PEREZ BLASTS TO BORDER COUNTIES VICTORY

WESTON TAKES SRC WIN.
MORROW DOMINATES GROUP N

After a dramatic day of action in the forests of the Borders Region, it was the Ford Focus WRC of former ANCRO champion driver Steve Perez and local Berwickshire co-driver Claire Mole who emerged victorious to win the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally.

In bright sunshine opposed to last year’s snow and ice, the Chesterfield man saw off a concerted challenge from the usual 2007 Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship contenders to take the win by 46 seconds and in doing so took the lead of the series following his runner up placing on the previous round in Bournemouth.

But the VK Vodka Kick-backed crew had to work hard for their success as they traded early blows with the Hyundai Accent of Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery who eventually suffered a low speed roll into an infamous Kielder ditch to put them out whilst leading on SS6.

Previous rally winners Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry were first to go out when their Subaru suffered transmission problems on the way to SS1 and other fancied runners, including 2005 ANCRO Champion Paul Bird and co-driver Andy Richardson (Subaru) as well as double British Champion Jonny Milner, with co-driver Ian Windress (Mitsubishi), had problems on the opening test also.

Perez and Dodd forged ahead and held a comfortable cushion before Dodd’s exit allowing Perez to control the event as behind a battle was raging and Bird was clawing back time on Roger Duckworth and stand in co-driver Ian Allsop (Subaru).

The lead may have been sorted but the battle behind wasn’t. Despite the valiant efforts of the organisers from Whickham and District Motor Club and Hawick and Border Car Club, the last stage (SS8) was cancelled due to lack of time which meant Duckworth – who survived a puncture on road section to the finish - cemented runner up spot with Bird claiming his twentieth consecutive rally finish in third.

Leading County Saab MSA Scottish Championship contenders were Aberdeen’s Dave Weston and co-driver Neil Shanks (Ford Focus WRC), who only registered for the ANCRO and Scottish Championships on the morning of the rally, and they led home the Subaru WRC of Dollar pairing Gary and Gordon Adam with Jimmy Girvan from North Kessock and co-driver Mick Ramsay third.

Less than a second separated the top three in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evo Challenge with Ulster brothers Phillip and Simon Morrow getting the win by the smallest margin possible – one tenth of a second! Second was Seb Ling/Aled Rees with Julian Reyonolds/Patrick Walsh third, three-quarters of a second further back after nearly an hour of competition. Despite a misfire, Scottish crew Jock Armstrong and Kirsty Riddick (Castle Douglas) took their Subaru to a second successive win in the Subaru Group N Trophy.

In the six-stage National B event, it was Gary Adam who took victory by nearly a minute over the DAM 4100 of Andy Horne and Jim Howie with Steven Clark and Lee Kerr bringing their Mitsubishi Evo 4 home in third place.

The event was delayed three times over the course of the seven stages due to accidents, two of them involving SRC regulars. Duns' Alistair Thorburn collided with a tree in his Subaru Impreza on SS1, whereas the Cumbrian crew of Paul Benn and Richard Cooke had a big off on SS6 in their Ford Focus WRC. Although Thorburn was airlifted to hospital suffering from concussion and Cooke was treated for a broken arm, both crews escaped without serious injury.


Results and Championship positions are available from www.gravelrally.co.uk and or www.scottishrallychampionship.co.uk.

Issued by Larry Carter
Brick & Steel Border Counties Press Officer
Tel 07948 272811
larry@cartersport.com

 

Webmaster - webmaster@bordercountiesrally.co.uk