Armajaro MSA British Historic Rally Championship and HRCR Classic Stage Rally Challenge
Welcome to the third issue of a new post-event news and gossip update for the 2005 Armajaro MSA British Historic Rally Championship and HRCR Classic Stage Rally Challenge.
Round eight of both series, the Trackrod Historic Cup (8 October) featured six tough forest stages in Yorkshire along with two blasts around the spectator stage at Pickering Showground. In all, 42 of the 53 historic starters finished the event, which has set up a four-way BHRC title showdown on the Somerset Historic Stages (29 October).Dave Dyer returned to the BHRC for the Trackrod in a newly-prepared Escort RS2000 in the competitive class C5 for BDA-engined cars. Dyer, a former C3 frontrunner has taken almost a year out of competition to ready the new car and had a good run to sixth in the post-historic category. Partnered by Graham Wride, he will now contest the Somerset Historic Stages at the end of the month.Two regular BHRC drivers were busy marshalling on the Givendale stage on Saturday. Both Dave Watkins and John Dixon decided not to compete on the event as they plan to tackle the Roger Albert Clark Rally next month, so went out marshalling instead. Neil Duncan, Dave's co-driver, was also on duty.Rallying novice Rupert Trotter finished his debut event when he guided his Tuthill-prepared Porsche 911 to the finish, with experienced co-driver John Bennie alongside. Trotter is not yet BHRC registered.Porsche driver Geoff Crabtree missed the Trackrod after injuring his back in the run up to the rally. Crabtree and Liz Jordan had been scheduled to run third on the road in their historic category 911.Lawrence Green only made the start with his Escort after a bit of a hokey-kokey with the gearbox. It was in and out twice in the week before the rally!The two-stroke Saab 96s of James Valentine/Julian Stocks and Nick Pinkett/Kevin Hare had a fright in the 16-mile Givendale when they were caught by the leading post-historic Escorts. Two-stroke Saab power wasn't much of a contest against BDAs on those long straights!
Quotes of the event“I think I've forgotten what to do!" Stuart Rolt prepares for his first rally for six months. He seemed to remember well enough when things got under way!"I need to win them both." David Stokes, on the Trackrod startline, explains his plan for winning the BHRC title. Halfway there, now!"We're here; that's the main thing." Keith Pettitt is just pleased to see the finish line in his Lotus Cortina Mk2."They're all mad!" Graham Samuel ponders the pace of his C5 rivals in the Yorkshire forests."I like it when it rains." Classic contender Mark Clifford enjoyed the afternoon. He should have been out in it…"The last stage was a defective driver problem." Navigator Mark Harmer explains a four-minute off on the final stage by Chris Gravestock."I was very scared all day because of what happened last time out. But it was good for the spirit. We survived!" Ralph Abel returns in the car he rolled on the Mutiny."We had a green car and we had the luck of the Irish." Frank Cunningham explains a top three in C3 on his first taste of Yorkshire forests."The pheasant came off worse." Hugh Myers explains damage to the front of his Datsun 240Z. "It just wandered out in front of us," he added, trying to establish his innocence.
PointsProvisional BHRC overall driver points after eight rounds:1 Jeremy Easson 1942 David Stokes 1813 Dessie Nutt 1814 Steven Smith 1775 Ken Forster 1706 Matthew Pearce 160Provisional HRCR Classic overall driver points after eight rounds:1 Gareth Lloyd 2022 Martin Freestone 1823 Mark Clifford 1694 Dick Slaughter 1095 Stephen Hall 946 Ian Rix 89
