championship newsletter no.5 2015 - btrda rally...it out of the running. that said, no.6 seeds,...
TRANSCRIPT
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CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSLETTER No.5 – 2015
PLAINS RALLY
REIS - RAVENOL BTRDA GOLD STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP
WESTON MAKES IT PLAIN!...
A sure-fire way of maintaining your lead in a
Championship, if not almost certainly extending your
advantage, is to win the next round. On the back of victory
on the Somerset Stages, not to mention strong finishes on
both the Wyedean and Malcolm Wilson Rallies, Dave
Weston & Kirsty Riddick arrived in Welshpool for the start
of the Plains Rally, the fourth round of the REIS - RAVENOL
BTRDA Gold Star® Rally Championship, and came away
with a win on that one as well!
Having won the Plains for the past couple of years, fellow
Scotsman Euan Thorburn was looking to make it a hat-
trick this time. After two of the six stages, his Focus WRC
was o ide ti al pe alties as Westo s I preza, ut the a puncture cost him more than twenty seconds to his rival
and that, effectively, was that! No matter how hard he and
Richard Cooke tried, barring problems for Weston, the
order as t goi g to ha ge - a d it did t!
Dave Weston/Kirsty Riddick - Subaru Impreza WRC - 1st overall
Knutsford & District Motor Club were blessed with one of
the largest entries ever in the long history of their event
(170+) and the quality just oozed from it! Unusually, and in
such a hard-fought arena, by the end of the day the
highest seed on the list of retirements was No.10 - the
Impreza of Karl & Guy Simmons which was, indeed,
holding 10th
place after SS4 before mechanical bothers put
it out of the running. That said, No.6 seeds,
Damian Cole/Jack Morton, had one of those days their
mothers warned them about - their Focus WRC
suffered a split hydraulic pipe on SS2, the first run
through Gartheiniog, which cost them five minutes to
the leaders. They eventually arrived home in 44th
place....
Never slower than 5th
quickest through any of the
stages, it would appear that Hugh Hunter/Andy
Marchbank ha e got to the otto of their I preza s handling problems - 4
th overall equalled their highest
score of the season so far.
Hugh Hunter/Andy Marchbank – Subaru Impreza WRC – 4th overall
Ja ie A derso /Jo S ott’s Lancer WRC set some very competitive times to take 5
th place from a start no. of
11, while Stephe Pet h/Ia Wi dress’ 100% finishing record was maintained - 7
th in their Fiesta R5+ keeps
the pressure on the Championship leaders, although
there s o de i g that a bit more out-and-out speed fro the ar ould t go a iss! Having recorded DNFs on both the Malcolm Wilson and Somerset Stages, the
finish line of the Plains was a welcome sight for Charlie
Payne/Carl Williamson. Their Fiesta was 8th
, less than
10s behind Petch. Luke Fra is/Joh H Ro erts’ progress was brought to an abrupt halt on SS4 when
a o erha gi g ra h k o ked their La er s kill s it h i to the off positio . The i ide t ost the about 20s, allowing Petch to close to within one
second - a situation which the Fiesta driver was able to
turn to his advantage on the following stage. Still, 9th
overall for Francis/Roberts gave them their third finish
from three starts and sees them in fourth place in the
-
points.
Also e efiti g fro their I preza s relia ilit , Dylan Davies/Llion Williams were 11
th on the Plains and theirs is
the highest-placed B13 car in the table - 3rd
, behind
Weston & Petch. Weston has two maximums, Thorburn
one and, absent on this occasion, Paul Bird has victory on
the Wyedean to his credit. Four rounds down, five to go -
plenty of time for the names at the top of the table to
change dramatically - or not, as the case may be!
HYUNDAI GENPOWER BTRDA PRODUCTION CUP
PAT ON THE BACK FOR NAYLOR!
For the first time this season, it was Pat Naylor/Ian
La re e’s turn to emerge as top Hyundai Genpower BTRDA Production Cup® scorers. Running neck-and-neck
with the similar Lancer EVO9 of Aaron McClure/Elliott
Edmondson with just the final stage to go, the latter crew
were held up by an accident for which they were given a
notional time. They still earned 2nd
place points for their
efforts, for the second consecutive time and, in contrast to
a couple of their rivals, have already missed the obligatory
event. 20-year old McClure is delighted with his pace
agai st su h serious oppositio after su h a short ti e and, on this performance, he will shortly be joining the
a i u e !
Pat Naylor/Ian Lawrence – Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9 – Production Cup winners
Paul Da y/Roger Alla ’s Impreza was 3rd in the category, a mere second ahead of Russ Thompson/Andy Murphy who
were having - by their standards! - a quiet day following
their accident in Somerset. Tom Naughton/Andi Mort
set off at a pace - they were top Group N contenders
after SS1, but their Lancer then indulged in a slow-
speed roll on SS2 (see Youtube for details!), knocking
the do the order. E e so, the ere t far ehi d Thompson/ Murphy, who still maintain their lead in
the Production Cup, by the finish.
