Becky back to the woods for next rally challenge

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

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

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

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

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.