Woodpecker Stages Rally

With the main titles decided in the BTRDA it was all down to who could perform on the day and it was Ollie Mellors & Ian Windress (Iriz R5) who took victory by 20 seconds. The story of the rally though was George Lepley & Tom Woodburn (Evo X) who were 2nd overall in only their 2nd time in a 4WD car. They were really on a roll once they got used to car setting two joint fastest stage times with Mellors and taking the final stage by 3 seconds. Stephen Petch & Michael Wilkinson (Fiesta WRC) completed the podium 13 seconds behind. Henri Grehan & Jack Bowen (Escort MkII) were the 1st 2WD crew home in 12th overall with Callum Black & Michael Gilbey (ZR) wrapping up the 1400 title in 19th overall.

World RX title battle comes to the boil at Loheac

The title challenge in the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy comes to the boil at the high-speed circuit of Loheac for the Bretagne World RX of France this weekend, August 31-September 1.

There are just 14 points separating the top three in the drivers’ standings after one of the most closely-fought seasons in the championship’s history. From seven of the 10 races so far there have been six different event winners, no shortage of incidents and a host of surprises.

Pryce to contest Rali Bae Ceredigion in a Hyundai i20 R5

Osian Pryce will contest the Get Connected Rali Bae Ceredigion (Sunday 8 September) in a Melvyn Evans Motorsport-tuned Hyundai i20 R5 – which will mark his return to competition in a fully-homologated R5 car after an absence of two years.

The event, which will be the first closed road stage rally to be held in Wales, will be Pryce’s first rally in a fully-homologated R5 car since he contest the 2017 British Rally Championship. His last finish in an R5 car was on the FIA World Rally Championship stage, when he came home a superb fourth in WRC2 on the 2017 Rally Finland.

MEM field two-car Proton Iriz R5 squad for the Woodpecker Stages

Ollie Mellors and Theo Bengry will each pilot a Proton Iriz R5 at this weekend’s Eventsigns Woodpecker Stages Rally, round six of the Jordan Road Surfacing BTRDA Rally Series (31st August).

Mellors and co-driver Ian Windress will start the Ludlow based event as number two seed and will be aiming to repeat the 2018 Cambrian Rally and Goodwood Forest Stage win for the Jaipur Iriz R5 in July. Bengry, with Les Forsbrook alongside, will be aiming for more experience of the potent four-wheel-drive machine after making the switch from historic rallying to the Leominster Car Auctions backed Proton earlier this season.

Brown blasts to career-best British Rallycross result

Rally driver turned rally cross pilot Steve Brown overcame a bruising shunt in the qualifying heats of last weekend’s Toyo Tyres British Rallycross Championship BMW MINI series, to secure a career-best second place in the final at Lydden Hill in Kent on Monday (26th August ).

Brown was left with significant damage to his Lohen, Swift GO, Fuchs Lubricants and 710 Oils backed MINI after sustaining a heavy impact to the front suspension during a start-line shunt in the opening qualifying heat of the day.

Cole’s record-equalling Epynt victory makes it winner takes all on Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship finale

Damian Cole scored a sensational record-equalling sixth Old Forge Garage Mewla Rally victory in his Get Connected/Energizer-backed Ford Fiesta WRC (Sunday 25 August) – setting the scene for a winner takes all title decider on the final round of the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship next month.

Mewla Rally

Warm and dry conditions met the crews on the Mewla and Damian Cole & Paul Spooner (Fiesta WRC) set the early pace, setting fastest times across the 3 stages of the first loop, taking a lead of 13s over Bob Fowden & Den Golding (Impreza WRC). Jason Pritchard & Phil Clarke were struggling with their Focus WRC picking up, trailing back in 3rd place, some 23s off the lead. Cole extended his lead to 25s over loop 2 as Fowden drifted back and Pritchard stemmed the time loss. The long stage 7 saw Pritchard climb up in to 2nd place with Alan Kirkaldy & Cameron Fair (Fiesta R5) up to 3rd overall on only their 2nd visit to Epynt.

Williams and Flynn bag British Rally Championship podiums for EDSL Sport in Ulster

James Williams and Rupert Flynn secured Hampshire based EDSL Sport a double British Rally Championship podium last weekend, each driver spraying the champagne at the demanding Today’s Ulster Rally (17th August).

Williams and co-driver Dai Roberts led the Junior British Rally Championship category for much of Saturday afternoon before a boost issue in their new M-Sport Fiesta R2T Mk8 meant they dropped to second in the final throws of the event. Flynn, with Peredur Wyn Davies alongside overcame an early off in the Fiesta R2, to scoop the Cadet Cup win on Flynn’s maiden asphalt event.

Luckless Retson ‘has it all to do’ after Ulster Rally misfortune

Finlay Retson was able to start last weekend’s Today’s Ulster Rally (17th August) after working overtime to ready his Ford Fiesta R2 after a sizeable roll at June’s Ypres Rally, only to crash out on the final loop of the Northern Ireland event after a pacenote error.

Retson, nineteen from Blairgowrie in Scotland faced a race against time to ready the Fiesta after getting the go-ahead from the specialist insurance company, M-Sport in Poland and his loyal backers, to re-shell the M-Sport Fiesta R2 MK8 with just over a week to go until the team would need to leave for the Newry based event.

Baggsy – Back on the podium

After an unpleasant finish in Riga, Baggsy would step into the Drift Masters Round 5 weekend with a lot of weight on his shoulders. The team at SB Motorsport had been busy behind the scenes making sure the #PS13V8 was back to it’s former glory and ready to do battle!

Ferropolis, “The City Of Iron” is an open museum of huge old industrial machines in Gräfenhainichen, a city between Wittenberg and Dessau, Germany. It also plays host to the “Iron Drift King” events, and this past weekend saw Round 5 of the Drift Masters European Championship bring the noise. With Thursday and Friday seeing two days of practice for the DMGP drivers to get familiar with their surroundings. Saturday soon rolled around, and it was time to get down to business.