Plains Rally

A superb day and a close battle at the top saw the 2013 Plains Rally go the way of Euan Thorburn & Paul Beaton (Focus WRC). The winning margin was only 3 seconds from Connor McCloskey & Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) with Charlie Payne & Paul Spooner (Focus WRC) a further 10 seconds back. McCloskey was the fastest out of the blocks and took the opening stage by 7 seconds from Payne. He then backed this up on stage 2 before Payne went fastest time on SS3 to maintain the gap. Thorburn then took his first stage win after service to close in but it was on Gartheiniog where he took a staggering 16 seconds out of McCloskey to take the lead by 7 seconds. On the final stage Stephen Petch & Ian Windress (Focus WRC) were fastest with McCloskey taking 4 seconds out of Thorburn to make it a close finish.

Manx National Rally

The 2013 Manx National started in windy but dry conditions and with just 23 miles on the opening night, the first 8 stages would not see anyone win the rally but they could lose it. Melvyn Evans & Mark Glennerster (Impreza WRC) seized the initiative over the first pair of stages before Damian Cole & Darren Garrod (Focus WRC) took three fastest stage times through the 2 special stages in Ramsey and the following stage out of Ramsey through the Gooseneck. Paul Bird & Aled Davies (Focus WRC) was second overall however as he was 2nd fastest through the first 4 stages and then 3rd fastest on the fifth stage. Evans led Bird by 1.8s with Cole a further 6.1s back in 3rd overall. Trouble then struck Evans through the 2nd Glen Roy stage as Bird snatched the lead with his 1st fastest stage time. Evans went fastest through stage 7 to close the gap to 1 second and that is where the crews finished the opening leg after stage 8 was scrubbed.

Pirelli Richard Burns Foundation Rally

A subtle change in format along with a new event co-sponsor, in the shape of the Richard Burns Foundation, saw the BRC finally get its season up and running. In the BRC Jukka Korhonen & Marko Salminen (DS3 R3T) took the lead over the slightly longer first day and held on through the second day. Thankfully for them they had enough of a cushion whilst Alastair Fisher & Gordon Noble (DS3 R3T) came from third overnight to pass Tom Cave & Ieuan Thomas (DS3 R3T) for the 2nd spot. In the BRC classes Steve Rokland & Jame Aldridge (Fiesta R2) dominated the R2 category whilst Harry Threlfall & Andy Bull (Twingo) were the only finishers in R1.

Steve Soper makes Classic comeback

- Touring car legend to race GT40 at Silverstone
- First race for more than a decade

Touring car hero Steve Soper is ready to make for a very welcome competitive comeback at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (26-28 July).

Strong pack chase Reivers’ glory

Competitors in the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship are readying themselves for the only tarmac event in the eight-round series – the Jim Clark Reivers Rally on Sunday June 2nd.

Last year’s winner Euan Thorburn will have local support as he attempts to kick-start his Scottish campaign on the fast Berwickshire stages after a non-finish in his Ford Focus WRC on last month’s Granite City Rally. The Duns’ driver received a confidence boost in the run-up to his home event with a win on the Plains Rally in Wales alongside co-driver Paul Beaton from Inverness.

Vauxhall returns to Motorsport

It’s been nearly four years since Vauxhall withdrew from BTCC, but just to prove that the company still supports British motorsport, it’s entered a completely standard Astra VXR in the 2013 MSA Hillclimb Leaders Championship – and it’s already turning into a giant-killer.

Progress for Edwards after Plains fightback – BTRDA Round 4 Report

First stage maladies aboard his Swift Group, Millers Oils, North Wales Honda and Group B Motorsport Mitsubishi Evo 9, threatened to curtail Colwyn Bay’s Matt Edwards Plains Rally at the weekend, but a strong and encouraging comeback through the afternoon brought he and Co-Driver Will Rogers right back into contention.

Nash claims Austrian victory for Ravenol

RAVENOL sponsored Bamboo WTCC team are counting the trophies after a victorious weekend at the Salzburgring in Austria in the latest round of the WTCC. James Nash delivered Bamboo’s first ever WTCC outright victory, a second place, an independent win and an independent second place with Alex MacDowall also claiming an Independent podium and fastest lap honours.

James Nash, “We’ve approached this weekend completely differently and it’s paid dividends. Winning a race at this level is such an exhilarating feeling and one I could get very used to! I have really enjoyed Austria and am pleased we had two good, clean races. We now need to keep the momentum in Moscow, a track where we will all have a lot to learn.”

New look Wales Rally GB gets ‘thumbs up’ from local drivers

- “The stages selected are the best in the world” – Elfyn Evans
- “The start of a new era for Wales Rally GB” – Tom Cave

Two top Welsh rally drivers Elfyn Evans and Tom Cave have given their enthusiastic support to exciting new plans to revitalise Wales Rally GB, the UK’s season-ending round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Audi customers pass tough Eifel test

- Race interruption and high retirement rate due to extreme weather
- G-Drive Racing by Phoenix best Audi customer team in fifth place
- Three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars among the top ten

Victory for Black Falcon AMG customer team – First overall victory for SLS AMG GT3

- Black Falcon win endurance classic
- ROWE RACING finish third and fourth
- Bernd Schneider secures first place

BMH announces runs of replacemnet bodyshells fro MGB, Midget & Mini, and first alloy panels for MGB

Bodyshells
Amazingly, this year is the 25th anniversary of the introduction of British Motor Heritage’s (BMH’s) replacement bodyshell for the ubiquitous MGB. As originally supplied, the product was only available minus the bolt-on front wings, doors, bonnet and bootlid. However the accurate addition of these parts proved too much for the average enthusiast, so fully fitted shells became the standard sales option, and BMH nowadays offers a comprehensive range of no less than 12 roadster and 10 GT variants.

Michelin and Ginetta launch all new ‘Junior Academy of Media’

Reporters, photographers and film crews are invited to attend the launch

WHO: Ginetta Chairman, Lawrence Tomlinson and Michelin Commercial Director Malcolm Scovell introduce the first crop of young reporters to join the Junior Academy of Media