FUCHS LUBRICANTS BTRDA BRONZE STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP

MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL!

Although it’s abundantly clear that Nigel Jenkins (Pictured) has got plans of his own, especially in respect of the FUCHS LUBRICANTS BTRDA Bronze Star (1400) Championship. Having set the series alight with performances in their Nova during the second half of the 2022 season, Nigel and his wife, Kaz, started on the Malcolm Wilson Rally where they left off last autumn by clinching the overall 1400 category by almost a minute. Although the contest has only just started, the phrase ‘laying down a marker’ seems particularly apt here.

Next up were Lewis Hooper/Rhys Edwards in their Rally First Nissan Micra. No matter how hard they tried, the opposition had trouble shaking off Lewis’ attention last year and, once again, all the signs are that we (or, more particularly, ‘they’!) are in for more of the same… It goes without saying that Lewis & Rhys currently lead the MRF Tyres Rally First Cup.

Andrew & Oliver Wheatley’s Puma (no – not an electric one!) comfortably cleaned up in Class 1400C, adding to the variety of the Bronze Star podium but, at the same time, only just holding off the Micra Kit Car of Ed James and 2022 BTRDA Lady Co-driver Champion Charlie Mason for the spot.

Kris Farrell/Harry Stubbs (Proton Satria) and Aaron Rix/Abi Haycock (Escort) finished line-astern in Class 1400S while the appearance of Giles Armitage/Josh Rhodes (Peugeot 205) means that Lewis Hooper may possibly not have an uninterrupted run to retain his Rally First Cup.

Dale Glover/Sean Ward’s Alfasud TI looked on course for some points but failed to appear at the end of the final stage. That’ll have been a quiet trip back to Kings Lynn, then!

MRF TYRES BTRDA GOLD STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP

ICE & A SLICE JUST THE TONIC FOR ELLIOT!

A burst of very wintry weather in the days leading up to the Malcolm Wilson Rally, the opening round of both the 2023 MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series and Motorsport UK English Rally Championship in association with Seacon UK, caused severe headaches for the organisers and led to a revamp of the original route which saw a number of stages cut from the itinerary due to the presence of snow and ice.

Notwithstanding, defending MRF Tyres BTRDA Gold Star® Champion Elliot Payne, with co-driver Tom Woodburn installed in his Fiesta Rally2 for the new season, belied his lack of experience in the prevailing conditions and, while additionally contesting the BRC (but foregoing the opportunity of a recce in order to qualify for BTRDA points), not only embarrassed some of his colleagues who had had sight of the stages the previous day but also began his campaign in the best possible way with maximum Gold Star points.

The aforementioned problems led to the BRC & BTRDA event routes being identical, although split into ‘National’ (BRC) and ‘Interclub’ (others) sections. Elliot & Tom were 3rd in the former but, winning the Interclub event outright, Arron Newby/Jamie Edwards’ Skoda Fabia R5 finished 50s adrift to claim 2nd Gold Star points – just! With only the last of three runs through Greystoke to go, Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear (Fiesta R5) were leading the rally by 3.6s but then Newby, on his home turf, put up a gargantuan effort over the last 7.5 miles to stop the clocks 4s quicker than his rival to claim victory by a mere 0.4s. The pace, itself, would have been hot enough to melt the ice!

Russ Thompson/Steve Link continued where they left off in Class B13 at the end of last season by taking 4th overall – and maximum class points – in their Lancer EVO9, a handful of seconds in front of Ian Bainbridge/Will Atkins who have joined the Fiesta Owners’ Club since their last BTRDA appearance in a Fabia. Keeping Thompson/Link honest in B13, Ian Joel/Graeme Wood’s Escort Cosworth claimed a Top Six finish, staying marginally ahead of 2016 Malcolm Wilson winners Charlie Payne/Carl Williamson’s Fiesta Rally2. Alistair Ginley/Craig Thorley belied their lack of recent (BTRDA) match practice by bringing their ex Payne Jr. Fiesta Rally2 to the finish in 8th place after a performance which included 2nd fastest time of the day through Grizedale South, immediately followed by a loss of 40s with a puncture in Grizedale North. You win some, you lose some!

Among those who could have reasonably expected to finish in the points but for various reasons didn’t, we find the Fiestas of Trevor Gamble/Phil Kenny and Eddie Lewis/Sion Cunniff. Don’t panic, lads – as we say every year at this point, there’s still plenty of time to get your respective seasons back on track.

MRF TYRES BTRDA SILVER STAR® CHAMPIONSHIP

FRIEND REUNITED!

Ben Friend and Cliff Simmons showed that they’ve lost none of their competitive edge by taking their Historic spec. Escort MkII to a Top Ten finish in Cumbria, earning themselves maximum points in both the MRF Tyres BTRDA Silver Star® Championship and BTRDA Historic Cup in the process. Cumbrians Rob Wright/Mark Fisher (Escort), the defending Silver Star champions, were next while completing the two-wheel drive podium – and moving into an early BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup lead – were Robert Proudlock/Steven Brown in their Opel Adam.

Back for another season in their venerable Sunbeam VXR, Andy Davison/Tom Murphy missed out on 3rd Silver Star points by 1.5s, while Boyd Kershaw/Keegan Rees (Escort) opened their account with a Class B11 win.

Behind Proudlock/Brown in the BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup, the Fiestas of Liam Clark/Ben Wild and Alfie Hammond, who has moved up from Class 1400C and now has Phil Boyle to point him in the right direction, also had successful outings.

Ernie & Patricia Lee (BMW325i) put their last-stage retirement on the 2022 Malcolm Wilson Rally behind them and got the job done this time! An excellent haul of BTRDA Historic Cup points was their reward and we look forward to seeing them out on events during the season in weather that, perhaps, won’t be quite so ‘exciting’ from inside a BMW!

MOTORSPORT UK ENGLISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEACON UK

JOINT PAYNE – WITH PROUDLOCK, JENKINS & FRIEND!

The Motorsport UK English Rally Championship, in association with Seacon UK, also slid into action – literally! – on the Malcolm Wilson Rally and, such is the nature of the competition that a mere three points currently separate the top dozen drivers. Equal first following their performances on Round 1 are Elliot Payne (Fiesta Rally2), Robert Proudlock (Opel Adam), Nigel Jenkins (Nova) and Ben Friend (Escort). These four have Arron Newby (Fabia), Andrew Wheatley (Puma) and Russ Thompson (Lancer EVO9) breathing down their necks, and so on.

Contenders now have a couple of months to regroup before the Jedburgh-based Border Counties Rally beckons in early May. Then we’ll see who is able to maintain their winning stance and continue their quest to carve out an advantage purely for themselves!