Broken driveshaft can’t stop Pavier and Kettle hanging on to the spoils
Organiser: Lindholme MSC When: September 8 Where: Melbourne Airfield, East York Championships: ANEMMC, ANWCC, EMAMC, Melbourne Challenge Stages: 8 Starters: 40.
Martin Pavier and Peter Kettle’s Subaru Impreza survived a broken driveshaft on the penultimate stage at Melbourne Airfield to record a maiden victory.
It was a duel between Phil and Mick Gallagher’s Mitsubishi Lancer E9 and Martin Farrar/andy Ward’s Impreza over the first two stages, with Farrar turning a 15-second deficit into a onesecond lead.
Pavier was only 3s off the lead two but, on stage three, four of the top seven hit trouble. Gallagher was out with mechanical woes, Farrar broke a bottom balljoint and the Imprezas of Scott Renshaw/chris Bullock and Craig and Steve Renshaw had an electrical problem and a wire-damaging puncture respectively. Only Craig Renshaw managed to continue after a maximum.
Pavier was the new leader with a healthy 13s lead over Dave Hornbrook/ Ann Forster’s Lancer E9. Over the next few stages, the lead was consolidated until a broken driveshaft reduced the gap to 8s with just a stage to go.
Both crews came through the final run unscathed, with the lead having increased by a further 2s.
In third place were class 4 victors Steve and Catherine Booth’s Ford Escort Mk1, which had nearly 2s in hand over Hugh Peat/mark Swallow’s Impreza, both having held station from stage three.
Once Darren Martin/kyle Gass’ Lancer E9 had joined the casualties on stage four, the fight for fifth became the class 3 battle too.
With James Lepley/howard Pridmore’s Escort bending a rear arm on stage two, he was joined on the retirement list by Dave Baines/kevin Hutchinson’s Vauxhall Astra, leaving the Peugeot 205 Gtis of Adrian Day/ Wayne Ward and Rob Brook/
Andy Rowe to fight it out.
Eventually Day clinched fifth overall with 2s in hand over Brook.
Mark and Andrew Constantine’s Vauxhall Corsa headed Matt Wood/ Alan Jackson’s similar car in class 1 and David Duff/richard Hill’s Escort was never headed in class 2.
Results
1 Martin Pavier/peter Kettle (Subaru Impreza) 1h03m16s; 2 Dave Hornbrook/ann Forster (Mitsubishi Lancer E9) +19s; 3 Stephen/catherine Booth (Ford Escort Mk1); 4 Hugh Peat/ Mark Swallow (Impreza); 5 Adrian Day/ Wayne Ward (Peugeot 205 GTI); 6 Rob Brook/andy Rowe (205 GTI); 7 Mark/andrew Constantine (Vauxhall Corsa); 8 Paul Rees/ian Faulkner (Vauxhall Astra); 9 Matt Wood/alan Jackson (Corsa);
10 Stuart Tomlinson/nick Taylor (Escort Mk2).
Class winners: Constantine/constantine; David Duff/richard
Hill (Escort Mk2); Day/ward; Booth/booth; Pavier/kettle.