Frank Bird set to contest the TotalEnergies 24 hours of Spa

The legendary Belgian venue of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps will see the 74th running of the famous TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa this forthcoming weekend with Cumbrian driver Frank Bird set to contest the event for the Haupt Racing Team.

Penrith-born Frank will contest the Silver Cup category as part of a three-car entry for the German team and will be at the wheel of the #4 Haupt Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 with three other drivers sharing the stints over the 24 hours.

Bird will be joined by German Jannes Fittje, Jordan Love from Australia and Swiss driver Alain Valente. Frank has already seen action for the Haupt Racing Team this year as together with Love, he made a guest appearance at the International GT Open weekend in Spa, where they finished runner-up.

Braveheart Binnie takes sensational RSAC Scottish Rally win

Michael Binnie hauled his Mitsubishi Evo IX to a blistering RSAC Scottish Rally win on Saturday [23 July], beating a plethora of modern machinery to ensure his hopes of a KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship title remain firmly alive.

Co-driven by the experienced Claire Mole, Binnie stormed to fastest time on half of the event’s eight special stages in the Dumfries and Galloway forests, to seal a stellar 45 second win over the chasing Hugh Brunton in his Ford Fiesta R5, whilst David Henderson snatched a last-gasp podium with third in his Fiesta Rally2.

Wood becomes fourth Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship event winner this year after Down Rally triumph

Steve Wood has become the fourth different winner in as many rounds of the 2022 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship after scoring maximum points on the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally (Saturday 23 July).

Co-driven by Kenny Hull, the Welshman used all his experience of Irish closed road stage rallying to master the fantastic Bucks Head, Lough Erne, Drumaknocken and Hamilton’s Folly stages – particularly in the morning loop which was damp and incredibly slippery, causing an overshoot on SS2 – to finish 34.5 seconds clear of his nearest sealed-surface series rival. The result moves him up to third in the drivers’ standings.

Jonny Greer Secures NI Rally Championship Title with Victory at the Down Rally

Navigated by Dai Roberts, Greer claimed a start-to-finish victory aboard his Citroen C3. The crew powered to the top of the leaderboard after the opening stage and eventually sailed into the distance, leaving the destination of this year’s NI title beyond doubt.

“It has been quite a good year,” Greer said at the finish. “We had a bit of a rough start but it all came together at the end. Thanks to everybody who has helped.”

Down Rally

After 3 years away the Down rally was back and Jonny Greer took victory by 26s, co-driven by Dai Roberts in their C3 Rally2. 5 stage wins from 8 were enough to secure the win from Peadar Hurson & Damien Connolly (Fiesta WRC). The battle for 3rd was a close run thing with Cathan McCourt & Liam Moynihan (C3 Rally2) taking the final podium place by 3.9s from Jason Mitchell &Patrick McCrudden (Fiesta Rally2). Close behind in 5th and a remarkable performance too, were William Creighton & Shane Byrne in their Fiesta Rally3. In the 2WD section Damian Toner & Denver Rafferty (Escort MkII) took victory by almost 40s and were 10th overall too.

Estonia proves a tough challenge for Creighton

– FIA Junior World Rally Championship driver William Creighton secures fifth spot at a demanding Rally Estonia
– The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy team member was eager to rack up points after Rally de Portugal retirement
– Creighton is pleased with a solid result and cites pace improvement over last year’s event as an important step in Junior WRC progress.

RSAC Scottish Rally set for a thrilling battle in the forests

The RSAC Scottish Rally makes a welcome return to the British motorsport calendar this weekend [23 July], as a blistering array of top-flight drivers will battle for honours throughout a challenging day in the Dumfries and Galloway forests.

The 76th running of the rally will take an impressive list of competitors through classic stages in the Castle O’er, Ae and Twiglees forest complexes during an action-packed day of flat-out competition.

John Stone takes slender Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship lead to County Down

John Stone takes a two-point Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship lead into the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally (Saturday 23 July) – and extending that slender advantage at the top of the drivers’ standings is his number one target.

The Blackburn driver arrives in fine form having just taken the lead of the sealed-surface series in Argyll, and is quietly confident having scored maximum Protyre Asphalt points on the Down Rally in 2019.

Letchworth Motor Auctions – Inaugural classic, retro and performance car sale results

– Letchworth Motor Auctions’ inaugural Classic, Retro and Performance Sale achieved a 68% sale rate.
– Highlights included Rover Mini Cooper, sold for nearly double its higher estimate at £9,375, and a Rolls Royce Corniche selling for £32,500.
– Entries now being accepted for the next sale on Saturday 19th Nov 2022

Letchworth Motor Auctions, Hertfordshire’s largest independent motoring house, got off to a great start with its inaugural Classic, Retro and Performance Car Sale with a 68 per cent sale rate.

Mach 1 Junior Stages

Just 1 week removed from the McRae Rally Challenge the Ecosse J1000 crews made the long trip west to sunny Campbeltown and the Machrihanish airfield for the Mach 1 Junior Stages.

Continuing his great run of form Sam Pattison would take a 3rd win in a row. With Albar winning co-driver Paul Whittaker back in the hotseat the Citigo driver kept it safe on the early short stages before attacking on the long stage 6. 28 seconds quicker than anyone else on that 1 stage alone gave them a lead that they would extend all the way to the finish. There was a small scare when 3rd began to play up but they were able to drive around the problem to take the win by 48 seconds.