McCombie wins for Pirelli at Wales Rally GB
Bruce McCombie triumphed at the Wales Rally GB National Rally last weekend, helping Pirelli to defend its crown on the event.
The National event was held over the same stages as the World Rally Championship event, with each test run once.
Scottish driver McCombie took the lead on the third of 12 stages and held it until the end, winning by 37.6 seconds in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.
Luke Francis – who earned his entry by winning the Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Championship – pushed McCombie hardest in a similar car also fitted with Pirelli tyres and finished up second.
Having competed in the British Rally Championship this year, Tom Preston took an early lead in his Pirelli-equipped Skoda Fabia R5, but he rolled on the third stage, Hafren. His CA1 Sport team worked hard to get the car back onto the stages on Saturday, and he set two more fastest times. Mike Faulkner’s bid for a hat-trick of wins ended on the opening test.
Pirelli also won the historic section, with Rudi Lancaster finishing over two minutes clear in ninth overall. Rally legend Jimmy McRae competed in a Pirelli-equipped Vauxhall Firenza, coming third in class.
Bogie battles the best with Pirelli
Pirelli driver David Bogie competed with the best in WRC2 on Wales Rally GB.
Bogie, who has won the British title and multiple Scottish crowns with Pirelli, suffered broken steering that caused him to hit a tree on the opening day of the challenging event, but he returned to set competitive times over the remaining days.
In his CA1 Sport-prepared Skoda Fabia R5 he was able to challenge the factory drivers, posting a number of top-four times.
“It was very slippery but our Pirelli tyres were working very well in the conditions,” said Bogie. “I was really pleased to be able to swap times with some of the best drivers in the world.”
His team-mate Fredrik Ahlin – like Bogie a leading light in the British Rally Championship with Pirelli in 2016 – was in podium contention early on before being hit by turbo problems on his Ford Fiesta. On the final day he too set some strong times, and was fourth on the final leg just behind Bogie.
Ahmed wins hotly-contested, Pirelli-supplied Autumn Trophy
Enaam Ahmed claimed the honours in a closely-fought BRDC British Formula 3 Autumn Trophy at Snetterton.
After competing in the main 2016 series, 16-year-old Ahmed joined Carlin for the event and came out on top an ultra-competitive field in a thrilling qualifying session. He outpaced Dan Ticktum by 0.053 seconds, with the entire top 10 covered by just over six tenths.
Ahmed led the opening race from start to finish, chased by Joey Mawson, the Australian champion of the similarly Pirelli-supplied ADAC F4 series in Germany.
Ticktum made a poor start but recovered to third and set the fastest lap in the process, earning pole for race two for Double R Racing. He converted that into victory over Ahmed by 3.8 seconds, with Mawson of Douglas Motorsport in third.
The second day of the event was affected by fog, but Ahmed took victory in the third and final race to seal the Autumn Trophy. Ticktum challenged him on the first lap but spun out after contact. Mawson completed a hat-trick of podiums on his British debut in second, with fast-starting team-mate Jamie Caroline third.
TF Sport Aston Martin pairings to defend title in Pirelli-backed British GT
The TF Sport team will return to defend its British GT Championship crown next year with two unchanged driver pairings in its Aston Martin Vantage GT3s in the Pirelli-equipped series.
Derek Johnston and Jonny Adam will return after claiming the 2016 drivers’ title, with factory Aston Martin Racing driver Adam eyeing a third straight title. Mark Farmer and Jon Barnes will also be back in the sister car after winning at Spa-Francorchamps, coming fourth in the drivers’ standings and helping TF Sport to the teams’ title.
“It has been a mega year for TF Sport and I’m already looking forward to spending 2017 with the team and Derek,” said Adam. “Doing the double with two different teams was great, but winning a third consecutive title and doing it with TF Sport would be very special and I’m hungry to make it happen.”
Team boss Tom Ferrier added: “This season’s successes prove we have a winning structure and everything we need to defend our British GT Championship crowns, with two quick driver pairings and the support of Aston Martin Racing. We just need to optimise our package in winter testing to ensure we hit the ground running again at Oulton Park in April.”
