During
the 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally we asked for photos from
enthusiasts out on the stages. We were bowled over by the response but ran
out of time during the event to get them posted on the website. WE apologise
for that but just so that you know that your efforts are appreciated we have
now created an RAC Rally photobucket page and if you sent us photos that's
where they now are! Thank you all again for your pictures and please take a
look:
http://bit.ly/uGBFG5
If you crave more historic rallying then the review programme of the 2011
Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship will make perfect
festive viewing when it is screened for the first time on Motors TV at 9pm
on Christmas Day. The revue features many of the crews who competed on
the Roger Albert Clark Rally, including third placed crew of David
Stokes and Guy Weaver who has taken top honours in the British Historic
Rally Championship for the past two years.
The spectacle of Ford Escorts, Porsche 911s, Saabs, Vauxhall Chevettes
and Hillman Imps tackling classic forest and asphalt stages is surely the
perfect antidote to the regular Christmas Day TV programmes. The two-hour
review covers all the action as crews competed from the forests of Wales to
the closed public roads of Ulster and Flanders. The programme will include
stunning in-car footage as well as interviews with some of the characters
involved in historic rallying.
As well as the initial prime-time slot on Motors TV, the programme will
have several repeats in the week after the initial transmission.
All seven rounds of the BHRC were televised during 2011, with dedicated
hour-long programmes on Motors TV, produced by
www.rallytv.co.uk, the company
headed by David Winstanley which also produces the official DVD of the
Roger
Albert Clark Rally.
Colin Heppenstall, Rally Manager of
the Roger Albert Clark Rally and the driving force behind the
event since its inception in 2004 talks to Paul Lawrence about his
hands-on approach to running this rally and the once in a decade
snowfall that we had in 2010. Listen to the interview by clicking
here.
Reporting
and image courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
At the prizegiving at Carlisle, Paul
Lawrence caught up with Tim Pearcey, the man who won through on the
final day of the 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally to wrest position
from hard charging David Stokes to take second overall behind the
seemingly unstoppable Gwyndaf Evans. Hear what Tim had to say
about his podium placing by clicking
here.
Reporting
and image courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
Noisy,
big, beautiful, a little bit scary, exciting, exhilarating, exhausting,
bad for your complexion and fast. That's what Jim Valentine, leader of
the Saab Historic Rally Team thinks of the Roger Albert Clark Rally.
"There’s usually snow, there will be teasing, there may be tears, there
may be victory, there may be talent and no talent, there may be repairs
and there may be recoveries. Service might be in a big puddle but there
will be delicious dinners, there will be divine homebakes, and there
will be delays - Oh, and we may damage stuff " Jim says in his
invitation for new members to come and join him and the team for next
year.
Next year the team will celebrate 50 years since Erik Carlsson’s 1962
hattrick of wins on the RAC rally - an accomplishment that no one would
repeat for a decade. Jim also hopes to build on the astonishing momentum
the Saab Historic Rally Team achieved this year - with an across the
board set of strong performances matched with some significant results.
Building on this year’s great success Jim is looking for ten cars to
compete on next year’s event. He says "we made a big impact this year
with Saabs one in every ten cars on the rally. That they all did well
shows how the team helps all the competitors to go faster".
Jim has ensured that the
team provides a huge amount of logistical support for entries and 2012 will
see a rally forum, celebrity guests, and team livery within the team
entry cost. Jim isd convinced that there will never be a better opportunity
than next year to compete in the Roger Albert Clark Rally in a Saab,
and if you are serious, competitors will have to start preparing by the
March deadline. Jim promises that for those taking on the challenge a warm
welcome to the team and unique experiences await your involvement.
If you're interested in
becoming part of tthe Saab Historic Rally Team then contact Jim at
xandj@btinternet.com
Those of you out and about on the 2011 Roger Albert Clark
Rally may have seen four dodgy looking guys with a Range Rover and a
video camera; this was the self-styled WOWS Media.
The quartet were Alan Walker, Will Onions, Dave Williams and
Rob Smith; all usually seen competing on historic rallies and all frustrated
that, for a variety of reasons, they were not competing on this year’s
Roger Albert Clark Rally.
Once they knew they would not be competing, they decided to
follow the event anyway, on the flimsy excuse of supporting various crews
including their mate Guy Woodcock. But they were more than happy to give
advice and encouragement to any crew, whether wanted or not!
They set the tone for the weekend when they arrived at
Duncombe Park on Friday afternoon. Woodcock’s Escort Mk2 was off at
scrutineering, and his service bay – complete with Easy-Up, lights and
groundsheet was vacant. They decided this was the perfect place to park the
Range Rover so that they didn’t get their shoes muddy.
On Saturday they were found spectating and filming in
Langdale, although they arrived late due to (A) getting lost or (B) going to
watch the steam train at Pickering. Onions reckoned they were navigating
around the stages based on places where they had crashed before.
They came prepared with score cards showing 0 to 10, which
were shown to competing mates as a measure of their performance. Woodcock
was the main focus of this, and despite their sometimes harsh scoring of his
driving, he turned in a superb result to finish fifth overall.
When Matthew Robinson was unfortunate enough to retire at
the end of Langdale, they offered him a tow across the moors back to the
main road. With Smith at the wheel, the Range Rover set off at a brisk pace
but nearly came unstuck when they arrived at a 90 left going a little too
quickly, with the incredulous Robinson on the end of a rather short tow
rope. Typical of a driver, Smith blamed his moment on a late call from his
three co-drivers.
On Sunday they found their way into Ae Forest despite only a
modest amount of sleep and then headed to service to continue making their
video diary. Hopefully, once they have found someone who understands the
editing technology, the video will go up on YouTube. It should make
interesting viewing, but it might be better if they stick to competing next
year!
Reporting
and images courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
The Roger Albert Clark Rally now has its own dedicated YouTube
channel where we will post videos about the event. These will
include video segments taken by the event media team and where
appropriate, footage submitted by you, the event supporters. Look
for us on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/theracrally
Kick
Energy rally driver Steve Perez claimed a career best eighth place on the
event following the conclusion of the 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally
in Carlisle.
Along with Welsh co driver Paul Spooner, the Chesterfield
ace completed the final stage in their BTR-prepared Lancia Stratos, setting
third fastest time in the process, as heavy snow caused havoc on the final
day of the four-day marathon and caused the final stage of the event to be
cancelled.
Tenth overnight and following problems in the fog and
darkness of Sunday evening, the 2003 British Historic, 2004 National ANCRO
and 2010 BTRDA champion was confident of a good showing on Monday's final
two tests in Kershope and with conditions prevailing which were similar to
last year, Perez upped the pace on the snow-bound tracks to climb into
eighth place on the leaderboard and claim a class victory in the process.
However, any hopes of further progression were halted as
organisers had to cancel the second run through Kershope due to delays and
in order to keep on schedule for the ceremonial finish in Carlisle this
afternoon but despite this Perez had done enough to claim a class victory.
The result sees Steve, a staunch supporter of the event,
record his best ever RAC Rally finish having contested every event since its
inauguration by De Lacy Motor Club in 2004. On the very first event in a
Porsche 911, Steve retired in Kielder forest late on when in contention for
fifth place. 2005 saw him make his debut in the Lancia but retired after
SS10 but claimed an 18th place finish in the iconic Italian car in 2006.
Another retirement, this time after only four stages
heralded the end of his 2007 campaign but a tenth place was achieved in 2008
followed by 20th in 2009 and 17th in last year's ice and snow.
The finish ramp in Carlisle concluded a mammoth two weeks of
rallying for Steve who returned home after the gruelling Kenya Airways East
African Classic Safari Rally, whereby he finished fifth in the Kick Rally
Team Datsun, to contest the RAC Rally within 48 hours.
"What a fortnight! Fifth in the Safari Rally and now a top
eight on the RAC Rally, I'm absolutely shattered but delighted. We have gone
from mud, dust and sand and 34 degrees to ice, snow and rain and minus zero
temperatures in two different cars on two different continents in two
different weeks! I've learned so much about driving and today was difficult
although I was disappointed we didn't get to do the final stage as we may
have finished higher. To be the first non Ford home is a remarkable
achievement and all credit to the BTR team who have done another fantastic
job on both events. Thanks to the fans, marshals and to the organisers too
for another wonderful event, I have now had all my cars immobilised and been
told I'm not allowed to do anything for the next two months!"
Welsh legend Gwyndaf Evans and co driver John Millington won
the event in their Ford Escort whereby Evans became the first driver to win
the event twice.
