Twingo Trophy returns to British Rally Championship in 2013

Fast action from last year's Twingo Trophy - expect more of the same as part of the 2013 British Rally Championship

The Twingo Renaultsport Trophy UK will follow all seven rounds of the MSA British Rally Championship in 2013, joining the UK’s premier rally series for the second year running.

The Twingo R1 Trophy provides the winner with a fantastic Renault Sport Technologies-funded prize drive in a Twingo R2 Evo on the final round of the French Rally Championship. The R1 crews also benefit from an on event prize fund with parts vouchers of £500, £300 & £200 going to 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd respectively on each of the seven rounds.

There are some updates to the Twingo R1 for 2013 too, with the facelifted shape, new competition dampers and an ECU upgrade to increase torque being homologated for the start of the new season, it makes an ideal car in which to fight for the British Junior Rally Championship title. Also new for 2013, right hand drive versions will be permissible with donor cars being sourced in the UK, it should make it even cheaper to build a car with second hand low cost examples being readily available.

Competitors using the Twingo R2 will be recognised with their own Renaultsport awards relating to their overall position in the new RallyTwo Championship. Running alongside the R1 cars with parts and technical support on all BRC events, the eventual R2 winner will be presented with his or her trophy at the prestigious British Rally Championship Awards Ceremony.

In addition to being eligible for the new BRC RallyTwo Championship, both versions of the rapid little Twingo will be vying for a yellow jersey nomination and a place in the Pirelli Star Driver competition to win a prize drive in the 2014 BRC.

All users of Renault rally cars will benefit from the presence of Monster Sport Europe who will attend all of the rounds with a parts supply vehicle, hospitality area and support.

Competitors running Twingo and Clio should contact MSE direct to make them aware of any parts requirements they have ahead of the new season.

For more information visit www.renaultsport.co.uk or www.twingotrophy.co.uk

Champion Sykes takes on Mull Rally challenge

                                            Champion Sykes takes on Mull Rally challenge


2012 BRC Challenge champion Richard Sykes will finish his rally season next weekend with the notoriously tough Mull Rally in Scotland.

Sykes completed his BRC Challenge season at the end of last month on the Trackrod Challenge rally. Despite a traumatic first stage in the dark of Dalby forest which saw him lose over 12 minutes to the leaders after first hitting a log and then getting stuck in a ditch Sykes battled back with quick times on the rest of the stages to finish second in class in his Bathams Brewery, G I Sykes Ltd, Boroughbridge Marina and Silverstone Tyres-supported Citroën C2 R2 Max.

“The first stage on the Trackrod was a disaster,” said Sykes. “We were first car on the road and we hit a log that was propping up a direction arrow. The log got wedged under the car and we dragged it down the stage for around four miles. It only got dislodged when we threw the car sideways on a corner.”

“Further on in the stage we went off the road and into a ditch. Fortunately a group of spectators were on hand to extract the car but we lost a lot a time and were right at the back of the leaderboard.”
“I drove as hard as I could for the rest of the event although the exhaust cat had got flattened by the log so the engine was at least 30bhp down on power. I was pleased to still finish runner-up in the class despite our problems although I would’ve liked to end our championship winning season with a another victory.”
After the forests of Yorkshire it is back to tarmac for the Mull Rally, the event being held on the closed public roads of the Isle of Mull. Sykes contested the event in 2010 and did well to finish after an opening stage off. He is hoping for a good result this year.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the 2010 event, the Mull Rally is a huge challenge as most of the competitive mileage is at night. The roads are very narrow and twisty with a lot of jumps to catch out crews. It’s a real achievement to get a finish there and hopefully we will achieve that.”
The Mull Rally starts on Friday night from Tobermory with the crew competing right through to the early hours of Sunday morning.

Stunning Cave dominates rally and takes 2nd in the championship

A scintillating performance on the finale of the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship saw Welsh rally driver Tom Cave triumph over team-mate Osian Pryce on the Rally of Yorkshire. Cave and co-driver Craig Parry set the fastest time on four of the six stages which made up the event and by taking the win, sealed the runners-up spot in the 2012 British Rally Championship.

Cave knew that he had it all to play for on the final round of the series. There were four drivers in the running for the title, including Pryce. However, one, Jonnie Greer, went out of the running early on, when the wheel bolts on his car sheared off in the first stage.

That left Cave, Pryce and double former champion Keith Cronin in the hunt. Cronin had to finish fifth or better to claim the title but that didn't stop Tom dominating the event to begin with. He was fastest on the 16mile Dalby stage on Friday evening in the dark, despite several moments on what he described as very tricky conditions.

He started Saturday in the same vein, taking the win on the first two of the day's five stages, to head the field by five seconds over Pryce by the mid-point. However, there would be late scare for Tom, as he clipped a bank in the penultimate stage and bent the rear suspension beam on his Citroen DS3. Following a short service, where the Davies Motorsport Services technicians carried out running repairs, he dug deep for the final stage, knowing that it all came down to this final timed test.

He went through fastest again and by the end of the event, he and Pryce were tied on identical total stage times, down to the last 0.1 second. However, championship regulations state that in the event of a tie, the best performance on the first stage decides and his win on the opening test clinched the victory for Tom.

While Cronin went on to finish the event a distant third place, he takes the 2012 title for the third time. However, the result means that Tom cements second on the championship in only his first season of contesting the full BRC. He also claims second in the 2012 Citroen Racing Trophy UK as well as winning the Citroen Junior Trophy and with it, €10,000 towards an entry in the Rally du Var in November.

Commenting at the finish, Tom said: "Of course I am delighted to have won the finale of the series, my second win of the year but at the same time, gutted to have missed out on the 2012 BRC title.

