Armajaro MSA British Historic Championship and HRCR Classic Stage Rally Challenge

News round-up after event nine: Minilite Historic Somerset StagesWelcome to the post-event news and gossip update for the 2006 Armajaro MSA British Historic Rally Championship and HRCR Classic Stage Rally Challenge.

Round nine of both series, the Minilite Historic Somerset Stages brought the season to a dramatic close and those that tackled the Minehead event enjoyed the challenge of gravel stages and the Porlock toll road.NewsNeil and Michelle Calvert had a great event to win the historic category in their Lotus Cortina and secure third in the overall BHRC and best Ford for Neil. It was also his first rally win in 30 years and (we believe) the first time that a Lotus Cortina has won the category since the creation of the BHRC.However, Neil was keeping everything crossed as the faithful Cortina had been very busy in October. As well as contesting the Trackrod Rally, he had as usual run course car on the Tour of Mull, completing 160 stage miles on the tough tarmac roads of the island before heading to Somerset.Dick Slaughter and Geoff Dearing were delighted to score their first ever Classic victory. The results in Somerset left a three-way tie for fourth in final standings, with Slaughter taking fifth between Richard Lane and Chris Shooter.Nick Pinkett is currently working hard to finish his new car, a 1500cc V4 Saab 96 that he plans to campaign in class B3 next year. He's battling to have the car ready for the Roger Albert Clark Rally when his service crew will be B1 rivals John Parker and Robert Harrison.Planning to become BHRC regulars in 2007 are Peter McDowell and Peter Moss in their Porsche 911RS, which had a good debut run in Somerset. Peter last rallied an Escort in the 1970s, but fancied another go.Just eight crews get credit for contesting all nine rounds this season. They were Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies, Steven Smith/John Nichols, Neil Calvert, David Stokes/Guy Weaver, John Worthing/Bill Robertson, Paul Drinkall/Roy Brown, Mike Barratt/Jody Watson and Chris Shooter/Bev LeGood. Calvert had the best finishing record, with only one retirement.Class B1 was settled in Somerset, with the Saabs of John Parker/Robert Harrison and Nick Pinkett/Caroline Lodge starting the event split by just four points. However, when Pinkett stopped for about five minutes with fuel pump dramas, the class was secure in the hands of the Yorkshire crew.Jonathan and Graham Gale could have pulled off a bit of a shock result had they kept their Lotus Cortina going. After two stages, they led the Watts/Davies Sunbeam Tiger by three seconds, but then went off into a ditch on the following stage in the MessageLabs entry.Don Simmons and Brian Thomas put their Escort on its side in a ditch in Croydon, but lost only about 10 seconds. Some willing spectators tipped them back onto their wheels and only some minor damage to the roof showed where they had been off.Paul Drinkall and Roy Brown were another crew to battle to the finish despite major clutch dramas. Getting off the line at Porlock was tough for the Porsche, but their efforts will be rewarded with the C4 class title as Steven Smith/John Nichols will get the overall post-historic award.With a total of 78 drivers scoring BHRC points this season, the inclusion of the classic category for 2007 and the growing number of people joining historic rallying, there is every reason to expect the total number of scorers will be over 100 in 2007.Quotes of the rally"That was hard work but a great end to the season for us after all the bad luck on the previous two rounds. I really rang its neck on Porlock to stay ahead of Vince and as revenge for last year's off!" John Worthing lays the ghost of a first stage retirement in 2005. Incredibly, the 1600cc Mexico was fastest of all on the third run up Porlock."I pulled my back water-skiing, but it's better today." Patrick Watts rushed back from holiday in Turkey to be in Somerset, and had his pre-event excuses prepared!"I don't have to spare the car today." Saab 96 driver Nick Pinkett prepares for the last rally for his current car."In Florida time, this is 3am." It was 8am in Minehead, but Steven Smith was feeling a bit jet-lagged."I've got a plan. Next year I'll rally under the name of Magnus Magnusson. I've started, so I'll finish!" Mike Barratt hits on a new plan to get reliability. A class win in Minehead was a deserved result for perseverance for Mike and Jody Watson in their Mini Cooper."We did a big wall of death in there." David Stokes survives Knowle without a clutch."I've had my spin of the day." Graham Wilson then settled down for a cracking result after an early moment in the Porsche. He finished the rally second to David Stokes in the post-historics."It's a shakedown for the driver." Peter McDowell gives his Porsche 911 a debut run, 30 years after his last rally."We're loving it; the stages are great." Debby Myers was a fan of the Somerset event after sitting alongside husband Hugh in the Datsun 240Z."He's too fast and too young!" Mark Clifford on his classic rival Arwel Evans."I don't know how we got off the line at Porlock." David Stokes just got home after clutch failure threatened to finish his rally on the uphill start at Porlock.PointsProvisional BHRC overall driver points:1 Patrick Watts (Sunbeam Tiger)              2072 Steven Smith (Porsche 911)                2003 Neil Calvert (Lotus Cortina)                  1954 David Stokes (Ford Escort)                 1915 Dessie Nutt (Porsche 911)                1516 Philip Atkinson (Lotus Cortina)            1457 Clive King (Mini Cooper)                     1378 Ken Forster (Ford Escort)             1339 Paul Mankin (Lotus Cortina)               12910 Vince Bristow (Ford Escort)              123etc.Provisional BHRC overall co-driver points:1 Elgan Davies (Sunbeam Tiger)            2072 John Nichols (Porsche 911)                2003 Guy Weaver (Ford Escort)                  1914 Michelle Calvert (Lotus Cortina)           1905 Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911)    1516 John Stanger-Leathes (Ford Escort)     1337 Dean Mitchell (Ford Escort)                 1238 Bill Robertson (Ford Escort)             1229 Roy Brown (Porsche 911)                120= Robert Harrison (Saab 96)                   120etc.Provisional HRCR Classic overall driver points:1 Gareth Lloyd (Ford Escort)               2172 Arwel Evans (Ford Escort)                1733 Mark Clifford (Ford Escort)                1684 Richard Lane (Ford Escort)                1245 Dick Slaughter (Ford Escort)             1246 Chris Shooter (Ford Escort)               1247 Martin Freestone (Ford Escort)           988 Charlie Taylor (Ford Escort)              799 Terry Brown (Ford Escort)             7810 James Potter (Ford Escort)             66etc.Provisional HRCR Classic overall co-driver points:1 Ryland James (Ford Escort)              1872 Brett Clifford (Ford Escort)                 1433 Paul Wakely (Ford Escort)                1394 Frank Richer (Ford Escort)                1245 Geoff Dearing (Ford Escort)             1246 Bev LeGood (Ford Escort)                  1247 Joanne Oakey (Ford Escort)                978 Steve Bielby (Ford Escort)                 799 Paul Willetts (Ford Escort)                  6710 Daniel Stone (Ford Escort)                57etc.Championship DVDHummingbird Productions has again filmed all rounds of the 2006 championship to compile unrivalled reports of the events. All the 2006 rallies should be available by the end of November. The best way to order is to visitjustrallying.co.uk and order on-line.