Issued on behalf of Kick Energy Rally Team by Cartersport,
PO Box 150, NORTHALLERTON DL6 3WZ. Tel: 01609 761346
cartersport@btconnect.com
As
reported earlier, the pupils of
H|elmsley County Primary School were guests of the Roger Albert Clark
Rally at the start venue of Duncombe Park on Friday. There
were many excited faces amongst the children as they were escorted
around the service park and scrutineering area by event staff. The
organisers want to pass on their grateful thanks to all the teams who
gave the time to show the children around their cars and to the tyre
crews who made sure that the kids didn't go away empty handed.
Tim Hiley, their headteacher unfortunately couldn't himself make the
trip due to being held up in a finance meeting that afternoon, but
reports that he buzz and excitement of the children when they returned
to school was a delight to see. Tim also said that the staff who
accompanied the pupils were all impressed with the amount of time the
organisers, drivers etc. spent with the children and how welcome they
were made to feel even though everyone was obviously very busy with
their own preparations and passes on his thanks to everyone involved in
organising the visit.
After a gruelling four days of rallying, previous winner, Gwyndaf Evans
with John Millington on the maps came home winners of the 2011 Roger
Albert Clark Rally. Leading from the first day whilst others
swapped places behind him Gwyndaf brought home his Pirelli shod
Viking Motorsport Ford Escort almost eight minutes ahead of eventual
second placed Tim Pearcey.
The event that represents the biggest challenge in British rallying
continued to test crews as Sunday’s route featured snow and ice in
southern Scotland, with stages in Ae, Twiglees and Newcastleton making
up the meat of 60 stage miles.
Through it all came Gwyndaf Evans and John Millington (Ford Escort Mk2)
to extend their lead to a massive seven minutes as their nearest rival
faltered. The 14-mile stage in Ae, run twice, proved the nemesis of Paul
Griffiths and Sam Collis after they slid their Escort off the road and out
of the rally. Suddenly, Evans’ lead more than doubled.
Into second went David Stokes and Guy Weaver after a strong day, while
Tim Pearcey/Neil Shanks overcame punctures to hold third.
In the Open Rally, Martyn Hawkswell and Nick Welch held on to a slender
lead over the Toyota Corolla of Andy Madge and Pat Cooper. To add to an
incident-packed rally, Madge even had an off on a road section as black ice
hit the evening route.
In category one, Bob Bean and Malcolm Smithson bounced back from a visit
to a ditch in Ae to stay ahead in their Lotus Cortina.
Pr
ess
Release and images courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
Heathall service area is always an interesting place to spend time
during the Roger Albert Clark Rally, sitting as it does alongside a
small, accessible special stage and having an important place in the
route as the cars visit service after running through the Ae and
Twiglees stages.
We spoke to twice Open Rally winner David Hemingway who has had rather a
fraught rally so far. Following problems with a drive shaft
earlier in the event, today has not been kind to him, having to change a
prop shaft and the gearbox as well as suffering a deep off in Ae.
However, this Yorkshire team still has its eye on the miracle podium
finish. Its not over 'til its over.
Thank you all for sending in videos and photographs. We look
forward to seeing how you have enjoyed the Roger Albert Clark Rally and
are happy to showcase your personal views of the event. Thanks go
to Chris Horner, Derek Hughes and Nigel Hauxwell for this selection
emailed to
media@rogeralbertclarkrally.org
Day two of the Roger Albert Clark Rally. From the blue skies
of Yorkshire to the rain, sleet and snow of Shepherdshield and Hamsterley it
was a tough, long day for crews on the rally. Gwyndaf Evans continued his
superb run through to maintain his lead at just over two minutes but it was
not all plain sailing because in the rain of Hamsterley he lost his wipers
completely and it wasn’t very pleasant for him.
Paul Griffiths running second, still chasing hard, had a really good day
with no problems. Others had more drama. Phil Collins retired when he put
the Ascona off and Stefaan Stouf has had to pull out with on-going engine
problems. In the Open Rally Martin Hawkswell leads but only by about a
minute with Andy Madge chasing him very hard in the Toyota Corolla.
Pr
ess
Release courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
Saturday 3rd December dawned
bright and blustery, but overnight rain had hampered crews in the
service area at Duncombe Park, this also meant that the special stages
in Langdale and Gale Rigg would be incredibly slippery.
After last nights off in Dalby, the
crew of Stefaan Stouff and Joris Erard were continuing to compete under
super rally rules. We caught up with Joris in service where he told us that
the incident on Friday night had been caused by a lack of brakes going into
a “6” right, this probably due in no small part to the fact that they were
unable to fully check out the forest setting of their Mark 2 Ford Escort.
When the car returned to Duncombe
Park for SS7, the car appeared to be a little unwell, showing signs of blue
smoke the result of what they believed to be a blown head gasket. This
problem would go on to hamper their progress all day.
One crew going well and enjoying the
conditions were the leading crew of Evans and Millington who continued to
maintain a couple of minutes lead over their nearest rivals Griffiths and
Collis for the rest of the day.
As the competitors left the Yorkshire
forests and headed for a packed Croft racing circuit, the top three was
still Evans from Griffiths with Roger Albert Clark stalwart David Stokes in
third place.
Going strongly in the top ten were
the East Yorkshire father and son team members Pete Smith and Guy Smith,
with Steve Perez battling away outside the top ten in fourteenth place with
the glorious sounding Stratos.
As we go to press with this report we
have heard news of an off in Hamsterley, for Collins and Grist in the Opel
Ascona. The damage is described as repairable and they too are continuing
under super rally rules.
Running ahead of the main field there
are two further categories, the historic cars led as yesterday by the crew
of Bean and Smithson, with the immaculate Ford Escort Sport of Stuart and
Linda Cariss, followed closely by a brace of Saabs.
The new for 2011 1000cc class is
being well supported and continues to entertain with a gaggle of Nissan
Micras headed by Nigel Barrett and the very pretty Citroen C1
of Thomas Jordan.
In the open category, previous winner
Dave Hemingway started the day outside the top ten but has since fought his
way back to 7th place remaining some 11 minutes behind the leader Martyn
Hawkswell and Nick Welch in a Ford Escort RS.
Once again the Roger Albert Clark
Rally is living up to its reputation as a challenging event, with plenty
of drama and exciting rallying before the crews reach the overnight halt at
Carlisle at the end of day two.
Here are the
top five placings after SS14 Shepherdshield,
The crews competing in the Roger Albert Clark Rally 2011 visited Duncombe Park for the second time this morning for the running of stages
seven and eight. The media team were there to capture some of the
action for you. See the video and a selection of pictures below.
Some photographs...
And some video...
From James Freund via email - Thank James, we agree it does sound great!
The opening four stages of the
Roger Albert Clark proved to be a tough test as crews tackled double
runs through the stages at Duncombe Park and Dalby. While Gwyndaf Evans
and John Millington swept into a crucial early lead, other leading
contenders hit drama. None more so than 2010 winners Stefaan Stouf and
Joris Erard who put their Escort Mk2 onto its roof in Dalby and
effectively ended their 2011 rally on only the second stage.
The action started straight off the
start line at Duncombe Park and Evans served notice of his intentions by
setting the pace. He then extended his lead in Dalby with a blistering pace
and ended the evening with a handy lead over Paul Griffiths/Sam Collis
(Escort Mk2) and David Stokes/Guy Weaver (Escort Mk1). Stokes was fortunate
to escape from a brush with a tree in Duncombe Park with only cosmetic
damage to a rear quarter of his Escort.
Out in Dalby went Tim Mason/Graham
Wild with engine dramas in their Porsche 911, while Marcus Dodd, subbing for
Peter Egerton in his Escort Mk2, had a gentle roll in Dalby after being put
sideways by a big pot hole.
Press
Release and photographs courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
The first night of the Roger Albert Clark Rally has lived up
to its reputation for claiming victims.
As darkness began to fall over the North Yorkshire Forests competitors
prepared to leave the start line at Duncombe Park, with two runs ahead
of them through the Dalby special stage.
The service area at the start was full of anticipation with everyone
watching last year’s winning crew to see if this year could be the first
time in which the number one car would become the first ever back to back
winners.
The first shock of the evening came back to Rally Headquarters, when it
was reported that Stefaan Stouff and Joris Erard had slid off the stage at
junction five. Reportedly well off the road there was much speculation as to
whether this would be the end of their campaign for this year.
It would be a while before the stage times came back and showed that they
had managed to get going but had taken over 14 minutes, considerably longer
than the rest of the front runners.
David Stokes and Guy Weaver had reportedly wiped out a rear corner of the
Ford Escort in Duncombe Park but this did not appear to deter them from
posting significantly quick times.
Our regular septuagenarian crew of Bob Bean and Malcolm Smithson were
also going extremely well in their venerable Ford Cortina.
We were all surprised to see Graham Wild and Tim Mason back at Helmsley,
when asked what had happened Graham told us that the Porsche had expired on
the first run through Dalby..” It all happened when the gearbox started to
fail and coming out of the woodyard Tim couldn’t select third gear and then
no gears at all coming to a halt on a blind corner. They briefly resumed
their run but the car expired in a cloud of blue smoke as the engine finally
succumbed. A sad end to the life of this car on this it’s last ever outing
in their hands.