"We knew that it would be a big task to take the title - not only did we have to do well but we needed Keith to have a problem and that isn't something that happens very often. I congratulate him on his third BRC title - it's a big achievement.

"We did have a fantastic battle with Osian throughout the event though and when I hit the bank on the fifth stage, I thought it was over for us. But the boys fixed the car up as well as they could - it felt as good as it had all rally - and we gave it everything we had in the last stage; I couldn't believe it when Craig told me we were on the same time.

"For me, second in the BRC and the Citroen Racing Trophy and winning the Citroen Junior Trophy is a good result, particularly in my first full BRC season and the year after I took the BTRDA Production Cup. It's been a tough year but a rewarding one - we have had highs and lows, lost and found sponsors and hopefully demonstrated that we're serious about rallying and getting to the top.

"I have so many people to thank; my late Father, who would have been very proud, my mum and family, Craig, the Davies Motorsport Services team, supporters from the Trefeddian Hotel, HN Nuttal Foods, Cambrian Training in Welshpool and of course, all our fans and followers.

"We're now looking into the Rallye du Var and hopefully, we'll be able to go to France and see how we perform."

Will the pressure cause him to cave in or will it be glory for Tom Cave

                                                            Tom Cave heads for Yorkshire
                                                                    and BRC finale

Hot off the back of a stunning performance on Wales Rally GB, where he finished 14th overall and second in SWRC in the second official PROTON Motorsports Satria Neo S2000, Welsh rally driver Tom Cave heads to Yorkshire next weekend, for the finale of the MSA British Rally Championship. Tom, and co-driver Craig Parry, are currently lying third in the championship and while there are six drivers who can mathematically win the series, two are not competing in Yorkshire, so it will be a four-way fight for the 2012 title.

The favourites are likely to be Tom and former double BRC champion, Keith Cronin. Tom is just four points behind Cronin and with 50% extra points available in Yorkshire and dropped scores coming into play, the possible permutations are huge.

However, from Tom's point of view, he knows that to stand any chance of clinching the 2012 BRC title, he has to put in the performance of his career. He is already riding a wave of confidence, following his Wales Rally GB success, coupled with a win in Thailand with Proton and outright wins on the Coracle Stages and the Mid-Wales rallies earlier this year, in addition to a win in the BRC.

And while it looks like a difficult task to best Cronin, who would appear to only need to finish eighth in Yorkshire to wrap up the title, Tom knows that nothing is decided until the end of the event.

Commenting ahead of the rally, Tom said; "I think Rally Yorkshire will be one of the hardest events of my career. There is so much at stake that getting the right balance on the event will be crucial.

"The obvious strategy might be to push at maximum attack from the off but this could quite easily backfire, as if I fail to finish and the others do well, I could go from second to fourth in the championship.

"However, if I settle in and go for a reasonable result, particularly ahead of Osian [Pryce] and Jonnie [Greer], then that could help cement second in the championship, which wouldn't be a bad result for my first season contesting the full BRC.

"That could also mean second in the Citroen Racing Trophy. However, if I come home as the first driver under 23, I win a significant credit for parts against an entry in the Rallye du Var in France in 2013.

"Of course, aiming for a solid second place could also be rewarding if Keith has a problem, such as another mechanical issue like he had on the Sunseeker. I think the only thing that is certain is that we won't know who's champion until the stop line of the last stage on Saturday."

The event begins with a ceremonial start on the seafront in Scarborough in the evening of Friday 28 September, followed by a single special stage that evening. There then follow a further five stages on Saturday 29 September, run in the infamous Dalby Forest, before the first crews are expected at the finish, again on the seafront that evening.

CRONIN ON TRACK AS THE CITROËN RACING TROPHY UK HEADS FOR THE TRACKROD!

With three overall rally victories this year, two time British Rally Champion Keith Cronin heads into the final International Rally Yorkshire with the Citroën Racing Trophy UK lead. Cronin is on 78 points ahead of Welsh drivers Tom Cave on 69 points and Osian Pryce on 66. Northern Ireland drivers Desi Henry and Johnny Greer are joint fourth with 61 points apiece, with James Grint fifth on 52 and Jarkko Nikara sixth on 34. With a staggering 64,500€ prize fund on offer this season including a Junior prize worth 10,000€ for the first driver under 23 still up for grabs, it’s an important finale on the Trackrod Rally for the DS3 R3 mounted crews.

For Keith Cronin the prospect of a third British Rally Championship title means that he will have to drive an intelligent rally this weekend. The Cork driver’s performances have netted him 21,500€ in prize money to date from the Citroën Racing Trophy. “I think we need at least 5th or higher this weekend, to secure the BRC title. It’s been a good season so far for us and the DS3, for a front wheel drive car, is a very quick machine. The Citroën Racing Trophy prize money has really helped to lighten the load as we don’t have a lot of finance, and with the support and media back up it’s been a great series to compete in. It’ll be a tough weekend, as we cannot afford to let our concentration slip especially as the Citroën Racing Trophy UK title is not assured yet.”

This weekend’s International Rally Yorkshire, sees seven DS3 R3 models line up for the British Rally Championship finale.The Junior prize is a 10,000€ contribution to compete in the Rally Du Var in France, in November, and there is a big fight on for this prize. Tom Cave still has an outside chance of the overall BRC title also. “I think Rally Yorkshire will be one of the hardest events of my career. There is so much at stake that getting the right balance on the event will be crucial. The obvious strategy might be to push at maximum attack from the off but this could quite easily backfire, as if I fail to finish and the others do well, I could go from second to fourth in the championship, but if I settle in and go for a reasonable result, particularly ahead of Osian Pryce and Jonny Greer, then that could help
cement second in the championship, which wouldn't be a bad result for my first season contesting the full BRC. If I come home as the first driver under 23, I win a significant credit for parts against an entry in the Rallye du Var in France.”

