Songasport Rally Media

Sykes keen to maintain title charge on Bulldog Challenge rally

2012-03-18T22:56:00.001Z

Rally driver Richard Sykes will continue his quest for the 2012 BRC Challenge rally championship title next weekend when he contests the Bulldog Challenge event.

Stourbridge's Sykes made an excellent start to the season on the opening round of the championship, taking second place on the Rallye Sunseeker Challenge in his Bathams Brewery, G I Sykes Ltd, Boroughbridge Marina and Silverstone Tyres-supported Citroën C2 R2 Max, and he is keen to put in another good performance on the Welshpool-based round two.

"The Sunseeker went really well for us, the pace at the top of the leaderboard was very quick so I was delighted to finish second," said Sykes. "My aim for this season is to take the BRC Challenge title so I need another strong result next weekend."

"I'm really looking forward to the event, it uses some of the classic Welsh rally stages such as Dyfi and Gartheiniog and they are sure to provide a tough test for all the crews. With every second counting in the BRC Challenge we'll have to be fast right from the start to be in with a chance of taking a top position."

Sykes will be partnered by co-driver Simon Taylor on the event which will start from Welshpool at lunchtime on Saturday. The BRC Challenge crews will face an opening loop of three stages in Dyfi and Gartheiniog forests and then three further stages in Llangywer, Penllyn and Dyfnant before heading back to Welshpool for the finish. The rally will be preceded by a ceremonial start in Welshpool town centre on Friday evening.

Image courtesy John Evans

Wheel of misfortune for Monaghan on Epynt

2012-03-12T21:47:00.000Z

Rally driver Kev Monaghan suffered mixed fortunes on the Tour of Epynt rally last weekend when he was forced to retire his Vauxhall Corsa on the final stage after showing good pace all day.

The rally was the opening round of the 2012 MSA Asphalt Rally Championship and Monaghan and co-driver Chris Purvis were hoping to kick off the season with a good haul of points.

They made a steady start in their Pirtek-backed Corsa Kit Car, lying fourth in class after the opening pair of stages as Monaghan got used to the new paddle-shift gearbox which had been fitted over the winter.

Stages three and four were a repeat of one and two and Monaghan increased the pace to move up to third in class after a troublefree run across the notoriously tricky tarmac of the Epynt military ranges.

“We took it easy on the first two stages as it was the first time I have used the paddle-shift gearbox in competition,” said Monaghan. “The second loop of stages was quicker for us and third was a decent position to be in at the mid-way point.”

The second half of the event consisted of three long stages, all of which included some of the high-speed jumps which have caught out many rally crews over the years. Monaghan maintained his third in class after stage five and decided to push hard in stage six. Part way through the stage the Corsa spun and hit a rock but the crew were able to continue with a few seconds of time lost.

Back in the service area after stage six the car was checked over and it was found that one of the wheel nuts had snapped off. With no time left to replace it Monaghan decided to head out to the final stage with three nuts holding the wheel onto the car. Despite driving cautiously the remaining nuts sheared approaching a corner in the stage and Monaghan was unable to continue.

“We thought we would be able to get through the last stage and pick up some points even though we would have to take it very easy. Sadly it wasn’t to be as the wheel parted company with the car part way through the stage forcing us into retirement. Fortunately there was very little other damage to the car so it will soon be fixed and ready for the next event.”

“Thanks to F & R Belbin Engineering and GB Lubricants for their support and also Darren and Sue Underwood for their hospitality. It’s a shame we didn’t get a finish but I’m pleased that I have built up more experience of Epynt and showed that we are on the pace again this year.”

Monaghan’s championship campaign will continue in May when he competes on the Isle of Man for the first time in the Manx National rally.

Images from the Tour of Epynt

2012-03-11T23:29:00.000Z

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Images from the Edradour Saltire Classic rally

2012-03-08T20:03:00.001Z

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Images from the Malcolm Wilson rally

2012-03-07T23:55:00.000Z

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Fundraising boost for Rally2Raise at Saltire Classic rally

2012-03-07T21:47:00.001Z

The Rally2Raise team took part in their second event of 2012 last weekend when they ran their Nissan Micra on the Edradour Saltire Classic rally.

The Birnam-based event was organised by the Saltire Rally Club, who have nominated Rally2Raise as their chosen charitable cause for this year, and it consisted of 16 tests and three regularity sections on a route around the area of Pitlochry and Loch Tummel.

The tests provided good experience for driver Rachel Medich as they consisted of a mix of surfaces including tarmac, gravel and muddy tracks, enabling Rachel to learn more about how the car handled in preparation for future events.

Rachel and co-driver Marieanne Gray completed all the tests in their Clark Motorsport-supported car which performed faultlessly all day.

“It was a brilliant event, I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Rachel. “The tests were fantastic and great fun. My favourite was one which ran around a quarry on gravel, I could really throw the car around there and it was very useful experience for driving on forest rallies.”

At the awards ceremony at the end of the event organiser Colin Wallace announced that over £400 had been raised by the event for the four Rally2Raise causes - Cancer Research UK, the Nystagmus Network, the MS Society and the Joanne Bingley Memorial Foundation.

“I am very grateful to Colin, all the organisers and marshals, the competitors and event sponsor Edradour, to raise over £400 is fantastic and I am sure our four causes will be delighted.”

The next event for the Rally2Raise team is likely to be the Granite City rally in April where Rachel will be joined by Katherine Begg who will co-drive on her first ever rally. Please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk or www.facebook.com/rally2raise for more information on the project. Donations can be made online via uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rally2raise.

Wright robbed of victory chance on Malcolm Wilson rally

2012-03-04T23:58:00.001Z

Bentham’s David Wright was denied the chance of winning the Malcolm Wilson rally last weekend when a broken gear linkage forced him out of the event in Grizedale forest.

The rally kicked off with the Comb stage in Whinlatter forest and Wright was immediately on the pace, setting second fastest time just four seconds behind the Ford Focus WRC of Hugh Hunter.

The Hobcarton stage was next up and Wright continued to push hard in his Kumho Tyres, Drenth, York Brewery, Proflex and Grove Hill Garage-supported Mitsubishi Evo 9, powering through the stage in second place again.

Wright maintained his second place after the third stage, Greystoke, and he headed to the first of two tests in Grizedale just nine seconds off the lead.

“The first three stages went really well, we were flat out all the way,” said Wright. “It was very pleasing to be just nine seconds off the lead with the Grizedale stages to come.”

Wright usually goes very well in Grizedale and in the first of the two stages he was an impressive six seconds faster than the rally leader, reducing the deficit to just three seconds. The scene was set for an attack for the lead in the second longer Grizedale test but, sadly for Wright, his victory hopes were ended when the gear linkage broke leaving him stuck in fifth gear and unable to complete the stage.

“I really thought we could get the lead in the second Grizedale test. We had already made up six seconds in the shorter stage so I was confident we could leave the second stage in the lead. Unfortunately it was not to be. It’s very disappointing as I think the victory could’ve been ours but it seems like we’re not having any luck at all so far this year. I was happy that we again showed we are the fastest in our class as well as beating most of the drivers in the class above.’

Wright’s next event is scheduled to be the Somerset Stages in April.

Monaghan ready for Epynt rally return

2012-03-01T22:30:00.003Z

Rally driver Kev Monaghan will start his 2012 season next Sunday (11th March) when he contests round one of the MSA Asphalt Rally Championship, the Tour of Epynt.

Monaghan will use his usual Vauxhall Corsa Kit Car backed by Pirtek Tyne & Wear, F & R Belbin Engineering and GB Lubricants, a car in which he and co-driver Chris Purvis almost won the class championship in 2011. The car has had a full engine rebuild by Bill Falconer over the winter and it has also had a paddle shift gear change fitted thanks to Playskool Motorsport which should ensure that Monaghan has the speed to do well again this year.

"We had a very disappointing end to the 2011 championship when a fractured oil cooler forced us to retire on the final round," said Monaghan. "That cost us the class championship as well as the honour of finishing as first two wheel drive car."

"The car is all set for the opening round and we’re looking to build on the three class wins we got last year, I am confident that we will perform well again."

Round one of the championship takes place on the notoriously tough tarmac of the Epynt military ranges near Llandovery in Wales. It will be Monaghan’s second visit to the venue.

"I made my Epynt debut last year and it is fair to say that I was totally in awe of the place. The roads there are so fast with lots of places to have a big accident if you get it slightly wrong. The awful conditions on the day didn’t help me get much confidence so hopefully they will be better next weekend."

"The aim for round one is to be on the pace of the leading crews in the class and to get a good finish with a decent haul of championship points."

The rally start from the Castle Hotel in Llandovery with the crews contesting seven stages over the ranges totalling 80 miles.

Image courtesy Ian Hardy

Success for Sykes in Sunseeker season-opener

2012-02-27T21:03:00.000Z

Stourbridge rally driver Richard Sykes made a brilliant start to his 2012 rally season when he took second place overall in the Rallye Sunseeker Challenge event, the opening round of the BRC Challenge championship.

Driving his Bathams Brewery, G I Sykes Ltd, Boroughbridge Marina and Silverstone Tyres-backed Citroën C2 R2 Max Sykes and co-driver Simon Taylor were immediately on the pace with second quickest time on the opening Gore Heath test.

Their pace continued through the days ten stages, consistently setting top three times before finishing the event with a stunning fastest time in the final Uddens stage.

“I had a really good weekend, the car never missed a beat, it was the best it’s ever been,” said Sykes. “All the hard work that we’ve done making the car fast and reliable seems to be paying off.”

“I knew that competition would be tough at the top of the leaderboard so I was flat out right from the start. I’m delighted that we set top three times pretty much all of the event and it was fantastic to end the event with a fastest time, that really sets us up for the next round.”

“I drove my heart out and didn’t back off all day so I’m pleased to have got a good result to get our season off to a cracking start.”

“It was a brilliant event, the organisers put on a great show with the ceremonial start in Poole town centre, it was good to see so many people down there to watch the cars.”

Sykes will next be in action on round two of the BRC Challenge which will take place at the Bulldog Challenge rally in mid-Wales on March 24th.

Wright hoping to get rally season back on track in Cumbria

2012-02-26T18:51:00.000Z

Rally driver David Wright is targeting a good finish on round two of the BTRDA rally championship, the Malcolm Wilson rally, next weekend after a disappointing retirement on the opening round.

In treacherous conditions Wright, from Bentham, survived numerous spins in his Kumho, Proflex, Drenth, Grove Hill Garage and York Brewery-backed Mitsubishi Evo 9 before having to stop when a puncture caused damage to the suspension.

The Malcolm Wilson rally is Wright’s local event and he usually goes well on it. The event uses the famous Grizedale forest where Wright took a victory on last year’s Grizedale Stages rally.

“I really need to get a decent haul of points next weekend after failing to finish the first event,” said Wright. “The event uses some of my favourite stages in the country, I especially like Grizedale – it’s a place where you can gain a large amount of time if you push hard and have a good run.”

“Hopefully conditions will be better than they were for round one, it wasn’t much fun driving on sheet ice, we span five times on one stage, there was just no grip at all.”

“The rally has attracted a top quality entry so I’m going to have to be flat out from the start to try and get up to the top end of the leaderboard.”

The rally starts on Saturday morning from Cockermouth and the crews will battle over seven stages in Whinlatter, Greystoke, Grizedale and Wythop forests.

Rally2Raise team enjoy Snowman success

2012-02-22T19:41:00.000Z

The Rally2Raise charity fund and awareness raising team enjoyed a very successful Snowman rally last weekend when they debuted their Nissan Micra rally car and collected a generous amount of money for their four causes.

The Highland Car Club-organised event was the opening round of the Scottish Rally Championship and the club agreed to let Rally2Raise project founder Rachel Medich drive as course car on one of the rally stages.

Rachel, from near Aberdeen, is usually found in the co-driver’s seat and the Snowman was her first experience of driving a rally car in the forest. Despite the forest track being extremely slippery Rachel and co-driver Marieanne Gray kept the car on the road and made three good runs of the stage.

"I loved every second of the driving practice I got, it was great fun," said Rachel. "A huge thank you to Highland Car Club and all the marshals, officials, rescue, doctors, recovery and radio crews for allowing us to get out and raise vital funds and awareness for our causes."

"A big thank you to Marieanne also for keeping me right on the stage, we had one moment where we nearly left the road as it was extremely slippy but fortunately we did not crash."

As well as driving the stage Rachel and Marieanne had a bucket collection at the event which raised £191.99 for the four Rally2Raise causes: the Nystagmus Network, Cancer Research UK, the MS Society and the Joanne Bingley Memorial Foundation.

"The people at the rally were very generous, I’m delighted to have raised so much with our buckets, thank you very much to everyone who contributed."

The team will next be out on the Saltire Classic Rally on March 4th. They will be running the Micra ahead of a field of classic cars on a route which takes in some beautiful countryside around Pitlochry. Please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk or www.facebook.com/rally2raise for more information on the project. Donations can be made online via uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rally2raise.

Sykes aims to shine on Rallye Sunseeker

2012-02-21T19:46:00.000Z

Stourbridge rally driver Richard Sykes will kick off his 2012 season next weekend when he contests the Rallye Sunseeker Challenge event, the opening round of the BRC Challenge championship.

Sykes will make a full return to rallying this year after a quiet 2011 which saw him compete on two BRC Challenge events, both of which he led, as well as the end of year Kall Kwik rally.

"Rallying took a back seat last year due to me getting married and having a six-week honeymoon at the rugby world cup in New Zealand," said Sykes. "The two BRC Challenge events I did were very enjoyable though and the competition was very close."

"I’m really looking forward to be doing the full BRC Challenge again this season and I will be going as hard as I can to try and win the title, it must be our year this year."

Sykes will use his usual Citroën C2 R2 Max with support from Bathams Brewery, G I Sykes Ltd, Boroughbridge Marina and Silverstone Tyres. Simon Taylor will be in the co-driver’s seat on what will be the 7th anniversary of the pairings first event together – they contested the 2005 Rallye Sunseeker in a Peugeot 206.

"I’m delighted that Bathams Brewery have joined my other sponsors in supporting my title campaign, I hope we will have a long and successful partnership with them. They are motorsport enthusiasts and they make the best pint of beer in the Midlands if not the country.”

"The Sunseeker is sure to be a tough start to the year, we’ll be battling over 50 miles of gravel forest tracks in the Poole and Bournemouth area and in the BRC Challenge every second counts so we will be flat out right from the start. We need a win to start the championship campaign in the manner we mean to carry on.”

Sykes will be testing the car on Thursday in the Ringwood forests before heading for the ceremonial start of the rally in Poole town centre on Friday evening. All the competitive action takes place on Saturday.

Images from the Riponian Rally

2012-02-19T23:09:00.000Z

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Images from the Wyedean Forest Rally

2012-02-12T20:57:00.000Z

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Puncture robs Wright of Wyedean finish

2012-02-12T19:51:00.002Z

Bentham’s David Wright had a disappointing start to his rally season last weekend when suspension damage caused by a puncture forced him to retire from the Wyedean Forest Rally, the first round of the BTRDA rally championship.

With temperatures well below freezing the rally crews faced the difficult decision of which tyres to choose for the opening stages in the Forest of Dean. Wright selected cut gravel tyres but as soon as he started stage one he knew this was the wrong choice as the gravel forest tracks resembled a skating rink. Battling to keep the Kumho Tyres, Proflex, Drenth, Grove Hill Garage and York Brewery-supported Mitsubishi Evo 9 on the road Wright and co-driver Michael Wilkinson had five spins in the stage and were down in 29th place overall.

Conditions were no better in the second stage although Wright was progressing well until a high speed spin between two steel gate posts.

“Stage one was a nightmare, there was no grip at all and we were very lucky not to do any damage in our numerous spins,” commented Wright. “Stage two was also very icy but we seemed to be having a better run until the spin. We only just missed the gateposts and we’d have done a lot of damage had we hit them. We ended up landing backwards in a ditch but the car was ok.”

Wright was able to swap to tyres designed for ice before the third stage and the difference was immediately seen as he caught and passed the car that started the test a minute ahead. Shortly afterwards the Evo 9 picked up a puncture which caused damage to the suspension as Wright drove out of the stage, forcing him out of the event.

“The ice tyres transformed the car on the slippery surface, we were having a really good run in Speech House but the puncture ended our hopes of a good result. It was a very disappointing way to end the rally but we’ve just got to put it behind us and look forward to the next event which will be the Malcolm Wilson rally in March. This is our local event and I really like the stages, I’ll be having a big attack to get as many points as I can.”

Race Retro's Porsche celebrations continue to grow with stunning line-up

2012-02-07T19:18:00.000Z

Race Retro's Porsche celebrations are continuing to grow, with a stunning line-up of rare and legendary cars on display and in action, when it returns to Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 February.

As well as the display of the first prototype chassis of the Rothmans Group C Porsche 956, raced by Jackie Ickx and Derek Bell, there will also be Sir Stirling Moss' Porsche RS61 Spyder, one of only 14 built, bought for $1.7 million at the Amelia Island Auction in Florida to mark Sir Stirling's 30th wedding anniversary.

They will be joined by the original Porsche 962 Group C car in Blaupunkt livery, driven to third place overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1988 by Frank Jelinski, John Winter and Stanley Dickens.

Joining the Group B Porsche 911 SCRS 1984 280bhp, three-litre, flat-six rally car in action on the Live Rally Stage is none other than rally legend Bjorn Waldegard, who will be reunited with a very special Porsche 914/6, raced in the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally, and now owned by Jamiroquai front man and car collector Jay Kay. Jay will also have a turn behind the wheel on the live rally stage, which will be running on Saturday and Sunday only.