Results at the end of the first day of are as follows…
Roger Albert Clark Rally
1stGwyndaf Evans and John Millington 0:24:55
2nd Paul Griffiths and Sam
Collis + 1:14
3rd David Stokes and Guy
Weaver +1.33
4th Tim Piercey and Neil
Shanks +1:45
5th Charlie Taylor and Steve
Bielby +1:50
Roger Albert Clark Rally
[Open]
1st Martyn Hawkswell and Nick
Welch 0:28:17
2nd Andy Madge and Pat Cooper
0:28:34
3rd Malcolm Mawdsley and Kev
Bardon 0:30:38
4th David Rawlings and
Phillip Weston 0:30:42
5th Richard Warne and Chris
Deal 0:30:49
Kall Kwik Rally
1st Matthew Smith and Neil
Colls 0:13:20
2nd Dave Brick and Rob
Woodhouse 0:13:51
3rd Roger Priestnall and
Jamie Forrest 0:14:12
4th Rob Herrington and
Charlotte Banner 0:15:04
5th John O’Gorman and John
Rutter 0:15:05
Video from the service area at Duncombe Park Saturday Morning
Friday morning has dawned bright
and clear here at Duncombe Park as crews gather for the Roger Albert
Clark Rally 2011. As they prepare to collect all their paperwork
and get their cars through scrutineering, Paul Lawrence caught a word
with David Stokes who promises to attack from the start of the event.
Click here
to listen to what he has to say.
Paul then spoke with Stefaan Stouf
who is concerned about his chances to better Gwyndaf Evans but has hopes for
a top five finish. Listen
here
It was gently pointed out to us that perhaps the Kettering and
District Car Club was deserving of a mention in despatches because of
the sheer number of their members taking part in the Roger Albert Clark
Rally again this year. In 2010, KDCC fielded five crews for what
turned out to be one of the most gruelling events in recent years.
Leading the KDCC crews away from Pickering Showground last year were Rob
Smith/ Shaun O Gorman (Chevette HSR), Terry Nowlan/ Ben Giles (Escort
Mk1 RS1600), Mark Tugwell/ Tim Tugwell (Hillman Avenger 1600), Andy
Madge/ Pat Cooper (Toyota Corolla in the Open Rally), Bill Douglas/ Dave
Tearl (Volvo 240 in the Dalby Night Stages). This from a club of
only around forty members!
Well, the weather certainly doesn't seem to have deterred them too much
because Friday evening in Duncombe Park will see KDCC field a team of
five cars in the main event and one in the KallKwik Rally. Not
only that but KDCC also bring a well received variety to the event by
way of the cars entered. Yes, they have three Escorts in the entry
list, one of them an ex-Timo Makinen car but they've also got a Volvo,
and Avenger and a Toyota.
Asked why a small club like theirs is so strongly represented, club
member Tony Ginns said "KDCC is only small but full of like minded
people in car terms. The RAC means a lot to us as some members
competed in the original event [when it was known as the Network Q
Rally]. As we are not big into the social side this event
actually galvanises the people to a common thread. Whilst the BHRC
and BTRDA events are entered and are good they don't offer the time for
a catch up / share a brew etc. However, the fact of so many crews are
out on the RAC brings plenty of support from other club members either
as paying spectators or part of the service / chase crews.
We as a club can honestly say our aim is finishing what is not a sprint
but a long distance challenge particularly to some of the more aged
components all be it car or competitor!!"
It should be pointed out that perhaps the KDCC
member with the biggest chance of taking the main prize on the RAC is
unfortunately absent this year. Rob Smith’s Chevette was chasing
eventual winner Stouf in 2010 until he slid off into the snow on Sunday
evening. Unfortunately, business commitments have forced Rob to miss
this year’s event, but he’s planning to return in 2012.
Following the Roger Albert Clark Rally, KDCC will award the AME 'Max
Attack' Trophy to the highest placed KDDC crew. The award being a
nicely mounted, chewed up centre of a Volvo Alloy wheel This being the
remains of a wheel from Andy Madge's chase car when on the RAC a few
years ago the chase car did not live up to its Iconic Volvo status of
unbreakable!!
Look out for the KDCC guys out on the event and cheer them on - they
deserve it!
As
one of only two non-Ford Escorts in the top 10, Tim Mason and Graham
Wild are planning to give their Porsche 911 a fitting finale on this
weekend’s Roger Albert Clark Rally.
Mason and Wild have been regular
supporters of the RAC and have usually set a cracking pace, although one or
two ditches have cost them a good result. Now, the current 911 is heading
for its last rally in their hands as Mason has a fresh 911 in-build for
2012.
“This will probably be the last event
for my current car as the new one should be ready for next season,” said
Mason. “It will be for sale after the event regardless of condition!”
The Yorkshire driver is enjoying new
backing and will have the sponsor prominent on the car this weekend. “I have
been lucky enough to secure a new sponsor. The company is called
HelloTurtle.com and it is an internet-based greeting card and gift company.
Further to this, one of my long term sponsors, Strasse Porsche has rebuilt
the engine and gearbox for the event. I think they are getting excited after
my win on the Malton Stages!”
More backing comes from Prepfab,
which is supplying a lot of parts for the new car as well as components for
the current car. “Finally we have been testing Pirelli tyres for the last
couple of events and will run on Pirellis on the RAC. Pirelli seem very
pleased with the feedback so hopefully we may give them something to smile
about on this event.”
Press
Release and photograph courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
During the Roger Albert Clark
Rally look for posters like this one on the right. These contain a
Quick Response or QR code which you can scan with your smartphone. Once
scanned, the web browser on your phone will take you directly to the
latest news on the event.
If you’re new to this technology, the QR code is a type of matrix or
two-dimensional barcode first designed for the automotive industry. More
recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to
its fast readability and large storage capacity. The code consists of
black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background and the
information encoded can be made up of any kind of data.
Stourbridge
rally driver Richard Sykes will make his return to forest rallying next
weekend when he contests the Kall Kwik rally in Yorkshire. Sykes
has had a quiet rallying year in 2011 with his events restricted to two
outings in the BRC Challenge championship. He led both events and
finished a very close second on the Jim Clark Challenge rally.
"Rallying has taken a back seat this year as I got married and had a
six-week long honeymoon at the rugby world cup in New Zealand,"
commented Sykes. "I enjoyed the two BRC Challenge events I did though
and the competition was very close. I’m aiming to do a full BRC
Challenge season next year and I’ll be going all out to win the
championship. The first two rounds are in the forests and as it’s been
over a year since I competed on gravel I have decided to enter the
KallKwik to get back into the swing of it."
Sykes will use his usual Citroën C2
R2 Max with support from G I Sykes, Boroughbridge Marina, Silverstone Tyres
and Bathams Brewery. Simon Taylor will be on co-driving duties.
"I’m delighted to have Bathams
Brewery to add to my other sponsors, their support is vital if we’re going
to push for the BRC Challenge title next year. The KallKwik will provide us
with a tough test as it uses some of the very challenging Yorkshire forest
stages such as Dalby and Langdale. There’s the added ingredient of doing
some of the stages in the dark too. I can’t wait to get to the start line of
stage one."
The KallKwik Bradford Rally will start at Duncombe Park near Helmsley
on Friday night with two stages before a further six stages on Saturday.
Steve Perez is now resting in
Africa ahead of his flight back to the UK after finishing fifth on the
toughest rally in the world, the East African Classic Safari Rally,
which finished in Nairobi today (Monday 28 November).
Perez and co-driver Staffan Parmander
finished fifth behind former World Rally champions Bjorn Waldegard and Stig
Blomqvist after nine tough days of rallying, featuring mud holes, flash
floods and a broken propshaft on their Kick Energy Datsun 260Z.
After breaking a propshaft in the
second section of the rally and losing an hour repairing the car, Steve then
lost more time in a mud hole later in the same day. His recovery from the
lower reaches of the top thirty to a final position of fifth was one of the
highlights of the rally.
"This is by far the most difficult
and challenging rally I have ever done in my life,” said Steve at the
finish. “The hammering that the car, Staffan and I have taken has been
incredible and the BTR team has worked magic in all sorts of inhospitable
conditions. I’m now looking forward to the Roger Albert Clark Rally
this weekend where I'll be in action with Paul Spooner calling the notes in
the Lancia Stratos. After all the mud I've encountered here I'm almost
hoping for some ice to put into practice Staffan's advice!"
Steve lands back in the UK on
Wednesday and will arrive at Duncombe Park on Friday afternoon, ready to
start four days of rallying in the Stratos. He’ll be in the one shivering in
the VK coat!
