CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSLETTER No.4 – 2016
SOMERSET STAGES RALLY
RAVENOL BTRDA GOLD STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP
LUKE S WA‘M WELCOME IN MINEHEAD!...
For the second time this season Luke Francis/John H
Roberts have won a round of the RAVENOL BTRDA Gold
Star® Rally Championship. Their latest success came on
the Somerset Stages and, although it was a close battle
throughout the day, by the time the pair arrived back at
the finish in Minehead, their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9 was
eight seconds ahead of its nearest rival, the Fiesta of
Charlie Payne/Carl Williamson.
Luke Francis/John H Roberts –Mitsubishi EVO9 – 1
st overall
Following problems caused by the recent winter weather
in the Exmoor National Park, the organisers, Minehead
and Burnham-on-Sea Motor Clubs, were faced with major
alterations to their planned route and, indeed, the non-
availability of part of it. In the circumstances, the winners
of the Best E e t i the BT‘DA ‘all Series ust e congratulated for their perseverance in managing to
stage an event at all!
So, Francis/Roberts were quickest out of the blocks on
the first runs through Timberscombe and Croydon to
establish a lead which, although down to just three
seconds on a couple of occasions, they maintained
throughout. Pa e s ause as ot helped by a puncture
but, with a number of FTDs of his own, he was still able to
keep Francis honest. Running in 3rd
place for most of the
day, and eventually finishing in that position, were Karl
and Guy Simmons in their Impreza WRC. The thorn in
their side for the final podium spot was the new Fiesta
R5+ of Martyn and Dawn England - the Taunton husband-
and-wife team ere usi g their ho e e e t to de ut it on gravel and came away with a fine 4
th, just two seconds
ehi d the Si o s. The E gla d s rall i luded FTDs on
the first run up Porlock Toll Road and the second run
through Kennisham .Take from that what you will, but
there is obviously plenty more to come from this new
car/crew combination!
Karl and Guy Simmons - Subaru Impreza WRC – 3
rd overall
The Focus WRCs of Peter Stephenson/Giles Dykes and
Paul Benn/Richard Cooke were also a mere 2seconds
apart in 5th
and 6th
places respectively. Tom Preston/Jack
Morto ere aki g their de ut i the for er s re e tl -
acquired Skoda Fabia R5 and, spending much of the day
adjusti g to the e ar s foi les, ere ell pleased ith 7
th overall.
Amongst those heading back up the M5 with just a
solitary point for starting, for the second event running,
were Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson. Their Fiesta R5+
was 8th
after SS1 and on its way home shortly afterwards
when the propshaft let go.... Stephen Clark, son of
legendary Talbot Avenger driver Ivor who was on hand to
service, and Steve Pugh were running as high as 7th
overall at various times, but the appearance of a hole in
their Mitsu ishi La er s ell housi g ea t that there was nothing that they - or Ivor! - could do to get them to
the finish.
Three events down, five to go and Charlie Payne leads the
table, with Peter Stephenson next and Karl Simmons
third. However, as all eyes now turn to the Plains Rally,
it s Luke Fra is ith his t o a i u s ho is lurki g i the shadows!....
BTRDA PRODUCTION CUP and FIESTA ST TROPHY
RUSSELL BOOKS TOP SPOT!
Follo i g o fro his i o the Mal ol Wilso ‘all , Russ Thompson (Lancer EVO9) took another BTRDA
Production Cup® maximum in Somerset to move into the
category lead, albeit on a tie-break. For his part, co-driver
Andy Murphy is in 2nd
place, a couple of points behind the
leader. Thompson/Murphy were 8th
overall on the
Somerset Stages, one place and 25s ahead of Sasha
Kakad/James Aldridge (Lancer EVOX) who were
contesting their first BTRDA Series event of the season,
while Andy Davies/Ma Free a I preza ere t far behind either. Cameron Davies/Lee Taylor carried on
where they left off in Cumbria to take another maximum
in the Fiesta ST Trophy and, at the same time,
considerably improving their standing in the Production
Cup. George Lepley/Arwel Jenkins were runners-up in the
Fiestas, with Tim Kirvan-Rodgers/Abi Haycock third.
