January 20th, 2010
Image supplied courtesy of AML Photography
Paul Swift and Andrew Lees were the fastest crew on the recent Jack Frost Rally but Jack Morton is the new name on everyone’s lips. And the reason is not simply because he was on his second ever rally and finished 4th overall. It’s also because he’s just 15 years old, a navigator and his calm attitude in coping with the pressure of being second / third overall for most of the 8 stage event. Jack’s first rallying experience was a couple of weeks earlier when he contested the Christmas Stages in a 1400cc Vauxhall Nova but he was totally cool about everything happening a lot faster on the stages. Although Morton’s driver wasn’t registered for the championship, he is a renowned tarmac driving expert and the youngster is certainly a name to watch out for in the future.
Paul Swift and Andrew Lees may have been a little surprised to take the spoils of fastest crew but they were also very delighted too. Driving their pristine Escort Mark I RS2000, the local boys steadily moved up the leader board as the day progressed to take an excellent 7th overall. Going into the last stage, Paul felt he couldn’t take back the 2 seconds that Chris and Kath Singer were ahead of him but a slip by the Mitsubishi crew let the Escort though. It was a trouble free day mechanically and a chance to show why he drives cars on the limit as the day job too. A very professional display.
So what happened to the Singers ? Despite finishing the first stage in a lowly 21st position, the husband and wife team pushed hard in their Evo 6 to get back up to 7th heading into the last stage. Unfortunately, they ended up going backwards into the gravel trap at the end of the pit straight. A fine recovery saw them drop just 4 seconds to the chasing Swift / Lees but it also meant the loss of maximum points too. At the end of the day, the Mitsubishi crew were happy to finish in 8th considering the number of spins they’d incurred all day and rued the lack of softer tyres.
A new crew to this year’s championship is Michael Glendinning and Andrew Roughead in an Escort Mark II. The Tyne Valley pairing reported no problems and Michael’s commitment and reliability saw him hold 8th and 9th place for 7 of the day’s 8 stages. They would end up just 3 seconds shy of the Singers and were rewarded with 3rd registered crew and their first good haul of points this year after a disastrous Christmas Stages didn’t suit
Alistair Hutchinson was re-united with his regular co-driver St John Dykes this time out and their Renault Clio finished a fine 10th overall. Alistair wasn’t able to repeat his giant killing act from the last rally and complained about the lack of grip on some of the faster sections of the track. But that’s no shame as at the finish, our top 4 drivers were just separated by a mere 9 seconds.
A quick mention of one more new name to the championship – another youngster to watch in the coming days is Chris Grieve. He was driving an ex Peugeot Super Cup 106, on his first rally, and although he had to contend with clutch problems, the North Tyne man used his experience from the Legends Racing Series to good effect and his commitment was rewarded with an excellent 13th overall. That was just 10 seconds behind our current champions Barry and Michael Lindsay in a similar car. Yes the Lindsays did have a little problem with a slipping clutch on the last couple of stages and they would lose some time. However, the son and father crew still managed to claim maximum points in the class. They’ll have to watch their backs on forthcoming events though as it looks like this will be a hotly contested class again in 2010.
And what happened to some of the fancied runners ? Well, the Thompsons retired their Peugeot 206 with gearbox failure on stage 1 and were quickly joined by Steve Doherty / Peter Grant when they ventilated the block of their Ford Escort on the same stage. Billy McLelland actually completed the first stage before retiring with a blown turbo on his Mitsubishi Evo V. And more gearbox woes would see the end of Chris Myers / Matt Whattam ( Mitsubishi Evo IX ) from a fine 3rd overall and the Wigan crew of Martin Farrar and Andy Ward in the Subaru Impreza.
A big thank you must go to Terry Wright and his team at Darlington Motor Club for putting on another slick event, the Cartersport Jack Frost Stages. Perhaps they were a little bit luckier than the guys from the Christmas Stages as they didn’t have the full force of the weather against them but they still put in extra snow clearing efforts in the week leading up to the rally. Rally day passed off as a pleasantly mild, sunny day that was a huge change from 2 weeks earlier. And although it was the same racing circuit used 15 days apart, there was sufficient variation in the layout to give the rally it’s own challenge and character.
