PAYNE BAGS A WIN IN YORKSHIRE FOG
Elliot Payne and Tom Woodburn proved unbeatable in the Yorkshire forests as their Ford Fiesta Rally2 topped the times on all six stages to take victory by 1m48s.
Payne took a six-second lead on the opening Langdale stage, but second-placed Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson were then excluded after their similar car failed the noise test. The same problem hit Charles Payne and Carl Williamson who weren’t allowed to take the start.
Young Eddie Lewis and co-driver Sion Cunniff were nine seconds off the lead in their Fiesta R5, with Alan Carmichael/ Arthur Kierans (Hyundai R5) tied for fourth with Alistair Ginley/Craig Thorley
(Fiesta Rally2).
With Petch out Lewis was into second place in his best performance to date, but Payne’s lead was up to 28s. Lewis was under threat from Carmichael too. Ginley was still joint fourth, but now tied with Hugh Brunton/ Drew Sturrock’s Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo as Trevor Gamble/ Phil Kenny (Fiesta Rally2) closed in as well. Gamble was one to escape the Langdale ditches: “There had been two cars off in a ditch. I put the rear of the car in but kept my foot in and drove out.”
Carmichael had turned his twosecond deficit into a five-second lead over Lewis as he moved up to second through stage three in Cropton, leaving Lewis with just a one-second advantage over Ginley for third. Lewis reported challenging conditions: “It was very misty and I slowed at the end when I saw Brunton roll at the finish.”
Payne had a near miss too. “I almost went off the same as Brunton, but hit a bank and stayed on,” he said.
Lewis managed to retake second through Langdale 2 but had only a second in hand over Carmichael and two over Ginley.
While Payne took victory, Carmichael reclaimed second from Lewis through Gale Rigg 2, but at the finish Lewis was only one second behind again. Ginley finally settled in fourth, with two-wheel-drive winners Matthew Robinson/Sam
Collis (Ford Escort Mk2) ousting Gamble for fifth on the final stage.
Ash Slights and Dave Robson (Escort) led Class 3 all day and sealed ninth overall on the last stage, while Carl and Robin
Tuer (Renault Clio R3T) led from the start to win Class 4.
While the returning Robinson headed the historics from the first Gale Rigg test the Escorts of Steve Bannister/Dave Oldfield and Richard Jordan/ Matt Edwards also made the top 10, with Robin Shuttleworth/ Malcom Smithson (Ford Escort Mk1) winning Class H1.
Results
Organisers: Malton MC and Clitheroe & DMC When: November 6 Where: North Yorkshire
Championships: ANCC, ANECCC, ANEMMC, ANWCC Forest, EMAMC, SD34 Stage & Inter Club League. Stages: 6 Starters: 104
1 Elliot Payne/Tom Woodburn (Ford
Fiesta Rally2) 43m00s; 2 Alan Carmichael/ Arthur Kierans (Hyundai i20 R5) +1m48s; 3 Eddie Lewis/Sion Cunniff (Ford Fiesta
R5); 4 Alistair Ginley/Craig Thorley (Ford Fiesta Rally2); 5 Matthew Robinson/Sam Collis (Ford Escort Mk2); 6 Trevor Gamble/ Phil Kenny (Ford Fiesta Rally2); 7 Steve Bannister/Dave Oldfield (Ford Escort Mk2); 8 Richard Jordan/Matt Edwards (Ford
Escort Mk2); 9 Ash Slights/Dave Robson
(Ford Escort Mk2); 10 Dave Welch/Andy Smith (Subaru Impreza). Class winners: Dom Mernock/John Quinlan (Vauxhall
Nova); Ben Cree/Robert Wiggins (Opel Corsa); Slights/Robson; Carl Tuer/Robin
Tuer (Renault Clio R3T); Robin Shuttleworth/ Malcolm Smithson (Ford Escort Mexico); Robinson/Collis.