Roland Llewellin/Jamie Edwards will also have been
delighted to record their first finish of the season,
opening their account in the process but, alas, not
qualifying for any bonus from Hyundai Genpower
Lle elli s o pa !.... So, the recipients of the vouchers to be exchanged for
Hyundai Genpower products on this occasion are:
Pat Naylor £150; Aaron McClure £100; Paul Davy £50.
REIS-RAVENOL BTRDA SILVER STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP
‘OWLANDS ‘OLLE‘ COASTE‘!
Ieuan Rowlands – Ford Escort MkII – 1st Silver Star
The Plains was the first REIS - RAVENOL BTRDA Silver
Star® Rally Championship event of 2015 for Ieuan
Rowlands but, notwithstanding, by the end of the day
he had become the fourth different category winner of
the season. Taking his class by a huge margin, his
Escort MkII was first 2WD car home but, in Silver Star
terms, Ieuan finished half a minute in front of his
rother Joh s -litre version. Third on the day was the Escort of Boyd Kershaw and
Bryan Hull who actually scooped maximum co-dri ers points. Mark Griffiths/Will Rogers were next, with Jon
Ballinger/Mike Wilding not only breaking the Ford
-
monopoly in their Opel Manta, but also maintaining their
positions as leaders of their respective categories.
Jake Scannell/Adrian Stevens put their Somerset
retirement behind them to move their Mazda RX7 back
into 2nd
place, with Paul Street/Jim Goodman (Escort
RS1800) just behind them, both on the event and in the
points.
As we head towards the mid-poi t of the seaso , it s perhaps worth flagging up (aka blowing our own trumpet!)
that 58 drivers have already scored points in the Silver Star
Championship and even at this early stage, with Matthew
Robinson now safely ensconced in Gold Star, we know
that there will be a different name - or even names! - on
the trophy at the end of the year!...
KICK START BTRDA 1400 CHAMPIONSHIP
BRICKS IN THE THICK OF IT!...
Just like the Silver Star Championship, the Kick Start
BTRDA 1400 Championship has also seen four different
winners so far, the latest of whom are Dave & Freddy
Brick. On the Plains, their Vauxhall Nova managed to hold
off the attention of Jorda & Paul Ho e’s Nissan Micra to claim their first maximum points score.
Dave & Freddy Brick – Vauxhall Nova – 1st 1400 Championship
However, the Scots still currently hold sway in the
Championship, with Ryan Weston/Mark McCulloch
(Proton Satria) and Keith & Mairi Riddick (MG ZR), who
finished just four seconds apart on the Plains (Riddicks
first!), occupying the positions that matter!
Kieran Darrington/ Pam Hilton (Vauxhall Corsa) are 3rd
with the Bricks, who are where they are from only
three scores, next. Dave Bennett/Alistair McNeil were
absent from Welshpool but they already have two
maximums in the bag and, as we always say, come the
advent of dropped scores, nothing trumps a 30!
VITAL EQUIPMENT RALLY FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
ANDREW KEEPS THE HEAT HIGHER!....Having
experienced a very low-key start to their season (1
DNF/1 DNS), Neil Andrew/Dom Adams are beginning
to make their mark in the Vital Equipment Rally First
Championship. Having had a satisfactory run in
Somerset to start the ball rolling, their 1.6 VW Lupo
took victory over the 1.4 version of Nick Carr/Joe
Sturdy, with the Micras of James Watkins/Caron
Tomlinson and Dominic Hodge/Stefan Arndt and the
Polo of Morgan Handford finishing line astern just
behind them.
3rd, 1st and 2nd Rally First finishers
Jon Ambler/Chris Sharpe-Simpkiss maintain their lead
of the Championship in their Seat Arosa from the
Fiesta of Chris Wheeler/Yan Griffiths who retired from
the Plains after near-boiling water from a split heater
hose poured o to the dri er s a kles. We ish Chris a speedy recovery and, obviously, hope that he will soon
be in a position to challenge for the Championship lead
once again.
* All photographs courtesy of Ralliphotowales
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CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
All the championship points following the Plains Rally are
published on the BTRDA Rally Series Rally website >
www.btrdarally.com
BTRDA RALLY CHALLENGE
The se o d rou d of the e i ed surfa e BT‘DA ‘all Challenge was the recent IM Gold Manx Rally
where Damian Cole / Jack Morton (Focus WRC) were the
highest placed scorers and move into the overall lead.
Others who scored very well on the event included Ashley
Slights / Alex Lee (1400cc Toyota Yaris) who came home
27th
overall and won the B9 class on their very first tarmac
event. A full list of the BTRDA Rally Challenge points can
be found in the Bulletins & Newsletter section at
http://www.btrdarally.com/Bulletins.asp
The next round of the BTRDA Rally Challenge is the Nicky
Grist Stages followed by the Tyneside Stage (Otterburn)
and the Mewla (Epynt). You only need 2 asphalt rallies to
count in addition to your best 3 gravel rally scores so it is
still worth registering (£10 each) at the BTRDA desk.