Osian Pryce will be another one to beat this weekend, the young Welsh driver finished a fine third on the Ulster International Rally. “We really have to go for it this weekend, and try to finish in front of Keith and Tom if we can. I will have to give it 120%, as the Trophy win itself is still attainable, and of course there is the superb Junior prize. We have done a little bit of testing, a few miles in the dark, and about 30 miles at a charity rally day, so hopefully we will be on good form for the weekend.”

Desi Henry tested his DS3 successfully on last weekend’s Bushwhacker Rally in Northern Ireland, as he gets the feel of the forests again, whilst Jonny Greer is very much looking forward to the Trackrod. “We have a shakedown planned for Thursday to get the feel of the DS3 on gravel again. The Pirelli Rally was our last outing on that surface with the car. There are some very fast corners on this event, so it’s important to get the car set up well for the high speed stuff. Another thing to watch out for is the weather. If the heavy rain persists all week, it will make the stages very slippery. For us there’s no real pressure, just go out and have a good go, as anything can happen on this rally.” James Grint in his AVS
Motorsport DS3 will be another one to watch out for, as James has impressed this season with his transition to the 210 horse power DS3.

Citroën UK holds a commanding lead in the BRC manufacturer’s series going into this final round, with Keith Cronin favourite to take the overall British Rally Championship and the Citroën Racing Trophy UK series. It’s been a memorable season to date for the DS3 crews. The event begins with a ceremonial start on the seafront in Scarborough on Friday with one stage, then five long stages on Saturday using the Dalby forest complex, famous for its long straights and square corners.

STUNNING SHEDDEN SHINES

Gordon Shedden celebrates victory at Rockingham

Jason Plato and Gordon Shedden shared the wins in today’s three exhilarating Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Northamptonshire’s Rockingham circuit. Two of the wins went the way of Scotsman Shedden who has now taken over the championship lead as the title race stays in the county for its penultimate three races of the season at Silverstone in a fortnight (6/7 October). Plato had taken pole position with a new qualifying lap record on Saturday in his MG KX Momentum Racing MG6. He duly went on to dominate today’s first race, held in dry conditions, and set a new race lap record en route. Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan and Honda Yuasa Racing Team star Shedden were second and third in their Honda Civics. But then conditions changed dramatically as heavy rain settled in for the rest of the day, this enabling Shedden and Neal to take a pair of dream 1-2 results for their team in both the second and third races. Plato finished behind them on each occasion in third. As a result Shedden leaves Rockingham with a three-point lead over Neal. Plato is a further 29 behind with a maximum of 134 still available from the season’s final six races – three each at Silverstone in two weeks and Brands Hatch, Kent a fortnight later (Sun 21 Oct). Dalgety Bay’s Shedden, who has now won eight times in 2012, commented: “I’m delighted – it seems ages since we won a race so to score a pair of 1-2s is just great for everyone in our team. The rain certainly helped us today as Jason had been looking very strong if it had stayed dry. Importantly we’ve maintained a decent gap to him as we’re expecting him to have the upper hand at Silverstone.” Worcestershire’s Neal, the reigning Champion who has driven this weekend in pain from a broken hand, said: “I’m just pleased to get through the weekend. Gordon was unstoppable in those conditions but a pair of seconds and a sixth are probably better than I thought was possible. We’re expecting Silverstone to be tough but this really helps thinking ahead to Brands Hatch.” Oxford’s Plato added: “We’ve managed to hold the gap to the Honda drivers, even take a little nibble out of them, at what is one of the strongest circuits for their car so I’m satisfied with that. Silverstone is going to be all-important, though – ultimately I want us to go to the final round so there’s a proper showdown for the people watching.” Meanwhile Honda/Dynamics and the Honda Yuasa Racing Team continue to dominate the Manufacturer/Constructor and outright HiQ Teams championships respectively. Jordan has moved further clear at the top of the Independent Drivers Championship. And his Pirtek Racing squad has also regained the Independent Teams Trophy lead. Elsewhere several drivers were punished by officials for on-track indiscretions today. Race 1: Jeff Smith, fined £500 and three penalty points on his competition licence following an incident with Aron Smith. Race 1: Matt Neal, verbal warning following an incident with Rob Austin. Race 2, Jason Plato, verbal warning for performing practice starts. 2012 Dunlop BTCC Drivers’ Points after Rockingham (round 8 of 10): 1. Gordon Shedden, 336 2. Matt Neal, 333 3. Jason Plato, 304 4. Andrew Jordan, 287 5. Robert Collard, 247 6. Tom Onslow-Cole, 228 Manufacturers/Constructors’ Points: 1. Honda/Dynamics, 767 2. MG/888, 579 HiQ Teams’ Points: 1. Honda Yuasa Racing Team, 644 2. eBay Motors, 490 3. Pirtek Racing, 414 4. Redstone Racing, 374 5. MG KX Momentum Racing, 367 6. Team ES Racing.com, 182 Independent Drivers’ Points: 1. Andrew Jordan, 352 2. Robert Collard, 294 3. Mat Jackson, 285 4. Tom Onslow-Cole, 281 5. Frank Wrathall, 196 6. Nick Foster, 189 Independent Teams’ Points: 1. Pirtek Racing, 385 2. eBay Motors, 377 3. Redstone Racing, 359 4. Team ES Racing.com, 247 5. Dynojet, 125 6. Speedworks Motorsport, 203 *All points remain provisional

LAST GASP POLE POSITION FOR PLATO AT OULTON PARK

 

 

Image shows Jason Plato en route to pole position at Oulton Park

Jason Plato set a qualifying lap record to grab pole position for the first of tomorrow’s three Dunlop MSA British Touring

Car Championship races at the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.

