BIRD OVERCOMES THE SCOTTISH ELEMENTS
Treacherous weather failed to dampen winner’s spirits. By Dan Mason
Frank Bird battled extreme elements at Knockhill to seal an emphatic victory in the third round of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship. A rookie to rallying 12 months ago, single-seater racer Bird looked the polished article in Scotland as he claimed six stage wins from eight to ensure his second MN rally win of 2019.
With many of the championship regulars utilising their one mandatory dropped score, Bird and co-driver Jack Morton entered the trip to Fife as arguably the favorites in a Ford Focus WRC07, but it also gave the local contingent a chance to spoil the party.
The real unknown proved to be Mother Nature however, as inclement winter conditions made for a tricky afternoon for all out on track.
“Horrible” was Bird’s verdict on the conditions, although he and main rival John Marshall were not fazed as they entered battle in the morning.
Bird, revisiting the Fife circuit he previously raced at in British Formula 4, made his intentions clear from the start and took an eight-second lead over Marshall on the first run of the day before conditions worsened and the gap swiftly extended to 15s on the following stage.
“It’s actually not that bad, it’s quite grippy,” was Marshall’s early verdict.
Bird concurred: “There’s a lot of grip out there, even in this heavy thing!”
Local hopes rested on Marshall, driving a Ford Fiesta R5 in place of a Skodaru V1 he opted out of bringing for reasons centred on insurance, but he felt he had made it too easy for Bird initially.
Bird’s defining moment was on SS3 as, despite two significant lock-ups and a tyre stack clip which cost him 10s, he still beat Marshall by 5s to extend his lead when it seemed certain to be slashed.
Rain intensified after the break and
Bird stretched his legs over his nearest challenger to 30s, which more than doubled following three successive stage wins. Only a second bite at the tyre markers late in the day gave Bird cause for concern, as he took a convincing first MNCRC victory since Anglesey in March.
“There were a few mistakes, a few stalls at hairpins, but overall it was good,” said the winner. “I love [rallying] now; I’ve got the bug.”
Marshall upheld local honours as top Scot but was 1m15s in arrears. “Frank Bird is a fantastic driver,” he said. “I’m longer in the tooth at 57 [years of age].”
The Ford men left behind a fierce five-car battle for third that went the way of Richard Wells, who picked up a popular first podium since switching to a Mitsubishi Lancer E9.
“We definitely wanted that, especially after we didn’t start at Cadwell when the car had a sensor problem in testing the day before,” said Wells. “There was a couple of lock-ups on that final stage to keep us on edge, but other than that the car was spot on today.”
The final podium spot should arguably have gone to Joshua Davey’s Darrian
T90 which took fastest time on SS3 and SS4, but gearbox and ignition problems resurfaced two years after the same issue denied him victory.
Wells held off the charging Subaru Impreza of Neil Roskell by just 7s, as the Darrian GTR of Barry Morris challenged but lost vital time on the final stage and fell to sixth behind Kyle Adam, best Ford Escort Mk2 finisher in fifth overall.
Five seconds covered fifth to eighth as Cadwell runner-up Mike Taylor (Talbot Sunbeam Lotus) was seventh, tailed by Stephen Tilburn (Escort Mk2) as both grabbed crucial championship points. Barry Groundwater’s Impreza followed in ninth, while Paul Murro continued his strong form, adding a third top 10 finish of the season in his Escort Mk2.
Freddie Milne, son of the late former Scottish Rally champion Donald, was one of those to retire as his Fiesta R5 ended in a sodden ditch after stopping with technical gremlins earlier in the afternoon. Brian Watson’s ill fortune continued, his Impreza suffering a blown turbo.