The next rally in the championship is the Legend Fires North West Stages. This rally is always very popular and so the usual full entry is expected as this always includes some very quick crews too. The organisers are promising a multi venue rally with several special stages at a number of different venues and the total stage mileage is in the region of 80 miles. The rally runs over the evening of Friday 5th February and all day on Saturday 6th with the rally headquarters being at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool for the first time; the event’s scrutineering and central service area will also be located there too. The organisers have already received 88 entries so if you’re considering doing the rally, then get in touch with the Entries Secretary, Ann McCormack – her contact details and all the necessary information, regulations and entry forms are available at www.nwstages.co.uk
Tags: Rally, Tarmacadam
Posted in Event news
January 6th, 2010
Image supplied courtesy of AML Photography
New Year and what a start to the year. The Christmas Stages may have been run at a familiar venue but with the unusual, very seasonal weather, we have an un-familiar winner in Alistair Hutchinson. Alistair used all of the month leading up to the event rebuilding the car and with the wintry conditions lately his main aim was to get to the finish in one piece. He came armed with 4 remould snow tyres and it was to prove a wise investment. The Renault Clio was to have more grip on the stages that those with loads more power, and even most crews with 4 wheel drive too. A small ‘driving problem’ ( puncture maybe ? ) on stage 6 resulted in him losing a minute but that was his only problem all day. Rumour has it that he’s hoping for more snow on the next event and then he can use the same tyres again before selling them as ‘hardly used’ !! By the finish, Alistair had not only achieved his aim but also bagged a cracking 5th overall too.
Second championship contender was a newbie in the form of Steve Doherty. Steve brought his 2 litre Ford Escort from Manchester to a venue where he’s never visited before and after a steady drive ended up 11th overall. Being new to the series, Steve enlisted the services of the experienced Peter Grant to sit alongside him and apart from being baulked on one stage for a minute, he had no problems to report.
And coming in third in our championship was another new face to the series, Paul Swift. Paul is a ‘precision driving expert’ by trade and rallying gives him an opportunity to pitch his skills against the clock. He spent a lot of the day with the car at various angles and nudged the bodywork on occasions so his day was in no way ‘incident free’. He and co-driver Andrew Lees lost a lot of time on the very first stage but recovered well until stage 6 when he dropped over a minute, yet they would still end the day in a fine 13th overall.
Congratulations to all 19 registered championship crews who made it to the finish as quite a few competitors retired due a variety of reasons ranging from lack of suitable tyres to lack of ability in the arctic conditions. Our reigning champions, Barry and Michael Lindsay, did make it to the finish but struggled through stages 5 and 6 with a power steering problem and so decided to disconnect it altogether for the final stage. Fortunately for them the icy surface meant Barry didn’t need the muscles of Popeye to steer the car home to another class win and 17th overall. Bill Bates / Kari Bosworth weren’t as lucky as they sheared the wheels studs on their Peugeot 106 near the end of stage 1. Bill was really frustrated as he was using some good snow tyres and was one of the few to have grip. Although he managed to eventually fix the problem, he would end up OTL.
Those of us who were present on the day applaud Ian Jackson and his team from Northallerton Motor Club. Not only did they have to re-schedule the rally with less than 2 months notice ( effects of the Croft Noisy days dispute ), but they also had to battle long and hard with the weather. The snow and ice moving team worked twice between Christmas Day and the event to make sure it ran and then on the day the well drilled organising team coped admirably with the freezing cold and driving snow. Special mention too to the marshals and timekeepers stuck out in the open and the enthusiastic sponsor who never stopped helping from before 6am in the morning – well done to everyone involved with the organisation of the Specsavers Christmas Stages Rally.
The next round of the championship will be the Cartersport Jack Frost Stages which will be held on January 17th. Once again the rally will be based at the Croft circuit where 8 stages will be run offering a total of 36 miles. At the moment, the organisers have 20 spaces left and officially, entries closed on Monday 4th January but after the success of the Christmas Stages they’re expecting a rush of entries. If you’re still thinking of doing the rally you should contact Terry Wright at Darlington Motor Club as soon as possible, more information for this event is available at www.darlington-motor-club.org.uk
And then less than 3 weeks later we have the Legend Fires North West Stages. This is always an extremely popular event so a full entry is expected. The rally runs over the evening of Friday 5th February and all day on Saturday 6th. This year the rally will have a new base, the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool where the event’s scrutineering and central service area will also be located. For those competitors who haven’t tackled the event before you can be sure of a multi venue rally with several special stages at a number of different venues providing approximately 80 stages miles. It’s also the one rally in this year’s calendar in which every starter is guaranteed to run in the dark ! If you’re thinking of doing the rally you’re encouraged to get your entry in quick – you’ll find the regulations and entry form at www.nwstages.co.uk
Tags: Rally, Tarmacadam
Posted in Event news
December 14th, 2009
I know that it’s still over 2 weeks before we start the first round of this year’s championship, but the regulations have just been released today for the third event. The Legend Fires North West Stages Rally will take place on the 5th and 6th February and is always a very popular event with competitors.
