LING PICKS UP THE PIECES AT BLYTON
BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross
Organiser: MDA / BTRDA When: June 30 Where: Blyton Park, Lincolnshire Starters: 52
The BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship returned to Blyton Park in Lincolnshire for the fourth round of the season where it was Ford Fiesta campaigner Fred Ling who claimed victory in the Super Modified A final.
Irish visitor Padraig Leeson qualified on pole position in the headline two-wheel-drive category and led from the start in his Vauxhall Corsa, only to be slowed by a puncture in the latter half of the race and drop down the order.
Compatriot Patrick Ryan inherited the advantage for a single tour before being passed by Ling for victory.
Round one winner Todd Crooks overcame driveshaft issues that hampered two of his qualifying races to make it into the A final via B final victory and finish third in the main event, while Allan Tapscott and Leonardo Lyon were fourth and fifth. Leigh-anne Sedgwick and Kenny Hall both suffered driveshaft failures.
In the Production category, Renault Clio racer Dom Booth qualified on pole alongside Honda Civic driver Nathan Jones, but it was second-row starter Dale Ford who had the best launch and led after the Turn 1 shuffle played out.
Hounded by Jones throughout the encounter, Ford held on to claimed victory while Booth also dropped behind former champion James Orton in the battle for the final podium position. Juozas Meskauskas won the B final and finished sixth.
James Constantine qualified on pole position for the Junior A final but it was fellow frontrow starter Alfie Jeakins with a Nissan Micra who made the best start and led the race to the finish flag. He was, however, deemed to have jumped the start and was handed a fivesecond penalty, giving victory to reigning BTRDA Gold Star champion Luke Constantine. Ben Sayer finished second while James Constantine made it a Suzuki Swift podium lockout. Amy Baines won the B final with her Vauxhall Corsa and finished sixth, behind Jeakins and Max Langmaid.
Mike Grant, son of British Supercar racer Andy, set the fastest time of the entire field in free practice before qualifying his Ford Fiesta on pole position for the Classic final. It was, though, the rearwheel-drive Toyota MR2 of Marc Jones that led away from the start, chased by Grant.
The pole-starter retired with gearbox failure at the end of the first tour. Leader Jones was then later slowed by engine problems and dropped to fifth, as Vincent Bristow slid his BMW 318 to victory ahead of David Ewin’s rear-wheel-drive Fiesta and David Martin’s frontwheel-drive Peugeot 205.
James Phillips won the twocar Production 4x4 final with ease, finishing over 19 seconds ahead of the similar Subaru Impreza of Christopher Baker.
Result
Result of A finals (all five laps)
Super Modified: 1 Fred Ling (Ford Fiesta); 2 Patrick Ryan (Vauxhall Nova) +0.582s; 3 Todd Crooks (BMW Mini); 4 Allan Tapscott (Vauxhall Corsa); 5 Leonardo Lyon (Peugeot 206); 6 Padraig Leeson (Vauxhall Corsa).
Production: 1 Dale Ford (Citroen Saxo); 2 Nathan Jones (Honda Civic) +0.808s; 3 James Orton (Peugeot 106); 4 Dom Booth (Renault Clio);
5 Dale Riches (Citroen C2); 6 Juozas Meskauskas (Citroen C2).
Junior: 1 Luke Constantine (Suzuki Swift); 2 Ben Sayer (Suzuki Swift) +1.101s; 3 James Constantine (Suzuki Swift); 4 Alfie Jeakins (Nissan Micra);
5 Max Langmaid (Suzuki Swift); 6 Amy Baines (Vauxhall Corsa).
Classic: 1 Vincent Bristow (BMW 318);
2 David Ewin (Ford Fiesta) +7.844s; 3 David
Martin (Peugeot 205); 4 Ian Clark (Rover Mini); 5 Marc Jones (Toyota MR2); 6 Mike Grant
(Ford Fiesta).
Production 4x4: 1 James Phillips (Subaru Impreza); 2 Christopher Baker (Subaru Impreza) +19.681s; no other starters.