NETRC Turnbull Trophy 2013 Results
Pete Gibson driving his usual Mitsubishi Evo 6 picked up his first ever podium finish in the scorching heat of sunny Stamfordham on the recent Turnbull Trophy.
Once again, Tynemouth Motor Club set out 8 tests all about 10 miles long around the runways and perimeter roads of Albemarle Barracks to give 53 competitors a real testing rally. And they managed to get some good summer weather for the day as well.
The action kicked off with Gibson setting 5th fastest time over the opening run despite clouting a straw bale. A couple of stages later and he clipped one of the many maker cones but he found this one was supporting an arrow and stake. The post flew up into the air and smashed into the middle of his windscreen. Visibility wasn’t impaired too much and once the scrutineers gave the thumbs up, he was able to continue. Last stage before lunch and he over braked himself into the chicane prior to the split over the back of the circuit. He immediately thought he had pick up a puncture so he turned off the antilag and backed off. It soon became apparent that the tyre was still inflated and the noise was coming from panel damage to the front quarter. Time loss was enough to drop him behind a flying Citroen Saxo of Chris and Katherine Singer and into 4th overall.
Over the long lunch halt as the stages were ‘turned around’; Pete talked things over with the team manager and formulated a battle plan for the afternoon. Although Pete finished runner up in our championship last year, he admits that the budget just isn’t there this year and so he only ever planned a few outings for 2013. With all the body damage and now running out of tyres, he decided to reel in his attack and tidy up his style to drive with his head. Along with new co-driver for the day, Jo Emma Hind, they set about the business in the afternoon and the times were still very much on the pace. And within 2 tests were up to 3rd overall – a placing they’d hold unto the end thanks to a trouble free session.
Finishing right behind in 4th overall was Paul Swift in his Ford Escort. Paul is another one who doesn’t give much for his championship hopes this year, despite taking the top spot last year. Work commitments mean that he has only started 4 of our rallies and this time he had Jessica Bell alongside him. These was Jessica’s first time co-driving so they had a slowish start and were down in 14th after the first test. After that it was a case of onwards and upwards as their partnership grew. A temporary loss of power steering and concern over tyres were the only concerns on their way to 9th at the half way. Things just got even better in the afternoon as they recorded a 2nd, a 3rd and two 4th fastest times to end up 52 seconds adrift of Gibson and Hind.
Our next points scorers were the husband and wife team from just outside Alnwick – Chris and Katherine Singer. Riding on a high from their finish on the Clark, they were in maximum attach mode from the off. A couple of 6th and 7th fastest times over the opening 4 stages catapulted them into 3rd overall at the lunch halt. It hadn’t been without a worry though as they entered first service with steam bellowing from beneath the bonnet of the Saxo Kit Car. A new pressure cap from Barry Lindsay seemed to sort them out and they continued on their way. The first 3 runs after lunch were consolidation but an engine mount broke near the end of the penultimate stage. All they could do was strap / tie the mount up and hope it would last over the final 10.1 miles. And they were disappointed at the end but also relieved to just drop about a minute. They still managed 5th overall, the class win and their second consecutive finish.
Jim Sharp and his Subaru Impreza are new to the championship – and also to his co-driver Caroline Lodge. Jim turned up on Saturday for scrutineering with a car but no co-driver arranged. A few conversations and a phone call later and Caroline was set up for her third different car and driver in as many weekends. A steady run with consistent top ten times was only spoilt with a puncture on stage 6. They lost over 2 minutes and slipped 3 places down the leaderboard to finish in 8th.
Next up were our current championship leaders, Chris Anderson and Chris Thirling. The exhaust manifold that ended their Jim Clark Rally prematurely was now replaced and after remapping the engine, improved power and torque were a surprise bonus. And it showed on the opening run as they stopped the clocks 3rd quickest. Unfortunately, a puncture picked up near the start of the next run forced them to stop and change the wheel with the loss of over 5 and half minutes. Over the day’s 6 remaining stages, a 4th fastest was their worst effort as they charged back up the time sheets to finish in a very respectable 9th place. Oh, what could have been … but I guess they could consider this a victory of sorts.
Finishing in 12th overall were another husband and wife pairing of Jon and Alison Trenholme. The blue Subaru Impreza looked much better after it’s chassis damaging end against a tree on the Clark and they were looking forward to the challenge of Northumberland’s airfield roads. A trouble free day was the end result and more championship points that keep them both at the sharp end of the overall tables.
Just over 2 minutes behind was local boy Stuart Wilson with Steve Dargan alongside in the left hand seat for the day. Stuart doesn’t contest many events these days but still supports the championship while operating on a shoestring. His little Vauxhall Nova had stood idle in his garage since last year’s Turnbull, so his decision to rebuild the engine in the weeks leading up to the rally looked to be a wise one. Unfortunately, he struggled with very low oil pressure before a change of bearings solved the problem. And the engine ran without a hitch all day – their only worry being whether they’d have enough tyres to see them through all 8 stages.
