AUTOTEST ROUND-UP

Kirkby Lonsdale Motor Club got motorsport resurrected at the first opportunity as they organised an autotest at Rowrah on July 6.

Strict Covid-19 guidelines were observed with no navigators, all paperwork distributed by email prior to the event and minimal interaction between organisers and competitors. Results were calculated from check sheets and, to avoid crowding, there was no noticeboard with results instead published on the Rallyroots website.

The battle for victory was a three-way tussle. Steve Retchless, Andrew Roughead and Chris Walker all took turns in the lead. Walker led until Test 6 when two cone penalties added 20 seconds to his time. Retchless then hit the front briefly until he too picked up a cone fault, letting Roughead get ahead of him.

Roughead, better known as a co-driver, was one of a small number to avoid any test faults, but he couldn’t hold off a charging Retchless who came through to take the win by 13s. Walker retired from third place with a broken driveshaft on the penultimate test.

Results

Organiser: Kirkby Lonsdale Motor Club When: July 6 Where: Rowrah Kart Circuit, Cumbria Tests: 18 Starters: 52. 1 Steve Retchless (Ford Escort RS2000) 17m45s; 2 Andrew Roughead (Mini Cooper) +13s; 3 Kris Coombes (Nissan Micra); 4 Tony Shields (Vauxhall Nova); 5 Steve Featherstone (Ford Fiesta ST); 6 Simon Jennings (Peugeot 106); 7 Tom Hall (Mini Cooper); 8 Graeme Cornthwaite (Mini Cooper); 9 Guy Woodcock (Ford Escort); 10 Geoff Hall (Vauxhall Nova). Class winners: BMC: T Hall; H1: G Hall; H2: Woodcock; M1: Roughead; M2: Featherstone; Junior: Jack Willan (Ford Ka).