Alongside the Porsche celebrations, there will also be the 1964 AC Shelby Cobra and the only works 1963 Lotus Cortina. Both of these incredibly rare cars were raced by driver Jack Sears, who will also be at the show.

Plus we'll have the hardtop roadster, driven in 1963 Sebring 12-hour endurance race by Christabel Carlisle and Denise McCluggage and the works MGB GT racer, also driven at Sebring by Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges.

There will also be an impressive array of cars up for auction at the show. Silverstone Auctions have secured an amazing line up for its debut auction at Race Retro including a 1958 Tojeiro Jaguar, widely regarded as the best one ever built, presented in its impressive Ecurie Ecosse livery. Also up for grabs is a 1976 Porsche 934 'Jagermeister' race car, an exact recreation of the original, which was one of the most famous and evocative cars to compete in that season's Le Mans and the European GT Championship.

The auction will be open for viewing all day on Friday and on Saturday morning. The sale will start at Saturday lunchtime, with automobilia, before moving on to classic and historic motor racing and competition cars and motorcycles. Auction catalogues will be available online at www.silverstoneauctions.com.

Adult tickets for Race Retro, sponsored by Peter James Insurance and HERO, start at £20 in advance, with children's tickets at £5 for Friday and Saturday and free on Sunday. Car parking is free and has been moved to a hard-surface area nearer to the halls. The show is open from 9.30am each day and closes at 5.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 4.30pm on Sunday. To book tickets and for the latest updates, visit www.raceretro.com.

Wright aims for winning start on Wyedean rally

2012-02-05T22:06:00.000Z

Bentham’s David Wright will kick-off his BTRDA rally championship campaign next weekend when he contests the Wyedean Forest rally.

Wright and co-driver Michael Wilkinson will contest the event in their usual Kumho Tyres, Proflex, Drenth, Grove Hill Garage and York Brewery-supported Mitsubishi Evo 9.

After winning his final event of 2011 Wright’s hopes are high for a good result on the Chepstow-based event and he is aiming to repeat the class victory he took on last year’s Wyedean as well as securing a good overall position.

“We had an excellent start to the season on last year’s event when we finished fourth overall and won the class,” commented Wright. “I’d like to aim to get into the top three this year although the rally has attracted a high-quality entry so it’s going to be very competitive at the top of the leaderboard.”

“It will be interesting to see what conditions we get on the rally, it was sunny last year but there has been heavy snow in previous years. We’ll be looking for a good clean run whatever the conditions.”

The rally will start from Chepstow racecourse on Saturday morning (11th February) with crews contesting seven stages in and around the Forest of Dean.

Rally2Raise charity team set for Snowman rally

2012-02-01T20:45:00.000Z

The all-female Rally2Raise team will continue their charity funds and awareness raising venture this month when they attend the Arnold Clark/Thistle Hotel Snowman rally, the opening round of the Scottish Rally Championship, on 18th February.

The organisers of the Inverness-based event, Highland Car Club, are supporting the project by allowing the Rally2Raise Nissan Micra to run ahead of the competitors on one of the rally’s stages as well as giving space at the signing-on venue for the team to promote their four causes: the Nystagmus Network, the Joanne Bingley Memorial Foundation for post-natal depression, Cancer Research UK and the MS Society.

The event will be the first time that project founder Rachel Medich has driven on a rally – she is usually to be found in the co-driver’s seat. Marieanne Gray will be on co-driving duty with Rachel on the Snowman.

“I am delighted that the Snowman rally organisers are helping us to promote Rally2Raise,” commented Rachel. “It’s going to be a daunting challenge driving a rally car in the woods for the first time but hopefully it will all go well and we’ll make more people aware of the charities that we are supporting.”

“This will be the first of a few events we will be part of in 2012 so keep an eye out for our little yellow and blue Micra on the stages!”

For more information on the Rally2Raise project please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk or www.facebook.com/rally2raise.

Kumho deal sees Wright return to BTRDA series

2012-01-24T22:45:00.000Z

Bentham’s David Wright will compete in the BTRDA rally championship this year after agreeing a sponsorship deal with Kumho Tyres.

Wright, who won the BTRDA championship title in 2009, will use the same Mitsubishi Evo 9 that he competed in last year. The GPM-prepared car will, in addition to Kumho, be supported by Proflex, Drenth, Grove Hill Garage and York Brewery.

“It’s great to have the sponsors on board to help support a full championship campaign, I am very grateful for their help” commented Wright. “After winning the Grizedale Stages at the end of last year I am confident that we will go well in the BTRDA championship although we will be up against some tough competition in our class.”

“After narrowly missing out on the class championship last year we’ll be going all out to win it this year. We’ve done a couple of updates on the car since Grizedale so I think we should have the pace to be near the top of the leaderboard.”

Wright’s season will kick-off with the opening championship round, the Chepstow-based Wyedean rally on 11th February.

Malcolm Wilson rally regs available

2012-01-24T22:43:00.000Z

Regulations for this year's Malcolm Wilson rally are now available from the event website, www.malcolmwilson.co.uk.

The rally will have a similar route to last year, taking in stages such as Comb, Wythop and Grizedale. The event is round 2 of the BTRDA championship and it will take place on Saturday 3rd March 2012.

Rally2Raise to receive support from the Saltire Rally Club

2012-01-11T20:12:00.000Z

The Rally2Raise charity project has had some good news to kick off 2012 with its selection to receive support from the Saltire Rally Club.

The project, founded by rally competitor Rachel Medich, aims to use rallying to raise funds and awareness of four causes: the Nystagmus Network, the Joanne Bingley Memorial Foundation for post natal depression, Cancer Research UK and the MS Society. Rachel and her fellow team members will be undertaking a number of fundraising events throughout 2012 both on and off the stages with the first rally event of the year scheduled to be the Edradour Saltire Classic Rally in March where she will run as course car in her Clark Motorsport-supported Nissan Micra.

"I am very happy that the Saltire Rally Club have selected Rally2Raise as their chosen charitable cause for 2012," said Rachel. "Their Saltire Classic Rally will be the first time I have used my car on an event and I cannot wait for the rally to take place."

"We have had a good start to the project with a cake and cookie sale at the Mull Rally and a fundraising calendar. We’re aiming to build on that in 2012 and raise plenty of funds and awareness for our four charities."

Colin Wallace of the Saltire Rally Club commented: "We are delighted to support Rally2Raise, the four charities it is aiding are all very worthy and to wrap these causes into one support mechanism through rallying is superb."

The Edradour Saltire Classic Rally will take place on Sunday 4th March 2012 with a 95 mile route in the Scottish Highlands including 18 special tests and four regularities. Further information can be obtained from www.saltireclassicrally.co.uk.

Please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk for more information on Rally2Raise including how to make a donation online.

2012 Rally Isle of Man receives green light

2012-01-11T20:10:00.000Z

Rally Isle of Man, the Island’s premier four-wheeled motorsport event, will take place in 2012.

September 21st and 22nd are the planned dates, organisers have confirmed this week.

Much has been happening behind the scenes since the cancellation of last year’s edition, not least significant personnel changes.

The former Board of Directors of Rally Isle of Man Limited have chosen to retire in their entirety. As a result a new Board were elected immediately prior to Christmas; Chris Boyde, John Gill, Robert Graham and David Thompson. All have been part of the event organising team for many years and have a breadth of rallying experience.

Mr Gill is the new Chairman. “We have big shoes to fill, there’s no doubt about that!” he admits. ”On behalf of the new Directors I must place on record our appreciation of the work of our predecessors. Between them Brian Walton, Roger Barrs, David Gawne and Les Postlethwaite have played a huge part in making this event the revered spectacle it is. We are fortunate that they have all offered to continue to support us where possible.”

In addition the organising team has been strengthened with Robert Fagg, Kris Killip and Adam Warburton taking on new roles alongside Wendy Fargher.

“It is right foot firmly down”, confirms Gill. “We have accepted an approach from the British Historic Rally Championship promoters to form the final round of their Water End Properties Asphalt Cup, and we are also delighted to be joining forces with Druidale Motor Club to host the Duke Stages event that forms a round of the highly competitive Eurocars Motorsport Manx Rally Championship.”

Historic Rally Isle of Man will fall at the heart of the event, but running with the Duke Stages will be a National B status event that will be all-inclusive…there will be classes for all MSA eligible rally cars from 1000cc right through to WRC.

“We want everyone to get back to enjoying tackling the best rally roads in the world. Names like Druidale, The Mines, Curraghs and St Marks are famous because of this event, and we hope to welcome competitors, officials and spectators old and new alike to enjoy the thrill and challenge of this unique event.”

Druidale Motor Club Chairman Kris Killip is also pleased with the outcome. “The Duke Stages has been running for over a decade and both the club and our sponsor are delighted to partner our premier event with the re-birth of Rally Isle of Man, especially with the amazing heritage it has. Hopefully it is the start of a very successful association.”

The new Board also has an eye on the future. “There is a rapidly changing situation in international and national rallying”, admits Gill. “Along with our partners, including the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and the Isle of Man Government’s Department of Economic Development, we are looking to create an enduring future for the event up to and beyond next years 50th anniversary. We are actively considering all options and ideas and would welcome approaches from those within the sport who may want to be a part of that.”

Further details of this September’s event will be announced shortly. For now though put the dates 21st-22nd September in your diary, Rally Isle of Man is back!

Racecourse to host Pirelli Rally Village

2012-01-11T19:17:00.000Z

The Pirelli International Rally is already one of Cumbria’s a major sporting attractions, bringing motorsport enthusiasts from across the UK thronging into Carlisle to enjoy the high octane, thrill a minute action and now the event organisers are planning a major expansion by creating a “Rally Village” at Carlisle Racecourse where the event is based.

There will be a host of attractions for the public to enjoy including a multitude of trade stands plus all sorts of car displays including historic, modified and “Drifters”, and there will be lots of “Hands On” opportunities including the famous Pirelli rally car simulator which gives a virtual experience of driving over one of the rallies many off road “Special Stages”.

The Rally Village will be a “Must See” curtain raiser before the action gets under way and car enthusiasts of all ages will have the opportunity to get a close up view of all the competing rally cars and crews, take photographs and collect autographs. There will be a host of exhibitions and trade stands plus “Public Participation” opportunities in addition to the unique Pirelli Rally Simulator. The rally service area and the spectacular champagne spraying finish ceremony will all be happening at the same location and spectators can take advantage of the racecourses superb facilities to enjoy a grandstand view of all the action.

The Pirelli International Rally Village promises to be a major part of the weekends all action activities with something for car enthusiasts of all ages to enjoy before heading off to see the cars in action on the high speed forest stages. Admission to the show will be free and there are ample car parking facilities at the Carlisle Racecourse venue where there are superb restaurant, bar and catering facilities which will be available over the rally weekend.

Race Retro revs up with amazing line-up

2012-01-10T15:04:00.001Z

This year's Race Retro is revving up to be the best ever, as it brings together rare and stunning historic motorsport marques on two and four wheels when it returns to Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 February.

See rare and legendary racing cars such as the Group C Porsche 956 - the 001 first prototype chassis raced in Rothmans livery by Jackie Ickx and Derek Bell will be on static display. From rallying, the Group B Porsche 911 SCRS 1984 280bhp three-litre flat-six rally car will be in action on Saturday and Sunday on the Live Rally Stage as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations.

There is a tribute to 50 years of the MGB, with a foyer display of two early ex-works race cars. The hardtop roadster was driven in 1963 Sebring 12-hour endurance race by Christabel Carlisle, now Lady Watson, former Mini racer and darling of British race fans in the early 1960s, and Denise McCluggage, an American motoring journalist and lady racing driver. The roadster will be joined by the works MGB GT racer which was also driven at Sebring by Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges.

A stunning 30 years of rallying will be marked with a static display as well as an unbelievable line-up on the Live Rally Stage. Rallying with Group B will be out in force on Saturday and Sunday, putting on an amazing showcase for visitors on the purpose-built course which features challenging twists and turns.

Hall & Hall will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Graham Hill winning BRM's first Formula 1 GP World Championship in 1962, by displaying the championship-winning BRM P57 1.5-litre V8 GP car.

For those preferring two-wheeled motorsport, the tribute to 30 years of the Honda Racing Corporation will be led by the only known remaining example of the Mike Hailwood RC 173 500/4-cylinder motorbike, on which he won every GP he rode it in during the 1965 and 1966 seasons. There will be up to ten more Honda RC 163 250/4-cylinder replica GP bikes for static display and in the popular Fire-Up Paddock. Hosted by Road Racing Legends, a charity supporting former TT riders and their families, the Fire Up Paddock is where legendary motorcycles are brought back to life, as they get started-up so that the crowds can hear the roar of the engines.

Visitors can not only see all the action, but can also become part of it, with the chance to drive a rally car, thanks to the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation (HERO). For just £20, visitors can 'arrive and drive' in one of HERO's rally-prepared classic cars, put it through its paces and get a feel for rally driving on a purpose-built course adjacent to the Live Rally Stage.

For those looking to invest in a piece of motorsport history, the Silverstone Auction specialises in the sale of the finest classic cars, modern supercars, all types of competition cars, modern and historic motorcycles and automobilia. The auction will be open for viewing all day on Friday and on Saturday morning. The sale will start at Saturday lunchtime with the automobilia, before moving on to classic and historic motor racing and competition cars and motorcycles. Silverstone Auctions is happy to accept entries into the auction; those interested should contact the team by telephoning 01926 691 141 or emailing enquiries@silverstoneauctions.com. Auction catalogues will be available online at www.silverstoneauctions.com.

Enjoy the interview stage, hosted by Moto GP presenter Steve Parrish, which will feature special guests and motorsport quizzes, or visit the hundreds of traders selling everything needed for the coming motorsport season. For those who like to get grease under their fingernails, explore the autojumble for that elusive part or spare component.

Adult tickets for Race Retro, sponsored by Peter James Insurance, start at £20 in advance, with children's tickets at £5 for Friday or Saturday and FREE on Sunday. Car parking is free and has been moved to a hard-surface area nearer the halls. The show is open from 9.30am each day; it closes at 5.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 4.30pm on Sunday. To book tickets and for the latest updates, please visit www.raceretro.com.

Team Deli do the RAC

2011-12-08T23:36:00.002Z

Day 1 of the event… I headed to Duncombe Park near Helmsley for signing on and scrutineering. Went for a walk around the stage and saw plenty of historics on the course, including Pughie, Tyke and JP. Plenty of nice cars in the service area although some seemed to be already having problems.

I met up with the other Team Deli members Barney and Carol as well as Simon Clarke who, despite getting stuck in Langdale last year, was once again using his Royal Mail Skoda Yeti.

We all headed to Dalby for the evening’s two stages. Conditions were rather different to last year, dry and no snow!

We found a decent slight right into uphill 90 right for the first spot. We were quite near the end of the stage so we could hear the cars going up and down the long Dalby straights a long time before we saw them.

Bob Bean was the first to come into view, spotlights piercing the trees. He was followed by a few Saabs and the Lancia of Steve Graham.

Then it was time for the main field, most of the leading crews taking a neat line but some getting nice and sideways including Phil Collins in the Ascona.

A few cars had already been in the wars, car 1 (Stefaan Stouf) not even reaching where we were after going off the road.

With Simon staying at the same corner for the second run Team Deli had a short drive to another corner, a long straight into a hairpin right quickly followed by a left-hander.

Marcus Dodd came round with a reshaped roof on his Mk2 and Malcolm Mawdsley’s Impreza had a little go at scaring Barney by getting out of shape exiting the left-hander.

The stage finished and it was back along the track to see Simon who had decided to go to Gale Rigg for the next day’s stages, apparently worried about getting stuck again if he went with us to Langdale.

Team Deli headed along the forest drive and into Langdale, parking near the stage ready for day two’s action. Under the clear Yorkshire night sky Ballycastle-supported Carol had a quick drink or two before nodding off.

Glorious sunshine greeted the crews on day two. Barney and Carol stayed at the hairpin near where we’d parked while I wandered up to the double junction where a crowd of spectators provided a good backdrop for my photographs. There was plenty of good action with a lot of sidewaysness going on.

A quick break for a meal (Covent Garden veg soup, very nice) and then it was time for the second run for which I walked up to a fast left hander with a bit of a rut on the inside which kicked a few wheels in the air.

After the Yorkshire stages the rally carried on with tests at Croft, Hamsterley and, the last stage of the day, Shepherdshield. With Simon deciding to retire from the event again (tired) Team Deli headed up to Shepherdshield by themselves.

This turned out to be quite fortunate as what looked like a good forest track on the OS map turned out to be a bit of an off-road course that would’ve swallowed the famous Yeti.

Barney had a sleep so Carol and myself went to watch at a quick left/right corner in the dark. Driving rain made spectating not as much fun as it had been earlier but it wasn’t too bad!

We left Shepherdshield and joined the military road towards Carlisle. The heavy rain made the road flooded in places which made for some good watersplash incidents.

By the time we got to Ae the Delica’s were cleaner than when we’d started the event. We went to park up at the same spot as last year, our journey interrupted slightly when we came across a Volvo estate stranded in the middle of the forest. Barney did his AA man duties and got it going again.

We got parked and had a natter for a while with Ballycastle-supported Carol having another drink.

Early morning in Ae and the trees were getting white – it was snowing! Barney and myself walked along the stage a bit to a series of corners.

The first car on the road was Bob Bean. He was also the first car off it as he slid wide at a corner just prior to where we were watching. A rope appeared and he was hauled back onto the road eventually.