Plato left it right until the end of a highly exciting session to post a best time of 1m26.872s in his KX Momentum Racing MG6 and pip arch rival Matt Neal to pole by just 0.077s. Neal’s time of 1m26.949s in his Honda Yuasa Racing Team Civic was also beneath the old record.

So too were the times set by Robert Collard, third in his eBay Motors BMW and Andrew Jordan, fourth in his Pirtek Racing Honda Civic.

Significantly, all these times were set in less than ideal track conditions with a number of damp patches still on the circuit. Furthermore, championship leader Plato’s time was set in a car carrying the maximum 45kgs of success ballast.

The former double Champion from Oxford commented: “I put the team under a bit of pressure in that session – I ran wide at Lodge corner on my first run and on my second was off the track and through the puddles at Cascades. It all came down to that final run – Matt had just set a very good time but we thought it still might just be possible so it was all or nothing on that last lap.”

Worcestershire’s Neal, the reigning Champion, added: “I was on track at the end and I knew Jason was as well – I was sure he had something up his sleeve and suddenly the team started telling me over the radio he was setting best sector times. I was warming up a new set of tyres for what was going to be my final run but couldn’t get across the line in time to respond.”

And said Hampshire’s Collard: “I’m very happy with third. All I need now is one of my demon starts tomorrow but it’s a very narrow circuit at Oulton – I went from fifth to first at Donington Park but whether I can squeeze between Jason and Matt at the start here… I think that gap might close very quickly.”

Neal’s team-mate Gordon Shedden was fifth fastest while, just a few places behind, Daniel Welch qualified a career-best eighth in his Welch Motorsport Proton Persona.

Tomorrow’s three BTCC races at Oulton Park will be shown on ITV4, ITV4 HD and www.itv.com in two shows – live from 11.30am-4.00pm and then highlights from 8.00pm-10.00pm..

Leading Qualifying Times, Dunlop BTCC, Oulton Park, Sat 9 June
1. Jason Plato (GBR), MG KX Momentum Racing/MG6, 1m26.872s
2. Matt Neal (GBR), Honda Yuasa Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.077s
3. Robert Collard (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +0.117s
4. Andrew Jordan (GBR), Pirtek Racing/Honda Civic, +0.179s
5. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Honda Yuasa Racing Team/Honda Civic, +0.585s
6. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), eBay Motors/BMW 320si, +0.631s
7. Frank Wrathall (GBR), Dynojet/Toyota Avensis, +0.787s
8. Daniel Welch (GBR), Welch Motorsport/Proton Persona, +1.042s
9. Dave Newsham (GBR), ES Racing.com/Vauxhall Vectra, +1.097s
10. Mat Jackson (GBR), Redstone Racing/Ford Focus ST, +1.161s

Second on Jim Clark boosts Tom Cave back to head BRC standings

A storming second place on this weekend's Jim Clark Rally, the fourth round of the MSA British Rally Championship, by Tom Cave and co-driver Craig Parry saw Cave retake the lead of the championship overall, tying with fellow Welshman Elfyn Evans at the head of the tables.

The Jim Clark Rally is unique on the UK mainland - it is the only event using closed public roads and the tarmac stages have a fierce reputation.

The event began with two runs around the famous Duns town centre stage and Cave took these very easy, acutely aware that while there was little to be gained on the two 1.2mile stages, there was plenty of opportunity to lose time and a good result. A spin on the first of the two for Tom cost him around 10 seconds and he took the second run easy to prevent any more mistakes.

On paper, it looked as though they had taken it too easy, lying 16th overall as the crews headed towards the first of Saturday's eight stages. However, the balance was soon redressed, as Tom and Craig went third fastest on the next two stages, followed by a second-fastest and eventually, a stage win on the last of the morning's four stages, to arrive at the mid-day service in second place overall.

They took the stage win on the first of the afternoon's stages also, a repeat of the morning's win and claimed second-fastest to former double BRC Champion Keith Cronin on the remainder of the day's stages, to reach the end of the first day in a strong second place, a minute adrift of Cronin but more importantly, more than a minute ahead of Jonathan Greer in third.

Tom and Craig began Sunday as they meant to go on, claiming the stage win on the opening test before being caught out by unexpected rain on the second of the day. However, Cronin lost even more time, putting him a tantalising 32 seconds in front of Tom.

With three stages to go, Tom decided to push to try to catch Cronin and overhaul him for the win. However, on the first of the day's last loop of three stages, Tom was again hampered by rain, which started to fall as he started the stage. Because he was on hard tyres, against Cronin's softs and the latter on dry roads, he could not close the gap, losing time on the first four miles of the stage, unable to get heat into the tyres.

With two stages to go, Tom and Craig decided to safeguard the result and ensure that they claimed the best possible points haul without taking any risks. Therefore, they reduced their pace for the last two tests and arrived at the event finish in Duns in second place. As a result, they now share the lead of the BRC tables after four rounds with Elfyn Evans, one of Tom's long-time friends.

Commenting, Tom said: "It was a hard weekend but a very good result for the championship. I'm really glad that we managed to climb back up to the top of the championship leaderboard after a good rally - everything seemed to click and while it looked like we might be able to be closer to Keith, a couple of bouts of rain meant we couldn't.