Press
Release and photograph courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
The final briefing for all the
event officials of the Roger Albert Clark Rally has just concluded.
After virtually twelve months of planning, Rally Manager Colin Heppenstall has now handed over the running of the event to his team of
Area Coordinators and Stage Commanders to take forward. Today's
briefing saw a packed 'Rallyhouse' as the clubhouse of the De Lacy Motor
Club is known when all the senior officials including safety officers,
course car crews and timekeepers met to hear their final instructions
from the organising team.
Colin thanked the MSA for allowing a
trial run for cars prepared to FIA regulations to compete on the event using
only FIA papers rather than having to comply with specific MSA
documentation. Colin noted that he had spent a lot of time over the
last year discussing the issue with the MSA and he said that he was pleased
to see the hard work put in by the MSA come to fruition on the Roger Albert
Clark Rally.
The event will again run without a
major sponsor but Colin gave heartfelt thanks to 'Welcome to Yorkshire',
'Invest in Cumbria' and Carlisle City Council for their financial support
which has enabled the rally to run some of the classic stages included on
this year's route.
The organisers are disappointed to
see fewer overseas teams taking part than last year but Colin told the
meeting that despite continuing conversations with crews who came last year,
the worsening financial situation in Europe has made it difficult for teams
to commit the the 2011 event although they hope to be back next year.
Despite this, the fans will be rewarded with a healthy entry list and the
spectacle of sideways motoring will be undiminished.
The
organisers are pleased to announce that with the help and assistance of
Headmaster, Mr Tim Hiley, pupils from Helmsley Community Primary School will
be visiting the event headquarters of the Roger Albert Clark Rally at
Duncombe Park next Friday afternoon. Pupils will be able to see the
cars and crews undertaking final preparations for the event in the grounds
of the stately home and perhaps even help the organisers with some last
minute jobs in the lead up to the teams heading to the start line. We
hope they enjoy their afternoon and look forward to them becoming the
organisers and competitors of the future.
In order to maximise your
spectating time AND to make sure that you have enough calories to
undertake that strenuous walk into the forest the organisers have some
suggestions places to eat:
Friday 2nd December
Thornton Dale Fisheries (Fish & Chips)
2 Pickering Road
Thornton le Dale
Pickering
North Yorkshire
YO18 7LG
Last year, despite the 'interesting'
weather, Thornton Dale Fisheries remained open serving some cold and weary
spectators and although we're hoping for better weather this year, they will
once again be staying open late on Friday evening for those of you looking
for somewhere to eat after the Dalby stages.
Sunday 4th December
Ae7 Cafe
Ae Village
Dumfries
DG1 1QB
Ae café is now established as a firm
favourite for those seeking delicious, healthy food, real coffee and
amazing cakes. You'll find something to satisfy your hunger here with a
great selection of hot and cold food that will fill you up and recharge
your batteries.
Looking for somewhere to satisfy that
inner man without wanting to think about the calories being piled on?
Well the Moss Cafe & Takeaway on the same industrial estate that will house
the Sunday service area is the place for you. Huge Scottish breakfasts
with all the trimmings and a mug of hot tea or coffee at a price that won't
break the bank. Go on, you know you want to!
Yesterday, Tuesday 22nd November
2011 saw the Roger Albert Clark Rally team decamp to Croft Racing
Circuit near Darlington for an opportunity to highlight to Local and
National press, television and radio the fact that the event will be
running through the region in only a few days time. The organisers
were able to show off some of the cars that will be taking part in this
year's event and for some of the lucky journalists there was also an
chance to find out what it is like to be a rally navigator by sitting in
the left hand seat of cars driven by the likes of David Stokes, Paul
Griffiths, Dave Hemingway and racer turned rallyist Guy Smith. The
organisers are excited to be able to bring the Roger Albert Clark Rally
back to
Croft Racing circuit after an absence of five years and we
expect the service park and stage her on Saturday 3rd December to be a
real treat for spectators.
The preview event got coverage last
night on ITV Tyne Tees and also Border television. For a taste of what
to expect in nine days time watch the video below:
We were also lucky enough to catch a
few words with Guy Smith. For those of you who don't know Guy, he is
the son of long-time rally driver Peter Smith but has chosen a life on the
'dark side' for himself by becoming a full time racing driver and amongst
other career highlights was a driver in the winning Bentley team at the 2003
Le Mans 24 hour race. This
year, Guy took home the trophy as the 2011 American Le Mans Series Drivers
Champion with his co-driver Chris Dyson. Guy won four poles and set three
fastest laps in the course of the season. We hear what he has to say
about competing in the
Roger Albert Clark Rally.
Listen here
Steve
Perez considers the
Roger Albert Clark Rally to be the best rally of
the year and will fly straight back from the East African Safari Classic
Rally to maintain his 100% record of starting each of the eight editions of
the Roger Albert.
Perez and his sensational Lancia Stratos are always one of the star
attractions on the RAC, drawing massive support from the fans. Perez says
that it would not be right without a Stratos on the event’s entry list. “The
RAC has to have a Stratos in it,” he said. “If I was only going to do one
rally a year, it would be the RAC.”
Steve will arrive at Duncombe Park on Friday (2 December) barely 48 hours
after landing back in the UK following the Safari Classic, where he is
competing in a Datsun 260Z. Over the opening three says of the ten-day
marathon, Steve and co-driver Steffan Parmander have encountered
wildebeests, mud holes and a broken propshaft. None of those are likely to
feature on the Roger Albert Clark.
Perez says it is a real thrill to tackle two such classic events in quick
succession. “The Safari Classic has the character of the old Safari and the
Roger Albert has the character of the old RAC Rally,” he said.
“It is as much about getting to the finish as the result,” said Perez of the
Roger Albert. “I’ve done it every year in the Stratos and there is so much
enthusiasm from the spectators and organisers. A top 10 finish would be
great, but we’re not going to win it against the Escorts.”
Press
Release and photograph courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
Apologies if you have been waiting with baited breath for the final
days report or drivel.
Some of you may have noticed one venue was missed on the previous two
days, and our Chief Medical Officer even mailed me to tell me where it was.
Following a relaxing Breakfast we depart The Cemetery and head back to
pick up the Road Route to the one venue we have not yet visited.
Turning left off the B6320 at the second left, take care there are two
roads close together, and a run along a single track Tarmac Road we turn
left into Shepherdshield. Our final Stage to Recce, if we had not been here
before, we would possible question the sanity of our Rally Manager, who
appears to be starting the Stage on a narrow track to a dead end.
Nothing
could be further from the truth. Like Kershope this Stage starts on three
ply and then gives way to some lovely roads which suck you in to going
faster and faster.
It is very difficult to select a favourite Stage and we appreciate
everyone will have a different opinion for a variety of reasons, however if
you pressed us for a decision in true X Factor style, this one has to be up
among the best.
All in all a very enjoyable three days, and whilst I say it nearly every
year, please can I have a car and let me compete, I suppose however I do get
the next best thing of driving a Course Car a little way before the
Competitors.
Whatever your role on the event, Graham and myself plus all the
organising team wish you an enjoyable and safe Roger Albert Clark Rally
2011.
Hopefully our Media Team will include a shot from the Bedroom Window of
the Premier Inn we stay in at Carlisle, this one is a little further into
town than the one we use on the Rally, however we find the neighbours are
usually pretty quiet!
Day two dawned bright and clear, if not a little too early. We
decided to check the Road Route Carlisle to Ae as per Road Book and the
gentle Motorway run, eased us into, this is going to be a good day
feeling.
One of our tasks is to put out the Right of Way Exclusion Zone Notices,
in England they are called CROW Notices or Country Side Right of Way
Notices. Once in place and following a call into the Forest of Ae Forestry
Commission Offices to touch Base with the really helpful people there it was
time to tackle the Stage.
Last year Ae was the first time our tyres touched Gravel, and what a
welcome relief it was. This year the Stage is similar to last year, if
anything the road surface is better, however the FC have in preparation for
the event have done some repairs to about a five mile section smoothing the
surface to level and this is currently running in very nicely.
Rik Hinchliffe our Stage Commander even checked with us tonight that we
were happy, he is an old school young Commander, together with wife Katie
both who travel from Yorkshire with his team to run the Stage, and an
excellent job they do, and will ensure a warm welcome to Spectators Marshals
and Competitors.
Twiglees
A Classic Scottish Stage, featuring sweeping bends, fast nearly
straights, some large drops, very smooth surface and good spectator points.
This year the Wood is in excellent condition, easily driveable in a standard
road car, and no doubt awesome in something better prepared.
We loved this stage, but the need to progress further into the event made
us leave.
Heathall
A Forest in the middle of a town, Heathall is our shortest stage, but
being adjacent to the Dumfries Service Area offers a unique opportunity. The
hard working Service Crews rarely get a chance to see their charges in
action, here they can.
