Unique Skodaru takes debut spoils

Organiser: Eastwood & DMC When: August 4 Where: Fulbeck, Lincs Championships: ANEMMC; EMAMC Stages: 8 Starters: 63

Arron Newby and John Cope’s new Skodaru took a debut win on the Phoenix Stages by being fastest on all eight stages, taking victory by 1m40s.

Dave Welch and Steve Mcnulty had won the event for the past two years but had to play second best in their Subaru Impreza.

After the first couple of stages, David Mcmullan/ Marc Melhuish had started to consolidate third. However, a broken driveshaft left their Mitsubishi Lancer E6 sidelined. It promoted Gary Wayne/neal Bloor, until mechanical maladies added their Impreza to the list of casualties.

By the end of stage five, Newby had over a minute in hand over Welch with

Dave Hornbrook/bob Brown’s Lancer third.

Hornbrook had problems on stage seven, promoting both Scott Renshaw/

Chris Bullock’s Impreza and Julian Hope/mark James’s Lancer E7.

Hornbrook held fifth with Craig/steve Renshaw’s Impreza sixth.

Chris Row/jayne Audenrow’s MG ZR comfortably topped Class 1. After starting the final pair of stages in third, David Duff/richard Hill’s Ford Escort Mk2 snatched a last-stage win in Class 2.

Edward Lewis/anthony Windle’s Fiesta R2T and Philip Rowland/philip Woodcock’s BMW M3 were the other class winners.

Results

1 Arron Newby/john Cope (Skodaru) 46m44s; 2 Dave Welch/steve Mcnulty (Subaru Impreza) +1m40s; 3 Scott Renshaw/chris Bullock (Impreza); 4 Julian Hope/mark James (Mitsubishi Lancer

E7); 5 Dave Hornbrook/ Bob Brown (Lancer); 6 Craig/steve Renshaw (Impreza); 7 Edward Lewis/ Anthony Windle (Ford Fiesta R2T); 8 Lee/ Ben

Allen (Lancer E3); 9 Tom/ Dean Stockdale (BMW Compact); 10 Nick Dobson/jonathan Turnbull

(Ford Escort Mk2).

Class winners: Chris Row/jayne Auden-row

(MG ZR); David Duff/richard Hill (Escort Mk2); Lewis/windle; Philip Rowland/philip Woodcock (BMW M3); Newby/ Cope.