Later on Dave Hemingway went off at the same spot after some blizzard conditions but despite 7 of us pulling the rope we couldn’t get him out of the ditch and he had to wait for the link car.

We stayed in Ae for the second run, Paul Griffiths ended his event going off the road just after where we were parked. "Media lady Carol” went to check he was ok which he was but his car was too far off to get back on. After last year’s monk incident we got out of Ae with no problems and it was straight off to Newcastleton. As we neared the stage the roads became very slippery but the forest itself wasn’t so bad. Two stages there ended our third day.

With day four being held in Kershope forest next door we didn’t have a very long drive on Sunday night. We went to park up in the quarry and found that “Davestaxi” and “Polo” were already there, along with two guys who were cooking some soup in a fire.

Ballycastle-supported Carol had a drink and Barney’s mobile disco played some Dire Straits as we gazed at the stars. There was a bit of frost on the ground but otherwise the tracks were clear.

A few hours later and it was all change! A load of snow had fallen overnight and the rally stage and the road leading to it had become treacherous. After a bit of a delay all the rally marshals and rescue crews were in position and the stage started.

Most of the rally cars tiptoed through the long course, desperate not to bin it on the final day. With the track cutting up and the public road likely to freeze again the last stage was cancelled.

And so we all headed out of Kershope, said our goodbyes and went home. As usual the RAC had been a highlight of the rallying year, once again we’d had a variety of weather conditions, great action, a good chat between stages and meetings with lots of like-minded folk.

Roll on next November when we’ll do it all again.

Images from the Roger Albert Clark rally

2011-12-06T12:56:00.000Z

Please click here to view the images.

Sykes set for forest rally return in Yorkshire

2011-11-27T22:21:00.000Z

Stourbridge rally driver Richard Sykes will make his return to forest rallying next weekend when he contests the Kall Kwik rally in Yorkshire.

Sykes has had a quiet rallying year in 2011 with his events restricted to two outings in the BRC Challenge championship. He led both events and finished a very close second on the Jim Clark Challenge rally.

“Rallying has taken a back seat this year as I got married and had a six-week long honeymoon at the rugby world cup in New Zealand,” commented Sykes. “I enjoyed the two BRC Challenge events I did though and the competition was very close.”

“I’m aiming to do a full BRC Challenge season next year and I’ll be going all out to win the championship. The first two rounds are in the forests and as it’s been over a year since I competed on gravel I have decided to enter the Kall Kwik to get back into the swing of it.”

Sykes will use his usual Citroën C2 R2 Max with support from G I Sykes, Boroughbridge Marina, Silverstone Tyres and Bathams Brewery. Simon Taylor will be on co-driving duties.

“I’m delighted to have Bathams Brewery to add to my other sponsors, their support is vital if we’re going to push for the BRC Challenge title next year.”

“The Kall Kwik will provide us with a tough test as it uses some of the very challenging Yorkshire forest stages such as Dalby and Langdale. There’s the added ingredient of doing some of the stages in the dark too. I can’t wait to get to the start line of stage one.”

The rally will start at Duncombe Park near Helmsley on Friday night with two stages before a further six stages on Saturday.

Wright ends rally season on a high with Grizedale win

2011-11-27T21:18:00.001Z

Bentham rally driver David Wright enjoyed a brilliant end to his rally season last weekend with a dominant win on the Grizedale Stages in Cumbria.

The event started on Saturday evening with a stage in the dark. Despite the very testing wet and misty conditions Wright stormed through the stage faster than any other crew in his Kumho Tyres, Proflex, Drenth, York Brewery and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9.

“We went really well on the first stage, conditions were pretty tough but we knew that a good performance could give us a decent lead to take into the daylight stages,” said Wright. “I was very pleased to be 12 seconds faster than anyone else.”

The crews contested a further six stages on Sunday with the bulk of the action taking place in Grizedale forest. Wright continued his charge with fastest time on the first two stages of the day to extend his lead to 54 seconds.

Despite the good lead Wright pushed hard on the remaining four stages and was rewarded with second-fastest times on each of the tests, only beaten by a more powerful world rally class car. He arrived at the finish in Coniston with a lead of 1m 38 over the second-placed crew.

“Day two started with a fairly long stage and we wanted to be quick out of the blocks to drive home the advantage we had from stage one. Once we had built up a healthy lead it was tempting to back-off a bit but we decided to push as hard as we could while not taking any risks. I’m delighted with the win, we’ve had a mixed season this year so it’s brilliant to finish off with a victory.”

“Thanks to all my sponsors who made the win possible and also to GPM for the car. I can’t wait for the 2012 season to start!”

With his rally season finished Wright will now concentrate on building a new car which he hopes to use on some tarmac rallies next year. He will also contest selected forest events in his usual Evo 9.

Wright ready for season-ending Grizedale test

2011-11-21T21:51:00.001Z

Rally driver David Wright will end his season next weekend when he contests the Grizedale Stages event in Cumbria.

Bentham-based Wright narrowly missed out on winning his BTRDA class championship on his last event in North Wales so he is hoping for a successful run to finish off his year in his Kumho Tyres, Drenth, Proflex, Grove Hill Garage and York Brewery-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9.

“It was very disappointing to lose out on the class championship when we had a problem with the car on the previous rally,” commented Wright.

“We’ll be pushing hard to get a good result in Grizedale, it’s a forest I like competing in and we’ve set some good times in there before.”

The rally starts in Coniston and features a stage on Saturday night before six more stages on Sunday which will test the crews to the maximum.

“Grizedale forest is notoriously tough to compete in and running a stage in the dark is going to present a real challenge, I’m looking forward to it.”

Images from Wales Rally GB

2011-11-15T21:31:00.003Z

Please click here to view the images.

Becky battles to world rally championship success

2011-11-15T21:14:00.000Z

Rally driver Becky Kirvan ended her 2011 season in style last weekend when she successfully completed Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB. The four-day event proved to be a very tough test with several of the world championship’s leading crews failing to reach the end but Becky and co-driver Will Rogers battled through to finish in 39th place and first in class.

Day one of the rally took place in North Wales with the first two stages being a blast around the Great Orme tarmac toll road near Llandudno. Although this was a short stage it was very tricky with lots of twists and turns and unforgiving kerbs. With the brakes on her Cristal Global-backed Ford Fiesta not feeling quite right part way through the test Becky drove cautiously to make sure she got to the end of the Orme stages.

The crews then headed to Clocaenog for a long forest stage in the dark. Fog made visibility difficult but, after adjusting the brake bias, Becky had no problems and returned to Llandudno for the overnight halt in 51st place.

“I was pretty tense before the start of the Orme so it was good to finally get going after all the preparation work for the rally”, said Becky. “Other than the brake issue we had a troublefree run through the stages. The darkness and fog in Clocaenog was very challenging and I was pleased to emerge unscathed.”

Eight stages in Dyfi and Dyfnant forests greeted the crews on day two. Conditions worsened through the day with heavy rain and mist making driving hazardous and, with running near the back of the field, Becky faced the added challenge of a very cut-up road surface.

“The conditions in the later stages on day two were the worst I have ever competed in. It was impossible to see where the track went due to the thick fog and on top of that we had heavy rain and the darkness to contend with so we slowed right down as we did not want to risk crashing out. There were cars off all over the place and we did not want to join them!”

Blue sky and sunshine replaced the previous days rain and mist for day three with six stages scheduled including two runs of the spectator-packed Sweet Lamb. The first stage of the day was in Hafren forest and, at over 20 miles long, it was the longest of the event. Becky’s only problem was getting caught up by a foreign crew in a faster car. Despite indicating that she was pulling over to let them past, the driver behind drove into the rear of the Fiesta causing damage to the bumper. The rest of the day went well although a puncture in the second Sweet Lamb stage resulted in a large time loss. Despite this Becky ended the third day in 46th place.

“The third day could not have been more different in terms of the weather, visibility was good and it was a pleasure to drive the stages. In particular the stretch of stage through the wind turbines in Myherin was brilliant. I also enjoyed the first run of Sweet Lamb so I was disappointed to have to limp through on the second run of the stage due to our puncture. I could not understand why the crew drove into the back of us in Hafren, I indicated to pull over as soon as they appeared in my mirrors so I think causing damage to my car was completely unnecessary and something I have never encountered with any British drivers.”

“After service in Builth Wells at the end of the day all the cars and crews travelled to Cardiff where we drove down a crowd-lined street to the overnight halt, the atmosphere was brilliant!”

The fourth and final day took place on and around the Epynt military ranges near Llandovery. The opening two stages, Halfway and Crychan, both mixed tarmac sections with the more usual gravel forest tracks. Becky had a couple of spins on the tarmac as it had been made extremely slippery by the cars running ahead of her. One spin resulted in her needing the spectators to help extract her from a ditch, luckily there was no shortage of spectators on this rally! Other than that she had a clear run through the stages and moved up to 39th place by the end of the event which was rounded off with a ceremonial finish in the grounds of Cardiff castle.

“I am thrilled to have got a finish on a world championship event, it’s the perfect end to what has been a great rally season, I would never have thought at the start of the year that I’d be BRC Challenge Ladies Champion and a WRC class winner! It was a real challenge for me, the rally was a lot longer than any other I’ve done so I'm delighted to have made it to the finish ramp. I’d like to thank Cristal Global for their support which enabled me to do the event and all the Rally4Real team who worked very hard both before and during the rally on the car. Thanks also to Will for co-driving, he did a great job. I shall be doing all I can to try to find a budget to enable me to return to the event next year!”

After her successful season Becky is now concentrating on securing support to compete in 2012 when she hopes to contest the British Rally Championship. Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/beckykirvanrallying for all the latest news and photographs.

Cristofaro gets a taste of 2012 dream with Skoda shakedown

2011-11-06T20:15:00.001Z

Milford Haven rally driver Nick Cristofaro last week enjoyed his first experience of the car that he hopes to compete in next year when he tested TEG Sport’s new Skoda Fabia R2.

Cristofaro, 18, travelled to TEG Sport’s Lancashire base from his South Wales home to help finish the preparation work on the two cars that TEG have had delivered.

Once that was complete the team headed to a race track in Cumbria for the first tarmac test of the car which will be campaigned in next year’s British Rally Championship.

Cristofaro and fellow teenage driver Arron Newby took on the driving duties, successfully completing around 50 miles on the twisty circuit.

“I was extremely excited and had a few sleepless nights when I was asked to test the Skoda,” commented Cristofaro. “I could not believe how the car looked, it was like a mini-World Rally Car. Skoda Motorsport have obviously put a lot of thought into the design and build of the car.”

“We started the test by running in all the components as the car was fresh out of the box. It was an absolute pleasure to drive and no matter how hard I pushed the car would grip. The flat-shift sequential gearbox was outstanding and it added to the excitement of driving the car.”

After narrowly missing out on winning the Fiesta ST championship this year when his car suffered mechanical problems on the final round Cristofaro is hoping to use a Fabia in the British Rally Championship in 2012 but he needs to find funds to support the drive.

“The test has made me even more determined to get the funding together to compete in the Fabia next year. With this car and the TEG Sport team I think I can get some seriously good results. I hope there is someone out there who noticed my performances in an outdated car last year who will help me achieve my goals in motorsport.”

Please visit www.nickcristofaro.co.uk for more information on Cristofaro’s rallying or join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/nickcristofarorallying.

Becky ready for her toughest rally challenge ever

2011-11-04T18:39:00.000Z

Rally driver Becky Kirvan will start her toughest ever rally challenge next week when she takes part in Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB.

Becky has had a very busy time since her last event in September as her Ford Fiesta ST car has had to be rebuilt following an accident when the brakes failed. After many hours hard work by the Rally4Real team the car is now ready for action again.

"The car was pretty badly damaged in the crash," said Becky. "It needed a new section of roll cage, a new roof, door, door pillar and wing and several other parts. The gearbox has also been rebuilt to ensure it was in perfect working order for the challenging event ahead."

With usual co-driver Kaz Watts ruled out of the event due to a neck injury Becky will have Will Rogers on the pacenotes. It will be the first time the pairing has competed together so the plan is to treat the first stages cautiously.

"I’ve not driven competitively since the accident and there has been no time to do any testing. With the four days of competition on Rally GB and the notorious treacherous conditions that this rally has, I do not want to risk an accident early on so I’ll take my time to get used to Will and to driving at speed again."

Becky has attracted a new sponsor for the event, Cristal Global. Cristal Global, who have a plant in Stallingborough, employs nearly 4,000 people on five continents and they are the second largest titanium dioxide producer in the world, the largest producer of merchant titanium chemicals and the leading manufacturer of speciality titanium products.

"Without the support of Cristal Global it would be impossible for me to do the event so I am extremely grateful to them. It was a dream for me to compete on a World Championship event and Cristal Global have made that dream come true. It’s going to be a real challenge for me and the team as it is by far the longest and toughest event I have competed on but I cannot wait to get to the start!"

The rally starts in Llandudno on Thursday 10 November and from there the crews will head south to compete in some of the most famous forest rally stages in Wales, including Clocaenog, Dyfi and Crychan. The successful crews will finish in Cardiff on Sunday.

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/BeckyKirvanRallying to find out more about Becky’s rallying. Phone reception permitting live updates from the event will be posted on the Facebook page.

Successful first event for the Rally2Raise team

2011-10-25T18:10:00.000+01:00

The Rally2Raise team got their fundraising activities off to a great start at the recent Mull Rally when almost £60 was raised selling cakes and cookies to crews and spectators.

The Rally2Raise project is aiming to raise funds for the Nystagmus Network, Cancer Research UK and the MS Society as well as raising awareness of post-natal depression. Team members Rachel Medich and Katherine Begg have had personal experience of all four of the causes and they will be running a series of fundraising activities in the remainder of 2011 and throughout 2012.

“I’d like to say thank you to all the people who bought cakes and cookies on Mull, we sold all the items we had made so it was an excellent start to the Rally2Raise campaign,” said Rachel. “All the causes are very important to Katherine and myself and we’ll be working as hard as we can to raise funds and awareness.”

Plans are currently being made for the next Rally2Raise event to be the Neil Howard Memorial Rally near York where it is hoped that Rachel will debut her Nissan Micra rally car. The team is also aiming to have a rally calendar on sale in November.

Please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk for more information on the project or to make a donation – in partnership with Virgin Money Giving online donations can now be accepted from which the causes will also receive gift aid. Please also visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rally2raise.

Excitement mounts as Becky prepares for WRC debut

2011-10-25T18:01:00.000+01:00

With less than three weeks to go to the start of Wales Rally GB rally driver Becky Kirvan is flat out with preparations for her first world championship event in her Cristal Global-backed Ford Fiesta ST.

After her accident on the Trackrod Challenge rally in September her car has had to undergo major surgery with a new roof, doors, wing, door pillar and bonnet having to be sourced and the roll cage fixed.

“We were able to find a Fiesta road car shell which we’ve taken panels from for the rally car,” commented Becky. “The cage has now been fixed so that will be going in the car in the next few days and then we can put the new roof on. The gearbox is away for a rebuild so that will have to be refitted as soon as it comes back and we’ve also to get the bodywork liveried with Cristal Global graphics. With the car work and all the other organisation required it’s going to be very busy right up to the start of the event.”

As well as having to get her car fixed Becky has had to find a new co-driver as Kaz Watts has withdrawn from the event due to a neck injury.

“It’s a real shame that Kaz will not be with the team but unfortunately the neck injuries she sustained in the accident on the Trackrod rally are still causing her problems so it was too much of a risk to her health to tackle a four-day event so soon afterwards. I will have Will Rogers co-driving for me and I am confident will we quickly gel as a team. I can’t wait for the rally to start!”

The rally will start from Llandudno on 10th November with the crews facing four days of tough competition before finishing the event in Cardiff.

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/BeckyKirvanRallying for more information on Becky Kirvan’s rallying.

Images from BCCC Nesscliff

2011-10-17T18:03:00.000+01:00

To see the images please click here.

New charity fundraising venture aims to rally to the cause

2011-10-10T00:58:00.000+01:00

Rally co-driver and rescue volunteer Rachel Medich has founded a new fundraising and awareness raising venture which will use car rallying to promote it’s causes. Rally2Raise will seek to raise funds and awareness for Cancer Research UK, the Nystagmus Network, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Post-Natal Depression through a series of rallying-related events which will range from selling cakes and cookies to actually competing.

Aberdeen-based Rachel and her friend Katherine Begg will be organising the events and both have very personal experience of the causes which Rally2Raise will seek to help.

“We have chosen the causes as each one has affected us a great deal,” said Rachel. “I have had a torrid time with cancer recently, both personally and with friends. My son was born earlier this year with nystagmus, a not very well known eye disease for which there have been no medical advancements for many years.”

“Following the birth I suffered with severe post-natal depression for which I am still receiving treatment. Fortunately I recognised the symptons and got help but many women feel they have to keep it quiet and try and deal with it themselves and as a result become very ill. Rally2Raise is all about raising awareness of these causes and raising funds for the relevant charities.”

Katherine commented: “When Rachel told me about the concept for Rally2Raise I asked if we could also raise awareness and funds for MS. As a young carer I saw the affect MS had on the individual and also the family. I now know my mum had primary progressive MS, seeing my mum and best friend deteriorate over the years she was alive was the hardest thing to comprehend. Yet through it all she remained strong, kept her humour and remained true to her faith. All in all an inspirational figure for me, my brother and father who cared for her tirelessly and devotedly until she passed away in 1992.”

