Roger Albert Clark rally entry looking good

The entry for this year’s Roger Albert Clark Rally (28-30 November) is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and cosmopolitan in the event’s history, with a raft of potential winners and eleven overseas entries already placed.

With a month to go until the event starts from a new rally HQ in Sunderland, entries for the main event have already passed the 40-mark and continue to arrive at a steady rate. The overseas entry includes drivers from Holland, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Austria and Belgium, with more expected.

Leading entries for the historic event include the rapid Ford Escort Mk2s of Matthew Robinson, Seamus O’Connell, Paul Griffiths, Guy Woodcock and event newcomer Rudi Lancaster, while Chris Browne heads the Escort Mk1 entry. Entries are expected from at least another eight likely front-runners.

A major feature of this year’s rally is the strength of the overseas entry, which is topped by reigning Swedish historic champion Martin Hagman (26) in his Ford Escort RS1800. He will be co-driven by his father Jan on his first foray to the UK.

In the Open Rally, the Escort Mk2s of former winners Martyn Hawkswell and Dave Hemingway will line-up against the Escort of Barry Stevenson-Wheeler for what promises to be an excellent contest.

Meanwhile, the battle among the oldest cars in Category 1 (pre ’68) has just warmed up with an entry for Paul Mankin in his Lotus Cortina. He will take on the similar car of veteran Bob Bean, who has an unrivalled record of competing on this event and the original RAC Rally. Jim Valentine and Stephen Higgins head the typically strong Saab entry in their pair of two-stroke 96s.

Dutchman Mark Schmidt will be part of a four-car team from Holland in his glorious Category 1 Austin Healey 3000. The orange Healey will tackle the event for the third time and Schmidt says that his ambition this year is simply to finish after two non-finishes in previous attempts. Making just as impressive sight in the forests will be the 1964 Ford Falcon of Swedish driver Per Garansson.

Entries are also open for the two support events. The Peregrine Print Rally will start in Sunderland and cover 53 stage miles on Saturday, while the Clubman’s Rally will be based in central Kielder and cover 49 stage miles on Sunday. With a £100 discount for crews entering both rallies, the overall package offers 102 forest stage miles for £800.

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

BCCC 2014: The Season in Pictures

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Brown to make rally return on Anglesey

Rochdale’s Steve Brown returns to rally competition next weekend when he contests the Glyn Memorial event in his Nissan Micra 1300.

Brown had hoped to use his new Micra but it is not quite ready so he’ll be out in the well-known  Fuchs Titan Race, 710 Oil, Mintex, AP Racing, Six 80 Aviation, Sabelt, Power Maxed and PIAA- supported purple machine that he has used to good effect in recent years.

“The new car is just about finished,” said Brown. “There are a few things that need completed so unfortunately we won’t be able to use the rally as a test session for it.”

“We’ll have a last minute rush to get the other car ready, it’s presently lacking a gearbox but I should be collecting that a couple of days beforehand so hopefully we’ll be all set for the startline.”

The Glyn Memorial rally will take place at Ty Croes racetrack on Anglesey, a venue Brown last competed at in 2007.

“I did an event at Ty Croes in a 1000cc Micra and managed to win my class. It’s a venue more suited to powerful cars so I’ll have to push very hard to get a good result. It often rains very heavily on Anglesey so maybe that will even things up a bit more. I’ll have my usual co-driver Paul Stringer with me.”

“We’ll hopefully get to test the new car very soon and then we’ll start finalising plans for the 2015 season. We’re currently considering a few different options. Thank you to all my sponsors for their support.”

Images from BCCC Walters

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Hemingway set for Roger Albert Clark Rally

Among the early entries for the Open Category of the 2014 Roger Albert Clark Rally (28-30 November) is the Ford Escort Mk2 of Dave Hemingway and Simon Ashton. Hemingway is one of a very select band of drivers to have tackled all 10 events so far and he says he will join the ‘11 out of 11 club’ in November.

The Yorkshire-based driver and his Swedish-based co-driver won the Open Category in 2008 and 2010 and will now strive to stop Martyn Hawkswell and Nick Welch extending their recent hat-trick of Open wins.

Hemingway says that the Sunderland base and rally route in the Kielder complex will make it a very tough rally. “It’s a massive challenge every year. There are a lot of stage miles and it’s a tough event.”

Ironically, Kielder has never been kind to Hemingway. “To be honest, Kielder is my nemesis,” he said. “In 2004 I had a lot of bad luck in there. I was doing very well until we went into Kielder and I thought I could just keep the same pace up. But I learned about Kielder the hard way and ended up in a big ditch.”

He says that he really does not have any ‘local’ knowledge of the stages in the largest man-made forest in Europe. “I hardly remember any of it,” he said. “Just occasionally you’ll recognise a little bit. I know Yorkshire really well but I have to adopt a different mode of driving for Kielder.

“In 2004, we spent all night repairing the car and managed to get going again and finish the event. So I’ve finished every one and we’ve won the Open Rally twice. I think I’m the only one who has finished all of them.”

For Hemingway, it is the rally of the season. “I plan my season around the Roger Albert Clark,” he said. “Simon comes over from Sweden every year to co-drive. He missed the first two, but he’s done all the rest with me. He’s brilliant on the maps and we’re looking forward to it immensely.”