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Monday, 20 November 2017
Monday, 30 October 2017
Monday, 16 October 2017
Monday, 2 October 2017
Currie claims victory in Trackrod Fiesta finale
Currie and co-driver Steven Brown got their event off to a great start, setting fastest time in the long Langdale stage ahead of 2017 title winner Sam Bilham.
Bilham’s hopes of rounding off his year with another win were dashed in stage two, Staindale, when a misfire caused him to stop for over five minutes: “We had to pull over but we got going again eventually, albeit at reduced pace. We rectified the problem in service but we’d lost too much time so just went out to enjoy ourselves. It’s a slightly disappointing way to end the season but we achieved what we wanted to this year with the championship win, that’s the main thing.”
Currie maintained his leading position in Staindale but it was Richard Wells and Calvin Houldsworth who were quickest in the stage, moving up to second on the Fiesta leaderboard.
Going into the last stage, in the notoriously tough Dalby forest, it was all to play for as Currie led Wells by just 5.2 seconds. In a very dramatic finish Wells beat Currie by exactly 5.2 seconds which meant that the two crews ended on the same time, Currie being classed as the victor on a tie-break ruling which gave him second overall in the championship and the prize of using a Castrol-backed Fiesta R2 on Wales Rally GB.
“It was a great end to my first year in the woods,” said Currie. “We have chased this result through the season. We struggled a bit early on as we were catching cars and losing time behind them. I’m delighted to get the win and the Rally GB prize drive.”
Despite losing out on the tie-break Wells was pleased with his result: “I really enjoyed the day. We had a steady start in Langdale which meant we had a big challenge to try and overhaul Ally for the rest of the event. We almost got there. The car ran faultlessly all day and I’m pleased I was able to bring the battle right down to the wire.”
Finishing third of the DMACK ST Trophy crews was Jon Ambler and Simon Jones who were challenging for third place on the end of season leaderboard.
“We didn’t push too hard as we were focussed on the championship,” commented Ambler. “In a rough and muddy rally it was nice not to have to take risks. We brought the car home with no issues or moments and it was very satisfying to get third after our retirement on the Nicky Grist Stages. Thanks to the organisers for a really enjoyable championship.”
Tom Easson and Abi Haycock were fourth: “We had a good run, we started strong but the second stage was a bit messy. I built confidence throughout the event and the times were improving. I made a couple of mistakes in Dalby which cost us some time but I still finished well which I’m happy with.”
After his problems in stage two Bilham finished in fifth place with the other Fiesta entrant, Martin Laverty, having to retire following a troublesome day which included power steering issues and an overheating engine.
Please visit www.sttrophy.co.uk or www.facebook.com/fiestasttrophy for more information on the DMACK ST Trophy.
Successful rally return for Becky
Eastoft rally driver Becky Kirvan-Rodgers made a successful return to competition on last weekend’s Trackrod Rally Yorkshire, finishing sixth in class on her first event for almost six years.Other than a quick test session the week before Becky had not driven her APD Communications-supported Ford Fiesta ST since Wales Rally GB in 2011 and there was no chance to gently get used to driving on gravel again with the opening test being the long Langdale stage, the same place she rolled her car last time she competed on the event.
Fortunately there were no such dramas this time and Becky and co-driver Chris Ridge emerged unscathed although the car was having gearbox problems, jumping out of first and second gear which caused them to lose time. The problems continued in stage two, Staindale, before the crew headed to service.
“I was a bit nervous at the start,” said Becky. “Our pre-event test went well but actually competing is a different matter. I’d have preferred a nice easy short stage to start with but we were straight into Langdale. I enjoyed it though and managed to get into a good rhythm.”
“The gearbox problem was frustrating, there are a lot of first and second gear corners in Yorkshire forests so it was far from ideal. Our service crew did their best to fix the issue in service but it couldn’t be sorted without taking the box out of the car and we only had a 30 minute service halt, so we had no choice but to carry on and work around it.”
After service the crews headed west for stages in Gale Rigg and Cropton forests before a final stage in Dalby.
“Gale Rigg and Cropton went well although the gearbox problem got worse which hampered our pace. Dalby had been used by the historic cars the night before and it was very muddy and slippery. We nearly went off on one corner but I kept my foot down and managed to get some grip which pulled us round.”
“It felt great to get to the finish, especially after my last outing on Trackrod rally ended with me upside down off the road. The stages were a huge challenge with the road surface changing very quickly from one straight to the next, but I really enjoyed the event and I’ve definitely got the bug back. Hopefully I’ll be able to do more events next year. Thanks to Chris and all of the Becky Kirvan Rallying team and thank you too to APD Communications, without whom I would not have been able to do the event.”
Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/beckykirvanrallying to keep up to date with Becky’s rallying.
“I was a bit nervous at the start,” said Becky. “Our pre-event test went well but actually competing is a different matter. I’d have preferred a nice easy short stage to start with but we were straight into Langdale. I enjoyed it though and managed to get into a good rhythm.”
“The gearbox problem was frustrating, there are a lot of first and second gear corners in Yorkshire forests so it was far from ideal. Our service crew did their best to fix the issue in service but it couldn’t be sorted without taking the box out of the car and we only had a 30 minute service halt, so we had no choice but to carry on and work around it.”
After service the crews headed west for stages in Gale Rigg and Cropton forests before a final stage in Dalby.
“It felt great to get to the finish, especially after my last outing on Trackrod rally ended with me upside down off the road. The stages were a huge challenge with the road surface changing very quickly from one straight to the next, but I really enjoyed the event and I’ve definitely got the bug back. Hopefully I’ll be able to do more events next year. Thanks to Chris and all of the Becky Kirvan Rallying team and thank you too to APD Communications, without whom I would not have been able to do the event.”
Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/beckykirvanrallying to keep up to date with Becky’s rallying.
Sunday, 1 October 2017
Monday, 25 September 2017
Kirvan-Rodgers set for rally return in Yorkshire
After over five years away from the driving seat North Lincolnshire’s Becky Kirvan-Rodgers will make her return to rally action next weekend at Trackrod Rally Yorkshire.
Becky last competed on the world championship Wales Rally GB event in 2011 where she won her class in her Ford Fiesta ST. Since then she has taken time out from competing although her car has still been used, most recently in the ST Trophy championship by husband Tim.
She had been looking at making a comeback in 2018 but an approach by Hull-based APD Communications to offer sponsorship support for her to compete on Trackrod Rally Yorkshire brought forward her plans.
“After doing the BRC Challenge championship and Wales Rally GB in 2011 I had a break from competing to bring up our two children,” said Becky. “I’ve still been involved in the sport though, supporting Tim as he did selected events in the ST championship.”
“I was looking at getting a budget together to do a few events next season when APD Communications contacted me. We’ve put a deal together to run the Fiesta on Rally Yorkshire which is great as it’s my local event.”
“As well as supporting me APD have also provided their Artemis telematics and crash detection kit for the car which will monitor things like revs, braking and cornering. It's the first time the kit has been in a rally car, I'm proud to be the first person to use it and the team at APD are excited to see the data we produce.”
“It’s going to be quite a challenge to compete again, especially as I’ve been away for so long. We did have a very successful test day in Tong forest last week though so that blew away a few cobwebs! I’m really looking forward to Rally Yorkshire, I love stages such as Langdale and Dalby.”
The event starts on Saturday morning from Filey and it takes place in the forests around Pickering.
Please visit www.beckykirvan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/beckykirvanrallying to keep up to date with Becky’s rallying.
Tuesday, 19 September 2017
Monday, 11 September 2017
Monday, 21 August 2017
Sunday, 13 August 2017
Monday, 24 July 2017
Monday, 17 July 2017
Monday, 5 June 2017
Monday, 15 May 2017
Sunday, 16 April 2017
Monday, 10 April 2017
Sunday, 12 March 2017
Tuesday, 7 March 2017
Sykes ready for return to rally action
Sykes will use his usual Citroen DS3 R3T which has been rebuilt over the winter and has had some turbo engine modifications.
“The car has been fully rebuilt after the quiet season last year," said Sykes. “We’ve also done some work on the engine which should give us more pace. We’re looking at competing on the new English multi-surface rally championship, with the added bonus of competing on one of the rally circuit events at Donington Park which I have not done before."
“Simon Taylor is back in the car with me this year. We last competed together in 2013 when we had an accident in Ireland. Since then Simon has taken a sabbatical to get married, start a new business and start a family. He's back though and raring to go."
“We’ll be supported by G I Sykes Ltd, Bathams Brewery, Summit Platforms, The Body Clinic, PPG Paint and Boroughbridge and Staniland Marinas.”
The rally has attracted a very strong entry and Sykes is seeded second 2WD car behind Escort Mk2 driving legend Steve Bannister.
“The aim for the event is to have a strong, solid, no-fuss finish so Simon and I can gel together again. It’s really an extended test to shakedown the car and ourselves ready for the championship start next month.”
The rally starts from the M-Sport World Rally Team’s headquarters in Dovenby and the crews will face over 40 miles of action including the classic Lake District forests of Comb, Wythop and Grizedale.
Image courtesy Dave Johnson
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