Richards lands rally support

Bill Richards has secured a £20,000 sponsorship deal to race in next year’s Monte Carlo Rally. It will the Ashford driver’s sixth appearance in the famous race, after agreeing a contract with Hertfordshirebased parts company Mini Spares. Richards said: “I am doing all their testing for them and have just signed the deal which gives me full backing. “The entry fee is £4,500 and the race is still super-professional. I have finished three times before and crashed twice.” Richards endured a frustrating time in the latest round of the Quaife Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship at Brands Hatch on Saturday, when his Mini Clubman suffered an engine failure on the first lap of qualifying. Meanwhile, Sellindge’s Andy Banham finished 17th in the same event, in what proved to be the only race of the weekend. The second race on Sunday was cancelled following an accident which damaged a barrier. Banham said: “We were held in the assembly area for an hour before the race was called off. “Qualifying was difficult. We only had three laps before the safety car came out, after one of the cars caught fire and only had one more lap and I finished 26th out of 44.”