Just a short distance from the service area boasts a natural Amphitheatre
together with a Water Splash – ok perhaps a bit of poetic licence, but
should anyone get it wrong, and you can, the last will never be heard of it.
Access is good even many of the local families turn out and cheer on the
crews which arrive at a sociable time of the day.
Newcastleton
The Forests in this area are infamous, but no where near as infamous as
the Newcastleton Bakery. This is the place you find Scotch Pies, Sausage and
Bean Pasties, sometimes a Passage Control. However if you pop in, see if
there is a Sausage Roll and a piece of Fly Pie on the Counter. Our Assistant
Rally Manager forgot to pick his up.
I know I am not mean; I let him have my Fly Pie.
This Stage starts with a very impressive vista, at the top of a Mountain
Bike Run and fabulous views over the surrounding countryside. We know this
because we were told it had, if you actually see it please let us know.
When the Marshal says 5,4,3,2,1 - go be prepared. Anyone remember three
ply. Some of the roads our Rally Manager has found have not been rallied
since some of our competitors were boys (note no names mentioned)
Just a quick glance at the Tulips in the Road Book, immediately give the
accurate impression of a quick stage. 7.27 miles and you finish just before
a bridge taking you into England, but then there is more to come, after
Service the competitors go back and do it all again. Oh we nearly forgot,
both these Stages will be run in the dark.
So not to be out done, we did not give up. As dusk was falling and after
last nights cock up, we broke all our rules and instead of going to the pub
– yes you did read that right, we decided to do the Monday Mornings Stages.
Kershope
Dusk is giving way to darkness, ahead of us lies 17.27 miles of Kielder
Forest. Bring it on, our combined total age is 125 years old, the Land Rover
Discovery on standard headlights and wheels has 96 K on it. Both of us wear
glasses (sometimes for the younger one) yet undeterred we bravely go where
no one has been for many years.
Who in Gods name found these roads, again our Rally Manager in cahoots’
with our friendly Forrester (thank you Jonathan for last year) have really
pulled something out the hat.
For heavens sake when were these roads last used? Superbly smooth Three
Ply which I guess will be Two Wheel Drive Heaven, welcomes the competitor to
this totally new Stage. Giving way to some conventional Forest Surface, with
surprising changes of surface in places.
To be honest this is a Stage that has every surface a Rally can be
expected to have. It is exciting, quick, challenging and muscle building,
but that is also not all. It has an Alien called Valmet 941.
A formidable adversary especially to trees. Piloted by one Captain
Anthony Carr of the Forestry Tree Feeling Squadron. He laid wait behind a
barrage of blinding light, sucking in his prey.
On turning right at Junction eight, an expletive was heard from the left
hand seat – O my goodness what is that.
Out of the dark, but surrounded by intense light, a snarling spitting,
sap churning monster was steadily approaching out of the gloom towards us.
Be not afraid we thought swiftly selecting reverse, and retreating to a
safe location, the monster continued to forage further forward until all in
it’s path had been cleared.
Discretion as opposed to valour was our first thought, until the awesome
“thing” backed away frightened by a mere Land Rover.
Only when we could hear it’s tumultuous roar diminish did we venture
forth to discover the wanton destruction left at the sides of the road and a
perfectly clear path ahead.
The photos our Media Team will hopefully include were out of focus purely
because we were cold – honest.
Should you be lucky enough to drive through this Stage, try looking up.
You may notice the Forestry Commission have every employed every Hedge
Trimmer they can lay their hands on to clear the foliage to create an Avenue
above us, guiding our competitors to their final goal.
Day three yet to come, anyone notice the stage we have missed. Good night
the Cemetery calls.
The First day of driving the Route and Woods for the above has been
completed and we are safely entrenched in the “Cemetery” for the
evening.
Every year we, that is Brian Avery the Event Safety Officer and Graham
James the Assistant Rally Manager traverse the route to pick up any
potential obstacles on the Road Route, including impending Road Works.
Also we are visiting the various venues and having a final meeting with
people like the Estate Manager at Duncombe Park and the Forestry
Commission personnel on the areas we are traversing.
Duncombe Park
Today we have driven the Duncombe Park Stage which will be a very
challenging 2.5 mile Stage, currently covered in slippy leaves. Starting
right on the edge of the Service Area the Stage immediately goes into trees
on a broken concrete surface originally laid during the Second World War
when the Park was a Tank Training School.
Respect may wish to be shown on the tricky surface with some downhill
into a over square left towards the river, followed by a Historic Bridge
built in the early eighteen hundreds – try and miss the Parapets’ please.
Duncombe we hope will be a location for all the Family. Access is good,
parking for Spectators is next to the Service Area and the Stage, with good
vantage points, some of which we are hoping to light.
Dalby
From Duncombe we head off to Dalby and that amazing Classic Yorkshire
Stage with the competitors visiting the Spectator Area in the Woodyard twice
each stage.
For the competitors among you reading this road conditions in Stage are
typical Dalby, long fast straight with a good covering of Autumnal Leaves
and no snow.
No areas of poor quality, both drops into the Woodyard are slippery, but of
course dependant on temperature these could harden up. One novel
feature is today we actually ran on the Road Surface!
Langdale
A cracking stage route designed by our Rally Manager, following the need
to change the use of the Patrol Road, fast yet challenging, some real 'Ditch
Hugging' opportunties. Some soft spots in places, where the Peat is
trying to reclaim the road. No issues at this time or invisaged.
Gale Rigg
One question – where have all the trees gone. Gale Rigg is in lovely
condition, the novel uphill Tarmac Start on the infamous Hairpin is followed
by a sequence of square lefts and rights. Some Harvesting and Logs,
which will be advised on official bulletins, and is an important part of
conducting this survey.
Croft
We did not run around, pretty much think most will know what to expect,
fast smooth and brilliant spectating to be had here for all the family.
Hamsterley
The Assistant Rally Manager “Navigator” took a phone call from the Rally
Manager’s PA or the Navigators Daughter to those in the know, and completely
cocked up. A 20 odd mile detour ensued. Safety Officer “Driver” is not best
pleased. We did intend to run through this Stage in the dark, but not
the pitch black. However all good things come to those who wait.
What a lovely Stage, pretty much one constant turn right on roads so
smooth you just want to go faster and faster. The Stage Finish comes far too
quickly, the desire to go back and have another go is strong, however beer
is calling and the “Navigator” is hungry, so all speed to the “Cemetery”
INVEST IN CUMBRIA SUPPORTS CLASSIC CAR RALLY’S CARLISLE GRAND FINALE
A
unique historic car rally which attracts competitors and spectators from
across the world is set for a warm Cumbrian welcome this December thanks to
funding towards its Carlisle city centre finale from Invest in Cumbria.
Around 100 cars dating mostly from
the 60s, 70s and 80s will roar into the city centre on Monday, December 5th
for a thrilling finish to the Roger Albert Clark Rally. The convoy of
iconic cars will have travelled more than 170 competitive miles from its
start on Friday, December 2nd at Duncombe Park in Helmsley, Yorkshire,
through Northumbria, the Scottish Borders, with two overnight halts at the
Carlisle Racecourse in Cumbria, before finishing back in Carlisle – the
final destination for the rally since the first event in 2004.
2011 is the first time Invest in
Cumbria has supported the rally by making a contribution towards the
organisation of the finish and a small ceremony that will take place at the
competition headquarters at Carlisle Racecourse. The rally has the potential
to generate hundreds of thousands of pounds for the local economy through
overnight stays from competitors, spectators and event organisers, who come
from across the UK, Europe and as far a field as Australia and the West
Indies. Last year’s event attracted 15,000 spectators and 80 crews – 14 from
overseas – comprising 600 team members. It was supported by Carlisle City
Council, which has provided further funding for 2011.
Graham McWilliam, Inward Investment
Manager at Invest in Cumbria, said: “We’re looking forward to giving the
rally a warm Cumbrian welcome this winter. Our support will help lay on a
great spectacle for the teams, travelling fans and people of Carlisle who
have a place in their heart for what is becoming a much-loved regular
fixture in the City’s events calendar. It is amazing to see how much the
event has grown and we hope this year’s will be the best yet.”
The Roger Albert Clark Rally
is named after the most successful British rally driver of the same name
from the 60s and 70s and the event aims to recreate the authenticity of the
old RAC Rally in which he regularly competed in – and won. Organisers say
there is no other event quite like it in Europe. For more information visit
www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org.
Colin Heppenstall, Rally Manager,
said: "I am always pleased to come back to Cumbria. We have always been made
to feel really welcome here. To be able to bring this rally to the people of
Carlisle is a pleasure. I hope that we can entice people Into the City
Centre on Monday 5th December to watch the winners and finishers come home.