“I have close family members who have died from cancer. Very recently a lump was found in my breast after a mammogram test and I felt the fear of awaiting to know my "fate", planning what I would do if I had to tell my daughter. I was more terrified for my daughter and how it would affect her than anything else. The cells caught were benign, it was a relief but it also made me realise what others must go through too.”

“If Rally2Raise can help raise awareness and funds for all the causes we have chosen then I feel that I, in some way, have repaid all those who have helped me over the years, especially coping with the loss of my mum.”

The first Rally2Raise event will take place at the Mull Rally where Rachel and Katherine will be selling homemade cakes and cookies during the recce week and at the event itself – look out for them on the stages! After that Rachel is hoping to make her debut as a rally driver at the Neil Howard Memorial Rally in her recently acquired ex-Becky Kirvan Nissan Micra.

For more information on Rally2Raise please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk.

Nescliff set for BCCC title showdown

2011-10-09T20:31:00.003+01:00

The sixth and final round of the Britpart British Cross Country Championship will take place next weekend at Nesscliff in Shropshire with several crews in with a chance of taking the crown.

Ian Rochelle presently leads the championship from Bob Seaman with Gordon Monaghan in third but when dropped scores are taken into account it is Dan Lofthouse who looks to have the best chance of challenging Rochelle.

"I’m massively looking forward to the event", commented Rochelle. "I’m hoping that the battle goes right to the final run and that all the contenders have a good clear run so that it’s decided without any mechanical issues."

"This will be the second event for our new Millington engine and I can't wait to try it out as the slippery conditions at the last round meant that we struggled to get the power down."

Lofthouse said: "We need to win the event so that’s what we’re aiming to do, whatever happens it’s been a great season for me with the new car, 2011 was planned to be a development year so to be in with a shout of the title is excellent."

Milner R5 driver Bob Seaman, who is on course for his best ever BCCC finish, said: "We are unbelievably second on the score sheet at the moment and with dropped scores we are only one point behind former champion Gordon Monaghan. If Ian and Dan finish then we cannot catch them but I will be pushing hard to take third place which I will be delighted with in only my fourth year of competing."

In the Trophy class Tom Hipkiss presently leads from Greg Morris but, as with the BCCC title, it’s all to play for on the final round.

A Clubman class will run for crews who are not entered in the championships. Entries cost £250 for the full weekend or £150 for either day. Please call Championship Secretary Lilian Turley on 01594 810161 or email lilianturley@btinternet.com if you wish to enter the

The event will take place at the Nesscliff army training camp with the action starting at 10am on Saturday. Day two will start at 9am. Spectators are permitted at the venue but, at the request of the MoD, they must be in the venue before 8am as the access gate will be locked after this time and it will not be opened until the day’s action is finished.

Further information on the championship is available on www.marches4x4.com.

Rally retirement robs Wright of championship win

2011-10-09T19:49:00.000+01:00

Bentham’s David Wright had a disappointing end to his BTRDA rally championship last weekend when driveshaft failure forced him into retirement on the Cambrian rally.

Going into the Llandudno-based event Wright was leading his class championship and he had high hopes of taking the title but a good finish was required for him to achieve his goal. Sadly his victory chances were wrecked just three miles into the opening stage when the driveshaft broke on his Kumho Tyres, Proflex, Drenth, Grove Hill Garage and York Brewery-backed Mitsubishi Evo 9.

“It’s a sad way to end the BTRDA season, I was confident that we could win the class and take the championship but it was not to be”, commented Wright. “I’m pleased that we took four class wins in the season, that shows that we had the pace to beat all the other crews in the class but the retirements we have suffered have cost us dearly.”

Wright is planning to end his 2011 rally season with an outing on the Grizedale Stages in November before commencing work on a new car which he is hoping to use in 2012.

“I love the stages in Grizedale forest and it’s my local event so it’s a nice way to end the year. We’ve gone well there before so hopefully we will have a good event. We’re going to build another Evo 9 in tarmac specification and we’re planning to do a few tarmac rallies next year in addition to the forest ones.”

Clutch failure ends Harry's rally season on Cambrian rally

2011-10-09T18:13:00.001+01:00

Bangor on Dee rally driver Harry Morgan had a disappointing end to his 2011 season when for the second event running he retired due to clutch failure.

Morgan was contesting the Llandudno-based event for the second time and he had been aiming to finish his season in style after retiring on the previous BTRDA championship round in September.

The rally started with two stages in Penmachno forest and on the first one Morgan was third in class despite being held up by a slower car. The chances of a good result ended though after his Nissan Micra landed in a ditch on the second stage with the clutch being severely damaged when trying to get the car back on the road.

“The first stage was very rough,” said Morgan, “I was pleased to be third in class after being slowed by another car.”

“Stage two was going well, we were setting a good place but then we came across a stranded car again which held us up. Unfortunately we got lost in the pacenotes, I was going too quickly for a tight hairpin and we went straight on into a ditch. Thanks to some friendly marshals and spectators we were able to get the car out but the clutch was wrecked. We managed to get a little further on in the stage but then it failed completely.”

With his season finished Morgan now plans to upgrade his car for 2012 with a better clutch and possibly a 1300cc engine to replace the current 1000cc unit.

“I do not have the budget to do a full championship season next year so my plan is to do a few selected events throughout 2012. I want to put something back into the sport also by marshalling on some events and getting involved with rally organisation.”

Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for more information on Harry Morgan’s rallying.

Harry targets end of season success

2011-10-03T20:54:00.000+01:00

Bangor on Dee rally driver Harry Morgan will complete his first full season of rallying next weekend when he takes part in the final round of the BTRDA championship, the Cambrian rally.

After a disappointing retirement on the previous round in September Morgan is hoping for a good run on the Cambrian to end his season in style and he’ll be putting the experience gained from competing on the event last year to good use.

“I enjoyed the rally last year, the stages in North Wales were great and I think having previous knowledge will be an advantage for me”, commented Morgan.

“The event this year will have two stages around the Great Orme tarmac road which was not run last year so that will be a new and interesting experience. My only other competition experience on tarmac was the Porlock stage on this year’s Somerset Stages.”

“I’ve been very busy working on the car since the last round, the broken clutch has been replaced and there have been various other maintenance jobs to do but we’re all ready to go and I’ll be aiming for a strong finish in my class.”

Morgan will once again be partnered by co-driver James Ford for the event. Ford faces a busy week as he will head straight from the Cambrian to the Isle of Mull where he will swap seats to drive on the Mull Rally.

The Cambrian rally starts from Llandudno with most of the competitive action taking part in the forests of Penmachno, Clocaenog and Alwen before the crews head back to Llandudno for the final stages around the Great Orme.

Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for all the latest news and photographs.

Wright aiming to end rally season on a high

2011-10-02T21:42:00.001+01:00

Rally driver David Wright, from Bentham, is aiming to end his BTRDA season on a high by taking the class B13 championship on next weekend’s Cambrian rally in North Wales.

Wright presently leads the championship by five points and he needs a good result on the Llandudno-based event to ensure he wins the title in his Kumho Tyres, Drenth, Proflex and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9.

“We’ve had four class wins in the championship so far which has put us into a good position going into the final round”, commented Wright. “However, with 20 points for the win we still need to perform well on the Cambrian to win the championship.”

“The car will be in a very similar specification to the previous round, we’ve done some work to improve the cooling after the overheating issues we had last time out. I’m hoping that we will be on the pace of the World Rally cars and I’m aiming to get a podium finish as well as taking another class win.”

The rally will start in Llandudno before heading to the forests of Penmachno, Clocaenog and Alwen for the bulk of the competitive mileage. The crews will then return to Llandudno for two runs around the Great Orme.

“I’m really looking forward to the rally, the stages are some of my favourites and I am confident we will have a good event.”

Broken driveshaft denies Fiesta victory for Cristofaro

2011-09-26T21:31:00.002+01:00

Milford Haven rally drive Nick Cristofaro had a disappointing end to his British Rally Championship season when a broken driveshaft led to his retirement from the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire while leading the Fiesta SportTrophy class.

Having successfully tested his Genpower UK, Ginsters, Cristotec, Autoglym, Millers Oils, Nicky Grist and Elite Remapping-supported Ford Fiesta ST in Hamsterley before the event Cristofaro had high hopes of ending his season in style with a Fiesta win on the Scarborough-based event.

The rally kicked off with a 14 mile stage in Dalby forest, a forest where there are several long straights which suit the more powerful Fiesta R2 cars rather than Cristofaro’s older ST model. Despite this he managed to finish the stage in third place in the Fiesta class.

“We had a good test session and the pre-rally recce went well, it gave me the opportunity to get used to having Janice Moore as my co-driver again,” said Cristofaro. “I knew I’d have to push really hard in Dalby to try and keep up with the newer Fiestas and I was pleased not to drop much time to them.”

The next four stages, two runs of Gale Rigg and one of Cropton and Staindale were shorter and more technical. Cristofaro overcame his relative lack of power to storm to three fastest Fiesta times and one second fastest, a performance which saw him head the Fiesta SportTrophy leaderboard.

Sadly the chance of a Fiesta win for Cristofaro vanished when a loud bang at the start of the next Langdale stage signalled a broken driveshaft which forced him out of the event.

“Gale Rigg, Cropton and Staindale went really well, I was delighted with three fastest time although it could’ve been four but for a slight collision with a bank. Langdale was another long stage and I was confident that we could pull a good lead out over the other Fiesta crews but the snapped shaft put paid to that. It was really gutting as I think we were on for the win and that could’ve meant a possible nomination for the Pirelli Star Driver prize as well as taking the Fiesta championship but it was not to be.”

“I just hope that potential sponsors will see that I have the pace and commitment to compete at the top level of British rallying so that I am able to drive a TEG Sport Skoda Fabia in 2012. The Fiesta is now for sale and I’ll be working as hard as I can to get the funds together so I can continue in the British Rally Championship next year. Thank you to all the people who have supported me in 2011.”

Please visit www.nickcristofaro.co.uk or join the Facebook group www.facebook.com/NickCristofaroRallying for all the latest news and photos.

Brake failure results in dramatic end to Trackrod rally for Becky

2011-09-25T18:33:00.000+01:00

East Yorkshire rally driver Becky Kirvan had a dramatic end to the Trackrod Challenge rally last weekend when brake failure resulted in her car flying off the road into a tree, putting her out of the event.

With the organisers of the Rally Isle of Man announcing that their event had been cancelled the Trackrod became the last round of Becky's BRC Challenge season so she was especially keen to get a good result on her home event.

The event started with stages in Gale Rigg and Cropton forests north of Pickering. Becky and co-driver Kaz Watts made a good start in their KC, Bardahl Top Oils, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Peart Auto Services, Rally4Real and Songasport-supported Ford Fiesta ST to lie in 11th overall and 2nd in class. However, the opening two stages were not without problems with the car's brake bias needing altering after the first stage and then the brakes overheating when braking at the end of the many long straights in the second stage.

"The car was getting out of shape a lot under braking in the first stage so I adjusted the brake bias ready for stage two," commented Becky. "This seemed to help the handling in the second stage but then we had the overheating issue which caused some anxious moments when slowing from the high speeds we were doing on the straights."

Stage three took place in Staindale forest and Becky had another good run to maintain her 11th overall and 2nd in class. With the long Langdale stage next Becky was keen to push on and aim for the top ten but it all went wrong a couple of miles from the end of the stage. The stage was another with lots of long straights and Becky again had to battle overheating brakes but coming up to a right-hand bend the brakes totally failed. Although she attempted to turn the car on the handbrake it was going too quickly and flew off the road. The roof of the car hit a tree and it then landed upside-down with the crew initially trapped inside. Fortunately they were able to extract themselves and they were not badly hurt although as a precaution Kaz was taken to hospital to be checked over.

"It was a pretty high-speed accident and the roof took a lot of the impact on Kaz's side of the car though we were well protected by the roll cage. It was a little scary being trapped upside down but we got out eventually. It was a very disappointing way to end our BRC Challenge season but at least neither of us were seriously injured. I'd like to sincerely thank EMMU rescue for attending to Kaz and myself and also Lakes 3 and Difflock 8 recovery crews for extracting the car, it was a very professional job by them all. The car needs a new roof and door pillar and a few other parts but it will soon be back to full health."

Despite the retirement on the final round Becky ends the season in second place in the RC5 class championship and she is also the BRC Challenge Ladies Champion.

“I’ve really enjoyed my BRC Challenge season, it has been great doing events that are new to me. I am pleased with my performance and hopefully I can build on this year’s experience in 2012. Thank you to KC and all my other supporters for their invaluable help in 2011.”

Becky's next planned event is the Wales Rally GB world championship round but she is hoping to contest another event before this once the car is fixed.

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/BeckyKirvanRallying for all the latest news and pictures.

Images from the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire

2011-09-25T14:38:00.000+01:00

To see the images please click here.

Becky to end season with World Rally Championship outing

2011-09-21T17:42:00.001+01:00

Rally driver Becky Kirvan will end her 2011 season by competing at the very top of the rallying ladder when she contests Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB.

East Yorkshire-based Becky has enjoyed a successful year competing in the BRC Challenge in her Ford Fiesta ST car with co-driver Kaz Watts and she has secured a deal with world-leading chemical company Cristal Global which will enable her to contest the world championship event once her BRC Challenge campaign is complete. Cristal Global, who have a plant in Stallingborough, employs nearly 4,000 people on five continents and they are the second largest titanium dioxide producer in the world, the largest producer of merchant titanium chemicals and the leading manufacturer of specialty titanium products.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be entering Wales Rally GB, it is an amazing opportunity for me. Competing at this level would have been completely out of reach if it wasn’t for Cristal Global’s sponsorship so I’m extremely grateful to them for their support,” said Becky. “I once interviewed world championship driver Mikko Hirvonen for a television programme, little did I know that I’d be competing on the same event as him one day!”

Fahad Nackshabandi, General Manager of Cristal Global Corporate Communications commented: "We are pleased to support Becky on this event, she has done very well in rallying and we are proud to help her compete at the highest level possible."

Rally GB will consist of four days of competition all over Wales starting on the North coast near Llandudno and finishing in Cardiff. The total competitive mileage is 220 which is over three times longer than any other rally Becky has contested up to now.

“It will be the longest stage rally I’ve ever competed in and it’s sure to be very challenging. There is an immense amount of work to get both myself and the car ready for the event, though I believe the experience I’ve built up in the last two years will help me a great deal. I’ll be aiming to do the very best that I can.”

Becky presently lies in 7th place in the BRC Challenge as well as second in her class championship and she still has three rounds to complete before her Rally GB outing with events in Yorkshire followed by a double-header on the Isle of Man.

“The season has gone really well so far and I’m very pleased to have successfully completed all the events. The car has been great throughout the season, my only issues being a couple of punctures for which I can hardly blame the car! I’ll be pushing hard on the last three rounds to gain as good a championship position as I can. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my sponsors: communications company KC, Bardahl Top Oils, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Peart Auto Services, Rally4Real and Songasport for supporting my BRC Challenge campaign this year.”

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/BeckyKirvanRallying to find out more about Becky’s rallying.

Images from BCCC Brynffynon

2011-09-20T14:30:00.002+01:00

To see the images please click here.

Cristofaro and Moore to reunite in Yorkshire

2011-09-18T22:31:00.000+01:00

Milford Haven’s Nick Cristofaro will return to the British Rally Championship next weekend when he contests the International Rally Yorkshire.

Cristofaro was forced to miss the last round in Ulster due to budget constraints but he has managed to secure sufficient support to take part in the Scarborough-based event in his TEG Sport Ford Fiesta ST.

He will be reunited with co-driver Janice Moore for the rally, the pairing having previously competed together when Cristofaro contested the Junior 1000 championship in 2009.

“I’m very happy to be competing again, it was very frustrating not being in Ulster for the last round,” said Cristofaro.

“I’ve been lucky to get some extra support from Genpower UK and I’ve also been working flat out with my Cristotec remapping business and at Carew karting to try and get the funds together to do the event. “

Joining Genpower UK and Cristofaro’s other supporters Cristotec, Autoglym, Millers Oils, Nicky Grist and Elite Remapping for the event will be Ginsters, the Cornwall-based manufacturer of pasties, sandwiches and pies.

“I’m very grateful to Ginsters for their support and also to Janice for securing the deal. We’re on a very tight budget so all the support we get is vital.”

Cristofaro is hoping for a good result to boost his hopes of attracting sponsorship for 2012 as he has the chance of competing in the British Rally Championship as part of the TEG Sport Skoda Fabia team.

“TEG Sport have given me the fantastic opportunity to compete in the Skoda next year but to take advantage of the offer I will have to get the funding together to help support the drive. With the championship moving to two-wheel drive cars only in 2012 and TEG Sport being one of the leading teams the Skoda drive would be ideal for me and I’ll be working as hard as I can to get the deal.”

Please visit www.nickcristofaro.co.uk for more information on Nick Cristofaro.

Becky back to the woods for next rally challenge

2011-09-18T19:42:00.000+01:00

Burton Pidsea-based rally driver Becky Kirvan will return to the forests for her next KC Rally Team event when she contests the Trackrod Challenge event.

The last two BRC Challenge championship rounds have been held on the tarmac roads of the Scottish Borders and Ulster respectively but the Trackrod will use gravel tracks in the forests of Yorkshire.

"I’ve not competed in the forest since the Pirelli rally in April but I’m confident that I will quickly get back into driving on gravel," said Becky.

"I enjoyed the tarmac events and I was very pleased with the results we got but I prefer the rallying in the forest so I’m really looking forward to the Trackrod Challenge rally."

