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BLAST OFF IN BOURNEMOUTH!
The eagerly anticipated battle for the 2008 Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally
Championship gets underway next weekend when crews from all over the UK converge
on the seaside resort of Bournemouth for the annual ANCRO season opener as the
23rd annual Rallye Sunseeker bursts into life.
Five-times winner and very much the local hero,
Marcus Dodd from nearby Poole and co-driver Andrew Bargery from just down the
coast at Hove, are looking to defend their title once again in their FliteWise
sponsored Hyundai Accent WRC and whilst the pair will start the Southern Car
Club and Croydon & DMC organised event as
favourites, there is the usual class entry following Dodd away from the start in
Bournemouth on Friday evening.
Heading the challenge will be recent Wyedean
Forest Rally winner Andy Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth whilst a trio of Subaru
Impreza World Rally Cars, each in very capable hands, complete the top five. Jon
Ingram, Julian Reynolds and Isle of Wight driver Will
Nicholls can be regarded as potential event and Championship winners, and their
respective campaigns for these coveted positions start now.
John Lloyd is at the wheel of the first of three
Ford Focus WRCs in the entry, whilst a very strong Irish presence is led by Sean
Devine (Subaru Impreza WRC) and Stephen Moore (Ford Focus WRC) and despite
regular ANCRO stalwarts such as Steve Perez, Paul Bird and Roger Duckworth
missing for various reasons this year, the battle will be just as
intense.
Once again, the Mitsubishi Ralliart
Evolution Challenge kicks off in Bournemouth with a host
of drivers intent on emulating Phillip Morrows 2007 success. Welshman Sebastian
Ling, Scot David Bogie, Englander Nik Elsmore and Irishman Keith Cronin lead the
field as all the contenders set out on the long road which does not reach its
conclusion until the end of October.
Other drivers who could make a splash on the two
day event include Stephen Petch who takes to the wheel of dad Steves Hyundai
Accent WRC, whereas Charlie Payne is set to contest the series in a Mitsubishi
WRC. Fellow Northerners Tony Thompson (Mitsubishi) and Miles Johnston
(Mitsubishi) will also be looking for a good result, as will veteran Warren
Philliskirk who ventures south in his MG Metro 6R4, as does Stuart Larbey, to
take part in the festivities that aim to celebrate the iconic marque on Rallye
Sunseeker.
In the supporting Subaru Group N Trophy, rapid
youngster Tristan Pye will head the challenge although he can expect stiff
competition from Roger Chilman and Alistair Thorburn.
Throw in 70 years young veteran Harry Dodd
(Hyundai Accent WRC),
Ulster starlet
Jonathan Greer (Mitsubishi) and Icelander Daniel Sigurdsson in a similar car and
the scene is set for a typically exciting curtain raiser to the National rally
scene.
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