VOLVO MAN WILLAN EDGES A TOUGH CHESHIRE BATTLE
The Motorsport News Historic Rally Car Register Clubmans Championship started in fine style on a superbly competitive Tour of Cheshire on Saturday.
The first round of the championship for daylight historic rallies ended with just 17 seconds covering the top four crews as Dan Willan and Niall Frost repeated their September 2021 victory on the excellent event from Knutsford and District Motor Club. For Willan, it was a second win in six months on the event, while co-driver Frost completed a hat-trick having won in 2020 with Nick Bloxham.
A capacity field of 75 crews took to the lanes of Cheshire and North Shropshire for a day of 10 regularity sections and 10 special tests and it was Willan and Frost who emerged victorious after throwing their venerable Volvo PV544 around the special tests. However, Paul Crosby had reason to be disappointed at the end of the day as two stop astride penalties in the final four tests at
Oulton Park cost him and co-driver Ali Proctor 20s of penalties for their Porsche
911. Without that, they would have won by nine seconds.
Firmly in touch in third were Matt Warren and Ryan Pickering in their Porsche 911 while completing the leading quintet was the Mercedes
Benz 280SL of Ian Crammond and Matthew Vokes.
It was a day of tough competition in early spring sunshine on an event that once more received widespread acclaim from competitors. Ultimately, it was Willan who started the defence of his 2021 crown with a tremendous performance.
“Our big drama was last night when it took half an hour to get the car started after scrutineering,” admitted Willan, which made things rather anxious first thing on Saturday morning. Thankfully, the 1962 Volvo fired up and ran cleanly all day. “We had a scare on the last regularity when we overshot and took a wrong slot. But we still didn’t drop any time,” said a relieved Willan. “It’s been a really good event and Oulton Park was a lot of fun.”
At the race track, four special tests ran on the low-grip rally school stage, while earlier tests had included the Rednall kart track and Market Drayton cattle market.
Crosby and Proctor were left to rue the two 10s of penalties. “We had a good day with no real dramas, but we dropped points on the line faults,” said Crosby. Warren and Pickering were just two seconds down on Crosby in a battle of the 911s with Warren dropping time on the opening regularity after a problem with the trip meter.
Crammond was only four seconds adrift of the Porsche battle in the Mercedes that has served him for more than 100 rallies in 20 years. “We had a very smooth day. All the scores were good and it was very good fun,” said Crammond. Half a minute back in fifth were father and daughter, Darell and Nicky Staniforth in their Mini Cooper, while rounding out the top six were Lee Powley and Brian Goff in their Toyota Corolla, on the car’s first event in more than a decade. Powley was one of the most spectacular and effective performers on the special tests.
Results
Tour of Cheshire
Organiser: Knutsford and District Motor Club When: March 5 Where: Cheshire and North Shropshire Starters: 75.
1 Dan Willan/Niall Frost (Volvo PV544) 9m15s; 2 Paul Crosby/Ali Proctor
(Porsche 911) +11s; 3 Matt Warren/
Ryan Pickering (Porsche 911) +13s; 4 Ian Crammond/Matthew Vokes (Mercedes 280SL) +17s; 5 Darell Staniforth/Nicky Staniforth (Mini Cooper S) +48s; 6 Leigh Powley/Brian Goff (Toyota Corolla) +52s; 7 John Haygarth/John Youd (Opel Kadett) +58s; 8 Elliott Dale/Charlotte Ryall (Ford Escort Mk1) +1m05s; 9 James Griffiths/ James Howell (Austin Mini 1275GT) +1m08s; 10 John Abel/Amy Henchoz
(Ford Escort Mk1) +1m16s. Class winners: David Crooks/Richard Lumb (Vauxhall Astra); Phil Cheek/Chris Rhodes (Hillman Avenger); David Foster/Peter Blackett
(Mini 1275GT); David Clarke/John Clarke (MGB); Dale/Ryall; Mark Goodwin/
Anthony Davies (Triumph TR7); David Alcock/Baz Green (Porsche 924S); Willan/Frost; Crosby/Proctor; Powley/Goff.