Mcclure set for return on local rally in Mitsubishi Lancer E9

BTRDA NR4 frontrunner Aaron Mcclure is set to return to rallying for the first time since April on the Grizedale Stages.

Mcclure rolled on the Somerset Stages, effectively ruling him out of the rest of the season.

“It’s been a long time, the car has taken lot longer than it should have done for reasons out of our control,” explained Mcclure. “We realised it wouldn’t be ready in time for the championship [BTRDA NR4], so we decided not to rush it. It’s not an easy job when you’re doing it on a Saturday and Sunday and you have a day job. We’ve refreshed everything. It’s basically a new car.”

As well as not being in the car for over six months, Mcclure will have to adjust to a new driving position after making the car right-hand drive.

“We’re not expecting too much other than to get some miles on the clock,” added Mcclure. “I haven’t driven a right-handdrive car in three years. We had no choice as it was the only shell I could get hold off.”

The Yorkshireman isn’t certain on a destination for next year, but he said he is looking to return to the BTRDA NR4 class.

“Looking at the competition it will likely be the most competitive championship in the UK,” Mcclure added.

TIME

1h4m21s +45s +1m27s +2m04s +2m52s +3m17s +3m22s +3m28s +3m28s +3m37s

Organiser: Epynt Motor Club November 5/6 Where: Mid-wales Championships: WAMC & AWMMC Route: 130 miles 75. 1 Kevin Davies/ Dale Bowen (Ford Escort) 1m29s; 2 Stefan ‘DR’ Davies/ Michael Gilbey (Escort) +1m25s; 3 Reian Jones/ Cadog Davies (SEAT Ibiza); 4 Paul Tod/ Gerwyn Barry (Subaru Impreza); 5 Mike Roberts/ Dafydd-sion Lloyd (Escort); 6 Craig Judd/ Martin Phasey (Peugeot 306 GTI-6); 7 Jordan Reynolds/jordan Dziadulewicz (Toyota Corolla GT); 8 Ian ‘Dude’ Roberts/ Gwawr Hughes (VW Golf GTI); 9 Matt Barker/john Connor (Peugeot 206 GTI); 10 Mark Lennox/ Ian Beaumond (Ibiza). Class winners Reynolds/ Dziadulewicz; Aled Davies/ Guto Davies (206); Bleddyn Richards/ Gareth Parry (Nissan Micra).

When: Starters:

The British Truck Racing Championship Division One title was decided at Brands Hatch last Saturday, as new champion Ryan Smith earned his title with a second-place finish in race one, crossing the line almost glued to the back of winner and 10-time champion Stuart Oliver.

Smith only needed two points from the race, but still harried his nearest rival – just missing out on victory by less than half a second. Smith won again in Sunday’s first race, though Oly Janes came close, ahead of Ray Coleman in third. The last race was cancelled after an accident off the start line, as Luke Garrett’s Renault briefly went airborne and sideways during a heart stopping few seconds.

The Pre-final on Sunday had Oliver and his son Michael facing off for third place, but it was the father who claimed the spot. Smith won that encounter, as Shane Brereton put in a fantastic race to finish in second. The Final was a completely different story: the circuit was wet, dark, and windy. Simon Reid’s Iveco was nearly half a minute ahead of second place David Jenkins, while Oliver Sr rounded off a consistent weekend with the third podium place. Adam Bint picked up a class victory in the final, and even though things were all wrapped up for him, there was a diverse and international entry in Division Two.

Mika Makinen, four-time Finnish truck racing champion, claimed victory on his first visit to Brands Hatch in the first of the class’s individual races on Saturday over Belgian brothers Frans and Rody Smit. Frans took victory in the second race, with Rody third and Paul Mccumisky splitting the pair, and repeated the feat in the last Division Two race, on Sunday, over Makinen and Ryan Colson.

On Saturday’s first race in the Legends Cars Championship, Connor Mills narrowly missed out on victory as Jack Parker took first place on the run to the line, while Sebastian Kluyskens came third. Mills and Parker swapped places for Saturday’s second race while series champion, John Mickel, took third. Mickel then won the third race of Saturday by inches over Thomas Grainger as Parker came third.

A change in day brought no change in result as Mickel again won in Sunday’s first race, though Matthew Pape and Parker came close in second and third, respectively. British Touring Car Championship driver Rob Austin made a cameo with second in the next race even with brake problems, trailing Mills who took his second victory of the weekend. Parker ended the weekend with a win in the damp and dark final race conditions, with Kluyskens thundering up from near the back of the grid to earn second, narrowly beating third-place man Sean Smith.

The Pickup Truck Racing Championship races took place on Sunday, with Freddie Lee needing only the points for 14th to win the title. That proved to be no trouble at all, as he was gifted a fourth-place finish in the first race as just 12 trucks started. Former BTCC racer Lea Wood won his fifth race of the season, with Scott Bourne second and Paul Jones in third ahead of new champion Lee.

Two-time series champion Michael Smith won the second affair, having taken the lead at the start before cementing a comfortable gap. Bourne would have had another podium spot had he not made a late mistake. Wood took third, losing second place late on to Carl Boardley who outbraked Wood into the perennially slippery Paddock Hill Bend.

Chris Bassett picked up a win in Saturday’s first Tin Tops Championship race, the Peugeot 205 GTI man enjoying a sizeable gap between him and Daniel Fisher (Honda Civic Type R), despite Fisher closing in towards the end. Robert Hosier was third and took a class victory in his SEAT Leon. The second race was tougher, as Bassett and Fisher traded laps until coolant leaked onto Bassett’s front tyres and he spun out late on, handing Fisher a first win of the season. Mikey Day, in third, took the T3 class win.

