Rallye Sunseeker

Sunseeking Dodd victorious in South Coast sunshine - continued from front page

Crews arrived at the first Service halt at Bournemouth International Airport after three special stages, both rally competitors and hundreds of spectators happily mingling with the slightly bemused holiday makers waiting to jet off to varied destinations…

Onlookers with rally knowledge could be forgiven for a feeling of "deja-vu" as Marcus Dodd in the Sunseeker Powerboats backed Subaru Impreza World Rally Car put himself into the lead, having won the event for the past two years.

Runner up in 2000 was Irishman Kenny McKinstry, fastest this year on the opening stage by two seconds, but thereafter overhauled by Marcus, who eliminated the Irish lead on stage two and extended his margin by a further seven seconds on stage three, an extended version of the second run through Hurn Forest near the Matchams race stadium.

The unfortunate distinction of first retirement in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge running within the ANCRO Series went to Port Talbot MC driver Ben Briant, his Evo VI going out on stage three with steering failure.

The leading crews described the New Forest stages as very slippery, though the third placed Metro 6R4 of John and Caroline Price set a surefooted pace to break the Subaru monopoly, heading David Mann and Welsh co-driver Alun Cook in their Impreza by five seconds.

Richard Moore - also in a Metro 6R4 - had also started strongly to take fifth, though he would drop back to the lower reaches of the top ten as the event progressed, finally stopped for good after hitting a tree on the twelfth Mount Ararat stage.

West Walian driver Julian Reynolds led the Mitsubishi Ralliart Challenge, though the oil light was on and things looked fraught…

Crews faced another four stages before returning to Bournemouth Airport Service, Marcus Dodd reported as briefly off the road in Somerley Park, trailing yards of course marker tape behind the Impreza and seeing his lead reduced to a scant two seconds from McKinstry after also suffering a loss of gears, though that latter problem was sorted at Service. David Mann had reversed the roles with the Prices 6R4, the Impreza providing a Subaru 1-2-3.

Mark Perrott led Group N and was sixth overall, whilst Meridian TV presenter Alex Lewis upheld southern honour in partnership with ITV F1 pundit Tony Jardine, leading class N3 in the Honda Integra.

At the head of the field the battle hotted up, McKinstry taking stage eleven by seven seconds from David Mann, the Sunseeker Powerboats Subaru WRC third on the stage and briefly losing the lead to the Irish driver. Marcus fought back however, retaking the lead on the next stage, the longer tortuous Mount Ararat, after besting the McInstry car by a strong ten second margin, adding another eleven to his lead on the unlucky thirteenth for Ireland.

With three stages to go the margin was still too close to call as one slip could change everything, although the Subaru 1-2-3 distinction still held, David Mann and Alun Cook storming to that third place, whilst the Group N honours looked set to go to Mark Perrott, his Mitsubishi Evolution VI in fourth overall, leading the "Production" category by over a minute as the rally set sights on a return to Bournemouth.

The top six was completed by Gary Midwinter in his Ford Escort WRC after a virtual rally long mid top ten challenge, and John and Caroline Price in the Metro 6R4. Retirements had been few amongst the top runners, though around twenty five of the lower seeds fell by the wayside.

The Mitsubishi Ralliart Challenge was still led by South Walian youngster Leon Pesticcio, the Port Talbot MC driver nine seconds ahead of fellow Welshman Julian Reynolds, who was still going well despite that persistently flashing oil pressure warning light.

Slips from the leader however came there none, Marcus nimbly powering the Sunseeker Subaru through the final trio of tests to take another trio, his third consecutive win on the Southern Car Club rally sponsored by the Sunseeker Powerboats concern. Kenny McKinstry was a strong second, twenty one seconds in arrears of Dodd, David Mann making it a 1-2-3 for Subaru.

Mark Perrott took fifth and the Group N win whilst Leon Pesticcio was the first round victor in the Mitsubishi Ralliart UK Evolution Challenge, co-driven by Howard Davies, and consequently leads that manufacturers championship.