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Back To Winning Ways For Perez |
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Monday, 23 October 2006 |
After a relatively mediocre season by his very high standards, VK Vodka Kick rally driver Steve Perez bounced back to claim maximum points on the Bulldog Rally which comprised the final round of the MSA Gravel Rally Championship based in Oswestry this weekend.
Driving the Ford Focus WRC 05, the Chesterfield businessman finished second behind Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen but with the Scandinavian driver not registered for the ANCRO Championship, it was the 2004 champion who took the honours.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing for Perez who had to draft in the experienced Peter Martin as co driver at short notice but as soon as the pair got into the swing, they soon started to climb the leaderboard.
Going into the final stage, Perez lay in third place overall but a spirited drive through the second Dyfnant stage elevated them past the new champion for 2006, Craig Middleton, and in doing so, took second place overall but first in the ANCRO standings.
“That was more like it, I really enjoyed that and I haven’t said that for a while!” enthused Perez on the Bulldog Rally Base finish ramp. “We started out cautiously and as soon as I could understand Peter’s strong Scottish accent, our times started to improve. It’s been a long time since I stood on a podium, and even longer since taking maximum points so I’m delighted to end the ANCRO season is style” said Perez who elevated himself to fourth in the final points table as a result.
Meanwhile, the VK Vodka Kick Rally Team are preparing to release some major news tomorrow (Monday 23rd October) regarding their participation on Wales Rally GB in December.
Results
Pos. Driver/Co-Driver Car Time
1 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene Ford Focus WRC 1:06:29.3
2 Steve Perez/Peter Martin Ford Focus WRC -53.3
3 Craig Middleton/Robin Hernaman Hyundai Accent WRC -58.5
4 Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield Subaru WRC - 1:43.6
5 Jon Ingram/Ian Allsop Ford Focus WRC - 2:47.9
6 Julian Reynolds/Shelley Rogerson Subaru Impreza - 3.52.3
ANCRO Final Championship Standings (provisional)
Pos. Driver Manufacturer POints
1 Craig Middleton Hyundai 119
2 Roger Duckworth Subaru 106
3 Richard Gower Hyundai 94
4 Steve Perez Ford 85
5 Rob Smith Subaru 84
6 Anthony Willmington Mitsubishi 82
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 December 2006 )
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