Category two victory for David Stokes and Guy Weaver and a stunning category three win for Connor Corkill and Rob Fagg headlined the action as the Dunlop/WONAGO.com MSA British Historic Rally Championship headed to Northern Ireland for the Ulster Rally (20/21 August).
In category one, a fine victory went to the Mini Cooper S of Ray Cunningham and Ross Forde, but the BHRC points contest was between Jonathan Gale/James Whitaker (Sunbeam Tiger) and Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911).The BHRC's first visit to Ulster was a runaway success and all the crews gave the event rave reviews. "We've been to a world class rally," said Jeremy Easson.Category 1Although not registered for the BHRC, Cunningham was keen to pit the Mini against the British crews and the Galway driver was in stunning form as he swept clear on the opening day to lay the foundations for an emphatic victory.But the battle for top BHRC crew was far less clear-cut and it took a mighty effort from the XS Racing crew to keep Gale's Tiger running after a range of dramas. Two offs, including one into a fence, steering damage after a heavy landing and a detached roll bar all hit the Sunbeam in the course of 12 stages, but they ploughed on and ended the event as leading BHRC crew.
But Nutt was always there on his home event and maintained a constant pressure on Gale. Even at the finish the margin was just 15s after nearly two hours of competition. "There is still some play in the steering," said Nutt on Friday evening, but Gale had bigger concerns after hitting both ends of the Tiger on a bank in the Torr Head stage.The contest went back and forth through Saturday, but Gale managed to grab the upperhand as the XS crew worked hard to keep the car running.
As the only finishers in class B1, Gary and Jane Edgington took the spoils even though they ran under super rally rules when the gear lever came off their Singer Chamois on the fourth stage on Friday. On Saturday, they continued to throw the car around the lanes and typically came to the aid of Neil Rudd when his Escort stalled at the end of the Langford Lodge stage, with a failed starter motor. Edgington finished the stage and then ran 500m back to help Rudd get going again.Philip Wylie and Maurice Beckett (MGB) won class B4. They arrived at first service needing to tweak the suspension to cope with the bumps and jumps. “The first stage was good but we couldn’t keep going at that pace,” said expatriate Ulsterman Wylie. His brother Drew, partnered by Howard Pridmore, unfortunately retired on the opening stage with electrical woes in his Lotus Elan. Rikki Proffitt and Peter Scott teamed up again to take fifth in the category in Rikki's Porsche 911, with Scott having won the Ulster Rally back in 1974 with Billy Coleman!Category 2Right from the off, Stokes and Weaver set a cracking pace in category two, although local crew Keith McIvor and David Burns were right in contention in their Porsche 911. With McIvor not registered for points, Stokes was content not to fight with the Irishman and instead concentrate on his BHRC rivals.
On the first stage, Stokes was running first car and had a strange moment when he came over a brow to find a tent in the road. He managed to avoid it and several more cars reported the same problem before the stage was halted to move the tent.With the Escort running like clockwork, Stokes ended the first day well clear or Easson/Alun Cook, but recognised that for maximum points he needed to beat Ernie Graham and Iain Johnston on Saturday's times as well. A distributor problem cost Graham a lot of time on Friday, but with Saturday's stages going past his former home, he would surely fly.Stokes pushed very hard and eventually beat Graham by just 4s on Sunday with a big late charge that also took him ahead of McIvor's Porsche. "It was a wonderful event with fantastic stages," said Stokes, summing up the views of just about every BHRC contender.
Easson took second in the BHRC contenders, but acknowledged that he was short on recent asphalt experience and was nearly caught at the finish by the recovering Graham.The Escort Mk1 of Vince Bristow and Tim Sayer again won class C2. “No brakes, as usual,” said Bristow. However, they also had a serious title rival to watch for this time as Nick Danks and Martin Corbett had a great run in their Escort Mk1. Competing at this level for the first time, Danks was a revelation on his first closed road event and chase Bristow all the way home.Andrew Siddall and Captain Thompson swept to class C3 victory in their Escort Mk1, winning by more than five minutes. Siddall set course for the class win with a strong run on Friday. “More of the same on Saturday,” said Siddall. In his wake, brothers Michael and David Pedley took second in C3 in their Escort RS2000 having again run on maps rather than complete the recce.In class C4, the Porsche 911 of Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne took maximum points after a strong run, with the car back in top condition after the off on the Isle of Man.Category 3The prospect of a mighty contest in category three was dashed when Ryan Barrett and Paul McCann suffered gearbox failure barely three miles into the first stage. "It's such a let down for everyone," said a dejected Barrett as he ran with number one on his Escort Mk2 for the first time. Instead, Corkill and Fagg took a vice-like grip on the rally in their Escort Mk2, going 7s ahead on the opening stage and building that to 1m22s by the end of Friday. Despite his pace, Corkill maintained that he was not taking chances. "No big risks, the pace we're on is okay," said Connor as he laid the foundations for the biggest win of his career to date. "We hit the tent as well," he added of the strange incident on stage one.
With Will Onions/Dave Williams leading the chase, Corkill and Fagg kept up the pressure on the opening stages of Saturday before easing back to score a resounding win. Onions was a strong second, with a minute in hand over class D4 winners Rob Smith/Shaun O'Gorman (Vauxhall Chevette). "That's the most fun you can have with your clothes on," said Smith after only the fourth asphalt rally of his career. Like many, he fell instantly in love with the dramatic Torr Head stage on Friday.
A minor off cost Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies a good result in their Escort Mk2. They slid off on stage nine and, though the car was undamaged, their rally was over after a very strong run.
Through to fourth in category three after an equally impressive run came Roger Kilty and Lynette Banks in their Escort Mk2, finishing less than half a minute down on Smith/O'Gorman.
