Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championshhip

Round 2 - Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally, 5 April

Cheshire driver Jon Ingram took his maiden victory in the Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship as he finished second behind event winner Barry Johnson on the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally. In their Subaru Impreza WRC, Ingram, and co-driver Ian Allsop came home 5.6 seconds behind the Ford Focus WRC of Johnson and Stewart Merry on the Jedburgh-based event following a trouble-free run to claim maximum points in the ANCRO championship on the second round of the series.

Richard Cathcart and Martin Brady finished second of the registered crews, and third overall, as well as taking honours in the Production Cup and the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge in their Mitsubishi Evo 9. Daniel Barry and Mark Bowens were next up in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 behind Jimmy Girvan/John Bennie and Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy.

"I'm pleased to win the MSA Gravel Rally Championship round but disappointed not to win the event outright," Ingram said. "It's great to get my first win in the series; it's one of the hardest one-day rallies I've ever done."

Round one winners Marcus Dodd and Andrew Bargery went out on stage one when they spun backwards into a bank and damaged the exhaust on their Hyundai Accent WRC. As a result, Ingram moves to the lead of the series going into the next round, the RBS Manx International Rally on 9/10 May.

EVENT RESULTS

1 Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Ford Focus WRC) 59:32.8

2* Jon Ingram/Ian Allsop (Subaru Impreza WRC) 59:38.4

3* Richard Cathcart/Martin Brady (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:00:30.4

4 Jimmy Girvan/John Bennie (Subaru Impreza) 1:00:47.1

5 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (MG S2000 Sport) 1:01:11.2

6* Daniel Barry/Mark Bowens (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:01:11.5

7* Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:01.15.5

8* Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson (Hyundai Accent WRC) 1:01:37.3

9* Neil McCance/Anthony O'Connell (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:01:58.6

10* Andrew Burton/Shelley Rogerson (Peugeot Cosworth) 1:02:12.3

* denotes registered for MSA Gravel Rally Championship

Championship positions

1 Jon Ingram 44 pts

2 Andy Burton 38

3 Daniel Barry 36

4 Richard Cathcart 35

5 Nik Elsmore 29

6 Neil McCance 29

7 Marcus Dodd 25


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