Citroën DS3 R3 prepares for another starring role

After a remarkable debut in Northern Ireland, where the Citroën DS3 R3 won Group R and clinched a superb fifth place overall on the Ulster Rally, the new car is on another mission. This time, the crew of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle will be attempting to conquer France on the 62nd Rallye du Mont Blanc next weekend, round five of the French Championship.

With all eyes on Citroën’s new baby, the Irish champions will set off on a journey through 14 mountain special stages, totalling 206 competitive kilometres. The Rallye du Mont Blanc is characterised by a breathtaking series of climbs and descents, in the heart of skiing territory near Morzine, which takes in spectacular countryside featuring lakes, forests and majestic peaks.

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Unlucky 13 For Anderson in Cumbria

County Durham rally driver Chris Anderson was yet again denied a good result when an accident robbed him of a promising finish at yesterday’s Stobart Rail Pendragon Stages Rally based in Penrith.

Pearson hoping to build on turn in fortune

Garry Pearson is hoping to build on recent success when he heads to Galloway for this weekend’s Hankook Merrick Stages. The 18 year-old rally driver from Duns is going for honours in both the Brick and Steel 205 Ecosse Challenge and the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship, and is in with a great chance in both series as the Scottish rally season reaches its business end.

Mechanical issues blighted Pearson and co-driver Tom Hynd in the middle part of the year, but the pair firmly banished the reliability gremlins with a convincing drive on August’s Speyside Stages.

Hankook Merrick Stages

The Brick and Steel Ecosse Challenge heads to Galloway this coming weekend for the Hankook Merrick Stages, the sixth round in the one-make rally championships. The Merrick takes place in the famous forests of Glentrool on Saturday 4 September, with the title races in both the Civic Ecosse Challenge and the 205 Ecosse Challenge still wide open.

Things are really hotting up in the Civic Challenge. Duncan Campbell became the fourth different winner in five rounds when he took the honours on the Speyside Stages at the start of August, however Glasgow two-wheel drive expert Grant Inglis still leads the way as the series heads to south-west Scotland.

Mewla Rally

Another mixed day up on Epynt caused chaos in the morning with the changing conditions. Peter Lloyd & Graham Handley (Impreza S14 WRC) set the inital pace with Damian Cole & Craig Drew (Focus WRC) keeping them honest with a couple of fastest stage times. Lloyd led by 33 seconds at the break with Eian Pritchard & Steve McPhee (Impreza S11 WRC) almost a minute back on Lloyd in third. In the first afternoon loop Cole halved the deficit on stages 5 & 6 and it was game on. Stage 7 saw disaster though as an excursion cost him over a minute, but he was lucky to have got away with nothing worse! Lloyd now had it in the bag with a 1 minute lead over Pritchard but on the final stage he had an excursion into a bog and it was rally over as the car was stuck. Pritchard took a fine win with Cole closing in to just 10 seconds behind. 2nd place saw Cole take maximum points and the National Asphalt title. His only title rival , Simon Mauger, took 3rd overall in his Escort MkII co-driven by Tracy Giddings.

Bitter sweet podium for Mitchell

24 year old Kenyan rally driver Quentin Mitchell and his Welsh co-driver Chris Davies drove a very impressive rally on their international debut to take a podium position in their Subaru Impreza N16 rally car.

First stage key to Merrick Success

The 100 crews competing in Saturday’s Hankook Merrick Stages Rally will need to be “in the groove”  from the start as they tackle a daunting opening test of nearly 19 miles.

The monster Glentrool stage will be key to deciding the outcome of the seventh and penultimate round of the Hankook MSA Scottish Rally Championship.

Mitchell on top in Zimbabwe

Young Kenyan rally talent Quentin Mitchell has impressed mightily on his first full day of the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge Rally as the 24 year old ends the opening leg as the top junior rally driver despite limited knowledge of the stages and with virtually no testing in his brand new Subaru Impreza N2010.

2010 Whitby & District Motor Club Rally Time Trial – Sunday 5th September 2010

Entries are still available for the 2010 Whitby & District Motor Club Rally Time Trial.

The event ran successfully for the first time in September 2009 won by former British Championship front-runner Ryan Champion in a Mitsubishi Evo. However, for 2010 the event will run an all two-wheel drive format whilst still retaining the great value £85 entry.

The event will include a minimum of 4 timed runs over the 2.5-mile mixed surface stage and it takes place on Sunday September 5th 2010.

Rally Yorkshire is blue print for future of top level forest rallying

The format of Rally Yorkshire, with international, national and regional championships all coming together under a single umbrella event is a blue print for the future of top level forest rallying in Britain, says event clerk of the course Rod Parkin.

Parkin, who has more than 40 years experience in the organisation of the sport, believes that major forest events will need to attract a wide range of championships if they are to survive.