Having lost their rally HQ of the last 5 years at Pontins Blackpool Holiday Centre, the organisers will base the 2010 rally at the Norbreck Castle Hotel. The opening stages on the Friday evening will utilise the most northerly part of Blackpool’s famous Promenade and provide a mixture of fast straights and hairpin bends. And for the keen spectators, the event’s central service area will also be located close to rally HQ giving spectators a one-stop scrutineering/stage/service opportunity. This multi venue rally will contain several stages at a number of different venues providing approximately 80 stages miles. This rally is also the only one is the calendar in which every starter is guaranteed to run in the dark – a bit of a novelty these days !
If you’re thinking of doing the rally you’re encouraged to get your entry in quick – you’ll find the regulations and entry form here
But moving back to our opening round – the Specsavers Christmas Stages Rally on January 2nd. The closing date for entries has now passed and the organisers have received 87 entries. As mentioned before, the first 85 are guaranteed a start and the remainder will now be ‘hand picked’ at the organisers’ discretion. The seeding committee are busy working on the official entry list and this is expected at any time on the rally website – keep up to date with the latest on the event here
And finally for now, the latest news on The Cartersport Jack Frost Stages which will be held on January 17th. The second round is just like the Christmas Stages in that it will be based at the Croft circuit again where 8 stages will be run offering a total of 36 miles. The organisers have now received 37 entries and you have until Monday 4th January to get your entry in for this one. Anyone struggling to pay for the entry fee at the moment should be aware that the event regulations state that all cheques will be banked on 31st December so you can post date your cheque for that date. The link for this event is http://www.darlington-motor-club.org.uk/series_home.php?seriesid=21
As ever, more details of the championship can be found at North of England Rally Championship website
Tags: Rally, Tarmacadam
Posted in Event news
December 7th, 2009
The championship has finally been granted a permit and we are now up and running for 2010. The regulations and registration form have been published and the website updated to reflect these changes. As most of you will be aware, AS Performance have agreed to continue with their support of the championship for another year and we’re very pleased to have them on board again.
Once more the championship will consist of 10 rallies with competitors being able to count their best 7 scores. This year, we’ve included the Jim Clark National rally in the series so competitors will get one of the few opportunities to be able to run over closed public roads in mainland Britain. A new feature for 2010 will be the introduction of a class for cars running to F1000 and FS1000 specifications – we hope that this will attract new faces and cars to the championship.
The first event of the year is the Christmas Stages on January 2nd and the rally will be based as usual at the Croft Circuit. The organisers are offering 8 stages covering 40 miles and they have already have received 69 of the possible 95 entries. Only the first 85 received are guaranteed a run, with the remaining 10 chosen at the organisers’ discretion, and the closing date for entries is Saturday 12th December – more information can be found on the rally website
The Jack Frost Stages on January 17th is the second round and will also be based at Croft again. The organisers haven’t received as many entries as the Christmas Stages ( yet ! ) but you will need to get your entry in by Monday 4th January for this one. The link for this event is here.
More details can be found via the link at North of England Rally Championship website
Tags: Rally, Tarmacadam
Posted in Event news
November 16th, 2009
The final event of the 2009 championship is the annual awards presentation. This year’s awards night will be very similar to recent years in that it will follow a familiar format and be held at the same place.
The place is The Grange Club in Chester le Street and date is Wednesday 18th November. We hope to start at 8:30.
A reminder for everyone on how to find the venue; the postal address, is Pelaw Grange Stadium, Drum Road, Chester le Street, Co Durham; if you’re relying on a satellite navigation system – the post code is DH3 2AF and for all the navigators out there you’ll be able to find it on OS map 88, the reference is 271537.
As well as handing out the awards to the lucky winners, there will be the usual excellent hot buffet and the chance to catch up with everyone over a drink. There will also be the latest news of the 2010 series.
Congratulations to all the award winners, we look forward to seeing you all on the 18th. Everyone will be welcome so bring your friends along to enjoy what should be a cracking night.
