Cathcart Claims first Evo Challenge Win

• Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Round Two

• Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally – 5th April 2008

• Richard Cathcart scores convincing victory

• Daniel Barry claims second place and takes championship lead

• David Bogie and Daniel Sigurdarson lose top spots after visiting the same ditch

Richard Cathcart and co-driver Martin Brady scored their first Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge victory this weekend, following an impressive performance in round two of the one-make series for Group N (production specification) Mitsubishi Lancers, the Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally. Their performance also netted them an impressive third place in the rally’s overall positions.

After David Bogie and Daniel Sigurdarson both visited the same ditch in stage two, Cathcart took the lead and succeeded in establishing a final margin of 41 seconds ahead of Daniel Barry, who finished in the runners-up spot for the second time this season and now leads the Evolution Challenge standings.

Based from the Borders town of Jedburgh, the rally featured 60 competitive miles in the infamous Kielder Forest, the event comprising seven stages, with a service interval after every two.

Right from the word go, Kielder lived up to its reputation, especially in the slippery conditions, with Sebastian Ling the first to suffer when he went off the road and into retirement less than a mile into the first stage. Next to go was Keith Cronin, when towards the end of the stage he dropped a wheel into a ditch and, before he knew it, the rest of the car followed.

Initially heading the Mitsubishi field was round one winner David Bogie, albeit just 0.6 second ahead of Icelandic Rally Champion Daniel Sigurdarson in second. Barry was just four seconds behind in third, with Cathcart hot on his heels just 0.5 second later.

However, things were to change in SS2 when Bogie and Sigurdarson were both caught out by the same deceptive brow, followed by a square right: Bogie left the road, went into the ditch on the outside of the bend and rolled, whilst Sigurdarson got away with just plunging into the ditch. With the help of spectators both extracted their cars, Bogie taking a stage maximum and losing eight minutes and Sigurdarson getting going again following a two-minute delay.

At the first service halt on the Otterburn Military ranges, the time sheets showed Cathcart 2.2 seconds ahead of Barry, who was in-turn 12.7 seconds ahead of Jonny Greer, who was gathering pace despite a stone puncturing a brake pipe at the end of stage two. Nik Elsmore was just 0.2 behind, followed by McCance - both drivers reporting punctures during the first two stages.

Cathcart was now in ‘the zone’ and extended his lead to 26 seconds in the next pair of stages, Barry slowed by spins on SS3 and SS4 as he battled for the lead. Elsmore was frustrated to have collected another puncture on stage four, whilst Jonathan Sparks had a worrying moment when he lost his brakes on the approach to a chicane and scattered the cones, luckily without any damage or loss of time. But for Greer it was a different story and his excellent run came to an end when he slid wide on a right-hander, beaching his Mitsubishi half-in and half-out of yet another Northumberland ditch.

As crews lined-up to start stage five, Pope’s Hill in the heart of Kielder Forest, in keeping with the tradition of the region the weather changed and un-seasonal snow started falling. But that didn’t stop Cathcart, who again went quickest, but was becoming concerned when his car’s clutch started slipping intermittently.

With the wintry conditions worsening for SS6 the forestry roads were becoming even more treacherous and many of the Mitsubishi crews opted for a cautious approach, including Cathcart - which allowed Barry to set a fastest stage time. The stage also saw McCance overhaul Elsmore to take third place, albeit by just 1.3 second.

Bogie was bouncing back from his earlier excursion and now setting respectable times, even though his efforts were unlikely to help his Evo Challenge position having lost so much ground and then finding he had no brakes towards the end of SS6.

Following the third service halt, the seventh and final stage provided the longest test of the event, the 15-mile run through Harwood Forest a re-run of stages three and four combined, By this time, Cathcart was un stoppable and topped the time sheets again to secure his very first Evo Challenge victory.

“I am really happy to have won a round of the Evolution Challenge for the first time”, said Cathcart at the finish. “Having set a string of fastest times on round one but suffered a few mechanical problems, it’s good to be able to convert an almost trouble-free run into a win, as I needed this result to put my title hopes on track.”

Barry kept his head and drove a calculated final stage to collect second-place and now top the Evo Challenge standings. After feeling he could have driven quicker in places, McCance was delighted to claim third, whilst in contrast, Elsmore was disappointed to be denied a podium position in the closing stages of the rally.

Sigurdarson had showed his potential by driving back up- to fifth position, ahead of David Meredith, who was getting quicker as his confidence in his car and the conditions grew. Jon Sparks collected a sound seventh place, whilst a philosophical Bogie ended his day in eighth.

However, the award for the most unlucky crew of the day was reserved for Miles Johnston and Ian Bevan, when their intercom failed in the final stage just before the corner which claimed Greer - and they too became a casualty of Kielder.

The third round of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge sees the surface change to asphalt, when crews head to the Isle of Man for the RBSI Manx Rally on 9th & 10th May.

The 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is backed by Mitsubishi Motors UK and Ralliart, with support from its associate sponsors: Pirelli tyres, Speedline Corse wheels, Sparco racewear, Performance Friction Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, ADR Motorsport, Walkinshaw Performance and PIAA lights, who sponsor the junior award for under 25-year old drivers.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Round Two results
1st Richard Cathcart (Enniskillen)/Martin Brady (Navan) 1:00:30.4
2nd Daniel Barry (Enniskerry)/Mark Bowens (Cork) 1:01:11.5
3rd Neil McCance (Comber)/Anthony O’Connaill (Ballymakeera) 1:01:58.6
4th Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Paul Wakeley (Llanelli) 1:02:13.5
5th Daniel Siguardarson (Iceland)/Isak Gudjonsson (Iceland) 1:03:48.1
6th David Meredith (Dolgellau)/Dai Roberts (Carmarthen) 1:06:56.8
7th Jonathan Sparks (Glastonbury)/Chris Davies (Abergavenny) 1:08:31.8
8th David Bogie (Dumfries)/Kevin Rae (Hawick) 1:10:20.6

Retirements
SS1 Sebastian Ling (Llandysul)/Aled Rees (Crymych) Accident
SS1 Keith Cronin (Cork)/Greg Shinnors (Limerick) Accident
SS4 Jonathan Greer (Carryduff)/Jonny Hart (Moneyrea) Accident
SS7 Miles Johnston (York)/Ian Bevan (Holywell) Accident

Championship Positions
Pos. Name Points

Drivers
1 Daniel Barry 20
2 Richard Cathcart 18
3 David Bogie 15
4 Nik Elsmore 14
5 Neil McCance 13
6 Seb Ling 8
7 Jonathan Sparks 6
8 Daniel Sigurdarson 6
9 David Meredith 5
10 Keith Cronin 4
11 Miles Johnston 3

Co-drivers
1 Mark Bowens 20
2 Martin Brady 18
3 Kevin Rae 15
4 Paul Wakely 14
5 Anthony O’Connail 12
6 Aled Rees 8
7 Chris Davies 6
8 Isak Gudjonsson 6
9 Graham Hopewell 5
10 David Roberts 5
11 Ian Bevan 3

 

Webmaster - webmaster@bordercountiesrally.co.uk