'Snow drama as Dodd wins the Border!'

Multiple National Rally Champion Marcus Dodd overcame the snow and ice of the Scottish borders and he took his Flitewise.com backed Hyundai Accent WRC to a superb victory on the Border Counties Rally this weekend.  The Poole driver gambled on tyre choice for the last couple of rally stages in the Kielder forest, and the gamble well and truly paid off as he took a well earned 25 second victory from local runner up Barry Johnson.Backed by Sunseeker Powerboats and Pirelli Tyres, Dodd started the second round of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship brilliantly, setting fastest time on the opening stage with co-driver Andrew Bargery.  The pair had been left deflated after losing a seemingly unassailable lead on the recent Rallye Sunseeker when nearly a minute ahead of the field with a clutch problem that forced retirement.After losing time in the snow, Stage 4, Black Fell would see Dodd turn the leaderboard back to his favour as he blasted through the stage to stop the clocks a full 37 seconds faster than Johnson - a stunning effort in the trickiest of conditions.  Dodd then lost time to Barry in stage five but just kept the lead, before Johnson retook the lead on the very next stage after a concerted effort in the Subaru.  Twice the Hyundai stalled during that loop of stages due to a gearbox problem, costing time and dropping Marcus back down the leaderboard to 2nd place.  The H.P.M Motorsport Team quickly decided to change the gearbox at service, and did a fine job in restoring the Hyundai to full health in the time allowed.  Arch rival Barry Johnson had now taken the lead in his Subaru Impreza WRC, and Dodd was desperate to get back on terms with the Shildon man.  Dodd is nothing if not a fighter and he responded magnificently.  Fastest time on Stage 7, Buck Fell would see Marcus back in the lead by the smallest of margins.  With two stages to go, it was anyone's rally.  The slightest mistake would be the difference between 1st and 2nd.Dodd gambled, choosing Pirelli KM6 gravel tyres despite the heavy snowfalls causing havoc in the stages.  As his rivals remained on the snow patterns, Marcus hoped that the passage of nearly 100 cars through the stage during the day would expose the gravel underneath, allowing the Hyundai to bite into the surface and get more grip more often than Johnson.  The gamble paid off.  Dodd was able to surge into the lead over the final two stages, finishing with a comfortable 25 second margin of victory.  Marcus was full of admiration for everyone in getting to the end of the event:'It was incredible in places' quipped the event winner after spraying the victory champagne for the first time this season.  'In parts you were just driving on pure snow and ice - virtually no grip at all.  I've got to say a huge thank you to all the marshals and officials were braved the cold and the ice to man the route, as in places it was almost impossible to drive through.  I'm absolutely delighted with the result today.  I was bitterly disappointed not to win the Sunseeker so this has really made up for it.  We pushed hard where we could and the gamble with Pirelli at the end of the event really paid off well.  It was a shame for Barry to hit problems at the end, but conditions made it very hard work for all us today.  We had a minor gearbox problem in the morning and decided to change the 'box just as a precaution.  After that the car ran faultlessly all day and I'm delighted we've got our championship campaign off the ground now.  Hopefully we can try to repeat this result on the Manx National Rally.'It was not all celebration for the Dodd family sadly.  Dodd senior, Harry, was unfortunate to fall foul of the horrendous conditions as he and co-driver Roy Campbell slid into one of Kielder Forest's famous car swallowing ditches on Stage 4, and could not regain the road.  Looking ahead, tarmac is the next challenge for Marcus, Harry and the H.P.M team.  The Manx National Rally has not always been kind to Dodd in the past and Marcus knows that he will have to be on top form to do well on the Douglas based rally.  The two day event is one of the most popular in the rally calendar and Marcus will be keen to take maximum points for the second time in a row on May 5th/6th.  Dodd is likely to contest the Tour of Cornwall Rally prior to the Manx classic as a warm up for the Hyundai on tarmac roads.