Thompson wins, only Naylor can steal the title
Not for the first time, the BTRDA Production Cup series will go down to the final round at the Trackrod Rally in three weeks’ time after the Woodpecker Rally produced another titanic battle for supremacy between the Mitsubishi Lancer E9s of Russ Thompson/andy Murphy, Pat Naylor/ian Lawrence and Richard Hill/steffan Evans.
Series co-leader Thompson came to Ludlow looking for a second maximum points haul of the season and he got it, but only after having to push his machine to the limit.
Thompson took the early lead when Hill spun on SS1 and Sacha Kakad/james Aldridge (Lancer E10) punctured and lost 40s. Kakad immediately hit back through Cwm-yGerwen but Thompson arrived at first service with a 16s lead over Naylor and Hill, who were tied on times.
Despite expressing concerns about struggling for power through SS4, Haye Park, Thompson blazed a trail through the eight-mile long test to set fastest Group N time.
Hill, beginning to find better traction after his early-day indiscretion, picked up pace to overhaul Naylor for second through SS3 while Kakad steadily worked his way back to fourth. Andy Davies/max Freeman lay fifth in their Subaru Impreza N12b, Davies admitting to being overcautious and struggling to regain confidence after their roll at the Carlisle Stages. “We would normally take a lot more of these corners flat out, but I’m lifting off,” he said at second service.
The final two stages featured Thompson and Kakad wringing every ounce of speed from their cars: they set exactly the same time on both tests, with Hill and Naylor only a few seconds in arrears. Thompson’s eventual winning margin of 30s seemed huge in Production Cup terms, but Kakad’s early-day problem made the difference and Thompson goes to Yorkshire with only Naylor able to overhaul him.
In the Silver Star championship, Ashley Davies and Sam Fordham stole the spoils but a costly non-score earlier in the year means Robert Dennis and Barry Jordan lead the standings. Davies and Fordham could have won an award for their entertaining sideways antics in the forests around Ludlow.