This year with the extra backing of Invest in Cumbria, the facilities we can
offer to our competitors and spectators, should be second to none. I hope
that we can continue our partnership with the region for a long time to
come"
For more information from Invest in Cumbria:
Contact Luke Dicicco, Communications Manager, on 07764772777 or email
luked@investincumbria.co.uk
Colin
Heppenstall, Rally Manager of the Roger Albert Clark Rally has
announced three wonderful prize packages ahead of this year’s event.
Three
lucky winning crews will receive entries to overseas events in 2012 as part
of their prize. Announcing the prize packages, he said,
“I have
been working on this for some time now and I am excited to tell everyone
about the prizes which have been offered and now secured. For 2011 we
continue our partnership with the organisers of the Boucles de Spa event,
held in Belgium in February. But I am delighted to say that for 2011 I am
able to give entries to two other historic events. For 2011 the overall
winner of the Roger Albert Clark rally will receive an entry to the Sol
Rally Barbados,[historics]. The second prize will be a free entry to the
Boucles de Spa and the third prize is a similar free entry to the Circuit of
Ireland. I hope that this announcement will excite entrants as much as it
does me”
Mark
Hamilton the Vice Chairman of the Barbados Rally Club, who put together the
offer, said,
“I want
to thank the Roger Albert Clark rally team for working with us regarding
this partnership. We are obviously pleased to be associated with an event
such as the RAC given the popularity of “Historic” rallying in recent years
and our own drive to attract some of these teams to our shores to
participate in Rally Barbados. It is my hope that the events winner will
join us in June next year to experience rallying with a bit more sun about.”
The total
package comprises of the following;
a)
Free entry to Sol Rally Barbados 2012 (June 9/10) and the previous
weekend's (June 3) Shell V-Power King of the Hill 'shakedown', which is
used to seed the Sol Rally Barbados
entry
b) Free
return flights on Virgin Atlantic for driver and co-driver from London
Gatwick - the ideal dates will be Wednesday, May 30 to Wednesday, June 13,
which period encompasses all the associated events, including social
gatherings and the Prize-giving, and allows the crew time to prep their car
for shipping home
c)
Accommodation for driver and co-driver for 14 nights - this will be at the
Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, which also serves as Rally HQ
d)
Rental vehicle for the duration - this will be a suitable APV, which can
double up as a service barge for the two weekends
Allowing
for exchange rate fluctuations, the current value of the prize as described
is approximately £5,600, and we believe an award well worth winning.
This
year then the Roger Albert Clark Rally has even more reasons to enter. The
rally runs from 2nd December until 5th December 2011.
For all event news visit
www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org.
To ensure that you are
kept up to date with the news "as it happens" we have created a new RSS
feed. RSS allows our regular visitors to subscribe directly to our
newsfeed to ensure that all new content is pushed to your browser when
it becomes available. To subscribe to this new exciting feature
Click Here
Gwyndaf
Evans has been confirmed as a leading entry for the 2011 Roger Albert
Clark Rally and will once again drive a Ford Escort Mk2 from Viking
Motorsport on the event that starts in Yorkshire on Friday 2 December.
Evans and co-driver John Millington will bid to repeat their overall victory
on the 2009 Roger Albert Clark. Success would give Millington a
record-setting third victory as he partnered Malcolm Wilson to a win on the
2008 event. No other driver or co-driver has yet to win the event more than
once it its seven-year story so far.
This will be Evans’ third attempt at the rally and in 2010 he fought back to
finish second after dropping a lot of time in the deep snow of Friday night
and Saturday.
Evans and Millington will drive for the Viking team headed by Phil Mills and
will use the Escort Mk2 that was freshly prepared when they drove it on the
2010 event. Since then, the car has only done one other rally, the Colin
McRae Forest Stages with Stig Blomqvist at the wheel.
For Mills and his crew the Roger Albert will come straight after they
compete on the East African Safari Classic Rally with Escort Mk2s for
Blomqvist and John Lloyd. Mills says that the drastic change in temperature
and jet leg should not be a problem. “The RAC is such a great event that it
will pull us along,” he said, shortly before flying to Africa.
Press
Release and photograph courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
As
we get closer to the Roger Albert Clark Rally 2011, we are pleased to
tell you that we continue to gather supporters to make this year’s
event better than ever.
We are able to announce that for our
Yorkshire leg we will be assisted by
Welcome to Yorkshire. They have
kindly stepped in to join with us to promote the rally and the region, by
supporting our logistics for our stay in Yorkshire.
The full text of the press release
announcing the tie-up follows:
HISTORIC CAR RALLY RACES INTO NORTH YORKSHIRE
Classic car lovers from across the world
are set to flock to North Yorkshire when more than 100 competitors tear
through woodland as part of a unique historic rally.
More than 20,000 spectators are expected
to steam into the county for the eighth Roger Albert Clark Rally
which will this year start at Duncombe Park in Helmsley for the Yorkshire
section of the four-day spectacular.
Starting on December 2, the rally will
tackle the iconic forest special stages in the Yorkshire area when
competitors will be faced with the challenge of racing through 50 miles of
woodland in the thick of the night.
They will race through Dalby Forest on
Friday night, before moving north to Northumbria, the Scottish Borders and
finishing in Carlisle on Monday December 5 after covering a total of 170
competitive miles.
The Roger Albert Clark Rally is
named after the most successful British rally driver of the same name from
the 60s and 70s.
The event is open to two-wheel drive
vehicles, mainly from the 60s, 70s and 80s, to recreate the authenticity of
the old RAC Rally.
Welcome to Yorkshire is backing the event
and its chief executive Gary Verity said he is sure this will be the biggest
and the best one yet.
He said: “We are delighted to support this
year’s Roger Albert Clark Rally which will bring thousands of
competitors and spectators into Yorkshire from across the UK and the world.
“This is a unique event in the motorsport
calendar, combining the excitement and endurance of historic rallies and
there is no other event quite like it in the country. We look forward to
hosting it here in Yorkshire this December.”
Janet Deacon North Yorkshire Area Director
for Welcome to Yorkshire said: “We are thrilled that the Roger Albert
Clark Rally is coming to Ryedale. It is terrific news for local
businesses who will really benefit from the thousands of people that this
event will bring in. And it will give us the chance to show off what we’ve
got!”
Organisers say there is no other event
quite like it in Europe, prompting interest from spectators as far afield as
Australia and the West Indies.
Colin Heppenstall, Rally Manager, said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the Roger Albert Clark Rally to
raise its profile with the backing of Welcome to Yorkshire.
“By working with them we can spread this
message to all our supporters not only here in the UK, but also abroad. We
are certain that this could be our biggest event yet.”
De Lacy Motor Club launched the first ever
Roger Albert Clark Rally at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield in
2004 when just 34 competitors took part.
Last year the event was the biggest to
date with 81 cars leaving the start at Pickering, including a large
contingent of overseas competitors.
This year, organisers expect 100 cars or
more with increased interest from abroad.
For further
information contact:
Malcolm Paul Higgins - Marketing &
Publicity Officer Roger Albert Clark Rally
For 2011 the
Roger Albert Clark Rally has moved its Yorkshire Headquarters to the
Stately Home of Duncombe Park in Helmsley, North Yorkshire.
On Friday 2nd December 2011 the day starts at 12.00 noon with
event scrutineering and eligibility checks through to 20.00
in the evening. The rally itself starts at 17.3 with two stages in
Duncombe Park and finishes at 23.00.
The event is using a large marquee for Rally Headquarters and there will
be space for a couple of small exhibitors inside this facility. As space
will be at a premium, places will be allocated on a first come first
served basis.
There is a large amount of room outside the marquee to accommodate any
size of exhibitor and although some of the site will be under
floodlights it is suggested you should bring your own with you.
On Saturday 3rd December 2011 exhibitors can remain at
Duncombe Park for the duration of the two Saturday stages or take up an
exhibition space at Croft Race Circuit, this space must be pre booked
with the event.
On Sunday 4th December 2011 Dumfries Service Area at Heathhall,
will be used all day for the event.
On Monday 5th December 2011 Carlisle Racecourse will be used as
the Service Area for the morning and also for the
post-event Presentation
The cost of attendance for exhibitors on the event has again been held
for the fourth year at only £100.
To book your place or to discuss your requirements to exhibit please
contact Colin Heppenstall at
r.a.c.rally@btinternet.com
Roger Albert
Clark Rally stickers seen far and wide these days. Here are
two recently seen examples...
Safety Officer,
Brain Avery sunning himself (and the sticker) in Corfu and Media
Officer, Steve Higgins, taking his sticker on a few laps of Mount
Panorama race circuit in Bathurst New South Wales...
Belgians Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard have unveiled plans to defend
their 2010 victory when this year’s Roger Albert Clark Rally
starts in Yorkshire on Friday 2 December.