Ho e er, Sa Bilha /‘i hard Crozier s o siste - three starts, three finishes - sees them maintaining their
lead in the popular new series. On the down side - or
should that e the up side?!... - Roland Llewellin/ Dan
Nieroda and Aaron McClure/Alex Kihurani both rolled
their Lancers on Exmoor, at a stroke putting their plans
for the remainder of the season into the melting pot!
Cameron Davies/Lee Taylor – 1
st Fiesta ST
RAVENOL BTRDA SILVER STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP
GAVIN STAYS IN FRONT!
Gavin Edwards/Caron Tomlinson (Ford Escort MkII)
arrived in Minehead as leaders of the RAVENOL BTRDA
Silver Star® Rally Championship and, taking their first
maximum on the series on the Somerset Stages,
consolidated their position still further. Notching up Top
Ten times on both Timberscombe and the first run up
Porlock along the way, they were 12th
overall and first
two-wheel drive car home, just eclipsing the efforts of
Boyd Kershaw/Bryan Hull whose similar car was one place
and ten seconds behind them. Phil Burton/Mal Capstick
(Escort) were within touching distance by the finish, while
Jod Bo ott/Da id Millard ere t far ehi d either.
Top 3 Silver Star - Burton/ Capstick , Edwards/Tomlinson, Kershaw/Hull
Cars contesting the Fiesta ST Trophy comply with the two-
wheel drive only Silver Star regulations and, hence,
Ca ero Da ies/ Lee Ta lor s fi e ru also reaped its
rewards in this category.
Defe di g BT‘DA Histori Cup® Cha pio Paul Street s disastrous season continued - this time it was an engine
fire that brought his Escort to a halt on the eleventh of
the thirteen stages. (Thanks to Cameron Davies and
Ashley Davies who stopped to donate their fire
extinguishers otherwise the car may have been a total
loss!) Thi gs a o l get etter as the song says, but
now would be good!....
Behind Edwards in the points, Phil Burton is keeping him
ho est ith Ashle Da ies u le ished fi ishi g re ord sustaining 3
rd place. Then comes Kershaw, but those
ahead of the Fl i g Ki i ill e i dful that he has a
score in hand....
THOMAS PANELS BTRDA 1400® CHAMPIONSHIP
BRICK LAYS A FIRM FOUNDATION!...
When Freddy Brick entered the 2015 Somerset Stages co-
driving for his father Dave, he must have paid particular
attention to the notes and DVD! That particular outing
a e to a pre ature halt he their No a s gear o failed on the opening stage but, twelve months later,
Freddy returned as a driver and, with brother Toby co-
driving in their own Nova, they went on to show the rest
of the Thomas Panels BTRDA 1400 Championship®
contenders a clean pair of heels.
Freddy and Toby Brick- Vauxhall Nova – 1
st 1400
For his part, dad was to suffer cruel luck once more - he
and Keaton Williams were sidelined with mechanical
bothers on the penultimate stage, but not before his
speed over the ealier stages had raised a considerable
number of eyebrows, especially those of Somerset
aestro a d t i e for er BT‘DA Cha pio Julia Wilkes who was struggling to keep up with him!
Micras filled the next three places - Neil Andrew/Dom
Adams took the runners-up spot, while Carl Davies /
‘i hard Jo es rd place moved them into the lead of the
Cha pio ship at this stage. Charlie Barlo s first e e t of the season paid dividends with a 3
rd place finish and Bill
Paynter, also making his 2016 debut, was half-a-minute
behind in his Peugeot 106. Whilst Ilminster resident
Paynter had one of the shortest trips home, it was a
fraught day for the Riddicks, Keith and Mairi, whose 1000-
mile round trip from Castle Douglas was for nothing after
their hitherto faithful MG ZR let them down. Although
somewhat closer to home, spare a thought for Chris
Powell/Jim Lewis from Hereford whose Talbot Sunbeam
also failed to finish for the third event in a row!...
VITAL EQUIPMENT RALLY FIRST® CHAMPIONSHIP
LOCAL HERO!....
Chris Hickman (MG ZR), from Minehead, joined the ranks
of the Vital Equipment Rally First Championship for the
first time in Somerset and came away with a maximum
score. The Retallicks, Emily and Eliot, were less than half a
minute behind in their Peugeot 205 XS, with Garry Wilson
and Marti Haggett s Peugeot rd.
