t 201 6 - btrda rally · the lancer evox of sacha kakad/james aldridge w as less than a minute...
TRANSCRIPT
CHAMPIONSHIP NEWSLETTER No.5 – 2016
PLAINS RALLY
RAVENOL BTRDA GOLD STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP
SWIFT BY NAME!...
Julian Reynolds made a successful return to the RAVENOL
BTRDA Gold Star® Rally Championship on the Plains Rally,
taking maximum points in his Swift Group-sponsored Ford
Focus WRC. With Patrick Walsh ensconced in the co-
dri er s seat a d o o l his se o d ru i the ar, Reynolds held 2
nd place to Tom Cave all day and was the
only driver, other than the eventual winner, to post an
FTD on any of the seven stages.
Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh – Ford Focus WRC – 1
st Gold Star Championship
Knutsford & District Motor Club Ltd were promoting their
50th
Plains Rally and, from its Welshpool base, the route
took over 140 crews to such classic locations as Dyfi,
Gartheiniog and Pantperthog. Behind Reynolds, Luke
Francis/John H Roberts (Lancer EVO9) continued their run
of good fortune to take 3rd
and now have two maximums
and a second from their three finishes to date. Stephen
Petch/Michael Wilkinson put in their best performance of
the season so far, bringing their Fiesta R5+ home in 4th
place overall, slipping in front of the former owner of
‘e olds Fo us, Charlie Pa e, o the fi al stage. Partnered, as usual, by Carl Williamson, Payne admitted
that he as ot at his est o the da , ut ould t put his lack of pace down to anything in particular.
Nevertheless, the pair have done more than enough to
lead the Gold Star points table at the halfway stage.
In spite of choosing too soft a compound tyres for the
first couple of stages, Steve Simpson/ Mark Glennerster
(Fiesta S2000) went on to finish 6th
and, in the process,
also posted one of their best results on gravel to date.
Top Ten finishes for Karl and Guy Simmons (Impreza),
Rory Young (Fiesta R5) and Wayne Sisson/Neil Shanks
(Lancer EVOX) all brought with them respectable
additions to their respective points tallies. Tying on times
with Sisson/Shanks but losing out on the tie-break (and a
Top Ten place!), Dylan Davies/Llion Williams at last
brought their Impreza, which was a model of reliability
throughout last season, to the finish of a 2016 BTRDA
round.
We a t fi ish a rou d-up of the Gold Star contenders
without mentioning David Wright/Steve Pugh who were
heading for a fine 6th
in their Focus WRC before an
unfortunate timing error dropped them way down the
order. Before anyone passes comment, just remember
let he ho is ithout si et et ! ..... Unusually, all the Top Twenty starters on the Plains
survived the rigours of the day, which will be of no
consolation whatsoever to the crew of Car 22, Ieuan
Rowlands/Emyr Hall, but more of them anon....
Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson – Fiesta R5+ - 3
rd Gold Star Championship
BTRDA PRODUCTION CUP and FIESTA ST TROPHY
DAVIES P‘ODUCTION CUP RUNNETH OVER!...
Twelve months on from making his stage debut on the
2015 Plains Rally, Andy Davies and co-driver Max
Freeman (Subaru Impreza) returned to become the third
different winners of the BTRDA Production Cup® in the
four rounds so far. Starting at Car 26, they were 7th
fastest
on SS1 to put themselves into a category lead they held
on to for the rest of the day. Having dropped to 8th
for a
hile, the ere to e efit fro Da id Wright s pro le and finished the day where they started - 7
th and category
winners.
Andy Davies/Max Freeman- Subaru Impreza – 1st Production Cup
The Lancer EVOX of Sacha Kakad/James Aldridge was less
than a minute behind them, while Russ Thompson/Andy
Murphy (Lancer EVO9) were third on this occasion but,
more importantly, maintain the series lead at half-time!
In BTRDA terms, Daniel Moss/Sam Allen were next in
their Lancer EVO9, with the first of the Fiesta STs not far
behind.