The first of the Intermarque Championship races was a damp affair, with Ricky Hunn taking victory ahead of Malcolm Blackman and Richard Smith. Anthony Bennett was the first of the Caterhams to cross the line, winning his class and coming 14th overall. Race two took place on a slowly drying track, and produced the best overtake of the weekend as Steve Burrows took third with a move around the outside of Druids with cars three-wide. In second was Simon Smith, who took the lead in the first lap but lost it as Blackman charged through, winning by a wide margin.

Dale Gent’s Subaru Impreza comfortably won both of Sunday’s Quaife Saloon Championship races, although the weather cut proceedings short with the second race red-flagged due to rain. Rod Birley took the championship crown with a third then a second in his Ford Escort, while Renault Clio man Tony Skelton filled in the podium gaps, as he finished second then third.

1 Stuart Oliver (Volvo RH13); 2 Ryan Smith (MAN TGA) +0.421s; 3 Mat Summerfield (MAN TGX); 4 Shane Brereton (MAN TGA Euro 6); 5 David Jenkins (MAN TGX); 6 Simon Reid (Iveco Stralis). Fastest lap Smith 1m01.340s (70.89mph). Pole S Oliver. Starters 11.

1 Smith; 2 Oly Janes (BuggryaFreightliner Big-boy-16) +7.619s; 3 Ray Coleman (MAN TG); 4 Brereton; 5 Jenkins; 6 Steve Powell (MAN). Class winners Smith; Frans Smit (Scania T112) FL Smith 1m01.748s (70.42mph). P Janes. S 16. Abandoned.

1 Smith; 2 Brereton +2.366s; 3 S Oliver; 4 Summerfield; 5 Michael Oliver (Scania); 6 Janes. CW John Powell (Ford Cargo) FL Smith 1m00.337s (72.07mph). P M Oliver. S 15. 1 Reid; 2 Jenkins +26.291s; 3 S Oliver; 4 Summerfield; 5 Brereton; 6 Smith. CW Adam Bint (Volvo Aerodyne) FL Reid 1m16.040s (57.18mph). P S Powell. S 17.

1 Mika Makinen (Sisu SL250); 2 Frans Smit (Scania T112) +0.216s; 3 Rody Smit (Volvo F12); 4 Simon Cole (Mercedes Truck); 5 Marco Donk (Volvo VM); 6 Manuel Rodriguez (Volvo). FL Rodriguez 1m12.530s (59.95mph). P F Smit. S 13.

1 F Smit; 2 Paul Mccumisky (Volvo FM12) +3.741s; 3 R Smit; 4 Rodriguez; 5 Jim Bennett (Seddon Atkinson); 6 Donk. FL R Smit 1m04.334s (67.59mph). P Trevor Martin. S 14. 1 F Smit; 2 Makinen +8.108s; 3 Ryan Colson (Foden Alpha); 4 Mccumisky; 5 Adam Bint (Volvo Aerodyne); 6 Rodriguez. FL F Smit 1m03.213s (68.79mph). P John Powell (Ford Cargo). S 14. Parker 55.853s (77.85mph). P Mickel. S 30.

1 Mills; 2 Rob Austin (Sevan) +1.308s; 3 Parker; 4 Kluyskens; 5 Robert King (34 Ford Coupe); 6 Mickel. FL Austin 55.705s (78.06mph). P Smith. S 30.

1 Parker +4.997s; 2 Kluyskens; 3 Smith; 4 Mills; 5 Grainger; 6 Austin. FL Kluyskens 1m12.723s (59.79mph). P Nathan Anthony (Sevan). S 30.

1 Lea Wood; 2 Scott Bourne +0.420s; 3 Paul Jones; 4 Freddie Lee; 5 Mark Willis; 6 David Weaver. FL Bourne 52.433s (82.93mph). P David O Regan. S 12. 1 Michael Smith; 2 Carl Boardley +1.089s; 3 Wood; 4 Bourne; 5 O Regan; 6 Antony Hawkins. FL Boardley 52.206s (83.29mph). P Smith. S 16.

1 Chris Bassett (Peugeot 205 GTI); 2 Daniel Fisher (Honda Civic Type R) +5.337s; 3 Robert Hosier (SEAT Leon); 4 Vic Hope (Honda Civic Type R); 5 Mikey Day (Citroen Saxo); 6 Danny Brooker (Mini Cooper S). CW Hosier; Day; Clifford Pellin (Ford ST150). FL Fisher 56.763s (76.70mph). P Bassett. S 22.

1 Fisher; 2 Bassett +7.298s; 3 Day; 4 James Alford (Renault Clio 172); 5 Trevor Collar (Honda Civic Type R); 6 Steve Everson (Citroen Saxo). CW Day; Pellin; Rod Birley (Mini Cooper). FL Bassett 55.087s (78.94mph). P Bassett. S 20.

1 Ricky Hunn (VW Corrado); 2 Malcolm Blackman (Vauxhall Tigra) +2.507s; 3 Richard Smith (Mercedes SLK); 4 Ian Hales (Vauxhall Tigra); 5 Steve Burrows (Peugeot 206cc); 6 Simon Smith (BMW Z4). CW Anthony Bennett (Caterham R300). FL Hales 59.287s (73.34mph). P Smith. S 25. 1 Blackman; 2 Simon Smith +11.161s; 3 Burrows; 4 Michael Thurley (Vauxhall Tigra); 5 Keith White (BMW Z4); 6 Hales. CW Colin Watson (Caterham C400). FL Blackman 49.260s (88.27mph). P Philip Young (Mitsubishi Colt). S 26.