"We had a small spin on the opening stage so I made sure that we had a clean rally after that and didn't make any mistakes - if you lose time, it would be very hard to make it back up again. Saturday went very well for us - we were consistently quick and that was just what I wanted to achieve.

Tom Cave heads north for round four of BRC

Young rally driver Tom Cave heads north of the border this weekend, to contest the Jim Clark Rally, round four of the 2012 British Rally Championship. The 20 year-old will be buoyed by his recent performance on the Carlow stages in Ireland, where he finished 10th overall, first in class and first front wheel-drive car but in contrast, is still mourning the sad demise of his father just two weeks ago.

This will be Tom's third time on the Jim Clark, having competed in his Group N Fiesta and last year, in the Group N Mitsubishi Lancer. However, the event has gained an extra day for 2012, with just two stages around the centre of Duns on Friday night and a further two full days of competition on the tight and twisty asphalt roads around the birthplace of motorsport legend and event namesake, Jim Clark.

The Jim Clark is the first of two tarmac rounds in the series and Tom contested the recent Carlow Stages rally in Ireland in preparation, after the three gravel rallies that opened the series.

Despite a huge field including numerous high-specification Ford Escorts and several World Rally Cars, Tom and co-driver Craig Parry finished the event in 10th place overall, first in class and the first front wheel-drive car, a remarkable achievement against fierce competition. And while the Carlow gave invaluable tarmac experience, Tom is under no illusions that this weekend's event will be a walk in the park.

Commenting, he said; "It's been a tough few weeks and it's hard to describe how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm still a bit numb after Dad died but I need to focus on this event and try to ensure that we get a reasonable result to keep the championship going.

"I think the key this weekend will be to drive my own rally, try to find a rhythm and pace that I'm comfortable with and enjoy the event. Hopefully if I can do this, then the result will come. I don't want to put myself under too much pressure, as I'll just set myself up for a fall.

"We're still second on the championship so ideally, a podium would be good to try to keep towards the top of the tables. But it won't be easy; it's a very competitive event and there will be some very quick drivers out, like Elfyn [Evans], Keith [Cronin], Mark [Donnelly] and Jarkko [Nikara].

"I've done the rally twice before but don't have a huge amount of experience of the stages, so Craig and I will be spending some time ahead of the event reviewing our notes from the previous years and working on systems ahead of this weekend.

"The event is also longer than last year - there are just two stages on Friday compared with six last year then 90 miles on Saturday and another 40 on Sunday, so it will be a tough event but I just want to enjoy it without putting myself under too much pressure."

The rally begins with two runs around the centre of Duns, Jim Clark's birthplace on Friday evening before seven stages on Saturday and five on Sunday. The first crews are expected to reach the finish ramp at 14.40 on Sunday.

Shelsley Walsh starts season in style

Aylesbury driver Trevor Willis was the clear winner in both rounds of the Midland Hill Climb Championship at Shelsley Walsh on 6^th May.

Driving his V8 powered OMS 25, Trevor recorded times of 24.16 and 23.85 with two scintillating drives – taking less that two seconds for the first 64 feet and reaching the Bottom Ess at a speed of 130mph – beating Derek Young with his 4-litre Gould GR51 into second place, followed by Will Hall in the new V6 Force in third place, on both runs.

Several ‘new faces’ also made the run-offs, with current ladies hill record hold Sue Young joining her husband to qualify in their shared Gould, with Lyn Owen, wife of car constructor Steve Owen, also making the run-off in their OMS 25, as did Howard Savage-Jones in his beautifully sculptured Lola V8.

Will Hall of Halesowen, had mixed fortunes in his V6 Force, having to make a trip to constructor Ian Dayson at Rugeley for emergency repairs to the rear of the car on Saturday evening, before ably proving the potential of the new car in timed competition on Sunday.

Simon Fidoe of Fernhill Heath faired less well, having to retire his 1,000cc Empire racing car after suspension failure on Sunday morning.

The new spectator platform created over the winter months at Kennel Bend proved very popular throughout the weekend, giving visitors a splendid new view of the wide variety of sports, saloons and racing cars leaving the start line.

Guests for the weekend included a small number of drivers of the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club, which is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year.

Debut driver Tracey Cameron, from Malvern, overcame early nerves in her 600cc Honda powered Nemisis racing car to hit her target of beating 40 seconds at Shelsley Walsh, and did so by managing a 39 seconds run in practice and then a superb run of 35 seconds on Sunday.

The Paul Matty Sports Cars Lotus Championship was well supported with over 20 cars from 1960s racers up to modern day Elise variants taking part and their ‘boisterous’ prizegiving ceremony was taking place in fine humour on the terrace in the late afternoon sunshine, while the other competitors were packing up after a very successful weekend.

The next meeting at Shelsley Walsh is a round of The British Hill Climb Championship on the 2^nd and 3^rd of June.

The highlight of the weekend will be the BRM celebrations with the P25 that won BRM’s first World Championship Grand Prix at Zandvoort in 1959, Richard Attwood’s P261, and the BRM FF built by Roy Lane already confirmed. Notable BRM personnel will also be present throughout the weekend with BRM designer Tony Southgate and Team Manager Tim Parnell.

To buy tickets or find further information, visit www.shelsley-walsh.co.uk

Sykes endures disappointing Pirelli Rally

 Sykes in action on the Pirelli before technical problems
Photo : Songasport

Rally driver Richard Sykes had a disappointing Pirelli Challenge rally last weekend when a mystery electrical problem caused him to retire from the event.

