LATEST NEWS

19/06/10 - 18:00

FINAL STANDINGS

Download pdf of final results by clicking here

19/06/10 - 17:12

COLE TAKES RALLY OF THE MIDLANDS WIN

Damian Cole and Craig Drew in their Get Connected Focus WRC took a well deserved win after a hard faught battle early on with Simon Mauger, late charging John Stone and Lee Carter in the Legend Fires Skoda Fabia WRC. Damian took the lead from Simon on stage 9 and never looked back, leaving Mauger and Stone to battle it out for second place honours.

Mauger struggled to keep the pace with Stone on the MIRA stages with the latter taking second place by just over a minute with Stone trailing Cole by 53 seconds.

Fourth placed and first in class 5 was Gary Nuttall in his Hyundai Accent spent a lot of the weekend entertaining the crowds and media with his sideways action and completing the top five was last years winner Mark Welch in his Fenwick Elliott backed Escort Cosworth. First in class 4 was Andy Graham in his faithful MK2 Escort, as he was crossing the finish line he was still grinning from his 6th gear, nine and half thousand revs experiences round the banked bends of MIRA on the last stage.

Class 3 honours went to Dave West in his home built Peugeot 306 Maxi Formula 2 Kit Car, winning the class by just ten seconds over Steve Leonard.

Stuart Bliss took class 2 honours on the last stage of the day after Mark Gamble, the spirit of the rally winner, Mark gamble retired on the final stage of the event.

Class 1, under 1400 class, went to Graham Muter in his 1300 Mk2 Escort, with an impressive 20th overall and taking the class by just over a minute.

19/06/10 - 14:01

SERVICE IN 14:00

Car 1 - Happy overall, no prblems to report
Car 4 - Much better in MIRA, tooks chunks of time from Simon.
Car 5 - Struggling to keep up with the WRC's on the faster stuff, tight twisty stuff is fine
Car 6 - Still going, nothing to report now we have driveshaft problem
Car 10 - Struggling with the notes, as they seem inconsistent
Car 20 - Mira better that time
Car 21 - Damaged N/S front hitting tyre chucane in Mallory
Car 22 - Enjoying it, no dramas to report. Steady to the finish now.
Car 25 - Struggling in MIRA, sat on the rev limiter in 6th
Car 26 - Spot on that time round, but stopped at accident
Car 30 - Enjoyed battle with Killerby in EVO around Mallory
Car 33 - Problem with the first MIRA after someone had wiped out the split boards, now need t sort broken gearbox mount in service
Car 38 - Showing signs on damge to drivers door
Car 43 - Very happy with overall position looking to get to the end
Car 103 - Got held up in MIRA at accident, cost us some time with nominal time.

19/06/10 - 11.54

LATEST RETIREMENTS

Car 28 - Stuart Deeley - Radiator
Car 55 - Rod Bennett retired with alternator problems
Car 93 - Clive King / Bob ward retired
car 96 - Dave Keen - Fuel Problems

19/06/10 - 10:40

SERVICE IN 10:40

Car 1 - Hit tyre wall in Mallory, other than that enjoying it.
Car 3 - Wrong slotted in SS10, stalled in SS11
Car 4 - Had problems in Mira, spun and wrong slotted twice
Car 5 - Got stopped in MIRA where there was a problem with an electrical barrier, will question time later.
Car 7 - Taking everything neat and tidy, clean runs on stages
Car 21 - Has alternator problems will try and sort in service
Car 22 - Had a slight off on to the grass at Mallory
Car 103 - Having problems getting used to the lauch control on tarmac

A number of crews have fallen by the way side on this mornings loop of stages, Lyndon Barton having propshaft problems, Stuart Deeley holing the radiator and Ron Aiken with engine problems.

19/06/10 - 09:00

LLOYD FIRST RETIREMENT OF DAY 2

Peter Lloyd was the first casualty of day after getting his start time this morning wrong sending him OTL.

He plans to take the car to Caerwent tomorrow to get some testing mileage done.

18/06/10 - 22:40

END OF LEG ONE

Car 1 - Mark welch - Thoroughly enjoying the stages and glad he his setting competitive times and currently lieing fourth overall

Car 2 - Peter Lloyd - Currently not happy wth the set up of the car, but assures it will be sorted for tomorrow.

Car 3 - Damian Cole - Currently second overall after an ammendment to the finish time on stage 7.

