HAYGARTH SPLASHES TO DANSPORT SUCCESS IN THE DOWNPOUR
After an evening and a day of tough competition across a rain-soaked Peak District, John Haygarth and Martin Taylor won the Dansport Historic Rally in their Opel Kadett.
Competing together for the first time, experienced competitors Haygarth and Taylor rose to the challenge of a tough event from Matlock Motor Club for the penultimate round of the MN-supported HRCR Clubmans Rally
Championship. It all started with a tricky night section through the Derbyshire lanes on Saturday evening, before a full day of regularity sections and special tests on Sunday.
Heavy and persistent rain through Sunday morning made conditions very slippery, with lots of standing water all over the roads. Despite getting baulked by a non-competing car on the final regularity section Haygarth and Taylor still had more than three-quarters of a minute in hand at the finish to see off the challenge of the Toyota Corolla of Lee Powley and Brian Goff.
As ever, Powley had been exuberant, notably on the special tests. “Absolutely brilliant,” he said. “Fantastic day: what a route!” A puncture between the last two tests failed to slow them down.
Another crew to meet a car at a tricky moment on a regularity section were third placed Dan Willan and Niall Frost in their Volvo PV544. They lost around a minute but were still able to finish third overall and secure the HRCR title. “That was a tough event,” said Willan. “We’ve been lucky with traffic all year, until today,” he added.
A fine fourth went to the Mazda MX-5 of Dan and Nick Darkin while John Dunning and Henry Carr rounded out the top five in their Ford Escort RS2000. John Abel and Iain Tullie had led at the end of Saturday evening in their Ford Escort but slipped back to an eventual sixth during Sunday.
Results
Organiser: Matlock Motor Club When: October 22/23 Championships: MN/HRCR Clubmans Starters: 57 1 John Haygarth/Martyn Taylor (Opel Kadett) 18m09s; 2 Leigh Powley/Brian Goff (Toyota Corolla) +48s; 3 Dan Willan/Niall Frost (Volvo PV544); 4 Dan Darkin/Nick Darkin (Mazda MX-5); 5 John Dunning/Henry Carr (Ford Escort); 6 John Abel/Iain Tullie (Ford Escort); 7 Steve Head/Graham Raeburn (Ford Escort); 8 Graeme Cornthwaite/Lynsey Proctor (Morris Mini); 9 Jason Stone/Daniel Stone (Ford Escort); 10 Ian Crammond/ Matthew Vokes (Mercedes 280SL). Class winners:
Willan/Frost; Dunning/Carr; Powley/Goff; Cornthwaite/Proctor; Simon Malins/Suzanne Barker (Hillman Hunter); Hugh Garnish/David Bell (Ford Fiesta); Darkin/Darkin; Andrew Parr/Oli Waldock (Mini Cooper S); Phil Cheek/Chris Rhodes (Hillman Avenger); Matt Smith/Phil Cottam (VW Golf GTi).