Becky will compete in her usual KC, Bardahl Oils, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Rally4Real, Peart Auto Services and Songasport-backed Ford Fiesta ST. Although she has not competed since Ulster it has been a busy time for Becky and the KC Rally Team.

"We’ve been doing a lot of promotional work with the car including appearing at the KC Rally Day at Sweet Lamb in Wales as well as filming a feature for the BBC. It’s all been great fun and it’s really added to my rally season."

"The Trackrod is my local event so I am especially keen to get a good result although it will be the first time I have competed in the Yorkshire forests. We’re presently in second place in the RC5 class championship so I am hoping to maintain that position."

The Trackrod Challenge rally will start in Scarborough on 24 September with the crews battling over 50 miles of stages in the forests around Pickering.

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/BeckyKirvanRallying.

Championship battle resumes for BCCC crews

2011-09-14T21:31:00.000+01:00

The battle for the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship will continue next weekend as the crews return to the Brynfynnon venue near Porth in South Wales for round 5.

The current championship leader Ian Rochelle took his first ever BCCC win when the series visited the same venue for round 2. Since then Rochelle finished third at round 3 before taking another win at round 4 in Radnor to head the leaderboard on 309 points. He also won the Ray Kempster Memorial Hill Rally in August.

Bob Seaman lies in second place going into round 5 on 268 points after three top-ten finishes in his Milner R5 with Gordon Monaghan just four points behind in third.

Bamber Bridge’s Dan Lofthouse is presently in sixth place but with the championship allowing one score to be dropped he is in a good position to challenge for the title with a win and two second place finishes in the last three events. Lofthouse recently contested the Rallye des Cimes in the south of France where he won his class in his Freelander.

The action will kick of at 10.00am on Saturday 17 September with Sunday’s competition starting at 9.00am. Spectators are welcome at the venue, it is expected that the landowner will make a charge for car parking of £5. Please follow the arrows from Llanwonno to get to the site.

Sponsorship boost for Becky as Top Oils Bardahl extend deal

2011-09-07T20:38:00.000+01:00

BRC Challenge championship driver Becky Kirvan has received some good news ahead of her next rally outing later this month with the announcement that Top Oils Bardahl have extended their sponsorship deal for a further three years.

The leading supplier of high quality oil for both road and competition use initially supported Becky for 2011 but they have now extended that deal to cover all events Becky competes in until the end of 2014.

Peter Trott of Top Oils Bardahl commented: "I am particularly pleased to extend our sponsorship of Becky because she brings the right mix of fun and determination to motorsport. Becky is a shining example to potential rally drivers and racers and a sponsor’s dream. I look forward to seeing Becky make further progress in her rallying career."

Becky is presently concentrating on her BRC Challenge campaign but plans for 2012 will commence shortly with a season doing the British Rally Championship being the aim if sufficient suppoort can be obtained.

“I’m thillled that Top Oils Bardahl will continue their support beyond this year,” said Becky. “If it wasn’t for my sponsors I would not be able to compete at such a high level of rallying so I am extremely grateful for all the help I receive.”

“My ambition next year is to compete in the British Rally Championship as I feel that is the natural step up from the BRC Challenge but it will all depend if we can get the budget together and my plans to achieve that will start shortly. I shall definitely be out on the stages in some form!".

Becky will next be action at the Trackrod Challenge rally in Yorkshire at the end of September. Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/BeckyKirvanRallying.

Disappointment for Morgan on Woodpecker Stages rally

2011-09-05T20:46:00.000+01:00

Bangor on Dee’s Harry Morgan had a disappointing Woodpecker Stages rally when a broken clutch forced him out of the event on the third stage. The event was round 7 of the BTRDA Rally First championship and Morgan had been hoping to build on the third place he held on the RF1.0 leaderboard.

Morgan and co-driver James Ford already faced problems before the rally started when the fuel pipe burst on the night before the event. Fortunately a replacement was sourced and the pairing were able to make the start.

The Micra crew made a rapid start to the Ludlow-based event, setting second fastest time in the class on the opening High Vinnalls. Stage two, Hazel Coppice, did not go so well with a big spin and several near overshoots as Morgan battled to stay near the top of the leaderboard.

Morgan’s hopes of a good result ended in the Cwm y Gerwyn stage which was held in Radnor forest. Part way through the stage on a fast downhill section the car slid into a ditch. Although he was able to get the car out eventually the clutch had been put under too much strain and it failed on the next corner, putting Morgan out of the event.

“It was very disappointing to retire from the event”, said Morgan. “The first stage had gone really well and we were in a good position to challenge for a class win. I think I tried a bit too hard in stage two and the spin lost us some time before the clutch failure in stage three.”

“I’ll strip the car down over the next few days and repair all the internal damage. Hopefully I’ll be able to put an entry in for the Cambrian which is the final round of the championship. We’ll be pushing hard if we make it to the Cambrian, I want to try and get back into the RF1.0 top three if I can, I think that would be a great achievement for my first full season in rallying.”

The retirement means that Morgan drops to fourth place in the RF1.0 championship although he still lies in second place in the Junior drivers’ championship. Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for more information on Harry Morgan’s rallying.

Wright moves into championship lead despite Woodpecker woes

2011-09-04T18:29:00.002+01:00

Bethham-based rally driver David Wright had mixed fortunes on last weekend’s Woodpecker Stages rally when a series of problems meant he only finished fifth in class but the result was good enough for him to move into the lead of the class championship.

The Ludlow-based event kicked off with the High Vinnalls stages. Wright was going well in his Kumho Tyres, Drenth, Proflex and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9 but three miles from the end of the stage the engine started overheating forcing him to reduce his pace. Despite this he was still third fastest in the BTRDA B13 class.

In the second stage, Hazel Coppice, Wright thought the engine was seizing and so stopped for 90 seconds. With the engine cooled sufficiently he got to the end of the stage and back to the service halt where a quick oil change was performed but the delay had dropped him to 69th place overall and 14th in class.

“It was a disappointing start to the event, we had been flying in the High Vinnalls stage but the time loss at the end of that stage and in Hazel Coppice meant our hopes of going for a class win were over,” commented Wright. “The guys in service changed the engine oil to try and cure the overheating as there were no other apparent problems.”

The crews headed to Radnor for the Cwm y Gerwyn stage and Wright’s engine overheating troubles were over as he set the fastest time in his class. A different kind of problem was experienced in stage 4, Stanlow Tump, when Wright caught the competitor in front and was unable to get past because of dust which severely hampered visibility. With a clear run on the following Wigmore stage Wright was again fastest in his class, a feat he repeated on stage 6 to move up to seventh in class. A charge through the final Haye Park stage enabled Wright to move up to 14th overall and fifth in class by the rally finish.

“I was pleased that the oil change cured the overheating problem and we had a good run on the rest of the stages apart from losing around 50 seconds being held up in the fourth stage. Fifth in class is a good result considering where we were after stage two and the points we got have put us in a strong position in the championship. It was a very tough rally and it was great to be on the pace of the World Rally class cars.”

Wright now leads the B13 class championship with one round to go, the Cambrian rally in early October.

Images from the Woodpecker Stages rally

2011-09-04T12:52:00.000+01:00

Please click here to see the images.

Morgan aims for top of the class on Woodpecker

2011-08-28T20:18:00.001+01:00

Bangor on Dee’s Harry Morgan will return to rally action next weekend when he contests the Ludlow-based Woodpecker Stages, round 7 of the BTRDA Rally First championship which he is contesting this year.

Morgan made his rallying debut on last year’s Woodpecker and he is confident that his experience of the stages will give him a good advantage on this years event.

“I’m really looking forward to the event, I’ve learned so much since last year and I feel that I will be much quicker this time out. It will be interesting to compare my times where the stages are the same.”

“The car is all together, looking great and ready to go. The rally has attracted a good entry in the Rally First 1.0 class so there should be some really close competition. Hopefully the recent rain will mean that dust is not a problem.”

Morgan presently lies in third place in the Rally First 1.0 championship but he is only two points behind the second-placed driver.

“I’ve finished second in class on the last two events and I’m hopeful of a similar good result on the Woodpecker, ideally I’d like to go one better and get the class win. There are just two events to go and I’m aiming to get into second in the championship by the season end.”

The rally starts from Ludlow racecourse on Saturday morning (3rd September) with the crews facing a challenging route including the notoriously tricky Radnor forest.

Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for more information on Harry Morgan’s rallying.

Wright hoping to continue class championship push on Woodpecker Stages

2011-08-28T19:43:00.000+01:00

Bentham rally driver David Wright will contest round 7 of the BTRDA rally championship, the Woodpecker Stages, next Saturday (3rd September) as he continues his quest for the B13 class championship.

After being forced to miss the last round when the car developed engine problems on the eve of the event Wright has dropped to second in the championship but good performances on the final two rounds could mean that he takes the title in his Proflex, Kumho Tyres, Drenth and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9.

“The engine has had a brand new block after the problems we had before the last round so hopefully we will have a trouble-free run,” commented Wright. “I’m really looking forward to the Woodpecker, it’s one of the best entries of the year and I can’t wait to get out on the fast stages.”

“We have been working closely with Proflex with some new valve adjusters which has allowed us to use softer springs, this has vastly improved the traction. We’ve also remapped the engine to improve low-down torque so we should be able to be on the pace.”

“We need a strong result on the Woodpecker after the bad luck we had on the previous round, we’re targeting the B13 championship and we’ve had four maximum scores so far, we could do with another.”

The rally starts from Ludlow racecourse on Saturday morning with the crews facing a full day of competition in stages such as Haye Park and Radnor.

2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally support events unveiled

2011-08-27T16:02:00.000+01:00

Four individual rallies will support the 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally, (2-5 December and will offer some of the most cost effective forest rallying in Britain this season. With most forest events now costing around £10 per mile, the four RAC support events will all be under that mark and three of them are priced at under £9 per mile. If three crews from the same club get together, the entry fee on three of the rallies will be less than £8 per mile.

The support rallies all offer competitors a chance to be part of what many people call the best rally of the season, but without the time and financial commitment of contesting the overall rally. The support events also offer a local rally for competitors based in Yorkshire, South-West Scotland and the Scottish borders/Cumbria.

“I have tried to make the support events as user friendly as I can with as compact a route as possible at a very affordable cost,” said Rally Manager Colin Heppenstall. “To make it even more attractive, I am offering a special team rate on three of the rallies for those who can put together a three-car team.”

The four support events for the 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally are:

The Kall Kwik Bradford Rally
42 stage miles; entry free £400 (cost per mile £9.60)
Based at the Duncombe Park headquarters, the Kall Kwik Bradford Rally will take in classic Yorkshire forest tests as well as the spectator stage at Duncombe Park. The first car will start at 10pm Friday for a night stage in Dalby, re-start at 10am Saturday and finish at 4.30pm on Saturday.

The De Lacy Night Rally
22 stage miles; entry fee £200 (Cost per mile £8.99)
For a club team of three cars the total entry fee is £500 (£7.49 per mile)
The De Lacy Night Rally runs completely in the dark of Friday evening, starting at 7pm and finishing at 11pm after 22 stage miles in Dalby and Duncombe Park. Two runs through a nine-mile stage in Dalby are at the core of this rally.

The Clubman’s Rally
47 stage miles; entry fee £400 (cost per mile £8.51)
For a club team of three cars the total entry fee is £1,100 (£7.80 per mile)
Based at Dumfries, the Clubman’s Rally runs through Sunday over stages in Ae, Twiglees and Heath Hall with centralised servicing. The rally starts at 11am on Sunday and finishes at 7pm.

The Kershope Challenge
35 stage miles; entry fee £300 (Cost per mile £8.56)
For a club team of three cars the total entry fee is £800 (£7.61 per mile)
The Kershope Challenge runs on Monday morning and has 35 stage miles and just three road miles from its base at the Ash Park service area. The rally covers two runs of the fabulous 17.5-mile Kershope stage, which is in excellent condition. The rally starts at 9am and finishes at 12 noon.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Becky battles to double success on Ulster Challenge rally

2011-08-21T19:07:00.001+01:00

East Yorkshire rally driver Becky Kirvan had reason to celebrate last weekend when she battled through some very tough stages to finish both Ulster Challenge rounds of the BRC Challenge championship, maintaining the KC Rally Team’s 100% finishing record in 2011.

Round four of the championship took place over the course of day one of the event with the Challenge crews tackling the Glendun and Torr Head stages first. Wind and heavy rain made the conditions difficult and, after much deliberation, it was only at the very last minute that a decision was made about which tyres to use. Becky and co-driver Kaz Watts overcame the conditions to arrive back in service in 11th place despite a couple of incidents.

"The opening two stages were very challenging," said Becky. "It was hard getting into a rhythm as there was not a lot of grip in some places. We had a big moment on the opening stage when we landed badly after a jump and the car slewed sideways, fortunately we stayed on the road and managed to take the square right corner that followed it!"

"We were lucky in stage two also when we only just managed to slow the car for a hairpin bend. I was pleased to get back to service unscathed, there were damaged cars throughout the stages."

The remaining three stages of round four took place in the dark. Despite her lack of experience of competing at night Becky successfully piloted her KC, Bardahl Oils, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Rally4Real, Peart Auto Services and Songasport-backed Ford Fiesta ST to the finish in 9th place.

"I actually enjoyed the night stages, it is a real challenge to compete at night, it’s totally different to the day time stages as the landscape seems to change. It was great to get to the finish and score some championship points."

Round 5 consisted of four stages on day two of the event. Although conditions were much better than the previous day the stages still proved to be very testing. After three stages Becky was again lying in 9th place but she was only two seconds behind the car in front. Unfortunately the final stage was cancelled due to another competitor having an accident so she did not get the opportunity to push for 8th. Her result was still good enough to take the class award.

"The three stages we did went well, the only drama was an old man wandering across the stage in front of us, though fortunately we managed to miss him. The steering had a bit of play in it after two stages so the service crew did an extremely speedy steering arm change in service - big thanks to them for that."

"It was disappointing not to be able to push for 8th place on the last stage but the important thing is that the crew in the accident were ok. All in all I was delighted to get another good finish for the KC team."

The results means that Becky is now up to 7th in the BRC Challenge championship as well as lying second in her class championship. The next event for the KC Rally Team will be the Trackrod Challenge rally in September.

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk for all the latest KC Rally Team news and pictures or join the team Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BeckyKirvanRallying.

Becky all set for Ulster rally challenge

2011-08-14T19:36:00.001+01:00

East Yorkshire rally driver Becky Kirvan will resume her rally season with the KC Rally Team next weekend when she contests rounds four and five of the BRC Challenge championship in Northern Ireland. The Ulster Challenge rally will see two days of competition with each day counting as a separate round.

Becky presently lies in second place in her class championship as well as tenth in the overall championship and she is keen to carry on her good season in the lanes of Ulster.

"We’ve had a really great season so far with good finishes on all three championship events," said Becky. "We will be competing on tarmac again on the Ulster Challenge and with the experience I built up on the last round, which was also on tarmac, I am confident we can go well."

With the last round being held back in May Becky has had a break from competing although she has not had much time to rest as she has been appearing at numerous local events to promote both rallying and her sponsors with her KC, Bardahl Oils, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Rally4Real, Peart Auto Services and Songasport-backed Ford Fiesta ST rally car. She has also had an opportunity to test the car on tarmac to get back into the swing of driving at competition pace.

"Attending the events was a great experience, it was nice to meet lots of new people and there was loads of interest in the car and rallying. I also took the car to a track day at Cadwell Park recently for a test session and while it wasn’t really representative of the surface I’ll drive on in Ulster it was good for me to get used to driving the Fiesta again. This will be my first trip to Ireland so I can’t wait to get over the water and get to the rally start!"

The Ulster Challenge rally will start on Friday 19th August with the crews facing 90 miles of competition over the two days.

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk for all the latest KC Rally Team news and pictures or join the team Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BeckyKirvanRallying.

EMMU rescue celebrates 30th anniversary

2011-08-08T21:20:00.003+01:00

The Morecambe-based Emergency Mobile Medical Unit (EMMU) celebrate their thirtieth anniversary this year.

EMMU was formed by Stuart Westbrook who persuaded colleagues from the Royal Lancaster Infirmary to give up some of their spare time to make sport safer by attending events such as car rallies and power boat meetings.

When the unit started medical cover at these potentially dangerous events was generally limited to basic first aid and it took some convincing to persuade event organisers to let them attend. However, EMMU quickly gained a reputation for providing a vital highly professional skilled service and within a year of being formed it had 40 members and was providing emergency medical cover at events all over the country.

"When I first started the unit I had no idea that it would grow so quickly but thanks to the volunteers we soon became known for enhancing the safety at dangerous sporting events and that reputation has continued to grow." said Westbrook.

One of the current EMMU team is Rachel Medich who has been part of the unit for six years. Even though she has recently moved to Aberdeen she still attends events with the team.

"I competed on events for several years and had not really thought about the medical cover on events. I then got a job at the Infirmary and chanced upon a poster advertising EMMU and a training weekend they were holding."

"The training was brilliant and I joined the unit as a trainee. For three years I attended events in a trainee capacity and learned about everything required to safely extract a casualty from a vehicle and immobilise them to prevent further injury. I then passed an assessment which meant I could be a fully licensed Motor Sport Association rescuer."

"I did not realise how much thought and preparation goes into every rescue. Each one is different and the circumstances of the rescue can be very difficult, for example a rally car crashed upside down in a remote forest."

"I absolutely love attending the events and being part of what is a very professional and well respected team, they’re like a big family to me."