Car 4 - John Stone - Suffering from problems with launch control but also complaining of wrong tyre choice

Car 5 - Having problems with traction due to loose shail covering some of the stages, after road penalty has been dropped now lies 1st overall by 9 seconds.

14/06/10

ENTRIES AVAILABLE

Due to a couple of withdrawn entries we currently have 2 spaces available, if you are interested then please call the entries secretary with credit card in hand ASAP, on a first come first served basis.

14/06/10

SMS RESULTS

Online ordering for SMS results is available. More details available from the results providers website.
SMS RESULTS SERVICE

11/06/10

LLOYD’S NEW CHARGE INTRODUCED!...

The fourth round of the REIS MSA Asphalt Rally Championship, the Trinity Hyundai Rally of the Midlands, will witness the debut of Peter Lloyd’s brand-new Subaru Impreza S14 WRC. Having been absent from the previous couple of qualifying events, Lloyd and co-driver Graham Handley led the points table after their victory on the season-opener, the Tour of Epynt, in March and now need a good result to put their campaign back in motion.

They will be joined on the Hinckley-based event by winners of the recent Jim Clark National Rally Damian Cole/Craig Drew in their Ford Focus WRC who are on a roll at the moment, having also returned home from the trip to the Isle of Man with a maximum score under their belts.

Cole/Drew are currently second in the Championship points table behind John Stone / Lee Carter whose Skoda Fabia WRC has had a very impressive start to the season. As the crew become more familiar with their recently-acquired car, both speed and reliability are on the increase and, even at this early stage, they have thrown down the gauntlet as serious challengers for the overall MSA Asphalt Rally Championship title.

Runner-up to Cole on the Jim Clark, Simon Mauger brings his extremely rapid Ford Escort MkII to the Rally of the Midlands. Accompanied by Chris Butcher, Mauger will be hoping that the rain stays away as, the drier the stages are, the higher the chances are of a good result for his two-wheel drive machine.

The Rally of the Midlands caters for 100 cars and, having received a capacity entry this year, over a quarter are Championship-registered crews. The four-wheel drive contingent also includes Chris Marshall / Simon Hunter (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO5), Jim Sharp/Amy Mackinnon (Lancer EVO9), Steve Cressey / Sam Collis (Subaru Impreza) and MSA Championship Group N winners on the Jim Clark, Chris Daykin / Dan Megannity (Subaru Impreza). David Hardie / John McCulloch (Subaru Impreza) are down as 3rd reserve, but likely to get a run.

Not to be outdone, the remainder of the REIS Championship crews heading for the Midlands offer a wide variety of machinery. In no particular order (the entry was unseeded at the time of writing), they include :

  • Roger Donnan / TBA Ford Puma S1600 Kit Car
  • Rod Bennett / Henry Richardson Fiat Punto S1600 Kit Car
  • Mike Perkin / Martin Bristow Ford Puma Kit Car
  • Dave Price / TBA Ford Escort MkVI
  • Steve Leonard / Sion Humphreys Ford Escort MkII
  • Andy Baker / Cath Woodman Peugeot 205
  • James Martin / Dylan James Vauxhall Astra
  • Steve Webb / Steve Tott Ford Fiesta ST
  • Geoff Glover / Bob Brown Vauxhall Astra RWD
  • Ian Copping / Dave Rowley Ford Fiesta RWD
  • Martin Murray / Peter Weall Peugeot 205
  • Tim Daltry / Paul Ohren-Bird Peugeot 205
  • Tim Seipel / Martin Haggett MG ZR
  • Craig Jose / Nigel Hewett Peugeot 205
  • Graham Muter / Steve Hallmark Ford Escort
  • Chris Gravestock / Mark Harmer Peugeot 106
  • George Cooke / Geoff Nash Citroen Saxo
    • The 100th entry received by the organisers (and, thus, just missing out on joining the list of reserves) was from the winners of the ‘John Horton Motorsport Management Star Performance’ salver on the Jim Clark Rally, Lewis Roper / Joe Cruttenden in their Rally First specification Nissan Micra.

    The first car leaves the start of Rally of the Midlands at Bedworth Civic Hall at 6.00pm on Friday 18th June and then, following an overnight halt, competition resumes at 8.00am on Saturday. Cars then begin arriving at the finish in Hinckley town centre from 5.00pm that afternoon.

    02/06/10

    WE'RE FULL !!!!!!!!

    The entry list has now reached the maximum 100 and is therefore full.

    However, we will continue to accept reserve entries.

