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Battle Resumes In Scotland... |
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Saturday, 02 September 2006 |
The battle for the 2006 MSA Gravel Rally Championship goes into the
penultimate round next Saturday (9th September) and with the series as
precariously poised as it has been all season, it means round six of
the series will be one of the most dramatic of the year.
Defending Scottish champion Barry Johnson (Shildon) knows the stages
well around Castle Douglas which comprise the annual Park Systems
Stages National Rally and although his championship challenge came off
the rails in mid season, the Subaru WRC driver is expected to be the
pace setter on the Machars Car Club & Scottish Sporting Car Club
organised event.
Towcester driver Roger Duckworth in a similar car heads the
championship and will be looking for his first victory of the season
after four podium finishes in as many rounds but he faces a two pronged
challenge for the title in the shape of a pair of Hyundai Accent WRC’s
driven by Poole’s Marcus Dodd and Llandrindod Wells driver Craig
Middleton.
Both drivers have sampled the victors champagne twice and similarly,
both have failed to see the finish ramp on two occasions but with this
year’s championship allowing crews to drop their two worst scores
rather than the single one as in the past, it means the title chase is
wide open.
Not that he will want to, but Duckworth can still afford a low score or
a non-finish whereas neither Dodd nor Middleton have such a luxury and
with the fourth championship outsider Steve Perez not entering, it is
set to be a three horse race for the prestigious 2006 National crown.
Dorchester’s Anthony Willmington has proved to be ‘Mr Consistency’ in
his Mitsubishi Lancer this season and as well as lying in second
overall in the main ANCRO driver’s standings, he comfortably leads the
Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Cup ahead of North Yorkshire driver
Stephen Petch but in the Subaru Group N Trophy, the three way battle
between Welshman Wyn Humphries, Inverness driver Alistair Tough, and
Towcester’s Rob Smith will resume in the forests of Dumfries and
Galloway.
With TMS Peugeot 206 Super Cup leader Colin Britten an absentee, then
fellow Ulsterman Declan Magee will square off against Harrogate driver
Miles Johnston while Willmington heads the Innovation Motorsports
Challenge Cup and in the ANCRO Clubman’s Championship, Cleadon’s Chris
Moore leads the series after two straight victories in his Ford Fiesta
ST ahead of early pacesetter Nick Kelly from Maidstone (Ford Escort)
with Pencombe driver George Thomas (Ford Fiesta ST) in third.
Comprising qualifying rounds for no less than eleven championships,
including the Fiesta Sporting Trophy, Eurorallye Cup and the MSA County
Saab Scottish Rally Championship, the first of the ANCRO National
competitors leaves the start on Saturday morning from Riverside Car
Park, Newton Stewart at 09.00 before returning to the finish at around
16.30.
More details on the event can be found at www.parkstages.com and information on the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship is listed at www.gravelrally.co.uk. Results can be found at www.ancro.info
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 January 2007 )
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