Thirty years after its inception Westbrook still leads the EMMU team, although he has now retired from working at the Infirmary.

"The EMMU work is completely different from the job I did at the hospital. The events are often located in very remote locations so we have to be prepared to deal with all kinds of incidents on the spot."

"I feel very privileged to have had support from various local business over the years, including our present supporters Angus Fire, Macadam Garages, TEG Sport, Blaklader, Holmatro and North West Tyres. Without their assistance and that of the volunteers who give up their free time to attend events and training there would be no rescue unit so I am very grateful for the support we receive. Hopefully the unit will continue for many years to come."

Please visit www.emmu.co.uk for further information on EMMU or contact Stuart Westbrook on 01524 422896 or 07831 395221.

Morgan sparks interest in 2012 rally season

2011-08-08T20:00:00.001+01:00

Formula 1000 rally competitor Harry Morgan enjoyed a successful test of the latest Chevrolet Spark competition car last week as he starts to make plans for his 2012 rally campaign.

Morgan, who currently competes in a Nissan Micra, is considering upgrading to the Chevrolet for 2012 and he was invited to the test at Blyton Park where the XS Racing team were undertaking development work. Before his driving stint Morgan was able to examine the newly developed Chevrolet.

“I had a good look at the car, the set-up and the development work, the build quality was excellent and the preparation completed by XS Racing was first class,” commented Morgan.

After Chevrolet driver Cameron Davies had completed his own test Morgan was able to get behind the wheel himself.

"I was very impressed by the performance of the Spark, I felt the brakes were powerful, the steering had a lot of good feedback making the car very precise and the suspension set-up was well balanced providing excellent feel whilst in the car.”

“The engine had excellent torque and power, providing exceptional acceleration and the gearbox had a nice gear ratio, making the most of the 1000cc engine’s power."

"My ambition for 2012 is to compete again in the Formula 1000 Forest Championship and hopefully if I can obtain sufficient backing and sponsorship I may be able to compete in the new Chevrolet Spark, with the aim of being the 2012 champion."

"I would like to thank Alistair Sutherland and the XS Racing team for inviting me to the test day, plus Cameron and Geraint Davies for making it such an enjoyable day."

If you would like to know more about Harry and his rallying career visit www.harryrally.co.uk.

Images from the Ray Kempster Memorial Hill Rally

2011-08-07T14:37:00.000+01:00

Please click here to see the images.

Images from round 4 of the BCCC

2011-08-01T13:32:00.000+01:00

Please click here to see the images.

BCCC crews set to continue battle at Bleddfa

2011-07-19T19:10:00.001+01:00

Crews from the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship will head to Bleddfa at the end of the month to contest round 4 of the six-round series.

The three events so far have seen three different crews at the top of the leaderboard and with two of the events being held at new venues it has been an exciting first half of the year.

The opening round at a sunny Pikes Peak in Wales saw 2010 champion Tim Dilworth take victory in what so far has been his only BCCC outing of the year. Richard Kershaw had a good return to the championship to finish second with Justin Birchall continuing the form he showed at the end of 2010 to take third.

Round two was held at Brynffynon and it was the scene of a close battle between Kershaw and Ian Rochelle in his Millington. Rochelle built up a lead of 20 seconds after day one but Kershaw fought back to lead by three seconds after the penultimate run. The scene was set for a dramatic last run and Rochelle went all out for the win, dispensing with his navigator to save some weight. Unfortunately a gearbox problem for Kershaw part way round the course denied a grandstand finish with Rochelle having a clear run to his first BCCC win. With Kershaw dropping to fifth Dan Lofthouse was promoted to second place in his new Freelander and Martin Gould took third in his Mattserati.

The crews headed to Scotland for round three at the now familiar venue of Forrest Lodge near Dalry. On a course which suited the more powerful cars Kershaw initially took the lead in his GSR 206 but by the fourth run Lofthouse had moved to the front, a position he maintained for the rest of the event to take a fine win. Rochelle had another good event to round off the top three.

Kershaw heads the championship positions going into the fourth round on 231 points, narrowly ahead of Rochelle on 223. In third place is Bob Seaman who has 198 points in his Milner R5. Seaman’s best result this year has been fourth at Forrest Lodge although he was heading for third place at the first round until a final run collision with a tree. Ian Bartlett lies in fourth after finishing in the top ten on all three rounds, a feat also achieved by Karl Gudgeon who has piloted his GSR Evo X to fifth.

In the Trophy championship Tom Hipkiss currently leads the championship from Greg Morris and Paul Myers.

Round 4 will be based at Bleddfa with the crews tackling a course using gravel tracks and off-road sections in Radnor forest. The event will start at 10am on Saturday 30th July with day two starting at 9am. For further information please visit www.marches4x4.com.

Harry stars on Quinton Stages rally

2011-07-10T20:15:00.001+01:00

Rally driver Harry Morgan, from Bangor on Dee, enjoyed a very successful Quinton Stages event last weekend when he took second in class as well as winning the 'Star of the day' prize and the Power Stage Challenge.

Harry and co-driver James Ford made a good start to the event on the opening two stages, Monument and Route 60, setting two decent times in his Nissan Micra to lie second in the RF1.0 class.

Stage three was in Halfway forest and Harry was going well again but after arriving on the scene of an accident involving another competitor he stopped to check that the crew did not require medical assistance.

“The Monument and Route 60 stages went well and I was happy with my pace,” said Harry. “There were some very slippery parts of the course but we had no problems at all.”

“Unfortunately in stage three a car that started in front of us crashed and the car was upside-down when we approached so I stopped. I was relieved to find both crew members were ok as it looked like a nasty accident.”

Intercom problems made the remainder of stage three very tricky as Harry could not hear the instructions from his co-driver but the Micra crew made it to the end in once piece.

Harry pushed harder in the afternoon stages, setting particularly good times in Route 60 and Crychan before having a steady run over the final stage to ensure he made the finish in second place. The two runs of Route 60 formed the Power Stage Challenge, a new innovation that the event organisers introduced this year which awarded prizes to the fastest crews in each class, Harry winning an entry to next year’s event as a result of being the fastest RF1.0 crew.

“It was an amazing day, I am very happy to get second in class and also to have won the Power Stage Challenge. I was overwhelmed that we won the ‘Stars of the Day’ award, that was totally unexpected. I spoke to event sponsor Nicky Grist at the finish and the award was for stopping for the crew in stage three.”

“I would like to thank everyone involved for making it such an enjoyable weekend. I am currently looking for potential sponsors to get involved with the team for the remainder of this year and beyond, please contact me via www.harryrally.co.uk for further information.”

Harry will next be in action on the Woodpecker Stages rally at the beginning of September.

Image courtesy Simon Clarke

Morgan targets Rally First podium on Quinton Stages rally

2011-07-03T23:09:00.003+01:00

Bangor on Dee’s Harry Morgan will return to rally action next weekend when he contests the Builth Wells-based Quinton Stages rally.

The event is round six of the BTRDA rally championship and, after missing the last round, Morgan presently lies in third place in the Rally First 1.0 class with his objective for the Quinton being to build on the excellent second in class result he got on the Plains rally in May.

“I was delighted with the result on the Plains rally, I’ll be looking for another strong finish on the Quinton,” said Morgan. “The stages look like they are going to be very fast and we’ve also got the challenge of the Route 60 ‘power stage’ where prizes are on offer for the fastest crew in each class. It’s going to be great to be competing on some of the classic Welsh stages.”

Morgan will be joined on the event by James Ford who will be reading the pacenotes in Morgan’s Nissan Micra.

“Both myself and James are young and at the start of our rallying careers but I feel confident that we have progressed well this year and we’re getting faster all the time.”

The rally will be fought over 44 miles of competitive stages on gravel tracks around the Epynt military ranges.

Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for more information on Harry Morgan’s rallying.

Image courtesy Simon Clarke

Wright aiming to continue successful run on Quinton Stages

2011-07-03T20:25:00.000+01:00

Bentham’s David Wright is aiming to continue his successful 2011 rally season next weekend when he contests the Quinton Stages rally in Wales.

Wright has dominated his class so far this year taking four victories out of the five BTRDA championship events he has contested in his Proflex, Kumho Tyres, Drenth and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9.

“We’ve had a really good season so far, as well as taking the class wins we’ve been mixing it with the more powerful World Rally class cars which I am very happy with,” commented Wright.

“Some new dampers have been fitted to the car since the last round and they seem to have made an improvement to the handling so it will be interesting to see if we’re any quicker.”

The rally is based in Builth Wells with the competitive action taking place on gravel tracks in the area of the Epynt military ranges.

“The stages used on the Quinton suit our car so I’m confident that we can get a good result. We got third overall last time we competed on the event and I’m targeting another podium finish as well as another class win.”

Regulations published for the 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally

2011-06-29T16:04:00.002+01:00

With just over five months to go before the 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally, (2-5 December, the event regulations have been published and entries are now open for the eighth running of this must-do event in the historic rallying calendar.

The event, which has a new start venue for 2011 at Duncombe Park in Yorkshire, offers 170 stage miles over 24 special stages for an early entry fee of £1,850. Rally manager Colin Heppenstall is targeting an entry of 100 cars this year, which would set a new record for the rally.

Among the entries expected is a strong contingent of European competitors. To make it easier for them to compete, approval has been granted for them to run with FIA Historic Technical Passports only, rather than needing to acquire a UK rally log book and MSA Historic Vehicle Identification Forms. Such cars will run in a separate class within the overall rally.

Another new class will cater for Formula 1000 crews. Following interest from prospective crews, a special class has been added to the Open Rally and these cars will be allowed to run at the head of the main field with the category one historic cars.

To help competitors and spectators plan for the event, a Rally Guide has been produced and can now be viewed at the event’s official website. For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org.

Images from BCCC Forrest Lodge

2011-06-13T15:11:00.000+01:00

Please click here to see the event gallery.

Wright makes it four out of five on Dukeries Rally

2011-06-13T00:01:00.000+01:00

Bentham rally driver David Wright continued his run of success in the BTRDA rally championship last weekend with a class win on the Dukeries rally.

The event commenced with the short Blidworth stage and Wright made a good start in his Proflex, Kumho Tyres, Drenth and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9, taking sixth fastest time overall and first in class.

Two stages in the Sherwood Forest complex followed and Wright was one of several crews who beat the bogey time on the first of them. A spin on the next stage cost a few seconds and kept Wright in sixth place.

“The early stages went pretty well for us,” said Wright. “It was frustrating to have a spin but other than that we had a good run through the stages.”

A quick time in the fourth stage, Portland, moved Wright up to fifth on the leaderboard, a position he maintained to the finish.

“We had a troublefree run through the remaining stages, the car performed faultlessly. I’m delighted to have won the class again, it’s the fourth time in five events we have achieved that. It’s good that we were on the pace of the cars in the World Rally class on an event which suited those cars more than mine, it bodes well for the next championship round where the stages are more twisty.”

The result moves Wright up to fifth in the overall BTRDA championship and he also leads the championship for drivers in B13 class cars. His next event will be the Quinton Stages in July.

Image courtesy Simon Clarke

Wright aiming to be top of the class on Dukeries rally

2011-06-05T19:22:00.000+01:00

Bentham’s David Wright is aiming to take his fourth class win out of five BTRDA rally championship events this year next weekend when he contests the Dukeries rally.

Wright has enjoyed a successful season so far in his Proflex, Kumho Tyres, Drenth and Grove Hill Garage-supported Mitsubishi Evo 9 with his most reason outing resulting in fourth overall as well as the class win on the Plains rally in May.

“We’ve had mixed fortunes on the Dukeries in the last two years,” said Wright. “We won our class in 2009 but last year we had a broken driveshaft which put us out of the event when we were on course for a good result.”

“The car has been re-prepared since the last rally and there are no major changes to it so hopefully we’ll be able to aim for the class victory again as well as a good position on the overall leaderboard.”

The rally is based at Southwell racecourse and the crews will face 45 miles of competition in and around Sherwood forest.

Third time lucky for Peart on Jim Clark rally

2011-06-03T22:46:00.004+01:00

Burton Pidsea rally driver Chris Peart enjoyed a successful Jim Clark Challenge rally last weekend, claiming sixth place overall and fourth in class in his Peart Auto Services-backed Vauxhall Corsa S1600 car.

In 2009 and 2010 Peart suffered the misfortune of having mechanical problems on his car before the rally had started so he was hoping for better luck on the 2011 event.

Fortunately he made it to the opening stage of the Kelso-based rally this year and he was on the pace immediately, taking fifth place on the first test which took place around the spectator-packed streets of Duns. Two further stages took place on the first day of the event, both of them very tricky and testing. Keen to get a finish Peart and co-driver Jamie Forrest treated the stages with caution and arrived at the overnight halt in eighth place.

“After our experience in 2009 and 2010 I was delighted just to make it to the start,” commented Peart. “We did a rally at Barkston Heath to test the car before the Jim Clark and we managed to finish first in our class and fourth overall so I was confident that the car would perform reliably. The Duns stage went well, it was great to see all the spectators lining the streets, the other two stages had lots of places where it was easy to have an accident so we drove on the side of caution to make sure we got to the overnight halt.”

Day two saw a further five stages and Peart had a troublefree run although changeable weather conditions made tyre choice very difficult. A consistent pace saw him move up to an excellent sixth place overall at the rally finish in Kelso.

“I’m very happy with the result, the top crews were setting scorching times so I’m pleased to end up in a decent position on the leaderboard. I enjoyed the event immensely and hopefully we will be back out on the stages again soon.”

Ray Kempster Memorial Hill Rally to take place at Walters Arena

2011-06-01T20:13:00.002+01:00

Walters Arena near Glyn Neath in South Wales will be the venue for a one-off single day hill rally event to celebrate the life of Ray Kempster whose life was tragically lost in a racing accident in 2010.

For over 20 years Ray was a regular and popular face in cross-country motorsport, be it in trials or high-speed competitions. When he wasn’t competing Ray could be found helping to organise events and laying out courses and if he wasn’t doing this he was helping people with their racing, lending his time to sort cars or nurturing the enthusiastic beginner.

The All Wheel Drive Club-permitted event, which will take place on Saturday 6th August, will be an opportunity for cross-country competitors to come together and remember a great man. It will be a National B cross-country event covering approximately 65 miles across 10 stages.

Following the rally there will be an awards presentation with the hand-made winner’s trophy being presented by its creator, Ray’s wife and long-time navigator Vonnie. There will also be a charity auction with lots donated by businesses and friends supporting the event. All monies raised will be divided between the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and a newly formed Cross-Country Safety Fund.

For those wishing to compete, the entry fee is just £199 and entry is open to members of any of the MSA invited clubs (AWDC, Marches 4x4, NORC, SCORC, ALRC etc).

Any tyres from the MSA’s AT and MT list can be used and, as the event exclusively uses private tracks, road legality is not a requirement for competing vehicles.

Supplementary regulations for the event will available shortly, please contact Andy Mills (amills.pcs@btinternet.com) or Nic Blundell (njblundell@supanet.com) if you are interested in taking part in what promises to be a memorable day.

Second for Sykes and Moore on Jim Clark comeback

2011-05-30T16:46:00.001+01:00

Rally crew Richard Sykes and Janice Moore enjoyed a great result last weekend on the Jim Clark Challenge Rally when they took second place overall although they very nearly claimed victory on the tough Scottish Borders-based event.

The rally, a round of the BRC Challenge, kicked off with three stages on Friday evening and despite it being the first event on tarmac that Stourbridge’s Sykes had contested since last October’s Mull Rally he was on the pace immediately, setting third fastest time through the spectator-packed stage through the streets of Duns.

A brilliant fastest time on the second stage at Bothwell saw Sykes and co-driver Moore storm into the lead which they consolidated on the third test, the daunting Abbey St Bathans stage, to take a lead of 4 seconds into the second day.

Day two opened with stages at Polwarth, Edrom and Ayton. Although the lead was lost briefly after Edrom Sykes and Moore were back on top as the crews headed to Kelso for a service halt.

A heavy downpour shortly before the penultimate Eccles stage made the road conditions treacherous but Sykes powered through the test in his G I Sykes and Boroughbridge Marina back Citroën C2 R2 Max to take a lead of 15 seconds into the last stage.

With his good lead Sykes decided to back off slightly in the final Swinton stage but a misheard pacenote saw the C2 go through a hedge at around 90mph and into a field. Fortunately the crew got the car back onto the road and to the finish but the time loss was sufficient to drop them to second place.

"I had a decent lead with one stage to go so I decided not to do anything silly," commented Sykes. "We were going at 97.5% rather than flat out but we were still doing 90mph when I thought Janice called a fast corner when she had actually called a slower one."

"We were going far too fast to take the bend so we went right through the hedge at the side of the road and into a field. The crops in the field were as high as the bonnet but we kept going and aimed for the hole we had just made in the hedge."

"By the time we had extracted ourselves one of our main rivals Dick Archer was right behind us and we both flew through the rest of the stage, Dick just edging ahead on a long straight with his more powerful car."

"Sadly we lost out on the win by just six seconds to Dick but it was a brilliant battle and I really enjoyed the event. The car performed faultlessly and although this event was meant to be a one off I am thinking of doing the next championship round in Ulster."

Please visit www.gisykes.co.uk for more information on the G I Sykes rally team.

Cristofaro collects the points on Jim Clark rally

2011-05-30T16:42:00.000+01:00

Milford Haven’s Nick Cristofaro continued his successful 2011 rally season last weekend when he finished 16th overall on the Jim Clark International Rally, a result which moved him into the lead of the Fiesta SportTrophy championship as well as maintaining his fifth place in the British Rally Championship F2 category.