It s orth of ote that all eight Fiestas that started the Plains Rally were classified as finishers and, from them,
Cameron Davies/Lee Taylor took maximum points for the
third event running. George Lepley/Arwel Jenkins were
next in both Fiesta and Production Cup terms, but
consistency keeps Sam Bilham/Richard Crozier at the top
of the Fiesta ST table, from Davies/Taylor and
Lepley/Jenkins.
Sam Bilham/Richard Crozier – leaders Fiesta ST Trophy
RAVENOL BTRDA SILVER STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP
BOYD BUOYED BY ANOTHER MAXIMUM!
Boyd Kershaw/Bryan Hull have made no secret of the fact
that they are after back-to-back RAVENOL BTRDA Silver
Star® Rally Championship titles! Having been forced to
iss the ope i g rou d, the ha e ee o a i u attack ever since - they succeeded on the Malcolm
Wilson, had to give best to series leaders Gavin
Edwards/Caron Tomlinson in Somerset and then, back in
Wales for the Plains, were plagued by a brace of
Rowlands - Blaenau Ffestiniog brothers Ieuan and John in
their respective Escorts!
Ieuan and co-driver Emyr Hall shot off into the distance
on the opening stage of the Plains, but their participation
was to end abruptly on SS3 when, as a result of sheared
studs, a front wheel was able to make a gallant - and
successful! - bid for freedom. That left Kershaw/Hull with
the surviving member of the Rowlands family, John, and
co-driver Glenn Latham breathing down their necks. It
as er u h a ase of ip-and-tu k for the rest of the day with both crews taking turns to narrow or widen the
gap. By the time they arrived back in Welshpool, Kershaw
was a mere three seconds to the good - enough to
elevate himself and Hull up to 2nd
in the table with a score
in hand over their rivals....
Boyd Kershaw/Bryan Hull – Ford Escort MkII – 1
st Silver Star
Rowlands/Latham were second on the day, while newly
registered, Rudi Lancaster s us seaso o ti ued ith 3
rd place and an Historic class win - that s the ar, ou
understand, not the driver! However, a class H1 win and
4th
Historic Cup finisher for Robin Shuttleworth/ Ronald
Roughead keeps them firmly in the overall lead of the
Historic Cup at this stage. In spite of a misfiring Escort,
Ed ards/To li so s fourth o se uti e fi ish keeps
them in the Silver Star lead, but not so lucky were Phil
Burton/Mal Capstick whose hopes of maintaining a
similar record were dashed by an off o the pe ulti ate stage which was caught on camera. (See TV coverage)
Ashley Davies/Sam Fordham also have an enviable
finishing record, not to mention a class win on the Plains
ut, as far as the poi ts are o er ed, it s urre tl Cameron Da ies Fiesta that is reaki g the Es ort monopoly of the category!
THOMAS PANELS BTRDA 1400® CHAMPIONSHIP
WILLIAMS TAKES HIS TURN!...
Whilst it is without doubt frustrating for those involved,
fro a o looker s poi t of ie , four differe t i ers from the first four rounds of the Thomas Panels BTRDA
1400 Championship do add a certain amount of spice to
the proceedings! On the one hand, no-one has yet
grasped the series by the scruff of the neck but, on the
other, it s alread o ious that there are a number of
crews perfectly capable of winning at this level and, as the
seaso progresses, it ll e i teresti g to see ho is a le to
capitalise on their strengths!
Not only taking a maximum on the Plains, but also posting
their first result of the season, James Williams/Paul
Wakely brought their Ford Ka home ahead of a mightily
relieved Chris Powell/Jim Lewis whose recalcitrant Talbot
Sunbeam had let them down on its three previous
outings!
James Williams/Paul Wakely - Ford Ka – 1st 1400 championship
From a different perspective, Wayne and Huw Lewis took
their first points of the season in 3rd
but, in this instance,
the Plains was the first event their Nova had done.
Carl Da ies Mi ra posted its fourth fi ish to ai tai top
spot, ahead of the similar car of Richard Garnett/Rob
Gilham, while yet another Nissan in the hands of Neil
Andrew/Dom Adams is 3rd
. Jordan and Paul Ho e s earl domination of the series received a setback when their
Satria retired after four of the seven stages.
