MSA British Rallycross Championship

Carnegie wins as Superfinal bites the dust

Dermot Carnegie won the fourth round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship at Knockhill on Sunday (May 30) even though the points-scoring Superfinal race was cancelled when organisers ruled that the dusty conditions compromised safety of drivers and track marshals.

Carnegie¹s day did not start well, the Dublin-based racer losing a front wheel from his Ford Focus Supercar as the result of a driveshaft joint failure. The reigning champion missed the first qualifying heat while his car was repaired and then tackled the business of the event with gusto, winning each of his remaining two races and setting fastest time of the day in the process.Championship leader Lawrence Gibson (Banbridge) secured pole position for the Supercar A Final with fastest times from each of the first two heats, a position which allowed him to sit out the third heat and save his car for the Final.The front row of the grid was completed by John McCluskey (Dublin) while Andy Grant (Barnstaple) and Steve Mundy (Ludlow) started from row two.

Carnegie got the drop on his rivals at the start and led through the first lap, at the end of which Gibson mounted a brave passing attempt. The Ulsterman shot up alongside Carnegie before the brakes wheels of his Metro 6R4 locked under the heavy braking and the car spun out of control. McCluskey was quick to grab second place before Gibson could get going again but the incident had allowed Carnegie the chance to make his escape and establish a race winning lead.

The SuperModified category was dominated by Mike Dresser (Brampton) who qualified his unique Lotus Elise on pole position for the A Final which he then led from start to finish to claim his first British Championship victory. Mike Howlin (Haverfordwest) continued his strong run in the champion with second place ahead of David Binks (Gosforth) who posted the best finish yet for his new BMW MINI by pipping Chris Bellamy (Lincoln) to third place.

When the last four races of the day were cancelled because of the unsafe conditions (the bowser used to water the loose sections and the back-up unit both failed) overall positions were declared according to qualifying positions, handing Carnegie his third straight successive of the year.

Superfinal (declared on qualifying positions) 1 Dermot Carnegie (Ford Focus); 2 John McCluskey (Peugeot 306); 3 Lawrence Gibson (MG Metro 6R4); 4 Andy Grant (Ford Escort); 5 Mike Dresser (Lotus Elise); 6 Mike Howlin (Ford Fiesta); 7 David Binks (MINI); 8 Chris Bellamy (Peugeot 206). Championship 1 Gibson 375; 2 McCluskey 303; 3 Carnegie 300.

BRDA Rallycross ChampionshipThe A Finals for the Stock Hatch and Minicross categories also fell victim to the track conditions at the end of the day and here too results were based on qualifying order. Having qualified on pole position for the respective Stock Hatch and Minicross points leaders John Binks and Adrian Horsley continue their unbeaten run in the championship, each being awarded his fourth event win of the year at Knockhill.

With a maxim haul of 400 points each, Horsley (Redcar) and Binks (Gosforth) remain joint leaders of the BRDA Championship which runs concurrently to the British Championship but which is open to drivers from all classes.Allan Tapscott (Umberleigh) put in a round trip of over 1000 miles to race at Knockhill and retained his points lead in the SuperModified category even though his two-litre Vauxhall Nova broke down at the start of the A Final. Mike Dresser¹s (Brampton) first win elevated him to second place ahead of Mike Howlin (Haverfordwest) and Mike Sellar (Sittingbourne).

Supercar (5 laps) 1 Carnegie 3m44.54s; 2 McCluskey 3m49.31s; 3 Gibson 3m50.35s; 4 Grant 3m59.74s; 5 Steve Mundy (Ford Focus) 4m10.35s; no other starters. Championship 1 Gibson 375; 2 McCluskey 360; 3 Carnegie 295.SuperModified (5 laps) 1 Dresser 1 4m00.26s; 2 Howlin 4m01.27s; 3 Binks 4m02.38s; 4 Bellamy 4m03.40s; 5 Mike Sellar (Renault Clio V6) 4m20.05s; 6 Frank O¹Connell (Mini) 4m23.57s; 7 Allan Tapscott (Vauxhall Nova) 0 laps; 8 Gary Dixon (Vauxhall Nova) DNS. Championship 1 Tapscott 285; 2 Dresser 270; 3 Howlin 260.Stock Hatch (declared on qualifying positions) 1 Adrian Horsley (Citroen Saxo VTR); 2 Julian Godfrey (Peugeot 205 GTi); 3 Grant Rees (Suzuki Swift); 4 Simon White (Peugeot 205 GTi); 5 Rodney Green (Peugeot 205 GTi); 6 Alan Thorndyke (Peugeot 106 XSi); 7 Tony Saddington (Peugeot 205 GTi); Sean Smith (Peugeot 106 XSi).Championship 1 Horsley 400; 2 Godfrey 360; 3 Rees 320.Minicross (declared on qualifying positions) 1 John Binks; 2 Matt Roach; 3 Ralph Budd; 4 Danny Budd; 5 John Thacker; 6 Martin Yates; 7 Mark Collard; 8 Shelley Wakeling. Championship 1 Binks 400; 2 Roach 365; 3 Yates 330.

Junior Rallycross Championship

The A Final for the Junior Championship was another race to be cut from the programme. Top qualifier Joe Powis (Hereford) was awarded the win ahead of Ash Davies (Cwmbran) who moved into a clear championship lead.Powis, who won the opening round of the championship at Kirkistown in March, becomes the first double event winner of the year but remains fourth in the championship as a result of failing to score in round of the series at Nutts Corner.

Entering the event sharing the championship lead with Belfast¹s Jonny Greer, Davies had the edge on his rival in Scotland and opened up a ten point advantage at the head of the points chart.

Third place was a personal best in the Junior Championship for Andrew Jordan (Sutton Coldfield) who continues to close on the more experienced racers ahead of him.

Junior (Declared on qualifying position) 1 Joe Powis; 2 Ash Davies; 3 Andrew Jordan; 4 Jonny Greer; 5 Jason Pritchard; 6 Tommi Walmsley; 7 Ashley Simpson; 8 Jonny Block. Championship 1 Davies 380; 2 Greer 370; 3 Jordan 335.

Next event: Croft, Darlington June 20