With his rallying budget severely depleted following costly repairs to his car earlier in the year Cristofaro had a tough build-up to the event trying to secure additional support to help him make the start of the Kelso-based rally.

Fortunately he was able to obtain the funds and he lined for the first of six stages on Friday evening, a spectator-packed blast around the streets of Duns. The opening tests saw no car problems for Cristofaro and co-driver Rob Fagg and they finished the night in 21st position.

"I was fortunate to be able to obtain support from Wiseman Dairies and additional support from Pirelli to help me do the event and I’m very grateful to them as well as TEG Sport, Genpower UK, Autoglym, Millers Oils, Nicky Grist, Cut In Edge and Elite Remapping," commented Cristofaro. "I struggled to find any rhythm on the early Friday night stages, it was the first time I have used the car competitively on tarmac and I had to learn how it would handle. By the end of the evening I had built my confidence up though and I was ready to push hard on day two."

Changeable weather conditions caught Cristofaro out on the opening stages on Saturday. The car was fitted with wet weather tyres as it was raining heavily as the cars left for the first stage at Polwarth but when the crews arrived at the stage start the road was bone dry. Cristofaro had two slick tyres as spares which he fitted on the front but the wet weather tyres on the rear were overheating in the dry conditions.

"The weather was very changeable, in the space of a few miles we went from heavy rain to blue skies and sunshine. The overheating rear tyres made the car very twitchy and as a result I had a big spin on the second stage on Saturday which saw us land in a hedge."

"We had a big moment on stage three too when the rear tyres locked under braking and we went straight on into a garden instead of round the corner."

The crews headed back to Kelso for a service halt with Cristofaro still in 21st position. Replacement brake disks were fitted but on the following two stages it was found they were warped which caused problems when braking from the high speeds reached on the rally.

The disks were replaced again for the final batch of stages but Cristofaro’s earlier tyre choice problems returned on first of those stages. This time he was on slicks and a sudden downpour of rain meant that slicks were not the tyre to be on. Fortunately the remaining stages were dry and he put in some good times, moving up to 16th overall at the rally finish.

"It was a shame to have the spin and overshoot early on, they cost us a fair bit of time but I was pleased with my performance on the later stages and we’ve got a good haul of points for both the BRC F2 and Fiesta SportTrophy championships."

"I’m particularly pleased to be leading the Fiesta championship as I am beating the new Fiesta R2 cars which are more competitive than my older model. Hopefully we can get some funding together to help us continue the title charge."

The next BRC round takes place in Ulster in August. Please visit www.nickcristofaro.co.uk if you would like to get involved in supporting the team.

Becky passes tarmac test on Jim Clark Challenge Rally

2011-05-29T20:18:00.003+01:00

Rally driver Becky Kirvan, from Burton Pidsea, successfully finished the Jim Clark Challenge Rally last weekend, taking fifth in class on her first major tarmac event.

The event, round three of the BRC Challenge championship, started on Friday evening with a short stage through the spectator-lined streets of Duns which Becky and co-driver Kaz Watts enjoyed. A much longer test in Bothwell followed which allowed Becky to get into a good rhythm with the car as she built up her experience of its capabilities on tar.

The final stage of Friday was at Abbey St Bathans and it nearly spelled the end of Becky’s event. Part way through the course the KC, Bardahl Oils, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Peart Auto Services, Rally4Real and Songasport-backed Ford Fiesta ST suffered a puncture and with six miles still to go the crew made the decision to stop and change the wheel. Unfortunately a problem with the jack meant that it was impossible to lift the car so the wheel could not be changed. The rest of the stage had to be completed very slowly to avoid damaging the car’s suspension and bodywork.

"The stage at Duns was great, it was brilliant to see so many spectators there cheering us on, there was a great atmosphere," said Becky. "Stage two went well also although we lost some time when we caught a car."

"The Abbey stage was going fine till we got the puncture. We lost time getting the jack out to try and fix it and then more time was lost having to hobble through the stage."

"We were lucky that a fellow competitor lent us a jack at the end of the stage so we could put a new wheel on. Although we were very close to being over our time limit we managed to get back to the overnight halt."

Day two saw a further five stages in the lanes around Duns. With the puncture on Friday Becky knew it was going to impossible to claw back enough time to get a better class position so she concentrated on getting to grips with the tarmac and pushed on with the intention of setting some good stage times. This resulted in her catching slower cars on most of the days stages, but other than that she had a troublefree day and fetched the KC Rally Team car home fifth in class.

"I enjoyed the stages on the second day which had some really fast sections and big jumps. We seemed to get lucky with the weather, some crews were caught out by sudden heavy rain showers but we had relatively dry stages."

"I’m pleased with my performance, there were definitely places where I could have gone quicker and probably braked later but for my first big tarmac event I think it went well. It was certainly very valuable experience for me as the next two championship rounds are also on tarmac."

The BRC Challenge will resume in August with the Ulster Challenge Rally. For further information in the KC Rally Team please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk.

Images from the Jim Clark rally

2011-05-29T15:30:00.000+01:00

Please click here to see the event gallery.

Sykes and Moore set for Jim Clark rally return

2011-05-24T22:46:00.002+01:00

Stourbridge’s Richard Sykes will return to rallying next weekend when he takes part in the Jim Clark Challenge Rally with co-driver Janice Moore.

It will be Sykes first event of the year and his first on tarmac since he successfully completed the Mull Rally last October in his G I Sykes and Boroughbridge Marina-backed Citroën C2 R2 Max.

"We had a very difficult time contesting the British Rally Championship last year with all kinds of problems with the car," commented Sykes. "It was pretty ironic that we then managed to finish the Mull Rally which is one of the toughest events in the UK rally calendar."

"The car performed really well on Mull and some of the stages on the Jim Clark are of a similar nature with lots of fast, narrow and bumpy tarmac, I’m hopeful we will be able to get a good result and I'll be aiming for a podium spot. The car is now fully sorted and it has been meticulously maintained in preparation for what will be a very competitive BRC Challenge event."

"Although I haven’t been competing so far this year I’ll be pushing hard right from the start, I competed on the event last year in the Citroën and flat out is the only way to go if you want a good result as the Challenge is so competitive.”

"It’s great to be doing an event with Richard again," said co-driver Moore. "We did the rally together in a Suzuki in 2009, that was very enjoyable and we managed a podium finish. I’m looking forward to competing on the lanes and I'm confident we can get a good result."

The event starts on Friday evening with three stages, including the very difficult Abbey St Bathans test, before a further five stages on Saturday which finish with the high-speed jumps of the Swinton stage.

Please visit www.gisykes.co.uk for all the latest news and pictures.

Becky ready for battle in the Borders

2011-05-22T13:52:00.004+01:00

Rally driver Becky Kirvan will continue her BRC Challange championship campaign with the KC Rally Team next weekend when she heads to the Jim Clark Challenge Rally.

After two rounds on gravel forest tracks round three of the championship will take place on closed public roads around the town of Duns in Berwickshire. The fast and bumpy lanes will present a new challenge to Becky who has very limited experience of competing on tarmac.

She will once again use her KC, Bardahl Oils, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Peart Auto Services, Rally4Real and Songasport-backed Ford Fiesta ST with Kaz Watts on co-driving duties.

“Most of my competition experience has been on forest rallies so I will have to learn how the car handles on tarmac,” said Becky.

“The stages look quite daunting, very fast in places with a lot of bumps and jumps to catch you out. My plan will be to get through the Friday night stages unscathed and then try to push on in the Saturday stages.”

Becky will face three stages on Friday evening starting with the extremely popular spectator stage through the streets of Duns before heading to the Bothwell and Abbey stages, the Abbey stage in particular being notoriously tough. Another five stages will be tackled on Saturday including the Swinton stage with its huge jumps.

“I’m looking forward to the rally, it’s going to be a real challenge but I’m up for it and ready for the start. Hopefully we can pick up a good haul of championship points.”

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk for all the latest KC Rally Team news.

Cristofaro to put tarmac experience to the test on Jim Clark rally

2011-05-22T13:48:00.000+01:00

Teenage rally driver Nick Cristofaro is looking to put his experience of competing on tarmac to good use next weekend when he contests round four of the British Rally Championship, the Jim Clark International Rally.

Cristofaro, from Milford Haven, was a multi-time karting champion when he was younger and also did several tarmac rallies when competing in the Junior F1000 championship in his old Nissan Micra.

“The Jim Clark stages are going to be bumpier and narrower than anything I’ve competed on before but I think my experience will prove to be useful,” said Cristofaro. “I’ll be aiming for another good finish to help my BRC Formula 2 and Fiesta Sporting Trophy championship aspirations.”

Cristofaro will use his usual TEG Sport, Pirelli, Genpower UK, Autoglym, Millers Oils, Nicky Grist, Cut In Edge and Elite Remapping-backed Ford Fiesta ST and Manxman Rob Fagg will be co-driving.

“Rob has a lot of experience of competing on tarmac rallies, he’s competed on the Jim Clark before as well as Mull and the Isle of Man so I should be in good hands.”

The event will kick off with six stages on Friday evening including two runs of the popular spectator stage which runs through the streets of Duns. A full day’s competition takes place on Saturday with ten tough stages which are sure to test the crews to the limit.

Please visit www.nickcristofaro.co.uk to keep up to date with all the latest Nick Cristofaro Rallying news.

Regs available for D & C Rallying Gareth Hall Memorial Rally

2011-05-18T22:23:00.002+01:00

Regs are available for the D & C Rallying Gareth Hall Memorial Rally which will be held at the Ranges Motorsport Centre near Trawsfynydd on Sunday 17th July. The event will have a maximum of 12 special stages and total competitive mileage will be around 22.

Please click here to download the regs and click here to download the entry form.

Images from BCCC Brynffynon

2011-05-18T22:16:00.000+01:00

To see the event gallery please click here.

Wright tops the class on Plains rally

2011-05-15T23:51:00.000+01:00

Bentham’s David Wright took his third class win in four events last weekend when he contested the Plains rally, round 4 of the BTRDA rally championship.

The Welshpool-based event started with stages in Cwmcelli and Gartheiniog forests and Wright made a good start in his Proflex, Kumho Tyres, Drenth and Grove Hill Garage-supported Mitsubishi Evo 9, lying in fifth overall after a troublefree run. Two stages in Dyfi forest followed and Wright moved up to joint fourth place.

“We had a decent start and I was pleased with the times, we were going well against the World Rally cars,” commented Wright. “After our problems on the opening stage of the previous weekend’s Tour of Hamsterley when a burst oil pipe forcing us into retirement I was happy to get through the opening stages unscathed.”

Further forest stages in Hafren and Gartheiniog were next on the agenda before a run through the Woodyard spectator stage near Welshpool. Keen to improve his position Wright pushed hard in his GPM-prepared car but it nearly ended in disaster when he had a big spin which resulted in the car going over a bank. Fortunately Wright and co-driver Michael Wilkinson were able to get the car back onto the road but 30 seconds had been lost.

Despite the spin Wright continued to press on in the final stage and he was rewarded with fourth place overall and victory in his class.

“We were very lucky to get back on the road after the spin, our rally could’ve ended there. I’m happy with the result, it’s pleasing to win the class again.”

The result moves Wright up to eighth in the BTRDA driver’s championship. His next championship event will be the Dukeries rally in June.

Image courtesy Simon Clarke

Harry narrowly misses out on class win

2011-05-15T23:50:00.000+01:00

Bangor on Dee rally driver Harry Morgan narrowly missed out on class victory in last weekend’s Plains rally when he finished just ten seconds behind the winner.

The Welshpool-based event was round 4 of the BTRDA RF 1.0 championship and going in to the rally Harry was lying in third place on the leaderboard.

The rally kicked off with four stages in Dyfi and Gartheiniog forests and Harry made a flying start, setting fastest time on all the tests to take a lead of 35 seconds.

“I was delighted with my start to the event,” said Harry, “I wanted to try and improve on my previous best position of second in class so I pushed hard right from the beginning of stage one.”

“The stages were very testing with some huge drops on the edges of the forest tracks but I kept my foot down and pulled out a decent lead.”

Harry’s lead was cut to 20 seconds in the stage five, Hafren and then in stage six, which was a repeat of an earlier stage, he dropped to second place despite setting a time 11 seconds faster than his first run.

With just the popular Woodyard spectator stage remaining Harry was two seconds behind the leader and despite going as fast as he could he was unable to overhaul the leader.

“I gave it my all and couldn’t push any more. The guy who won is a very experienced rally driver and I think my lack of experience cost me. I am very pleased to be challenging for class wins though and hopefully we will get to the top of the leaderboard before the season is finished.”

“The stages were fantastic, there were lots of downhill sections which are good for our little 1.0 litre cars and there were some very slippy places were I could slide the car through the corners. Thanks for the organisers and marshals for a top event and special thanks to Sasha Heriot for co-driving, she did a brilliant job.”

The result moves Harry up to second in the RF 1.0 championship and his next event will be the Quinton Stages in July. Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for all the latest news and pictures.

Image courtesy Simon Clarke

Route announced for 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally

2011-05-11T16:07:00.001+01:00

A new start venue at Duncombe Park, a return to Croft circuit and two twenty-mile stages are the key features of the provisional route for this year’s Roger Albert Clark Rally, (2-5 December).

As well as hosting a spectator-friendly 2.5-mile stage to be run twice on Friday evening and twice on Saturday, Duncombe Park near Hemlsley will also act as the new headquarters for the rally, with scrutineering and documentation during Friday 2 December.

Rally manager Colin Heppenstall says that he wants to finish the 2011 event with a big bang and is planning two runs through a marathon 20-miler in Kershope on the final morning of the rally, Monday 5 December.

“I wanted a real challenge at the end of the rally,” said Heppenstall, who has planned a service halt at Carlisle in between the two long stages in Kershope forest. “The return to Croft is another excellent development and we expect the first cars to arrive there at around 3pm on Sunday.” As well as a pair of stages, Croft will host a major service halt in a family-friendly environment and rejoins the route in favour of Oliver’s Mount.

The rally will include two runs at a nine-mile stage in Dalby forest in the dark of Friday evening (2 December), as well as two stages through Duncombe Park.

Total stage mileage is currently around 170, but Heppenstall has plans to add further stages if negotiations with a key title sponsor prove fruitful. Interest from overseas crews is already running ahead of the 2010 event and Heppenstall is targeting a record-breaking 100-car field.

Provisional route
Friday December 2
SS1 Duncombe Park 1
SS2 Dalby 1
SS3 Duncombe Park 2
SS4 Dalby 2

Saturday December 3
SS5 Langdale 1
SS6 Gale Rigg 1
SS7 Duncombe Park 3
SS8 Duncombe Park 4
SS9 Langdale 2
SS10 Gale Rigg 2
SS11 Croft 1
SS12 Croft 2
SS13 Hamsterley
SS14 Shepherdshield

Sunday December 4
SS15 Ae 1
SS16 Twiglees 1
SS17 Heathhall 1
SS18 Ae 2
SS19 Heathhall 2
SS20 Twiglees 2
SS21 Newcastleton 1
SS22 Newcastleton 2

Monday December 5
SS23 Kershope 1
SS24 Kershope 2

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Wright hoping for problem-free Plains rally

2011-05-08T20:21:00.002+01:00

Bentham’s David Wright will be back in BTRDA rally championship action next weekend when he takes part in round four of the series, the Plains rally.

Wright has had a mixed BTRDA season so far in his Proflex, Drenth, Kumho Tyres and Grove Hill Garage-backed GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9 with two excellent class victories and one retirement leaving him in ninth place on the championship leaderboard.

“We’ll be looking to improve our championship position on the Plains,” said Wright. “We’re in a new car this year and we’ve had a couple of problems including a suspension part breaking at over 100mph on the last championship round.”

“We did the Tour of Hamsterley event last weekend as a test but unfortunately we retired early on when an oil cooler pipe burst spraying the oil out. We were lucky that there was no damage to the engine. Hopefully we’ll have a clear run on the Plains and get a similar result to last year when we were third overall.”

The Welshpool-based event starts on Saturday morning with the competitive action taking place in the forests of Dyfi, Gartheiniog and Hafren as well as the popular Woodyard spectator-stage.

Harry plans to pick up points on Plains rally

2011-05-08T20:08:00.000+01:00

Bangor on Dee rally driver Harry Morgan will resume his BTRDA RF1.0 championship battle next weekend when he contests the Plains rally.

After two podium finishes in his three events so far this year Morgan lies in third place on the championship leaderboard and his target for the Welshpool-based event is to build on his good start to the year and pick up another haul of championship points.

“I’m pleased with my season so far and it’s been great to get two excellent results in my first full season of competing”, said Morgan. “The car had no problems on the last event in Somerset so we’ve had no major work to do on it, we’ve just checked everything over and we’re ready to go!”

Morgan will have a new co-driver for the event, BRC Challenge co-driver Sasha Heriot will be on the pacenotes.

“My usual co-driver is not available for the event so I’m grateful to Sasha for agreeing to sit in with me. She is competing in the BRC Challenge this year and has already done an event that used a similar route to the Plains rally so hopefully this will be a big help to me.”

The rally starts from Welshpool on Saturday morning and the crews face a tough days competition in Dyfi, Gartheiniog and Hafren forests as well as a run around the popular Woodyard stage.

Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for all the latest news and pictures.

BCCC crews all set for Brynffynon battle

2011-05-04T21:43:00.001+01:00

The Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship resumes next weekend (14/15th May) with round two being held on the Brynffynon course near Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valley.

