Marcus Dodd and Andrew Bargery took maximum points in round five of the 2007 Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship which comprised the Swansea Bay National Rally, as they claimed victory on Saturday’s event.
Driving the Hyundai Accent WRC, Dodd and Bargery finished 21.4 seconds ahead of main championship rivals Steve Perez and Claire Mole (Ford Focus WRC) after taking charge from the opening stage and maintaining their lead throughout as they notched-up their third win in the series this season across the wet and slippery stages of the 60-mile Vale of Neath-based rally.
Perez and Mole ended-up a comfortable 1 minute and 29.7 seconds in front of the third-placed Subaru Impreza WRC of Roger Duckworth, co-driven by Alun Cook this time out, to remain leaders of the 2007 Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship by just 14 points from Dodd and Bargery at the midway point of the season but with dropped scores still to take into consideration, there is still all to play for.
Perez and Mole were in second place following the opening test but exchanged places with Andrew Burton and Shelley Rogerson in the Peugeot Cosworth only to edge ahead again on stage four to take the runners-up position as Burton/Rogerson were fourth as they experienced a mechanical problem in the afternoon.
“The strategy was to go out on the first stage and build a lead over Steve,” Dodd said. “We took a 17 second lead which was the cushion for the day and then drove to maintain this and we did not have to push too hard.”
Phillip Morrow and Daniel Barritt clinched the Production Cup honours and victory in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evo Challenge as they finished fifth overall in their Mitsubishi Evo 9.
Jock Armstrong and Kirsty Riddick brought home their group N Subaru Impreza sixth and won the Subaru Trophy followed by the Ford Focus WRC of Michael O’Brien and Paul Spooner.
Nik Elsmore and Vicky Allen were eighth and second in the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge in their Evo 9 as David Bogie/Rob Fagg and Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh rounded-up the top 10 in their Evos. Reynolds and Walsh dropped over two minutes in the afternoon with transmission troubles.
Sebastian Ling and Aled Rees, who went into the event in third overall in the championship standings, retired on stage one after they left the road in their Evo 9.
In the VK 1400 Challenge, Julian Wilkes and Andy Ballentine took the spoils in their Vauxhall Nova VXR and with it victory in the HPM Motorsport 2WD Challenge.
In the Hankook Forest Rally Challenge Jonny Greer and Jonny Hart took the full points as they finished second overall in the Swansea Bay Clubman’s Rally in their Ford Fiesta ST. Adam Gould was second in the series in his Fiesta ST co-driven by Scott Martin.
Final Result
1, Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery (Hyundai Accent WRC) 1:00:54.9
2, Steve Perez/Claire Mole (Ford Focus) 1:01:16.3
3, Roger Duckworth/Alun Cook (Subaru Impreza) 1:02:46.0
4, Andrew Burton/Shelley Rogerson (Peugeot Cosworth) 1:02:52.1
5, Phillip Morrow/Daniel Barritt (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:03:02.8
6, Jock Armstrong/Kirsty Riddick (Subaru Impreza N12) 1:04:05.1
7, Michael O’Brien/Paul Spooner (Ford Focus WRC) 1:04:48.8
8, Nik Elsmore/Vicky Allen (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:04:50.6
9, David Bogie/Rob Fagg (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:04:56.0
10, Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh (Mitsubishi Lancer E9) 1:05:07.7
2007 Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship Positions (Provisional)
1, Steve Perez 111pts
2, Marcus Dodd 97pts
3, Phillip Morrow 86pts
4, Jock Armstrong 79pts
5, Sebastian Ling 68pts
6, Stephen Petch 67pts
= Roger Duckworth 67pts
8, Julian Reynolds 65pts
2007 Calendar
23/24 February Rally Sunseeker (Bournemouth)
24 March Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally (Jedburgh)
11/12 May RBS International Manx Rally (Douglas)
2 June Severn Valley Stages Rally (Builth Wells)
21 July Swansea Bay National Rally (Swansea)
2 September Killarney Forest Stages Rally (Killarney)
20 October Bulldog Rally (Oswestry)
