PRITCHARD’S TITLE AS TAYLOR WINS
Organiser: Whickham & District MC & Hadrian Motor Sports Club When: October 28 Where: Otterburn Training Camp, Northumberland Championships: MSA Asphalt Rally Championship; North of England Tarmacadam; Scottish Tarmack; ANECCC Stage Rally; HRCR Northern Historic; Swift Shining Stars; ANCC; Border Challenge Stages: 12 Starters: 88
Peter Taylor won a dramatic Cheviot Stages Rally in his ex-robert Kubica Ford Fiesta WRC – while Jason Pritchard wrapped up the MSA Asphalt Rally Championship with second in treacherous Otterburn conditions.
Having been unable to do the previous day’s recce, Taylor started cautiously – yet he was still fastest on the opening stage. He and co-driver Andrew Roughead had extended their advantage to almost a minute when they were blinded by the low sun and skidded into a signpost on SS10. Their lead was cut to just two seconds, but a stunning run over the final two stages brought the winning margin up to 26 seconds.
It was Taylor’s second victory of the season on Northumberland’s Otterburn Military Ranges, having won the Tyneside Stages there earlier this year.
“We hadn’t made a mistake all day, but then, with the sun in my eyes, a fifth gear into a third gear corner came out of nowhere,” said Taylor. “I hit a signpost and got stuck and I was just about to turn the engine off and give up, when I put it in reverse gear and it popped out onto the road. It was a one-in-a-million chance! Then it was flat-out on the remaining stages to try and regain the lead, which we managed to do.”
Snow, sleet and torrential rain made conditions extremely difficult and led to a number of very big accidents. No fewer than 34 out of the 88 starters failed to finish, with a large number of cars returning to the service area at The Airstrips on a tow rope.
The weather played a significant role in the outcome of the 2018 MSA Asphalt Rally Championship. Whoever finished ahead of the other between Daniel Harper and Jason Pritchard would become drivers’ champion, while if they both retired then the absent series leader Wayne Sisson would win.
The title was decided on SS4 when Harper and co-driver Chris Campbell skated straight on at a square right, after a monsoon-like downpour had turned a downhill section into a stream. Their Minisport-run John Cooper Works WRC left the road at speed: their rally, car and title hopes in tatters.
It was easier to count who hadn’t had a near miss there, with Damian Cole/ Jane Nicol first to go through the fence (and later retiring their Ford Focus WRC05 after an off on SS6), Dave Turnbull/chris Purvis spinning (and later retiring their Ford Fiesta WRC with a damaged steering arm) and Steve Irwin/ian Middleton ripping a rear wheel off their Vauxhall Nova. So crowded was the rally car graveyard that the stage had to be temporarily halted to clear the debris.
With Harper out, the pressure was on Pritchard – although he didn’t show it as he produced another stunning masterclass performance in his Ford Focus WRC05. Despite the atrocious conditions, and on his first visit to Otterburn, Pritchard only made one small mistake, an overshoot at a junction on SS10, to bring the car home second overall – and scoring maximum Asphalt Championship points for a third time – without a scratch.
Pritchard’s title comes 30 years after his father Eian narrowly missed out on winning the same championship on Otterburn. It’s his fourth major rally trophy in as many years, having won three MSA British Historic Rally Championships in a row (2015, ’16 and ’17), also with Phil Clarke co-driving.
Gordon Morrison/calum Macpherson jumped a ditch and landed in the field at the now infamous SS4 corner, but recovered to finish an excellent third in their Subaru Impreza rounding out the podium, with it sealing the Scottish Tarmack Rally Championship overall.
A new Frank Meagher-inspired colour scheme was working wonders for Ross Brusby, who was an incredible fourth for most of the day in his Ford Escort Mk2. “I’m driving on the limit and hoping for the best,” said Brusby, who was well ahead of many fourwheel-drive cars. Co-driven by Sam Collis, alas his brilliant run came to a cruel end with gearbox failure on SS10.
Stephen Simpson/patrick Walsh finished fourth in their CA1 Sport-run Ford Fiesta, a big spin on SS4 their only near-miss after a good day, while David Hardie/john Mcculloch survived late gear downshift problems to bring their TEG Sport Subaru Impreza home fifth.
Mark Mcculloch/michael Hendry finished just 13 seconds behind in sixth (Subaru Impreza). Mull winner Paul Mackinnon and co-driver Rob Fagg came home seventh after driveshaft and steering issues in their Ford Fiesta, while Barry Lindsay/ Caroline Lodge finished an incredible eighth overall in their Peugeot 106 GTI. Lee Hastings/cole Hastings (Subaru Impreza) and Keith Robathan/ken Bills (BMW M3) completed the top 10.
Stephen Bethwaite/ann Forster (Vauxhall Nova) won Class 1, beating John Cressey/martin Cressey (Mini Cooper S) by just eight seconds. There were convincing class wins for Lindsay/lodge, Ross Mccallum/james Ralph (MG Maestro), Keith Robathan/ Ken Bills (BMW M3), Ray Cunningham/jared Gill (Austin Cooper S) and Adam Hanner/wayne Wood (Peugeot 205 GTI).