The Carlisle-based event was round 3 of the BRC Challenge championship and after excellent performances in his Bathams Brewery, G I Sykes Ltd, Boroughbridge Marina and Silverstone Tyres-supported Citroën C2 R2 Max on the opening two rounds Sykes went into the event at the head of the championship leaderboard.

The rally started well and going into the third stage Sykes was just six seconds behind rally leader Simon Moore despite not pushing hard as his target for the event was a podium finish rather than a win.

Part way through the third stage the car suffered an electrical problem which meant it had very little power as the engine would not rev above 1500rpm. Sykes and co-driver Simon Taylor carried on through the stage hoping to nurse the car to the end but there was a steep hill near the finish and the car did not have enough power to get up it. Despite frantic attempts to repair the car the event was over for the Stourbridge driver.
 
“Everything was going to plan, we were aiming for a podium finish so to be in second place early on was ideal,” commented Sykes. “Sadly the mysterious electrical fault ended our hopes. I tried changing various items on the car at the side of the stage but I couldn’t cure it.”

“It’s very disappointing as we’d prepared for the Pirelli more than any other rally we’ve done – I didn’t drink in the week before the event and I’d even been to the gym three times. The only positive thing is that the guys who took the podium places have already had retirements on the previous events so we’re still in a good position for the championship, especially as the next three rounds are on my preferred surface of tarmac.”

“Thanks to my service crew who have put heart and soul into the car for the last four weeks and were more gutted than we were at the retirement. We’ll get the little glitches sorted and move forward.”

Sykes’ next event will be the Jim Clark Challenge rally which takes place at the start of June.

Pirelli Perfection for Cotton

This photo may have been taken at the Pirelli International Rally
Photo by Fiesta Sporting Trophy

British Rally Championship star Matt Cotton banished the memories of his 2008 crash when he finished a creditable 13^th overall and 2^nd in class on last weekend’s Pirelli International Rally. Partnered by co-driver Glyn Thomas, the rapid Cornishman from St Teath endured a hard fought battle with AVS Motorsport team mate Gethin Jones throughout the 96 competitive stage miles in Cumbria to lose out on a win by a scant 8.1 seconds at the finish.

Some of the world’s top drivers converged on Carlisle City Centre to kick off the event on Friday night as the International competitors headed towards the first 2 stages of the event which would be held under the cover of darkness. Crews would face a tough test within the ‘killer’ Kielder Forest complex - so called due to its notorious roads, deep ditches and unforgiving nature, meaning there would be no room for error without a substantial penalty.

Having finished second best on the first two rounds of the series so far, Cotton was conscious that a ‘flat out’ approach to the event would be the only course of action if he was to stay in with a chance to fight for championship honours. Taking the first stage win on Friday night was an important boost to his confidence as he dropped behind rival Jones on the second loop to ensure he was behind him on the road for the Saturday contest. “I’m pleased with our speed straight out of the box tonight” said Matt as he headed to the overnight halt. “We set some good times even though my style was a little too sideways for these stages. I’ll need to settle into a tidier rhythm tomorrow”.

The first stage on Saturday would prove to be the decider for the event as Cotton lost 17 seconds on the slippery Bewshaugh stage and would now need to push as hard as possible if he was to regain the lead by the time the crews headed back to Carlisle Racecourse for the finish ceremony. Responding to the deficit, Cotton set about trying to overhaul Jones and taking many stage wins throughout the remaining competitive miles. But despite his best efforts, the South West pairing crossed the finish ramp in second place by just 8.1 seconds. “It’s been an amazing battle all day long and we were trading times with Gethin throughout the event” said Glyn at the finish. I’m really pleased by our performance this weekend especially considering Matt ended this rally in 2008 upside down in a ditch! It’s clear to see we have improved on every event this season and are looking forward to the sealed surface of the Jim Clark Rally in a few weeks time”.

Matt Cotton and Glyn Thomas hard at work on the stages
Photo : Fiesta Sporting Trophy

This encouraging finish boosts Matt and Glyn to 3^rd overall in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy which is run by the Ford World Rally Championship organisation, M-Sport. This result is even more worthy as other contenders in the series pilot the far more powerful R2 category cars. They also lie in 14^th place in the British Rally Championship and 2^nd in class 8.

The Jim Clark International Rally is the next round on the calendar and takes crews to the first tarmac round of the series on 1^st – 3^rd June in the Scottish Border towns of Kelso and Duns.

Keep up to date with Matt’s progress both on and off the stages by visiting www.mattcottonrallying.co.uk, following us on Twitter (@mattcottonrally), or finding us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/mattcottonrally)

Cronin wins Pirelli International Rally

This is the 300th Post on www.overdrive-uk.com!

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Keith Cronin picks up his cheque

Round three of the MSA British Rally Championship, the Pirelli International Rally based in Carlisle, started on Friday night with two stages in the infamous Kielder forest complex. It was Jarkko Nikara who set the early pace in his Citroën DS3 R3, holding the overnight lead from an inspired Elfyn Evans in his R2 class Fiesta. Keith Cronin and Marshall Clarke however were just 0.8 seconds behind Elfyn, and contesting their first stages in their brand new Autosport Technology built DS3.