Finishing in a lowly 16th place was the unique GTM Coupe of Ed Todd and Andy Brown. After their early season problems of getting the car ready, a test at Crail recently went well and gave the Durham crew some confidence. The 2 litre powered motor was certainly being thrown around the stages with plenty of aggression and at lunch they were happy to be in 14th place with everything going well. More steady runs, save for a big spin on SS7, and a good finish was on the horizon until 2 bolts sheared on a steering arm link on the hub a few miles from the end of the last test. With only one wheel steering, they dropped 5 places down the leaderboard and were completely dejected at the finish.
Phil Kenny found another empty co-driver’s seat and took the opportunity to help Steven Hay and his Vauxhall Corsa around. Their only major problem was lack of brakes on the opening test. Once the system was bled things improved and they had a clear run.
Next up was our first Dad and Lad combination of Jimmy and Alastair Knox. The day started badly for them when their Peugeot 106 was found to have a cracked rear disc – before they left for MC1. A temporary ‘fix’ by clamping off the brake pipe got them started and they coped with 3 wheel braking. As other crews around could help, the service crew started ringing around locals and eventually traced another disc that had to be collected 20 miles away and then fitted. They almost made it to the finish unscathed until a rear arm detached itself and left the wheel wobbling a bit too much for Jimmy’s liking. Alastair made it through his first event without any mistakes too.
Nick Thorne was next in his Honda Civic with a new co-driver. His regular man had to pull out on the Sunday morning so it was lucky that one of his service crew had brought his overalls, helmet and licence along on the day. A puncture on the opening run lost him about a minute before regular top 20 times started happening. Then on SS6 he went off while attacking the ‘panhandle’ corner flat in 6th. He just understeered well off into the grass and only just missed collecting a tree. A bit of manual handling by the man from the silly seat and plenty of pushing got the car back on track but they had to take a stage maximum and they slipped down the order from 15th to 29th. Despite a couple of good times over the last pair of stages, they would only move up 4 places to end the day in 25th overall.
Chris Purvis was another man sitting in with a new driver for this rally. His move up to a Mitsubishi was to help a driver from the Isle of Mull on his first visit to the area. Things got off to the worst possible start with a puncture and the stage maximum time awarded. Next time around they picked up 7 minutes of time but it was always an uphill battle to make progress on the folk above. No more dramas for the rest of the rally and they ended up in 30th place.
Our final finisher was Chris Dodds and Karl Knox in the little Peugeot 205. They were happy running along in 37th place despite a small misfire, until the last morning stage. A huge bang followed by a split of flame caused them to stop just after coming out of a chicane. After a good look around the car they tried staring it up and away she went back to service. Over 7 minutes were lost and most of the silencer box too but they were able to carry on. A change of plugs cured the misfire and a trouble free, if rather loud, afternoon would see the Whickham crew happily chalk up a finish.
On such a hard venue for cars, it was only natural that we had a few retirements. The first was James Thomson and Shona Hale when their Vauxhall Nova stopped after 3 corners of the opening test when the ECU plug came adrift. Further on in the same stage Stuart Walker / Julie McGuire were parked up with transmission woes or hopefully just a clutch problem. Next to go was Don Bramfoot who was co-driving for the non-registered John Nicholson and they managed to complete the first stage and drive their Ford Escort into service. The front wheel was having quite a wobble though and they decided to retire when a worn suspension bush was discovered. Richard Stewart and Lewis MacDougall made it half way around SS2 when a small fire in the wiring loom of their Corsa ended their day. The Subaru Impreza of Howard Chopping was in an excellent 2nd overall when he too suffered what appeared to be a terminal clutch problem after the third test.
Jon Old retired his Seat Cordoba at the lunch halt complaining of a noisy gearbox. Barry Renwick and Paul Hughes were setting top ten times in the morning despite a power steering problem and running short of rear tyres for their Ford Escort. A change to narrower tyres for the afternoon didn’t last long before they lost their brakes. They managed to drive back to service and into retirement from a fine 6th overall. Our final retirees were the Lindsays in their Peugeot 106. This isn’t their favourite rally as they always seem to retire but a steady morning’s work found them sitting in 11th place. The car failed to start during the lunch halt but eventually Barry managed to coax some life out it and get through the next pair of stages. However, it wouldn’t restart to go out for SS7 and despite trying everything, they finally gave up once OTL.
Thanks go to Ed Barber and his team at Tynemouth Motor Club for organising a cracking day’s weather and also providing another rally that gives contenders more variety in this year’s challenge. And we continue with our visits to military venues for the rest of the year starting with the Wilkinson Maintenance Tyneside Stages on Sunday 11th August.
Once again the event is planned for it’s now regular slot in mid August by Alnwick and Berwick Motors Clubs and this year it will be sponsored solely by Wilkinson Maintenance. Similar to 2012, the organisers are once again offering 9 special stages with approximately 90 stage miles on sealed roads linked by road mileage of approximately 60 miles. The entry fee this year has increased to £355, a jump of £5 on the last couple of years. Scrutineering, Documentation and the Finish will be located at Otterburn Leisure while Rally HQ will be based on the Otterburn Ranges during the running of the event. A recce will take place on the Saturday afternoon after competitors pass through scrutineering and signing on. This year the rally is a qualifying round of 4 championships so if you’re thinking of contesting this cracking rally, get you entry is quick. For more details, go to the event website www.alnwickmotorclub.co.uk/tyneside-stages-rally