VITAL EQUIPMENT RALLY FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
RETALLICKS RETALIATE!....
Emily and Eliot Retallick took their Peugeot 205XS to its
first outright win in the Vital Equipment Rally First
Championship on the Plains.
Emily and Eliot Retallick – Peugeot 205XS – 1st Rally First
Photograph courtesy of Steve Gregg
They beat series leaders Dominic Hodge/Stefan Arndt
(Micra) by 20seconds to take a class win and move to
within a couple of points of first place. For their part,
following a DNF in Somerset, Hodge/Arndt were pleased
to see the finish in Welshpool and retaining top spot was
a bonus!
Richard Wells/Calvin Houldsworth (1.6 VW Polo) also won
their class, as did Thomas Bayliss in his Micra - no doubt
the Newtown driver will be dining out on his success
which warranted a photo of his car above the results
panel in the Motorsport News report of the event!
Once again, the Vital Equipment series is there for the
taking - four rounds down, four to go and the title could
go any one of half a dozen different ways!
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
A full list of the Ravenol BTRDA Rally Series points can be
found in the Competitor section of www.btrdarally.com .
These points will become final in 7 days.
MINTEX / QUESTMEAD BONUS SCHEME
The winners of the Mintex Awards on the Plains Rally,
each of whom receive a FREE set of competition brake
pads from Questmead Ltd, were: -
Best Improvement on Start Number in Gold Star /Silver
Star: Guy Butler (again) Ford Fiesta (B10)
Best Improvement on Start Number in 1400/Rally First:
Tom Williams Fiesta R1 (RF1.6)
Steve or Alan Brown from Questmead can be found in the
Service Area at most events. To claim your reward, please
contact them in advance on 01706 363939.
HYUNDAI GENPOWER Awards 2016
Hyundai Genpower are offering £300 worth of vouchers
for Hyundai generators or pressure washers on each
event. At the Plains Rally it was for competitors in the
Vital Equipment BTRDA Rally First and the winners are: -
Emily Retallick £150, Dominic Hodge £100 and Richard
Wells £50. On the Carlisle Stages it will be the turn of
competitors in the BTRDA Production Cup.
Although not part of the Plains Rally for obvious
geographical reasons, the next round will be the Carlisle
Stages on Saturday 11th June. After the first two rounds
just 10 points covers the ten leading drivers with James
Hutchings (Vauxhall Nova) and Cameron Davies (Fiesta
ST) as joint leaders. Meanwhile Cameron Davies and
Freddy Brick are tied at the head of the Junior Drivers
table. A full list of all the Championship points are
published in the Competitors section of the
Championship website www.englishrally.co.uk
BTRDA RALLY CHALLENGE
After finishing both the Somerset Stages and the Manx
Rally, George Morrison (MG ZR) has an early lead in the
mixed surface BTRDA Rally Challenge whilst defending
champion Jack Morton leads the co-drivers. The
Challenge points are published in the Information section
of the BTRDA Rally Series website.
The BTRDA Rally Challenge is based on a seven-round
calendar of events selected from the Ravenol BTRDA Rally
Series and the MSA Asphalt Rally Championship. From
these competitors must start at least two events on each
surface and the best 5 scores will count for the final
awards.
The remaining rounds of the BTRDA Rally Challenge are:
11th June - Carlisle Stages - Gravel
9th July - Nicky Grist Stages - Gravel
7th August - Tyneside Stages - Asphalt
28th August - Mewla Rally - Asphalt
1st October - Trackrod Forest Stages - Gravel
FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Carlisle Stages – Sat 11th
June
This promises to be a cracking event which is fortunately
not affected by the current NRW dispute. It includes two
stages of more than 13 miles in Newcastleton and in
Kershope Forest and will have minimal double usage.
Clerk of the Course Nicola Heppenstall has confirmed that
none of the stages have been used since the 2015 Carlisle
Stages and were all re-graded shortly after that event so
they have had 12 months to settle and are in prime
condition. In response to competitor feedback from the
2015 rally, the Chamot Hill stage will not be used.