The venue has never been used for motorsport before and the landowner and championship organisers have arranged a course made up of farm tracks, moorland roads, pasture land and off-road sections which will test the drivers and their machines to the limit.

An exciting round 1 at Myherin forest near Aberystwyth saw 2010 champion Tim Dilworth kick off his title defence in style as he and navigator Anthony Brinkman took victory in their Peugeot 206 STi. Richard Kershaw returned to the championship to take second place in his GSR 206 Evo 9 with Justin and Louise Birchall rounding off the top three after two days of competition.

The Brynffynon action will start at 10.00am on Saturday and again at 09.00am on Sunday. As usual the event will be filmed for broadcast on Motors TV and there will be hot food and drinks available on site. Spectators are requested to approach the venue via 170:031944.

Entries are available for the BCCC and BCCC Trophy championships, entries are also welcome from anyone who wants to enter the Clubman event which costs £250 for the full weekend or £150 for one day. Please call Championship Secretary Lilian Turley on 01594 810161 or email lilianturley@btinternet.com if you wish to enter the event.

Wright and Wilkinson to head to Hamsterley

2011-05-03T20:03:00.000+01:00

Bentham’s David Wright will take a break from his BTRDA rally championship campaign next weekend when he contests the Tour of Hamsterley event in County Durham.

It will be Wright’s first time competing in the forest which used to be used in world championship events. He will do the rally in his Proflex, Drenth, Kumho Tyres and Grove Hill Garage-backed GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9 which has been fully repaired after it suffered broken suspension on the last event in Somerset.

“The event is local to my co-driver Michael Wilkinson and he was keen to support it by putting an entry in,” commented Wright.

“It’s good for us as it’s a week before our next BTRDA outing so we will get the chance to get back up to speed with the car and check that everything is working as it should.”

“We’re up against some quick drivers in our class so it looks like it could be a good battle. I have never competed in Hamsterley before but Michael should know where he’s going and will be pushing me on.”

The rally is based in Shildon and all the competitive mileage will take place on forest tracks in Hamsterley.

Becky shines in Pirelli Challenge rally

2011-05-01T18:06:00.004+01:00

KC Rally Team driver Becky Kirvan continued her BRC Challenge championship campaign last weekend with an excellent second in class on the Pirelli Challenge rally. Becky, from Burton Pidsea, was contesting the event in her KC, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Bardahl Oils, Rally4Real, Songasport and Peart Auto Services-backed Ford Fiesta ST and after an encouraging result on the opening championship round in early April she was keen to put in another good performance on the Carlisle-based event.

The rally started in dry and sunny conditions with the Falstone stage to the north of Kielder Water and Becky, together with co-driver Kaz Watts, made a solid start, getting used to the surface of the notoriously tricky Kielder forest roads. The longest stage of the event, Bower, was next and Becky’s only problem was getting held up by another car which had lost a wheel and was travelling slowly along the course.

One stage remained before the crews headed for a service halt and Becky successfully negotiated it despite a couple of high-speed slides.

"The morning stages went quite well," said Becky. "I was cautious in Falstone as the surface was particularly loose which made the car slide around a lot, I did not want to risk a first stage accident."

"I pushed harder in the long stage two but getting stuck behind a car cost us a fair bit of time, the dusty conditions meant that he couldn’t see us so didn’t pull over immediately."

"I continued to press on in the third stage and perhaps pushed a little too hard as there were several places where the Fiesta got out of shape but fortunately I controlled the slides!"

Following the service halt the crews faced another three tough stages in Kielder forest, Shepherdshield, Pundershaw and Chirdonhead. Becky kept her pace up in the first two stages before backing off slightly to ensure she made it to the finish on the final one after seeing several of her fellow competitors off the road. Her tactics paid off as she arrived at the finish at Carlisle racecourse in 16th overall and second in class.

"The stages had several broken cars in them and with one of the crews going off just in front of us on the final stage, I made the decision to reduce my pace and make sure we made it to the finish, although if I'd have known at the time we were only three seconds behind 15th place I think I'd not have backed off quite so much, but that's one of the risks you take I guess! "

"I’m really happy with the result, the test session we did before the Pirelli helped me a lot and I feel I am getting a lot more used to the pace and handling of the Fiesta. There’s still more to come from both the car and myself and I can’t wait for the next championship round."

Becky’s next event will be the Jim Clark Challenge rally at the end of May. Please visit
www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/beckykirvanrallying to keep up to date with all the latest news and photos from the KC Rally Team.

Images from the Pirelli Rally

2011-05-01T11:05:00.000+01:00

Please click here to view the gallery.

Cristofaro completes toughest rally to date in Cumbria

2011-05-01T09:42:00.005+01:00

Milford Haven rally driver Nick Cristofaro successfully completed his toughest event to date when he claimed 14th overall and fifth in class on the Pirelli International rally.

The rally started on Friday evening with two stages in Newcastleton forest and Cristofaro was aiming to immediately push hard but a very tricky road surface saw him have a few hair-raising moments in his TEG Sport, Pirelli, Genpower UK, Autoglym, Millers Oils, Nicky Grist, Cut In Edge and Elite Remapping-backed Fiesta ST.

“I’d planned to push as hard as I could on the opening two stages but the surface of the forest track was like nothing I had experienced before,” said Cristofaro. “It was so loose and very difficult to get grip, it was a real shock to the system. With huge ditches on either side of the road waiting to punish any mistake I decided to back off a bit to make sure we made it to the Saturday stages.”

A tough full day of competition took place on Saturday with ten stages in the famous Kielder forest complex. Cristofaro and co-driver Rob Fagg were lying in 23rd overall and 11th in class as they went into the opening Falstone stage and their aim was to try and progess up the leaderboard as the day went on to try and secure valuable points in both the BRC Formula 2 and Fiesta Sporting Trophy championships.

Cristofaro had a good run through the double loop of the Falstone and Bower stages and he had already moved up to 18th overall and 8th in class.

“I started to gain confidence in using the car on the marbled surface as we got further into the rally and I put some good times in the bag which got me up the leaderboard from our overnight position. It was difficult to compete against the newer Fiestas though as they are a lot faster on the straights and this event had the longest straights I have ever seen.”

The rally finished with a double loop of three stages south of Kielder Water, Shepherdshield, Pundershaw and Chirdonhead. Cristofaro’s only problem was a small off on the first Chirdonhead stage when he came over a crest too quickly and went into a ditch. The car bounced out onto the road but was facing the wrong way and in reversing to turn round the gearbox was damaged which put extra pressure on Cristofaro not to spin again.

The remaining stages were successfully completed and Cristofaro arrived at the finish at Carlisle racecourse in 14th position overall, fifth in class and third in the Fiesta ST championship.

“I learnt a lot from the event, it was definitely the toughest I’ve ever done and it’s pleasing to have got a good result at the end of it. Thanks to all my sponsors and TEG Sport for a fantastic car set up. Thanks also to Rallyschool for the loan of a recce car – I would not have been able to get a good result without it.”

The result moves Cristofaro into joint fourth in the BRC Formula 2 championship and he remains second in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy. His championship campaigns will resume in May with the Jim Clark International rally. Please visit www.nickcristofaro.co.uk for all the latest news.

Cristofaro to continue championship charge in Cumbria

2011-04-25T18:26:00.001+01:00

Milford Haven’s Nick Cristofaro will head to Carlisle next weekend as he continues his British Rally Championship (BRC) season on the Pirelli International rally.

Cristofaro presently lies fifth in the BRC Formula 2 championship standings as well as second in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy after good results on the events so far in his TEG Sport-run Ford Fiesta ST which is supported by Pirelli, Genpower UK, Autoglym, Millers Oils, Nicky Grist and Cut In Edge. The Pirelli rally will also see the start of a new partnership, with Elite Remapping providing support to Cristofaro’s new Cristotec Remapping business.

"We had an accident on an event earlier in the year and the costs of fixing the car severely dented our rallying budget," commented Cristofaro. "Elite Remapping have kindly loaned me some equipment to enable me to set up Cristotec Remapping so hopefully the business will help me replenish the budget."

Since his last event Cristofaro has had his Fiesta's gearbox completely stripped and repaired after problems on the last event and his hopes are high that the car will have a troublefree run on the Pirelli.

"We were stuck in third gear for the final part of the last event which lost us a fair chunk of time. It’s another expense that we could do without but hopefully the problems are not sorted."

The rally starts on Friday evening with two stages in Kershope forest before a full days competition on Saturday in Kielder.

"It’s going to be a very challenging event, Kershope and Kielder are extremely tough places to compete but I am confident that I’ll be on the pace and I’m aiming to get another good haul of championship points."

Please visit www.nickcristofaro.co.uk for all the latest news and photos.

Image courtesy Simon Clarke

Becky ready for Pirelli rally challenge

2011-04-24T21:28:00.000+01:00

KC Rally Team driver Becky Kirvan will resume her BRC Challenge championship campaign next weekend when she contests the Pirelli Challenge rally.

Becky, from Burton Pidsea, took third in class on the opening championship round in early April and after a day testing her KC, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Bardahl Oils, Rally4Real, Songasport and Peart Auto Services-backed Ford Fiesta she is hoping for another good finish on the Carlisle-based event.

"I was pleased to get a solid finish on the opening championship round," said Becky. "It was my first event in the Fiesta so I spent the event learning the car and getting used to my new co-driver Kaz Watts. After a steady start we increased our pace on the afternoon stages as Kaz and I settled into a rhythm and I became more confident in the car."

"Since the event we’ve had some time testing in Wales to get more miles in the car and that went well so hopefully we can put that experience to use on the Pirelli and I'll be looking to up the pace a notch or two!."

The rally consists of six competitive stages in the famous rallying territory of Kielder forest which are sure to provide a stern test to the competitors and their machines.

"I competed in some parts of Kielder on my very first event in 2006 so I’ve got some knowledge of how tricky the stages can be. It will be a tough event but I’m confident we can get a good result."

Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/beckykirvanrallying to keep up to date with all the latest news and photos from the KC Rally Team.

Images from BCCC Pikes Peak

2011-04-18T19:41:00.000+01:00

To see the event gallery please click here.

Wright wins class despite wheel drama

2011-04-17T23:14:00.000+01:00

Bentham’s David Wright took a class victory on last weekend’s Somerset Stages rally despite a high-speed mechanical failure on the last stage.

Wright and co-driver Michael Wilkinson were hopeful of a good result after a disappointing retirement on their previous event and they made a fine start, lying in fourth place following the opening batch of four forest stages.

“Our times on the early stages were pleasing,” commented Wright. “We were close to the pace of the World Rally Cars and holding a decent position on the overall leaderboard.”

The rally moved to Porlock Hill for two stages on the tarmac of the toll road which runs up the hill. Despite being held up by another competitor Wright retained fourth place in his Proflex, Drenth, Kumho Tyres and Grove Hill Garage-backed GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9.

It was back to the forests for the final four stages, the first two of these went well for Wright and with two stages to go he was still in fourth. An overshoot on the ninth stage cost around 25 seconds dropping him to fifth. The final stage was only just over a mile long but it almost destroyed Wright’s rally.

“We were doing over 100mph and a bottom arm on the suspension broke, the wheel locked up and sent the car into a huge slide. We were extremely lucky not to have a big accident. Fortunately I caught the slide and kept the car on the road but we had to limp out of the stage.”

The last stage drama meant that Wright fell to eighth place overall but he still won his class. The result moves him up to ninth in the BTRDA championship standings with the next round being held in May at the Plains rally.

Image courtesy Simon Clarke

Harry happy with success on Somerset rally

2011-04-17T23:12:00.002+01:00

Bangor on Dee's Harry Morgan got his rally season back on track on last weekend's Somerset Stages event when he claimed an excellent third in the RF1.0 class after ten challenging stages.

Driving his 1.0 litre Nissan Micra Morgan was keen to get a good result after a broken distributor forced him to retire from his last event. The event kicked off with the short Timberscombe stage near Minehead and Morgan was immediately on the pace, setting third fastest time in the class. Forest stages in Croydon, Chargot and Knowle followed and Morgan continued his good form to hold his third place.

"We got off to a good start, the stages were very dusty but there were some damp patches under the trees so we had to take care," said Morgan. "I kept it clean and tidy though and I was pleased to be setting times quicker than some of the crews in the bigger-engined classes."

The rally then headed to the Porlock Hill stage which presented Morgan with a new challenge as the surface was tarmac rather than the forest track he is used to. Despite his lack of experience Morgan set competitive times on both the Porlock tests. The event finished with four further forest stages and Morgan had a troublefree run to finish in third.

"Porlock was fantastic fun, I have never competed on tarmac before but I really enjoyed it and I definitely want to do some more tarmac rallying in the future. I'm delighted with the result, we needed a good finish after our disappointment on the previous event and we've managed to achieve that. Thanks to my co-driver James Ford who was spot on with the pacenotes all day and also to my Dad for servicing."

The result sees Morgan lie third in the RF1.0 class championship leaderboard and he is also second in the Rally First Junior Driver championship. He will continue his championship challenge on the Plain rally in May. Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for all the latest news and pictures.

Image courtesy Simon Clarke

Britpart BCCC crews set for opening round

2011-04-14T18:53:00.001+01:00

As the crews for the 2011 Britpart British Cross Country Championship make their final preparations for the opening round this weekend the organisers have released the entry list for event which takes place in Myherin forest in Wales.

Leading the field away will be 2010 champion Tim Dilworth in his Subaru-engined Peugeot 206 STi. Tim will again have Anthony Brinkman in the navigator's seat. Martin Gould starts at car two in his Mattserati and he will be followed by Gordon Monaghan who will once again be campaigning his Monaghan RS.

At car four is the husband and wife crew of Justin and Louise Birchall who will be looking to start 2011 in the manner they finished 2010 when they took victory in the final round at Walter's Arena.

Rounding off the top five is Dan Lofthouse who will debut his long-awaited new car, the Lofthouse Freelander.

The 2011 championship will comprise six two-day competitive safaris with the best five out of six scores to count towards thefinal championship classification.

The championship entry fee is £1,200 which can be paid in full on entry or by an initial payment of £700 and two post-dated cheques of £250 each dated June 1st and September 1st 2011 respectively.

A Trophy championship for drivers who have never have competed in a competitive safari at greater than National B status will run alongside the main championship.

The championship will kick off in April with the opening round at Pikes Peak in Mid-Wales, a new venue for 2011. Supplier of parts and accessories for Land Rover vehicles Britpart will continue their sponsorship of the series and media coverage will once again be provided by Songasport and MC Video, with each event being shown on television as part of the Special Stage show on Motors TV.

The regulations and entry form can be downloaded by clicking here.

2011 Britpart MSA BCCC Calendar:

April 16/17: Pikes Peak
May 14/15: Cardiff
June 11/12: Forrest Lodge
July 30/31: Radnor
September 17/18: Sweet Lamb
October 15/16: Cardiff or Swynnerton

Harry hungry for success on Somerset Stages

2011-04-10T10:27:00.004+01:00

Bangor on Dee rally driver Harry Morgan will resume his BTRDA RF1000 championship campaign next weekend when he contents the Somerset Stages event with co-driver James Ford.

After making his rally debut late in 2010 Morgan is contesting the full BTRDA championship this year in his Nissan Micra. His season got off to an excellent start with third in class on the opening round, the Wyedean Forest Rally, but there was disappointment on round two in Cumbria when distributor failure robbed Morgan of the chance of another good result.

"We had a fantastic start to the season with my first ever podium finish," said Morgan. "The little Micra was even beating some of the more powerful 1400cc cars."

"We were competitive again on the Malcolm Wilson Rally which was round two, once again we were in third but sadly we had the problem with the car which forced us out of the event."

Despite the non-finish Morgan presently lies fifth in the RF1000 class for near-standard 1.0 litre cars and he is keen to build on that position in Somerset. The car has been stripped down and repaired and a new exhaust has been fitted.

"The car seems to be running a lot sweeter now and I’m all set for the trip to Somerset. My aim is to try and get into the top three again and get a good haul of points to make up for the retirement on the last round."

"I’ve never competed in Somerset before so all the stages will be new to me. I’m particularly looking forward to getting experience of competition driving on tarmac as the rally will use the Porlock Hill toll road as part of the route."

The event kicks off on Saturday morning from Minehead with the bulk of the competitive mileage in the surrounding forests. Please visit www.harryrally.co.uk for all the latest news and pictures.

Wright aiming to get championship back on track in Somerset

2011-04-10T10:26:00.000+01:00

Bentham’s David Wright is looking to get his BTRDA rally championship campaign back on track next weekend when he contests round three of the championship, the Somerset Stages.

After a good start to the year on the opening round in the Forest of Dean where he claimed fourth place Wright suffered disappointment on last month’s Malcolm Wilson Rally when a stone holed the oil filter on his GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9, forcing him out of the event.

Post-rally checks found that the engine was badly damaged and it required a rebuild which has meant a lot of work to try and get the car ready for the Minehead-based event.

“We’ve just got the engine back from being rebuilt so it’s going to be a mad rush to get it in the car and remapped,” commented Wright. “The guys are GPM are working hard to get everything sorted and I’m confident we’ll be ready in time”.

Wright has a good record on the Somerset Stages and he took third overall and first in class in his Proflex, Drenth, Kumho Tyres and Grove Hill Garage-backed car last year.

“I’m looking forward to the event, we’ve shown this year that we have the pace to push the WRC cars so I am hopeful of another good result, we’ll be aiming to be on the podium again.”

The rally starts from Minehead on Saturday morning with the action taking place both in the surrounding forests and the tarmac of the Porlock Hill toll road.