Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship
Round 9: Croft Circuit, 21-22 October
Nathan Heathcote claimed victory in the final round at Croft Circuit and secured the championship title at his first attempt, driving for the LD Motorsports team.
Heathcote qualified on pole position for the final and led the race throughout. Ten points behind leader Julian Godfrey (Ford Fiesta) heading into the event, Heathcote left the final round with a three-point advantage after Godfrey retired from the final race of the year with broken suspension, caused by contact. Godfrey had started on the third row of the grid after dropping from the lead of semi-final one to third place when he hit a course marker.
Kevin Procter finished the final second, with Oliver Bennett scoring his seventh podium in nine rounds, in third. Steve Hill was fourth, Jake Harris fifth and Pat Doran sixth.
Results
1 Nathan Heathcote (Citroen DS3) 4m55.423s
2 Kevin Procter (Ford Fiesta) +9.361s
3 Oliver Bennett (Ford Fiesta) +11.618s
Provisional championship standings
1 Nathan Heathcote – 190 points
2 Julian Godfrey – 187
3 Oliver Bennett – 181
Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship
Round 6: Walters Arena, 21-22 October
Justin Birchall took his second win of the season at Walters as Martin Gould finished third to retain his title.
Despite having to change the gearbox on his Lofthouse Freelander and then suffering a broken propshaft, Birchall led the event from start to finish.
"It's been a tough year but it's ended well," said Birchall. "I love the tracks at Walters, I thoroughly enjoyed the event."
Andy Degiulio achieved his best result of the season in second with Gould, who had to finish in the top nine to guarantee the title, rounding off the top three.
Results
1 Justin Birchall/Jonny Koonja (Lofthouse Freelander) 01h44m02s
2 Andy Degiulio/Paul Jones (Milner R5) 01h46m32s
3 Martin Gould/Simon Kerfoot (Buxton 4x4 Rivet) 01h47m36s
4 Richard Wynne-Williams/Matt Lowe (Lofthouse Freelander) 01h51m36s
5 Mark Jacques/Adam Nicholson (Lofthouse Freelander) 01h52m53s
MSA British Superkart Championship
Round 12: Oulton Park, 21 October
Dan Clark secured the 2017 championship with a calculated drive to third place in the opening race at Oulton Park.
Surprise pole sitter Matt Isherwood led at the start and held off Clark and Jack Layton into Old Hall. Championship rival Gavin Bennett was a man on the move; following his fifth-row start position, he was up to fourth place by the end of lap one. He chased down Clark and then took the lead after three laps. Isherwood held second place until the fuel pump packed up on lap six and the DEA seized.
Layton inherited second place while Clark was happy to sit in third, knowing it was sufficient to get the number one plate. With the championship wrapped up, Clark sat out the second race. Bennett was leading after two laps when the red flags came out after Layton went off at Shell Oil Corner. With insufficient time to make a restart the race was declared void.
Results
1 Gavin Bennett (Anderson DEA)
2 Jack Layton (Anderson DEA)
3 Dan Clark (Anderson Gas Gas)
Provisional championship standings
1 Dan Clark – 319 points
2 Gavin Bennett – 305
3 Jack Layton – 297
4 Andy Bird – 287
5 Paul Platt – 253
MSA British Sporting Trials Championship
Round 12: Mercian Sporting Trial, 22 October
John Fack took a dominant win at the Mercian Sporting Trial, leading all day to beat Colin Flashman by eight points.
Fack led at lunchtime having not dropped a point all morning, while Flashman excelled in his similar MSR to win the independent blue class.
Jerome Fack, identical twin to John, completed the podium, beating Ian Wright on a tie break. Reigning British champion Roland Uglow could only manage fifth after a poor second round. Simon Kingsley looked set for third place overall but engine issues two hills from end dropped him out of the top ten overall.
A bumper entry of 36 crews were challenged by twenty four long grass sections, with second in the blue independent class was John Cole in seventeenth overall, with Kiel Wright best Rookie. Jeff Armistead won the clubman trial with a very creditable score.
Results
1 John Fack (MSR) 10 points
2 Colin Flashman (MSR) 18
3 Jerome Fack (MSR) 27
4 Ian Wright (Sherpa Indy) 27
5 Roland Uglow (Crossle) 29
