Round 6: International Rally of Yorkshire
Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors secured their third win of the season and in doing so claimed the MSA British Rally Championship at their first attempt.
The battle with season-long championship rivals Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas was all-but won on the first of the day’s nine stages, where the 23 year old from County Cork took thirteen seconds off the triple British rally Champion. Sadly on the last stage, any hopes of a late chance for Higgins were quashed when his Pirelli TEG Sport Impreza left the road at high speed.
Cronin’s championship victory is the first for an Irish driver since 1974, when Billy Coleman took the title at the wheel of a Ford Escort. His reaction at the finish was typically calm, “It hasn't sunk in yet, but we knew we had the pace on this event, having competed here last year. It’s a shame Mark (Higgins) went off on the last stage and I hope they are OK, but to take the title against such an excellent driver is fantastic.”
Stuart Jones and Andy Bull made an excellent comeback to the BRC, beating both Higgins and Cronin on four of the day’s nine stages to take a well deserved second place overall. The times set in the borrowed Team JRM Lico Evo 10 were sufficient to secure the final place in the Pirelli Star Driver Final too, impressing the judges with a controlled but quick drive.
The fifth driver to take third place in 2009 was an elated Jonny Greer, he and Kirsty Riddick having an untroubled day aside from a puncture early on, while outgoing Pirelli Star Driver Adam Gould and co-driver Seb Marshall came home fourth to seal the MSA British Teams Rally Championship for TEG Sport.
Results
1-Keith Cronin -Greg Shinnors -IRL/IRL -Mitsubishi Lancer -1:20:24.4
2-Stuart Jones -Andy Bull -GB/GB -Mitsubishi Lancer-1:20:45.8
3-Jonathan Greer -Kirsty Riddick -GB/GB -Mitsubishi Lancer-1:21:42.5
4-Adam Gould -Sebastian Marshall -GB/GB -Subaru Impreza -1:22:22.3
5-Dave Weston Jr -Ieuan Thomas -GB/GB -Subaru Impreza-1:22:26.3
6-Alastair Fisher -Rory Kennedy -GB/IRL -Mitsubishi Lancer-1:22:47.1
7-Euan Thorburn -David Robson -GB/GB -Subaru Impreza -1:23:18.1
8-Chris Firth -Karen Watts -GB/GB -Subaru Impreza -1:27:34.1
9-Luke Pinder -Peter Scott -GB/GB -Suzuki Swift-1:34:48.2
10-Nick Everard-Sam Collis-GB/GB-Suzuki Swift-1:42:00.3
Final championship
1 Keith Cronin 106
2 Mark Higgins 96
3 Alastair Fisher 82.5
4 David Weston Jnr 75
5 Jonathan Greer 62
6 Adam Gould 53.5
7 Martin McCormack 53
8 Chris Firth 49.5
9 David Bogie 49
10 Euan Thorburn 48