MSA ENGLISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
Ryan Weston and Mark McCullouch are currently leading
the 2015 MSA English Rally Championship ahead of Keith
& Mariri Riddick. 19 year old Ryan is also the leading
Junior driver whilst Chris Sharpe-Simkiss leads the Junior
co-drivers table. All the MSA English Rally Championship
points can be viewed at www.englishrally.co.uk
The next round of the 2015 MSA English Rally
Championship is the DMACK Carlisle Stages on 13th
June.
MINTEX / QUESTMEAD BONUS SCHEME
The winners of the Mintex Awards on the Plains Rally,
each of whom receive a set of FREE competition brake
pads from Questmead Ltd, were:-
Best Improvement on Start Number in Gold Star /Silver
Star: Gareth Edwards – Nova (B11) Best Improvement on Start Number in 1400/Rally First:
Chris Powell – Talbot Sunbeam (1400S)
Steve Brown or Alan Brown from Questmead can be
found in the Service Area at most events. To claim
your reward we advise that you contact them in
advance to arrange the required product. They can be
contacted on 01706 860088.
MOTORS TV (Freeview Channel 71 or Sky / Virgin)
The TV coverage of the Plains Rally is scheduled to
start on Friday 29th
May with the first Gold Star and
Silver Star programmes starting at 9.00pm. The 1400s
and Rally First programme is scheduled just ahead at
8.30pm. If you miss the first broadcast, both
programmes are repeated on 30th
May and 1st
June.
Please check Motors TV for the exact timings.
LIVE STREAMING!
In addition to filming for the TV programmes, our
friends at Special Stage are also trying out Live
Streaming from the events. They stress that they are
just testing at present so anything that they produce
should be seen as a bonus. At the Plains Rally they did
stream some live coverage from the start and the
finish of the event. They also did over an hour from the
Service Area but that was not streamed live because
there was not a good enough signal. This is a link to
the filming in the Service Area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUMyi8YYSLw
So, the lesson for competitors is that you need to be
ready to talk to Paul Woodford at any time.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
DMACK Carlisle Stages – 13th June
Round 5 of the REIS-RAVENOL BTRDA Rally Series and
Round 4 of the MSA English Rally Championship is the
DMACK Carlisle Stages Rally using the classic forest
stages in the west side of Kielder forest with minimal
double usage. There are already over 110 entries so
competitors are urged not to delay entering the
event!
http://www.btrdarally.com/http://www.btrdarally.com/Bulletins.asphttp://www.englishrally.co.uk/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUMyi8YYSLw
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Nicky Grist Stages – 11th July
Round 6 of the REIS-RAVENOL BTRDA Rally Series is the
5th ru i g of Qui to MC s forest stage rall , the Ni k Grist Stages. The event will be based at the Royal Welsh
Showground which will also be the location of the main
service area, similar to last year. The event utilises the
classic WRC stages on the Epynt Ranges including the
Monument, Crychan and Halfway forests. There will be 8
stages totalling approximately 45 stage miles with 90 road
miles and Auxiliary Service available after all the stages.
Regulations are now available at
http://www.nickygriststages.co.uk . Entries are coming in
quickly, having already passed 40!
SNIPPETS
As you would expect we have made representations to the MSA about the sudden
decision not to permit any variation to R24.1.4
(the running order). We have no success to report,
but we are hopeful that there will be an
opportunity for a review of this later in the year.
If you break down in a stage or go off the road and cannot continue, then please understand that your
vehicle can only be recovered when the stage has
totally finished. Any other option will cause delay
and puts the stage at risk for the rest of the
competitors.
A further reminder the that the 2015 awards presentation will be on Saturday 9
th January 2016
at the Ramada Penns Hall Hotel at Sutton
Coldfield, West Midlands.
EVENTS AND CONTACTS
13th June CARLISLE STAGES RALLY Kate Hinchliffe
[email protected] , Tel: 01484 318689
11th July NICKY GRIST STAGES RALLY Neil Cross
[email protected] , Tel: 07767 770862
5th September WOODPECKER STAGES Roger Allan
[email protected] , Tel: 01905 424987
26th September TRACKROD FOREST STAGES Nicola Sanderson
[email protected] , Tel: 01937 583615
17th October CAMBRIAN RALLY Dave Thomas
[email protected], Tel: 07788 995345
Additional MSA English Championship event
7th November JLT TEMPEST 2 RALLY Pam Guess
[email protected] , Tel: 01252 727390
CHAMPIONSHIP COORDINATORS TEAM
Howard Wilcock
Tel: 0115 966 5176, Mobile: 07769 676533
18 Epperstone Road, Lowdham, Notts, NG14 7BU
Norman Robertson
Tel: 0161 748 5399
Mobile: 07762 557285
Gill Cotton
Tel: 01923 269630
Mobile: 07980 810730
CHAMPIONSHIP ELIGIBILITY SCRUTINEERS
John Cooper:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01208 863406
Mobile: 07702 240970
Dave Newton:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01633 672494
Mobile: 07814 595132
Geoff Doe:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01270 780356
Mobile: 07808 129663
http://www.nickygriststages.co.uk/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]