ensure we didn't do anything stupid. The night before the rally we agreed that if we finished fifth or sixth and came away with third or fourth place points we'd be more than happy. Third is a great result and it helps our confidence going into the next event."
Round three of the BTRDA Rally Championship sees McCloskey travel to Exmoor National Park in West Somerset for the Somerset Stages Rally, which takes place at the end of next month.
Story courtesy of Ballycastle Chronicle and Jason Craig
Connor McCloskey extended his lead in the BTRDA drivers’ standings after a gritty drive on Saturday’s Malcolm Wilson Rally in
the Lake District.
Niall Moroney - Winner of the 2013 Next Big Step AwardCar 222 ~ Nissan Micra ~ Class RF1.0
The Malcolm Wilson rally was another learning curve - new navigator and needed to finish to get some points after retiring on the Wyedean. I didn' ’t feel as confident adjusting to my new
navigator Ian Jones, even though he was very good. Also found my pace was less than expected, however it was still great fun, like the Wyedean and we got a finish too, 3rd in the
RF1.0 class without a scratch on the car.
Looking forward to the Somerset stages next on the 20th April.
Tom Woody & Aaron McClure - Car 115 ~ Ford Fiesta ST ~ Class N3
After my train been delayed on the Friday and holding everything up by nearly an hour I was hoping the rally on Saturday would go better...which it did.
Leading our class from Stage 1 Aaron, as always, had a great drive. And now that we have a few events under our belt together we are getting to know more about each other, delivery of notes, timing, information Aaron wants and doesn't etc.
However it wasn't all plain sailing, during Grizedale North, in a fast section, we clipped a rock on the left hand side. I think it was on the top of a crest. In the split second moment I thought we were going to have a big accident, however after Aaron corrected it with one hand and carried on it cleared up any doubts. Once we reached the end of the stage Aaron had a look at the near side front corner and noticed a camber to the wheel. Competing cars surrounding us had also clipped the same rock / object - others had got off lighter than others.
We got through the rest of the stages unscathed and personally I loved the day and was happy to finish with a 1st in class, made all the better by being able to be in the background of the TV camera which was interviewing Aaron!
Thank you once again to Ian, Aaron and the whole service team who kept us running and supporting us. And also as always, a massive thank you to our sponsors, All Floors Express, Wildcat Marine, KJ Gibbson and The Claims Place. Also, of course The Next Big Step.
Malcolm Wilson Rally 2013 by Andy BallantyneThe day dawned bright and early with a hint of cold in the air – Never rallied these stages before I was looking forward to the challenge of Grizedale and Greystoke. Points mean prizes and while we wanted a good run we also wanted to make sure we bagged some points.SS1 Hobcarton:Uneventful trying to get used to the forest and conditions a slow start losing 15 seconds to the eventual winners Julian Wilkes/Will Rutherford-Childs in 2.5 miles! Need to up our game…SS2 Comb:Corking little stage again with a mix of everything including a brilliant flat out section towards the end over a number of bumps, crests and dips. Climbing up the hill to the famous hairpin where we took an interesting line – Nearly coming to a stop and struggling to get up the hill.Kept my head down for most of it, nice to see the a few familiar faces marshalling at the arrival control Neil & Elaine!Warned about landslides and the road narrowing in some sections but it wasn’t that bad when you got there.Road section:Two way rally traffic and spectator traffic cars parked on verges on both sides of the road leads to disaster with members of the public unable or not willing to move. I’d like to point out a yellow Seat and metallic blue Ford Focus causing mayhem, through their inconsiderate parking. I know you are in a rush but next time PLEASE THINK!By the time it was all sorted already 10 minutes into our OTL!SS3 Greystoke:What a stage, awesome, no other word for it… can see exactly why some hate it and some love it. For me it was excellent Kris drove really well and kept listening especially on the well-renowned C-bend and where we needed to keep a line through the corners. It felt slow but neat and tidy, thought we had done well as so it was nice to see 3rd place in the 1400 section in this stage.Service:Clawed back some time from the slow start – Got to service having already used half of our OTL due to road book, bad parking and traffic. Looking at results we were 8th overall but only 6 seconds covered 3rd to 8th.SS4 Grizedale North:First time competing in Grizedale! What a stage notes worked like a dream bottomed out on the jump near the start, felt good and solid and fast chucking out the notes one after another without breathing – Voice getting more and more raised! Approx two-thirds through saw Dave Bennett parked up on the right and 200 yards later Harry Gardner on the left with a missing wheel. Two of our competitors out on the spot, this spurred Kris onto the rest of the stage.SS5 Grizedale South:Caught two cars, both had mechanical problems, Sion Matthews in the Ford Escort (thanks for looking in your mirrors) who had burnt a valve and Cameron Davies who had a fuse blow on the fuel pump relay. It was a monster of a stage, 18 pages of notes in 10 miles, so many corners it was important to get it right not helped by a big spin a mile in when we rounded the corner distracted by a photographer in the eye line Kris tried to hook the inside of the corner to stop going into a big ditch on the outside. The car didn’t want to play and we were 90 degrees to the track. Unfortunately it was so narrow that we had to do a 7-point turn before we could get going again.The stage was a complete mix of smooth, rough, slippery and muddy plus some heavily logged sections, a real achievement to get through. We felt that we had done well, but on the initial result it showed a disappointing time but later this would be resolved as two of our rivals had been given dodgy times.Service:No problems, just a spanner check and clean-up!SS6 Greystoke 2:Bit of a hold up as the stage needed to be cleared of cars stopped from the first run through. Low sunshine causing a few problems, especially coming out of the hairpins, and on the long straights with some nasty crests. A good fast run felt very comfortable with our only drama coming we walloped the inside of one corner and we were sure we had a puncture luckily nothing except a bit of cosmetic damage.SS7 Wythorp:A good end to the rally, some nasty sections and some bloomin’ huge drops, not one for the faint hearted. This stage is totally different to the others with a huge straight over the finish line. Decided to have a half spin after the finish line on the run to the stop line and got a round of applause from the marshals as Kris’s driving was likened to Ken Block!Conclusion:Must start better and be quicker out of the blocks. Again some good pace and have got the consistency when we wake-up!! One mistake cost us dear, so we must try to eliminate them for the next round. Getting a better rapport in the car, now need to work on the finer points such as distances and meanings after crests!
BTRDA Forest Rally Championship Calendars 2013BTRDA Forest Rally Championship Calendars 2013BTRDA Forest Rally Championship Calendars 2013BTRDA Forest Rally Championship Calendars 2013BTRDA Forest Rally Championship Calendars 2013BTRDA Forest Rally Championship Calendars 2013BTRDA Round Event Date Home Town Stages Include English
RoundB Wyedean Rally 9th February Chepstow Speech House, Sallowvallets E
B Malcolm Wilson 2nd March Cockermouth Grizedale, Greystoke, Comb E
B Somerset Stages 20th April Minehead Croydon Hill, Porlock E
B Plains Rally 18th May Welshpool Dyfi, Gathieniog, Hafren
B Dukeries Rally 8th June Southwell Sherwood Forest, Portland E
B Nicky Grist Stages 13th July Builth Wells Cychan, Halfway, Route 60
B Woodpecker 31st August Ludlow Haye Park, Radnor E
B Trackrod Rally 28th Sept Scarborough Dalby, Cropton, Langdale E
B Cambrian Rally 19th October Llandudno Clocaenog, Penmachno
CHAMPIONSHIP CONTACT DETAILSThe BTRDA values any communications from competitors and therefore if you have any news, comments, questions or simply require advice we would like to hear from you.