Tags: Rally, Tarmacadam
Posted in Event news
October 16th, 2009
The local crew comes good at last. After several years of trying, Chris and Katherine Singer have finally finished as top crew on a championship round. The husband and wife team, who live within earshot of the famous Otterburn military ranges, produced a top performance to lead home the many contenders on this year’s Cheviot Keith Knox Rally. Having made the move up from an ex Peugeot Super Cup 106 to a Mitsubishi Evo 6 in mid season, they set top ten times all day and by gradually upping their pace they would finish a worthy 4th overall. This would be a just reward for their consistency and to go better than on the Lindisfarne Rally where their rear diff failed on the final stage when in 7th place.
And although the Mitsubishi crew set a cracking pace all day, they didn’t have an easy run to take the top spot. After the first 4 stages, it was Bob Grant who was setting the pace. Driving his regular immaculate Subaru Impreza, Bob and regular co-driver Pete Carstairs set off at a terrific pace with the intention of carrying on where he left off at the end of his previous visit to Otterburn – the Lindisfarne Rally. At the end of the initial loop, the Scots crew held a 6 seconds lead over the Mitsubishi crew which they managed to stretch out to 29 seconds by the end of the re-run. However, on the fourth stage of the afternoon’s run, disaster struck when a puncture caught them out and the resultant time loss getting the wheel changed and then driving back to service was too much and the current champions were out.
Driving their Peugeot 106, Barry and Michael Lindsay would be very happy to settle for second on a day when the championship would be decided in their favour. The Spadeadam crew started the rally 2 points behind recent leaders Pete Gibson and Adam Bradford in their Vauxhall Nova. Although Pete and Adam have driven quickly all year, their reliability of finishing every one of the 9 rounds so far has pushed them to the top of the pile. But it was to all go very horribly wrong three quarters of the way through the very first stage. Going down the fast twisty section towards North Yardhope, the rear end of the Nova stepped out and the car was quickly launched into a couple of rolls. Although the car landed on it’s wheels and the crew were unhurt, the damage was too great to continue and their season was over. Once Barry and Michael learnt of the Nova’s retirement it was a case of keeping out of trouble, trying to drive in the middle of the road resisting the temptation to push too hard and dice with other competitors. They simply used their wise heads to bring the car home safely for another championship.
It’s good to report another new name at the top of the results with Mark and Matt Thompson recording their best result of the season. The Durham Motor Club pairing put in another consistent run in their smart Peugeot 206 to regularly record top 20 times and push themselves into a fine 3rd overall championship contender on the day
And a quick update of some of the crews who never made it to the finish. David Conley moved up from his ageing Hillman Avenger to a Talbot Sunbeam but his run only lasted until stage 4 when a gearbox mount broke and then a faulty water pump was discovered in service; Geoffrey Harkness and Caroline Lodge returned to the series after their slight indiscretion on the Pendragon and were steadily moving up the leaderboard and looking to break into the top 20 – they stopped with mechanical problems on stage 10; and finally Rob Hornshaw’s cracking drive to bring his beautiful Ford Escort Mark 2 to finish just inside the top ten came to nothing when he was excluded after his service crew was found on a prohibited link road.
A quick look at the overall and class winners for 2009:-
- Barry Lindsay 1st overall driver.
- Michael Lindsay 1st overall co-driver.
- Stephen Bethwaite 1st driver class 1.
- Ann Forster 1st co-driver class 1.
- Barry Lindsay 1st driver class 2.
- Michael Lindsay 1st co-driver class 2.
- Mark Thompson 1st driver class 3.
- Matthew Thompson 1st co-driver class 3.
- Rob Hornshaw 1st driver class 4.
- Rob Dawson 1st co-driver class 4.
- Bob Grant 1st driver class 5.
- Phil Short 1st co-driver class 5.
All the above positions are provisional for 7 days.
Thanks go to the organisers of the Cheviot Keith Knox Rally, Whickham and District Motor Club and Hadrian Motor Sports Club for providing another stern test for man and machine – just a shame the local micro climate decided to offer most of the seasons in the one day. Another cracking rally run over some of the best tarmac roads available to rallying in England and a fitting end to another good year of rallying competition too !
The last event of the year will be the annual end of season awards presentation. More details will be announced in the very near future.
Courtesy of Peter Grant – North of England Tarmacadam Rally Championship
Tags: Rally, Tarmacadam
Posted in Event news