Comfortable victory for Procter and Walsh on Pendragon Stages
Pendragon Stages Organisers: Kirkby Lonsdale Motor Club; Eden Valley Motor Club & Northallerton Automobile Club When: August 25 Where: Warcop, Cumbria Championships: ANWCC Stage Rally; ANCC Stage Rally; Scottish Tarmack Stage Rally; Northern Historic Mixed Surface; KLMC Stage Challenge; BECC Border Challenge; North of England Rally Championship Stages: 7 Starters: 86
Kevin Procter and Patrick Walsh headed the standings from start to finish on the Pendragon Stages, bringing their Ford Fiesta S2000T home over two minutes clear of the Lotus Exige of their closest challengers, Alistair and Colin Inglis.
The only blot on the winners’ copybook came with a small excursion on stage five just as the Inglis brothers’ Exige was finally on full song having been cured of some worrying differential noises. Alistair Hutchinson and St John Dykes snatched the a rostrum place on the final stage edging their Renault Clio three seconds ahead of the Ford
Escort Mk2 of Colin Gemmell and Derek Keir.
Frank Bird and Jack Morton survived a stage-six spin to finish fifth in their Ford Focus RS WRC07 ahead of Marcus and Helen Noble, who enjoyed a trouble-free run in their Escort Mk2. John Marshall and Scott Crawford brought their Ford Fiesta R5 home seventh after overhauling Mark Borthwick and Phil Boyle’s Escort Mk2, that had earlier suffered some steering issues, on the final stage.
Greg Inglis and Ian Parker brought their Exige home ninth ahead of Barry Lindsay and Caroline Lodge, who escaped unscathed after running wide at a stage six hairpin in their Peugeot 106 GTI.
Two first stage incidents meant the rally ran behind schedule throughout the day resulting in the cancellation of a stage in order to comply with the venue curfew.
They involved the Mitsubishi Lancer E3 of Billy Mclelland and Charlotte Mcdowell which suffered a heavy roll, and the Darrian T90 GTR+ of Alan Oldfield and Steve Mcnulty that had a coming together with Steve Bannister and Callum Atkinson’s Escort Mk2. All three cars were forced to retire.
Results
1 Kevin Procter/patrick Walsh (Ford Fiesta S2000T) 1hr02m21s; 2 Alistair/colin Inglis (Lotus Exige) +2m12s; 3 Alistair Hutchinson/st John Dykes (Renault Clio); 4 Colin Gemmell/derek Keir (Ford Escort Mk2);
5 Frank Bird/jack Morton (Ford Focus RS WRC07); 6 Marcus/helen Noble (Escort Mk2); 7 John Marshall/ Scott Crawford (Ford Fiesta R5); 8 Mark Borthwick/
Phil Boyle (Escort Mk2); 9 Greg Inglis/ian Parker (Lotus Exige); 10 Barry Lindsay/caroline Lodge (Peugeot
106 GTI). Class winners: Nicky Cowperthwaite/steven Brown (Vauxhall Corsa); Lindsay/lodge; Hutchinson/ Dykes; Inglis/inglis; Procter/walsh.