Series leader Do i i Hodge s good run came to an end
in Somerset - he and Stefan Arndt joined the list of
retire e ts after SS he their Mi ra s alter ator packed up and the situation at the top of the table is now
much closer. Hodge still leads, but Phil Spilsted (Micra) is
just two points adrift, one ahead of Emily Retallick and
three from Sheldon Furby (MG ZR).....
Chris Hickman – 1
st Rally First driver- MGZR
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
A full list of the Ravenol BTRDA Rally Series points can be
found in the Competitor section of www.btrdarally.com .
BTRDA RALLY CHALLENGE
NO DOUBTS FOR THOMAS!....
Notwithstanding his unfamiliarity with his new Skoda
Fa ia ‘ , Tho as Presto s th overall on the Somerset
Stages puts the Earby driver into an early lead of the
BTRDA Rally Challenge, from East Midlander George
Morrison (MG ZR). In the Co-dri ers ategor , Giles
Dykes, who was sitting alongside Peter Stephenson,
finished a couple of places ahead of Preston whose co-
driver, defending champion Jack Morton, had to be
content with second.
This ear s Challe ge, hi h ki ked off i Mi ehead, o e again features a seven-round calendar. From these, each
competitor must start at least two events on each surface
asphalt/gra el a d, i the fi al a al sis, e er o e s fi e best scores will be taken into consideration in relation to
awards. Next stop is the Isle of Man on 6/7th
May for the
Manx National Rally, the first of the asphalt rounds.
The remaining 6 rounds of the Challenge are:
6th / 7th May - Manx National Rally – Asphalt
11th June - Carlisle Stages - Gravel
9th July - Nicky Grist Stages - Gravel
7th August - Tyneside Stages - Asphalt
28th August - Mewla Rally - Asphalt
1st October - Trackrod Forest Stages - Gravel
SPRINGTIME IN SOMERSET?
Having begun in Cumbria on the Malcolm Wilson Rally,
the focus of attention for the MAXXIS MSA English Rally
Championship moved several hundred miles south for the
second round.
In the hotly contested E5 class Gavin Edwards / Caron
Tomlinson (Escort Mk2) took an early lead and despite
the best efforts of Boyd Kershaw / Bryan Hull also in an
Escort Mk2, they maintained the upper hand, eventually
finishing 10sec ahead and an excellent 12th
overall. In
class E2 the pre event favourites Dave Brick / Keaton
Williams (Vauxhall Nova) had built up a substantial lead
but they unfortunately retired on the very last stage with
a mechanical problem. However, it was not all bad news
for the Bri k fa il as so s Fredd a d To also i a Vauxhall Nova inherited the class win. James Hutchings/
James Hood (Vauxhall Nova) again took the maximum
points in class E3 ahead of Tim and Kit Leigh (Fiesta
R200), whilst Chris Hickman / Glyn Thomas (MG ZR) were
first in class E1 for standard cars up to 1400cc thanks to
some impressive times on the tarmac Porlock stages.
However, the closest battle again came in class E4 where
there were 7 identical Fiesta STs in competition. This
contest was again won by Cameron Davies/Lee Taylor
ahead of George Lepley/Arwel Jenkins. 68 drivers have
scored points so far and, from them, class wins on the
Somerset Stages see James Hutchings (Vauxhall Nova)
and Cameron Davies (Ford Fiesta ST) tying for the lead at
the top of the table. The Ford Escorts of Boyd Kershaw
and Gavin Edwards are joint 3rd, ith George Leple s
Fiesta in close attendance. From the 1400 class, Freddy
Bri k s No a is urre tl th. Meanwhile Cameron Davies
and Freddy Brick are tied at the head of the Junior Drivers
table. A full list of the MAXXIS MSA English Rally
Championship points are published on the Championship
website Competitors section (www.englishrally.co.uk).
James Hutchings – Vauxhall Nova- joint leader MSA English Championship
The next event - the Carlisle Stages in early June - sees all
the contenders migrating north to take up the challenge
of the stages in the western side of Kielder Forest.
MINTEX / QUESTMEAD BONUS SCHEME
The winners of the Mintex Awards on the Somerset
Stages Rally, each of whom receive a FREE set of
competition brake pads from Questmead Ltd, were: -
Best Improvement on Start Number in Gold Star /Silver
Star: Guy Butler Ford Focus (B10)
Best Improvement on Start Number in 1400/Rally First:
Bill Paynter Peugeot 106 (1400C)
Steve or Alan Brown from Questmead can be found in the
Service Area at most events. To claim your reward, please
contact them in advance on 01706 363939.
