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Middleton Wins ANCRO Rally Championship |
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Saturday, 21 October 2006 |
| Attachment 17419 |
| Craig Middleton and Robin Hernaman (Hyundai Accent WRC) on the Bulldog Rally (courtesy of Mark Simpson) |
The battle for the 2006 MSA Gravel Rally Championship finally went the way of Welshman Craig Middleton after a last round fight saw him get the better of main championship rival Roger Duckworth on the fast and flowing roads of the Mid Welsh forests which comprised the Bulldog Rally.
Middleton, from Llandrindod Wells and Royston co driver Robin Hernaman (Hyundai Accent WRC) claimed third place overall on the Wolverhampton and South Staffs Car Club-organised event but more importantly, they finished ahead of the Towcester pairing of ex champion Roger Duckworth and co driver Mark Broomfield (Subaru WRC) who claimed fourth overall after mechanical gremlins thwarted their slim chances.
Finnish driver Andreas Mikkelsen won the rally outright in his Ford Focus WRC but not being registered for the ANCRO series meant he didn’t score championship points, instead that was left to the rejuvenated Steve Perez (Ford Focus WRC) whose late charge just edged Middleton out of runner up spot meaning the 2004 champion, along with stand-in co driver Peter Martin, took maximum ANCRO points.
However, the day was about Middleton who was simply overcome with jubilation on the Bulldog Rally Base finish ramp:
”It hasn’t sunk in yet” said Craig. “We made a good start but I found the opening loop of stages were unpredictable and tricky. Then as the rally progressed, I found I was losing concentration and I started worrying that things may go wrong. But luckily for me they didn’t and here we are. It’s a very strange feeling indeed.”
For Duckworth, it wasn’t to be and knowing nothing short of his inaugural victory of 2006 would be needed, he struggled from the outset with problems. A faulty differential switch caused him to lose time on the opening loop and then persistent brake problems thwarted his bid to challenge the leaders leaving him nearly a minute behind his championship challenger at the finish:
“Naturally I’m very disappointed but we knew it was always going to be a long shot for us to win this championship here. We could have done without the problems and once again, I’m the Bridesmaid but all credit to Craig, he’s done a magnificent job and is a worthy champion” said the 1998 winner.
Having missed the previous round, Clay Cross businessman Steve Perez had to draft in the experienced Scot Peter Martin for the event and once the paid got into their rhythm, they shot up the leader board to claim second place behind Mikkelsen:
“That’s more like it” beamed Perez! “”I’ve really enjoyed the event although I struggled to understand Peter in the early stages due to his strong Scottish accent! However, once we got into the groove, it all started going well and it’s great to finish top of the ANCRO points scorers once again as it’s been a long time.”
Dorchester’s Anthony Willmington sat out the event after already clinching victory in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Cup ahead of North Yorkshire driver Stephen Petch who ended up retiring after problems with the transmission on SS1 but in the hotly contested Subaru Group N Trophy, Welshman Wyn Humphries took the win ahead of Towcester’s Rob Smith after Scotsman Alistair Tough crashed out on SS4.
Ulsterman Declan Magee celebrated wrapping up the TMS Peugeot 206 Super Cup last time out with another victory and in the ANCRO Clubman’s Championship, the Ford Fiesta ST of Tynesider Chris Moore emerged victorious to land the honours in that class.
More details on the event can be found at www.thebulldogrally.freeserve.co.uk and information on the MSA Gravel Rally Championship is listed at www.gravelrally.co.uk Results can be found at www.ancro.info
Results
Pos. Drivers 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 Championship Standings (provisional)
Pos. Driver Car Time
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
7 Alistair Tough Subaru 81
8 Wyn Humphries Subaru 73
9 Marcus Dodd Hyundai 69
10 Stephen Petch Mitsubishi 64
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 December 2006 )
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