Early dramas were already in store however, and Bulldog Rally winner Tom Cave was back in his own DS3, but lacking confidence in his settings on the loose tracks. He was back in ninth place, but team-mate Osian Pryce suffered a spin on stage one, and a loose turbo pipe on stage 2. Worse was to come however as Osian retired with fuel problems on stage 4. Carryduff’s Jonny Greer limped to the end of stage one with a puncture losing vital seconds, but he gradually speeded up as he softened the suspension of his DS3 on day two and eventually finished tenth overall. Fellow Northern Ireland driver Desi Henry was also suffering, with a gearbox mounting breaking on stage one, causing them to tackle stage two stuck in third gear. More time loss followed on day two with a coil failure and a puncture on stage 14, costing minutes and their 16^th place finish didn’t reflect their efforts on the stages when things were going well. Desi is still honing his gravel skills event by event, and despite the issues left the event happy that he had made some improvements on that front. He also has the consolation of leading the Citroën Racing Trophy UK after three rounds. The drama continued on the Pirelli Rally as James Grint, slid wide and was stuck for seven minutes. James and co-driver Phil Clarke had to round up some spectators to get the car off the ditch and eventually ended the event in 18^th place.

The battle at the front however was set to escalate as Keith Cronin mounted an early morning charge. “It took me a while to settle in with the new car on the first night,” commented Keith. “The team did a great job to get the car ready and although we completed the shake-down, it wasn’t really representative of the stages ahead, so I was still adjusting the suspension a lot during the weekend. There was a lot of loose gravel on the top of the roads, so the cars were sliding a lot.” On the day’s opener he climbed ahead of Nikara, but the lead was to change again on stage 5, Keith suffered a deflating tyre and the ever sideways Nikara nipped ahead. However by the lunch time service halt it was Cronin who was back in the lead by just 1.5 seconds. In third place now was Mark Donnelly, the first round winner in his Clio R3, but Mark was happy to maintain that place, as the Renault was suffering a leaking shock absorber. Previous round winner Tom Cave just couldn’t get into the groove on the event, and ended the rally in 9^th, but the race for victory was on as 8.2 seconds separated Cronin and Nikara going into the final stage.

Keith Cronin in action on the Pirelli Rally

In the end gear selection problems blunted Jarkko’s Nikara’s attack for victory on the final 11.5 mile stage, but for Keith Cronin it was his second victory on the Pirelli International Rally, although last time he had the luxury of four wheel drive. “I am getting used to front wheel drive better now,” claims Keith. “I feel my driving is a lot better through the fast stuff and it was a great race this weekend with Jarkko. The team have done a great job with both cars this weekend, and to win the €6000 Citroën Racing Trophy prize money is a massive bonus for our budget.”

Results Pirelli Rally 2012- Round Three MSA British Rally Championship

1 Keith Cronin/Marshall Clarke Citroën DS3 1hr29min51.3s
2 Jarkko Nikara/ Petri Nikara Citroën DS3 +17.2s
3 Mark Donnelly/Dai Roberts Renault Clio +1min50.9s

4 Elfyn Evans/ Phil Pugh Ford Fiesta +2min41.3s
5 Peter Taylor/ Andrew Roughead Renault Clio +2min47.4s

Manufacturer Standings after Round Three

1 Citroën UK 109 points
2 Renault UK 91 points
3 Ford Motor Co 88 points

Citroen Racing Trophy UK Drivers Points after Round Three

1 Desi Henry 47 points
2 Keith Cronin 38
3 Tom Cave 36
4 Jarkko Nikara 34

5 Osian Pryce 33
6 Johnny Greer 29
7 James Grint 25

Tom Cave takes success on the Pirelli Rally

Tom Cave, back in his usual white R3, finished 9th on the Pirelli International

A determined performance by 20 year-old rally driver Tom Cave saw a useful haul of points for the MSA British Rally Championship on this weekend's Pirelli International Rally, despite the Welshman not finding a set-up for his Citroen DS3 R3 which allowed him to confidently attack the stages in the fabled Kielder forest. He and co-driver Craig Parry eventually finished the event ninth overall, fifth in Class 5 and claimed ten points for the championship in the process.

Tom was understandably bullish approaching the event, following a dominant win on the previous round, the Bulldog Rally. A short pre-event test gave what he and the Tom Cave Racing team thought would be a good wet set-up for the Pirelli but as it transpired, this was not the case.

The event began with two stages run on Friday evening and immediately, the Citroen was showing excessive oversteer and with it, a lack of confidence for Tom. He made several changes to the settings for the first loop of stages on Saturday morning but again, these did nothing to improve the car's stability and as a result, his confidence.

Further changes were made in consolation with the attending Citroen engineers but again, these were ineffective and the car remained extremely nervous on the long, fast straights that made up many of the stages. The net result was that Tom simply had no confidence in the car and was unable to push for a better result.

By the mid-point of the day, he and Craig decided that discretion was definitely the better part of valour and they adopted a pace that would see them to the finish of the event, without pushing to claim a better position and risk throwing a useful points tally away.

Commenting after the event, Tom said: "It was a very disappointing and frustrating day. We just couldn't get the right set-up that would give me any confidence in the car whatsoever and allow me to push.

"The car itself ran faultlessly, we just couldn't get it set up right. It started with too much oversteer on Friday and was incredibly nervous and unstable on the higher speed sections. And in Kielder, that's the last thing you want. We tried various options, including those suggested by the Citroen engineers at the event but it just wasn't happening.

"I couldn't get my head round what the issue was and as a result, had no confidence in the car and knew that if I tried to push, it would have gone wrong in a major way."

Tom's next potential event is the Jim Clark Rally, the fourth round of the BRC, pending securing financial support. However, he clearly understands that in order to succeed, he needs more seat time in the car and is considering using the prize money from his win on the Bulldog and from the Pirelli to contest an event in Ireland as a pre-event warm-up for the Jim Clark and potentially, the Ulster Rally in August.

"It's clear from this event and the Bulldog that when everything gels and works together, then the speed and potential results are there," he said. "However, we can't be at the front unless this is the case. I think that if we had a good set-up with the car this weekend, then we could have done better but there's little point in focussing on 'What ifs'.