Traditionally, Stouf has used his Ford Escort Mk1 on British gravel
rallies and has kept his Ford Escort Mk2 for asphalt events in Belgium.
However, the move to encourage FIA specification cars into the Roger
Albert helped persuade Stouf to enter the more powerful Mk2 for the
challenging 2-5 December event.
“We are doing the Trackrod Rally this weekend as a shakedown on gravel
for the Mk2 and it is also good practice on the Yorkshire stages for the
RAC,” said Stouf, who famously won the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally
when deep snow and ice hit the four-day event.
“We have not driven the Mk2 on gravel before, but we hope that we have
now got it reliable,” he added after recently finishing third overall on
the Tour of Flanders.
Press
Release and photograph courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
If you're
looking for information on the Roger Albert Clark Rally in one
document you can download, then the Event Guide is for you. The
organising team constantly updates this document as new information
becomes available so take a look now at the latest version. New
for this version is a 'quick look' page which allows you to see at a
glance where the competing crews are going to be on any given day of the
event. If you're planning your spectating, this will be an
invaluable resource for you. Read online,
download and print
here
Carlos Padilla and Frank Blondeel enter Roger Albert
Clark Rally
If you take a
look at the updated entry list you may see an unfamiliar name added
today. Carlos Padilla may not be well known here in the UK but he
has become a familiar sight in European historic events piloting his
Toyota Team Europe replica Celica GT. This is not the first entry
that the Roger Albert has seen from Spain but it will definitely be
interesting to see something other than another 'blue oval' take part!
Roger Albert Clark Rally 2011 support events unveiled
Four individual rallies will support
the Roger Albert Clark Rally 2011 , (2-5 December) and will
offer some of the most cost effective forest rallying in Britain this
season.
With
most forest events now costing around £10 per mile, the four RAC support
events will all be under that mark and three of them are priced at under £9
per mile. If three crews from the same club get together, the entry fee on
three of the rallies will be less than £8 per mile.
The support rallies all offer competitors a chance to be part of what many
people call the best rally of the season, but without the time and financial
commitment of contesting the overall rally. The support events also offer a
local rally for competitors based in Yorkshire, South-West Scotland and the
Scottish borders/Cumbria.
“I have tried to make the support events as user friendly as I can with as
compact a route as possible at a very affordable cost,” said Rally Manager
Colin Heppenstall. “To make it even more attractive, I am offering a special
team rate on three of the rallies for those who can put together a three-car
team.”
The four support events for the 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally are:
The Kall Kwik Bradford Rally
42 stage miles; entry fee £400 (cost per mile £9.60)
Based at the Duncombe Park headquarters, the Kall Kwik Bradford Rally will
take in classic Yorkshire forest tests as well as the spectator stage at
Duncombe Park. The first car will start at 10pm Friday for a night stage in
Dalby, re-start at 10am Saturday and finish at 4.30pm on Saturday.
The De Lacy Night Rally
22 stage miles; entry fee £200 (Cost per mile £8.99)
For a club team of three cars the total entry fee is £500 (£7.49 per mile)
The De Lacy Night Rally runs completely in the dark of Friday evening,
starting at 7pm and finishing at 11pm after 22 stage miles in Dalby and
Duncombe Park. Two runs through a nine-mile stage in Dalby are at the core
of this rally.
The Clubman’s Rally
47 stage miles; entry fee £400 (cost per mile £8.51)
For a club team of three cars the total entry fee is £1,100 (£7.80 per mile)
Based at Dumfries, the Clubman’s Rally runs through Sunday over stages in Ae,
Twiglees and Heath Hall with centralised servicing. The rally starts at 11am
on Sunday and finishes at 7pm.
The Kershope Challenge
35 stage miles; entry fee £300 (Cost per mile £8.56)
For a club team of three cars the total entry fee is £800 (£7.61 per mile)
The Kershope Challenge runs on Monday morning and has 35 stage miles and
just three road miles from its base at the Ash Park service area. The rally
covers two runs of the fabulous 17.5-mile Kershope stage, which is in
excellent condition. The rally starts at 9am and finishes at 12 noon.
For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support
rallies, keep watching this website:
www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org
Press
Release and photograph courtesy of
Paul Lawrence, e-mail:
paul@tfmmedia.comor Tel: 01952 510382
Since the first running of the event in
2004, when it started from Sheffield with a very modest field of
competitors, the Roger Albert Clark Rally has become the “must do
historic event” of the domestic rallying calendar. As a finale to the year,
the event attracts a far bigger field of cars these days. In fact in 2010
the event attracted its biggest number of overseas crews ever, a feat which
we hope to build on for 2011. As we attract ever larger numbers of
competitors and spectators we thought it would be a good idea to publish a
guide to help those new to the event to find their way around. The
latest version of the guide (Version 2.0) has now
been published for you to read online (see below) or
here to download and print. The guide will be updated if there is significant
new information that we want you to be aware of. We hope you find this
useful but remind you that for all the very latest event information you
should always refer to this website:
www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org
Note also that there has been an
update on media accreditation which has been incorporated in the revised
guide. The date by which applications for accreditation must be
received has been revised to by midnight on Friday 18th November 2011.
No applications received after this date will be considered. For ease of
administration no acknowledgements will be sent out until after the
closing date for applications. If you have applied for accreditation and
have not received acknowledgement of your application by Monday 21st
November then please contact the Media Officer by email at:
media@rogeralbertclarkrally.org
We expect the Roger Albert Clark
Rally 2011 to once again be a thorough examination of the rallying
skills of competitors in the world class forest special stages scheduled for
the four days of the rally and hope to see you there!
Guy Woodcock is preparing for his
third attempt at the Roger Albert Clark Rally in December.
Despite an 'interesting' event last year and engine problems in 2009,
Guy tells Paul Lawrence that he is looking forward to what he
describes as the classic event of the year.
This year, with new co-driver Graham Dance on the maps, Guy is hoping
for a top ten finish and has eyes on a class win.
The organisers of the Roger
Albert Clark Rally are planning to hold a media day for press, radio
and TV a couple of weeks before the event. We would like to get
together crews who would be willing to bring their cars to show off to
the press and potentially offer rides to journalists in order to help
publicise the rally. Anyone willing to help, please contact us at
media@rogeralbertclarkrally.org
Colin Heppenstall,
Rally Manager of the Roger Albert Clark Rally reports that Foreign
interest on the event has been very good to date. With foreign
crews now only needing to have an FIA Passport to compete, solid
interest has been shown from Spain, Grand Canaria, Italy, Belgium,
Holland and France.
If you live outside the UK and are
thinking of taking part in the event please contact Colin Heppenstall
directly at
r.a.c.rally@btinternet.com
Thank you for your patience, the Roger Albert Clark Rally website has now moved to its new home and
we have been busy testing to make sure that all your favourite bits have
made the journey safely. However, whilst you're looking around the
site and you find that something is missing or doesn't work as you
expect then please let us know. We want you to have the best
experience of this site and we'll fix all problems as soon as we can.
Thanks again for your interest in the Roger Albert Clark Rally.
Steve Higgins, Media Officer and Webmaster,
Roger Albert Clark Rally.
The organisers have heard that 2010
Roger Albert Clark Rally winners Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard are
hoping to bring a different car to thgis year's event. This year they
are hoping to enter their Ford Escort MkII (FIA-Car) in the search for even
greater speed. Currently the car is being refettled and a brand new
engine is being prepared for this car, but we understand that the engine may
not be ready the engine will be ready until just before the event so it may
be something of a race against time to ensure that the MkII is ready for the
rally. If there are any problems we are assured that the Belgian crew
will still take part but revert to their 2010 winning MkI Escort. That
doesn't sound too bad to us, we're just looking forward to seeing them back
on the Roger Albert.
The organisers of the Roger Albert
Clark Rally have heard from Jim Valentine, pilot of a beautifully
prepared Saab
96 Sport which has appeared many times on the Roger Albert, and
driving force behind the Saab Historic Rally Team, that the team will be
back in force on this year's event.
Jim writes that "Fifty one years since
Erik Carlsson’s 1960 RAC win, but 50 years since Erik Carlsson’s 1961
win on the RAC (do you see how we can keep this going?). The Saab
Historic Rally Team will be on the Roger Albert Clark Rally to celebrate
again this year."
The Saab Historic Rally Team will offer an
entry and support package to any new teams who want to join them. They will
ll have a catering and canteen truck along again with hot meals for the
crews every night. If you are considering an entry, want to help on
the support crews, or simply want more information please let Jim Valentine
know at:
xandj@btinternet.com
The team will have a Rally Forum for the
supporters at the start venue at Duncombe Park at 1430 hours on Friday 2nd
December with the first screening of the 2010 Saab Historic Rally Team
video; a Q&A session with this years team and some celebrity guests and
speakers. Jim and his fellow Saab crews had terrific support both for last
year's rally forum and the team on the event. They welcome everyone's input
again this year.