    Traditionally, there is movement in the list in the last few weeks as crews run out of midnight oil to do those vital repairs & rebuilds and we are aware of crews out on other events in the weeks leading up to ours.

    02/06/10

    FROM CAR DEALER TO RACING DRIVER

    Trinity Mazda’s Sales Executive John Parsloe will swap his usual business suit for racing overalls as he competes in the Rally of the Midlands in a car wrapped in Mazda branding. It will be the first time John has sat behind the wheel of a race car, achieving a life-long personal dream of his.
    Trinity Mazda will also sponsor the Rally of the Midlands, which is taking place on the 18th and 19th June in Nuneaton & Hinckley, for the 10 consecutive year and staff will be cheering John on from the side lines.
    Representing Trinity Mazda, he will be joining over 100 mixed-ability drivers from across the country to achieve 100 stage miles over five venues across the area. John will be up against some of the most experienced rally drivers in the country, but says he will do his best to keep up with the professionals.
    “I am so excited to be competing in the Rally of the Midlands; it is a great achievement for me to compete as a driver in a race as prestigious as this. There are going to be some highly skilled drivers competing in this race and it will be a bonus if I don’t end up finishing last, but I am definitely feeling positive!”
    Trinity Mazda has seen a positive year so far, with John selling 60 cars in March alone. “We have a great sales team here at Trinity Mazda and thanks to their hard work and dedication, even in the recession we have continued to be a success. I am hoping for many more great achievements, for both Trinity Mazda and myself.”
    Trinity Motors has also taken delivery of a special edition of the legendary Mazda MX-5 roadster called, appropriately, the ‘Mazda MX-5 20th Anniversary Limited Edition’. This model is based on the 1.8 SE soft-top and costs £16,925 (on the road).
    Mazda customers can test-drive the special MX-5 along with the rest of the range at a Rally of the Midlands test-drive weekend whilst the rally is taking place on the 18th and 19th June. Trinity Motor’s experienced sales team will also be on hand to discuss customer queries and offers available to them. To book a test drive call Trinity Motors on 01455 622220 or visit the showroom at Trinity Motors in Coventry Road, Hinckley.

    20/05/10

    IMPORTANT NOTICE

    Since publication of the Supplementary Regulations for the event, the organisers have sought confirmation with the MSA regarding the supply of Route Notes.
    Following extensive discussions, it became apparent that we will be unable to supply notes in the same format as recent years.
    We have negotiated with Brian Patterson to supply route notes to competitors for £32 per set plus postage (add £4) or Special delivery (add £10). DVDs won’t be available to competitors.
    For those crews who have already entered the Rally of the Midlands and ordered and paid for Route Notes, we will pay £25 on your behalf to Brian Patterson. You will then be responsible for paying the balance of £11 direct to Brian to cover the extra cost of the notes with delivery by 1st class post. If you require Special Delivery, this would incur a further £6 charge.
    Please contact Brian direct to order the version of notes you prefer, details can be found on Brian & Liz Patterson’s site at HERE
    Competitors that have already paid for the Event Route notes who not wish to use Patterson’s notes can have the £25 cost reimbursed and use the Stage Maps supplied by the organisers or, alternatively, withdraw their entry. In this instance there will be a full refund of your entry fee.
    We thank you in anticipation of your understanding of the situation. Individual messages are being sent to each crew that has entered the event so please bear with us for a few days while we process this information.
    If you want further clarification please contact me direct by emailing clerk@rallyofthemidlands.co.uk Representatives from Rally of the Midlands will be attending the Horbiba D'Isis stages Rally at MIRA on Saturday 17-04-10.

    13/04/10 - Peter Lloyd announces Rally of the Midlands will see the debut on a major event of his Subaru Impreza S14 WRC, the first one in private hands in this country.

    12/04/10 - First release of the entry list available for download

    05/04/10 - Regulations & Entry Form available for download from the website.

    At the beginning of January the organising team plan to visit the following functions if you want any information or have any queries please look out for us. We’ll be the guy’s and gals in blue rally of the midland shirts. A bit of a give away!

      Friday 8th January AWMMC awards evening (mingling)
    Thursday 14th January onwards Autosport International Show, NEC (No stand this year just wandering amongst the exhibitors)
    Saturday 16th HRCR Open Day at the Gaydon Motor Heritage Centre, Warwickshire (Exhibiting)

      Look forward to seeing you out and about during the year and especially on 18th June in Hinckley .