"What is obvious is that we need to up the game if we're going to succeed in the BRC. I'm just glad that we stuck with it this weekend and managed to get enough points to stay towards the front of the championship."

Tom is now second in the overall championship standings.

Tom is considering the feasibility of contesting the Carlow Stages in Ireland on the 13 May, having been unable to get an entry on this year's Isle of Man Rally, as the entry list is full.

Donnelly and Roberts lead Renault's Pirelli International attempt

Renault's R3 Rally car... Mud Optional.

Northern Ireland’s Mark Donnelly and Welsh co-driver Dai Roberts lead Renault UK’s assault on the MSA British Manufacturers Rally Championship on this weekend’s Pirelli International Rally.

Undeterred after a high speed crash in Wales and after a huge effort by his team to repair the car, the youngster will pilot his 250HP Clio Renaultsport R3 in an attempt to emulate his stunning first round victory on February’s Rallye Sunseeker International. However, Renault’s second position in the manufacturers’ tables is not just down to one driver, as the top two cars from each of the registered marques score on every event.

It was Cumbria’s Peter Taylor, accompanied by Newcastle’s Andrew Roughead, who bagged top Renault UK points in Wales, having ably assisted Donnelly to put Renault atop the tables in Bournemouth. The affable 20 year-old should arguably arrive at the Carlisle start most refreshed, living just ten miles from the Carlisle Racecourse rally HQ.

Nick Allen could argue that he has travelled the furthest to contest the infamous Kielder Forest stages, although it has been several months since the Californian left San Francisco to take part in the 2012 British Rally Championship. Now living in the north east of England, it was he and Solihull’s Andy Bull who helped keep Renault UK’s manufacturer title hopes alive, second Renault home on round two of the BRC.

Driving a brace of Twingos, Chris Ingram and Garry Pearson might be fighting for their respective R2 and R1 Twingo Trophies, but they are keen to be involved in the fight for Manufacturers’ honours and will push as hard as they dare this weekend.

The Pirelli International Rally gets underway with a parade of cars in Carlisle City Centre this Friday (27^th April) from 5pm. Drivers will be on hand from 6pm to sign autographs and the flag drops from 7pm before two evening forest stages. The bulk of the mileage takes place on Saturday, finishing around 7pm back at the rally’s headquarters at Carlisle Racecourse.

Keep up to date with rallying from Renault UK and the Twingo Renaultsport Trophy UK at www.renaultsport.co.uk

Sponsor issues for Tom Cave

Tom Cave in action on the Bulldog Rally, but could Sponsor issues force the championship leader out of the competition?

The current leader of the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship, Tom Cave, is heading for the third round of the series, the Pirelli International Rally in a bullish mood after his first international rally win on the previous round. And he is refusing to allow the loss of a major sponsor to affect his plans for the event, even though the rest of his season now hangs in the balance. Following on from his exceptional performance on the Bulldog Rally in a rented car, Tom and the Davies Motorsport Services team have rebuilt his Citroen DS3 R3, which was damaged and thought written-off following component failure on its first test last month. A steering component broke after a small jump and the car came to rest submerged in a pond at the Sweet Lamb venue in Wales. However, after it was confirmed that the initial offer to cover the costs of the rebuild had been withdrawn, Tom and DMS were delighted to find that the damage was not as bad as first thought. Once the car had been dried out and the centre control unit within the cockpit changed, the engine fired first time and the major systems appeared undamaged. The only other component which required changing was the radiator and the car was ready for a shakedown test using parts which formed the included spares package. A short test demonstrated that the DS3 was back to form and Tom is now looking forward to another pre-event test where he hopes rain will feature, so that he can develop a wet weather set-up for the car, since he is happy with the dry settings he developed for the Bulldog. However, he suffered another blow when his major sponsor confirmed it would not be able to continue to support his 2012 BRC campaign. While Tom has sufficient funds for the Pirelli International, he finds himself in the unenviable situation that without securing additional support, his season may well be over halfway through and potentially, with him leading one of the world's most prominent national rally championships. Commenting, Tom said; "I and the DMS team were so pleased when the engine fired up for the first time and we realised that it was OK. We'd spent a fair bit of time to get to that point and frankly, if the engine needed rebuilding, I think that would have been the end of the season. But it didn't and we had a short shakedown test yesterday [Wednesday] to make sure the car worked. "We've now got a proper pre-event test at the Higgins facility in Wales before we head north for the Pirelli. I really hope the weather is wet, as I need to get a good wet set-up of the car. I'm really happy with the dry one we have, from the Bulldog but if the conditions are typical Pirelli, then I'll need that information.  "I think the goal for the Pirelli is a podium finish - if we finish in the top three, then hopefully we'll maintain the lead in the championship. But of course, after the Bulldog, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't aiming for another win. Everything seemed to come together on my 'home' round and the result showed what I have felt for a while - when we manage to shake off the bad luck, we can get a good result.  "Of course, it's entirely possible that the Pirelli could be our last event in the BRC this year. Our main sponsor isn't able to continue with us, which is a real shame. I can just about fund the Pirelli myself but after that, the cupboard is bare, so to speak. We're in discussions with several possible sponsors at the moment but without support, I don't think we'll be able to do the Jim Clark, let alone the rest of the championship.  "With all the bad luck we've had over the last couple of years, it's unbelievably ironic that this happens when we're leading the British Rally Championship! But we'll carry on as best we can." The two-day event is based at Carlisle Racecourse and features two stages run on the evening of Friday 27 April with a further ten stages on Saturday 28 April. The first crews are expected at the finish at 7pm.