HYUNDAI GENPOWER Awards 2016
Hyundai Genpower are offering £300 worth of vouchers
for Hyundai generators or pressure washers on each
event. At the Somerset Stages Rally it was for
competitors in the Thomas Panels 1400 Championship
and the winners are:- Freddy Brick £150, Neil Andrew
£100 and Carl Davies £50. On the Plains Rally it will be
the turn of competitors in the Vital equipment BTRDA
Rally First classes.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Plains Rally – 14th
May
Round 4 of the RAVENOL BTRDA Rally Series, the Plains
Rally is once again based at Welshpool and includes some
of the best Welsh forest stages including Gartheiniog and
Dyfi . 120 confirmed entries and a further 25 yet to be
paid have been received already. The maximum entry is
150 so do ’t waste a y ore ti e if you want an entry!!
www.plainsrally.co.uk
DMACK Carlisle Stages - 11th
June
The event will offer 43 stage miles in the Kershope and
Newcastleton complexes of Kielder forest including two
stages of more than 13 miles in length. Rally HQ and
service area will be based at H&H Auctions in Carlisle,
close to junction 43 of the M6. Regulations are now
available and entries are open. For details go to
http://racrally.org/dmack-tyres-carlisle-stages/index
Nicky Grist Rally - 9th
July
Also part of the BRC, the Nicky Grist Rally will be very
popular again this year. The BTRDA event will be as usual,
based at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells and
consist of the usual excellent gravel stages of around 45
miles in total. The Rally Guide has been published and
Regulations will be available on 14th
May.
www.nickygriststages.co.uk has all the details.
ON EVENT FUEL:
Vital Equipment are the official fuel supplier to the
Championship. They will be at all the events and provide a
consistent quality MSA compliant Super Unleaded fuel
and an FIA spec Carless turbo fuel. They ensure fuel is
dispensed to competitors under strictly controlled and
safe conditions. We strongly emphasise the convenience,
safety and organisational benefits that using this Vital
Equipment facility brings to competitors. To order your
fuel please use the on-line order facility listed in the
Competitors section of the BTRDA Rally Series website.
NB: The deadline for orders is 7 days before the event.
MOTORS TV-Freeview Channel 240 or Sky 447/Virgin 545
The TV programmes of the RAVENOL BTRDA Rally Series
will be first broadcast on Motors TV on the Friday evening
after the event and will then be repeated several times
over the following days. There will be additional items
from the RAVENOL BTRDA Rally Series included in the
fortnightly Special Stage Extra programmes. Soon after
they will be available to view via www.btrdarally.com
Special Stage still want you to submit any event
information via their Driver Information page but you
need to send them the info within 48 hours.
EVENTS AND CONTACTS
14th May PLAINS RALLY Chris Kettle
[email protected] , Tel: 01606 44007
11th June CARLISLE STAGES RALLY Kate Hinchliffe
[email protected] Tel: 01484 318689
7th July NICKY GRIST STAGES RALLY Neil Cross
[email protected] , Tel: 07767 770862
*7th
August TYNESIDE STAGES Maurice Mabon
3rd September WOODPECKER STAGES Roger Allan
[email protected] , Tel: 01905 424987
1st
October TRACKROD FOREST STAGES Nicola Sanderson
[email protected] , Tel: 01937 583615
*6th November MEM MALTON FOREST RALLY http://www.maltonmc.co.uk/maltonforestrally.html
* ADDITIONAL MAXXIS MSA ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
CHAMPIONSHIP COORDINATORS TEAM
Howard Wilcock:
Tel: 0115 966 5176
Mobile: 07769 676533
Norman Robertson:
Tel: 0161 748 5399
Mobile: 07762 557285
Gill Cotton:
Tel: 01305 813394
Mobile: 07980 810730
CHAMPIONSHIP ELIGIBILITY SCRUTINEERS
John Cooper:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01208 863406
Mobile: 07702 240970
Dave Newton:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01633 672494
Mobile: 07814 595132
Geoff Doe:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01270 780356
Mobile: 07808 129663
The photographs in our Newsletters and on our websites are courtesy of Ralliphotos Wales. Contact [email protected]