News
Woodpecker Stages - voted best BTRDA and best MSA Welsh National rally of 2011 (see NEWS item below)
WOODPECKER CONFIRMED AS BEST MSA WELSH NATIONAL EVENT IN 2011
The organisers of the MSA Welsh National Rally Championship announced the winner of the Speedsports Shield for 2011 at their annual awards presentation in Llandrindod Wells on Saturday 28th January.
The Speedsports Shield is presented to the Best Event in the championship. The award was presented to the organising club Sixty and Worcester Motor Club, for the well received Woodpecker Rally.
Pete Wood, Clerk of the Course, commented on behalf of the organising team,
"It's great to hear that the 2011 Woodpecker has picked up this award. This being the second award the event has won for 2011, helps to reflect the efforts put in by all members of the organising team. I am sure the team will join me in saying thanks for the award and thank you to all those competitors that helped make the event a success. Hopefully we can continue this in 2012 and again offer the competitor an enjoyable day's motorsport."
TEN OUT OF TEN FOR BURTON!
Andy Burton and co-driver Robin Kellard have won the Woodpecker Stages in their Peugeot Cosworth, a result that marks the tenth time the Kington driver has taken victory on the Ludlow-based event and comes in what, due to an imminent change in vehicle eligibility regulations, is the last year in which the car may be used in competition.
Burton took the lead on the third of the seven special stages and, by the end of the day, had eked out a 40-second lead over the Subaru Impreza WRC of Roger Chilman/Andrew Sankey who took runners-up spot for the second consecutive year. The Hereford crew were quickest through the first stage by three seconds and tied with Burton on the second. It was then as the rally headed into Radnor Forest that the eventual winners made their move.
On a rare outing this year, former National Gravel Rally Champion Roger Duckworth, accompanied on this occasion by Shaun O'Gorman, brought his Impreza WRC home in 4th place, ahead of the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO5.9 of 2006 & 2008 Woodpecker winners Shaun Gardener/Ben Innes. London-based Irishman Mike O'Brien and 2010 Woodpecker winning co-driver Paul Spooner (Ford Focus WRC) and Tom Cave/Craig Parry (Subaru Impreza) were 5th and 6th respectively.
Another driver who has not been seen out competing much recently is last year's winning driver Steve Perez. Electing to defend his title in his VK Ford Focus WRC, he and Carl Williamson were up to 3rd place after three stages but then a puncture on the next required changing and the resultant time loss put them way out of contention. They carried on to the finish but the result was, by then, immaterial.
The top two-wheel drive car was the Ford Escort MkII of local crew Joe Price/Chris Brooks who finished in a superb 13th place overall, almost a minute ahead of the Historic version of Cheltenham's Nick Elliott/Dave Price. Alan Walker/Jez Rogers took 3rd in their RS1800 while 4th in the category was enough to see Allan McDowall/Gavin Heseltine (Opel Kadett) crowned 2011 Silverstone Tyres Silver Star Champions with one round still to run.
Justin Lawson and Peter Hargreaves won the 1400cc category in their Vauxhall Nova after a frenetic final two stages which saw a great deal of jockeying for position. With one stage to go, Lawson led from 2011 Millers Oils 1400 Champion Darren Pinchin (Proton Satria), Arwyn Lloyd Davies (Vauxhall Nova), Dom Scott (MG ZR) and Kieran Darrington (Vauxhall Corsa). However, by the time cars arrived back at the Racecourse, Scott had overhauled Davies and Pinchin had dropped to fifth after one of his Satria's driveshafts broke. Roadside repairs were effected but two-and-a-half minutes, and any hope of a decent result, were lost.
After three stages, 4th seeds Yorkshiremen Charlie Payne/Craig Thorley had moved their Ford Focus WRC into third place when a visit to a Radnor ditch halted their progress. The car was relatively undamaged but, by the time it was mobile once again, enough time had been lost to warrant further participation futile. Nigel Griffiths/Jon Scott, who were 3rd overall on last year's Woodpecker in their Impreza, were in exactly the same place after the opening stage of the 2011 event, but a broken gearbox shortly afterwards saw them join the list of retirements.
THE COLIN WILLETS TROPHY
The winning co-driver on the Woodpecker Stages Rally (Saturday 3rd September), Robin Kellard, received a new award, the Colin Willets Trophy, recently instigated by the event organisers, 60 & Worcestershire Motor Club Ltd.
Colin Willets, who passed away in December 2010, was a stalwart of the club and had been a mainstay of the Woodpecker organising team until poor health forced him to relinquish his involvement in 2000. He took on the roles of Entries Secretary & Treasurer in 1988 and, along with others from 60 & Worcs, turned a good club rally into a Championship event that won 'Best Round of the BTRDA Rally Series' on a number of occasions. Colin's rapport with crews was second-to-none, such that the 'Famous Woodpecker Stages' rightly earned its reputation as one of the most competitor-friendly events in the calendar.
The 'Colin Willets Trophy', accompanied by a bottle of scotch (Colin was never impressed by champagne!) was presented to Robin Kellard at the Ludlow Racecourse Prizegiving by Colin's partner Liz.