The event is based at H&H Auctions, Montgomery Way,
Carlisle, CA1 2RS, very close to junction 43 of the M6,
with scrutineering documentation, start, service and
finish at this location. An unusual feature of this event is
a that shakedown stage is available before
documentation starts on Friday. More details and the on-
line entry can be found via the link on the BTRDA Rally
website.
Nicky Grist Stages - 9th July
Further to our recent e-mails, this event is already
proving very popular. The BTRDA event (Nat B) is based at
the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells and consists
of the usual excellent gravel stages providing around 45
miles in total. The Regulations for the Nicky Grist 100
Stages (2 day Nat A rally qualifying for the BRC) differ
from the National B rally in several ways including
reccing, servicing and lateness penalties. Therefore, in
order to qualify for BTRDA Championship points you need
to enter the Nicky Grist Stages (Nat B) one-day gravel
rally. Registered Championship competitors have priority
entry until 6th
June. To enter go to
www.nickygriststages.co.uk
Support #Rally4Wales
You will be aware that recently a campaign
called Rally4Wales has been launched to fight against the
proposed large increase in forestry charges by Natural
Resources Wales from the 1st
June. As part of the
campaign a petition has been lodged with the Welsh
Assembly Government urging that costs are kept at a fair
level and in line with costs in England and Scotland.
That petition is now live on the Welsh Assembly website
and we desperately need everyone involved in
motorsport or with connections through employment or
business to rallying, to sign it to show the strength of
opposition to these unreasonable proposals. It may be
Wales at the moment but there are grave concerns that
such level of charges could easily move to England and
Scotland forests.
https://www.assembly.wales/en/gethome/e-
petitions/Pages/petitiondetail.aspx?PetitionID=943
It only takes a couple of i utes to sig a d ou do t have to live in Wales. We stress how important this fight
is as quite simply rallying on FC land will probably not be
viable if the charges are introduced. If you have friends
who could also be affected by these changes, please pass
the link on to them. Thank you for your support both in
this and for the BTRDA.
Date of 2016 Awards Presentation – 7th
January
We are pleased to confirm that the Awards Presentation
for the 2016 RAVENOL BTRDA Rally Series and the
MAXXIS MSA English Rally Championship will be held on
Saturday 7th January at the Ramada Penns Hall Hotel,
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. Details of tickets, room
reservations etc will be circulated in due course.
ON EVENT FUEL:
Vital Equipment are the official fuel supplier to the
Championship. They are at all the events and provide a
consistent quality MSA compliant Super Unleaded fuel
and an FIA spec Carless turbo fuel. They ensure fuel is
dispensed to competitors under strictly controlled and
safe conditions. We strongly emphasise the convenience,
safety and organisational benefits that using the Vital
Equipment facility brings to competitors. To order your
fuel please use the on-line order facility listed in the
Competitors section of the BTRDA Rally Series website.
NB: The deadline for orders is 7 days before the event.
EVENTS AND CONTACTS
11th June CARLISLE STAGES RALLY Kate Hinchliffe
[email protected] Tel: 01484 318689
7th July NICKY GRIST STAGES RALLY Neil Cross
[email protected] , Tel: 07767 770862
*7th
August TYNESIDE STAGES Maurice Mabon
3rd September WOODPECKER STAGES Roger Allan
[email protected] , Tel: 01905 424987
1st
October TRACKROD FOREST STAGES Nicola Sanderson
[email protected] , Tel: 01937 583615
*6th November MEM MALTON FOREST RALLY http://www.maltonmc.co.uk/maltonforestrally.html
* ADDITIONAL MAXXIS MSA ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
CHAMPIONSHIP COORDINATORS TEAM
Howard Wilcock:
Tel: 0115 966 5176
Mobile: 07769 676533
Norman Robertson:
Tel: 0161 748 5399
Mobile: 07762 557285
Gill Cotton:
Tel: 01305 813394
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
The photographs in our Newsletters and on our websites are courtesy of Ralliphotos Wales.
Contact [email protected]