Yorkshire welcomes champions all !!
1st October 2007No fewer than four previous winners and eight current or former British Champions are set to do battle among the 180-strong field for the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire and its associated events on Saturday, October 6th.
Last year’s Trackrod victor Ryan Champion (Castleton, near Whitby) is joined by 2004 winner Mark Higgins (the defending British Champion from Abermule) and Jonny Milner (Huggate, near Driffield), who triumphed in 2002 to clinch his first British crown, in a battle for points in this season’s Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Championship.
In addition Steve Bannister (Malton), the joint most successful Trackrod competitor of all time with three wins, contests the Trackrod National Rally, which runs immediately after the ‘main event’ with less restrictions on the eligibility of cars.
Higgins’s younger brother David has never won the Trackrod round but was crowned British Champion in 2004, while veteran Welsh driver Gwyndaf Evans took the title back in 1996 and will also have his eyes on a first ever victory in Yorkshire when he leaves the start ramp in Pickering Showground at just after 9.15am.
A huge contingent of older vehicles contest the Trackrod Historic Cup, which kicks off proceedings at 7.30am.
Among the leading drivers are the last four British Historic Rally Champions – Steve Perez (Chesterfield - 2003), Dessie Nutt (Castlerock - 2004), Steven Smith (Eversholt - 2005) and Patrick Watts (Marden - 2006) – all of whom will be bidding to add further to their already impressive CVs in what forms the penultimate round of the 2007 title race.
Five separate rallies guarantee over ten hours of high speed action in and around the North Yorks Moors, starting at Pickering before undertaking tests in Dalby, Cropton, Gale Rigg, Langdale and Staindale forests, as a short spectator stage back at the Showground.
Scrutineering, where the cars are checked for safety and conformity, takes place at the Showground on Friday afternoon and early evening.