The confirmed entrants so far for the Saab
Historic Rally Team 2011 are:
It is that time of year again!
Club membership renewal is due from the 1st June and once again the fee
remains the same as last year at £10 per person. The club has new
Membership Secretaries of Rebecca Hinton and Matt Cotton. Please
download the renewal form available
here then complete it and return it
to:
Membership
Secretary
Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club
61 Trehannick Close
St Teath
Bodmin
Cornwall
PL30 3LF
Because
of the Roger Albert Clark Rally's solid position now as a “must do”
motorsport event of the year and the press and media coverage which we
expect to achieve throughout the UK and Europe the organisers are now able
to offer corporate sponsorship opportunities to organisations wishing to be
part of the Roger Albert experience. These opportunities are outlined
in the document available
here.
This year the Rally will be based in
Helmsley with the dramatic backdrop of
Duncombe House as our start venue and
opening spectator stage. Join our press and publicity team at the spectator
stage hospitality unit, hear about rallying and watch the rally pass by.
Come with us for four days of spectacular action and have your business at
the heart of this popular event.
Following the announcement of the
provisional route for this year's Roger Albert Clark Rally the
organisers would like to announce that they have arranged a special price
deal with the Premier Inn at Junction 44 of the M6. The organisers have used
this hotel as a base during the event since the inception of the event and
can vouch for its convenient location. We have arranged a deal on a first
come first served basis for anybody who needs
accommodation in Carlisle .
The Roger Albert Clark Open Rally
caters for crews of modern two wheel drive cars who want to pit their skills
over the same stages as the historic cars competing in the Roger Albert
Clark Rally. A stalwart of this event,
Malcolm Mawsdley runs a
Subaru Impreza modified
to run as a two-wheel drive machine and is undertaking a season of events
prior to his next foray on the Roger Albert in December. Read
how he got on competing on the recent SG Petch Tour of Hamsterley Rally in
County Durham.
Croft Circuit Delighted To Host
Stage of Roger Albert
At
a press day at Croft Racing Circuit earlier today it was announced that
the Darlington venue would once again host a stage of the Roger
Albert Clark Rally later this year. Croft is already blessed
with two club-level rallies, the Christmas Stages and the Jack Frost
events organised by the Darlington & District and Northallerton
Automobile clubs respectively and the region generally is steeped in
rallying folklore. However, a stage of the Roger Albert Clark
Rally is a real jewel in the crown to add to the circuit's three
other high-profile events in 2011: MCE Insurance British Superbikes
(13th - 15th May), Dunlop British Touring Cars (18th - 19th) June) and
the two-day Nostalgia Weekend historic festival (6th - 7th August).
"We are absolutely delighted to announce that the Roger Albert Clark
Rally is back at Croft in 2011" commented Croft Circuit Manager
Tracey Morley. "There's a real magic and fascination about these
cars with their truly iconic shapes and terrific engine notes - let
alone the spectacle of seeing them being driven sideways on the limit.
It is little wonder the Roger Albert enjoys such a huge following
both here in the UK and abroad and it will not be a surprise to hear
quite a few European accents chattering away on our spectator banks here
at Croft in December. This is a fantastic event for the circuit,
the public and the region as a whole to savour and we look forward to it
with great enthusiasm"
Colin Heppenstall, event Rally Manager said "For some time now I have
wanted to bring this rally back to Croft with its superb facilities for
both the competitors and spectators. We should be able to give
everyone a fantastic experience. My thanks go to the circuit for
their hard work in making this possible and I look forward to working
with them on this."
Further details of the route of the
2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally will be announced later this week
so watch out for an article in Motorsport News, come and visit our stand
at
The Rally Show at Cornbury and keep
watching this website.
For the 2010 Roger Albert Clark
Rally photo competition we had two categories Work Hard and Play
Hard.
The competition organiser and judge, Jonathan Petford said “I wanted a
way to capture the effort that goes into running this event. Without all
the volunteers this rally would not have grown to be Britain’s Premier
Historic Rally” Hence the ‘Work Hard’ theme.
Of course the whole rally also aims to be fun as well; although this is
sometimes difficult to remember as the mist is swirling around you and
the rain is lashing down. Jon said “I thought it would be great to have
images that captured the fun side of this Rally, whether this was a
driver fully sideways, with a beaming smile, or spectators enjoying the
spectacle on Olivers Mount” And so we have our ‘Play Hard’ theme.
Jon says “Whilst I was looking for pictures which captured the essence
of the theme, I also looked at the technical aspects of the picture as
well, but the theme and the story the picture tells were paramount this
year”. Well, even Jon couldn't have predicted how the weather
would have turned out for the event last November and instead of "rain
lashing down" we, of course, had lashings of snow instead.
However, with the current balmy weather we can look back with some
fondness at the 2010 event and what better time than the predicted sunny
weather of the Rally Show at Cornbury to display the results of the
competition. It is therefore with pleasure that the organisers can
declare the winners of the 2010 Roger Albert
Clark Rally photographic competition and announce that the winning images will be on
display on the Roger Albert Clark Rally stand over the weekend of
14th and 15th May 2011.
Work Hard
“Once I
had got home from four days in the frozen North I went through all of
the picture's I had taken and this particular shot just said Roger
Albert Clark 2010
The picture was taken on SS 2 Dalby 1 at junction 3. This downhill
corner was causing all sorts of problems and if it hadn't been for the
tremendous effort by all the spectators there, it would have become a
car park very quickly.
The idea behind the picture was to
show the effort that the spectators were putting in to keep crews in the
rally. This is the reason why there's only part of the car in the
picture as I wanted more importance to be placed on the people pushing.”
Malcolm Almond
Play Hard
“This
shot is one of those ‘right place, right time’ shots.
The sun had just started setting as Dave Watkins appeared into view in
the Allied Polymer Ford Escort Mk2.
What makes this photo extra special for me is
that the car fits nicely with the event.
I think also that the photo is made more
impressive by the fact the lights on the car are shining.
Thank you for putting on the competition and I am well chuffed to have
won the ‘Play Hard’ category.”
After
the first two rounds of the 2011 Dunlop Wonago MSA British Historic
rally Championship having taken place in Wales, the circus moved to
Carlisle last weekend for the Pirelli Historic Rally and the Roger
Albert Clark Rally team was there in force. Not only did the media
team make the trip from Yorkshire but the Aberdeen-based Heppenstall
family also made the journey to meet with old friends taking part in the
event. Given the ‘challenging’ weather that we experienced last time we
were at Carlisle racecourse, it was no wonder that, as we walked around
we were asked on a number of occasions if we had been unable to get home
after the Roger Albert!
The crews were set to start the event at Tower
Knowe on the banks of Kielder Water on an uncharacteristically clear,
dry and sunny morning and everyone seemed in good spirits for the event
ahead except for the Escort MkII crew of Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard.
It transpired that the Belgian crew had been informed that unless they
were willing to exchange their Belgian national licences for MSA-issued
British licences then they would no longer be eligible to gain pints in
the championship and clearly if they couldn’t amass points for their
efforts then this may be their last entry in the championship.
Evidently this has always been a requirement of the championship but if
enforced will mean that this crew and others such as Christophe Jacob
and Isabelle Regnier also competing in a similar MkII would no longer
take part in the series. Looking on the bright side however there is a
collective goodwill amongst the majority of signed-up crews for the
issue to be resolved to enable foreign crews to continue in the series
so we will have to see what happens before the Severn Valley Stages at
the beginning of June.
The recent prolonged dry spell meant that from the
off the stages were dusty with lots of loose gravel making fast progress
through the early Falstone and Blackaburn stages fraught for the front
runners. As the cars made their way to Carlisle Racecourse for the
morning service halt, Elliott was leading Category 3 ahead of Julian
Reynolds and Will Onions with a scintillating battle being played out in
Category 2 where Rupert Lomax headed David Stokes who in turn had a slim
one second lead on Stefaan Stouff whilst in Category 1 Graham Waite had
nosed his Volvo Amazon ahead of Rikki Proffitt’s Porsche by just one
second.
Talking to the crews at service, Joris Erard told
me that on their second event in the series on English notes they had
experienced a couple of moments which had knocked Stefaan’s confidence
and slowed him until they had sorted the problems out. Also a problem
for the Belgian crew as it was for many others was the high tyre wear
caused by the abrasive Kielder forest tracks and Stefaan was seen
discussing this issue with Rikki Proffitt at service as the Dunlop van
was working hard to fit new covers for a number of crews ahead of the
afternoon’s stages.
Following service, the crews headed back into
Kielder for a further three stages where Stokes pushed hard for victory
in Category 2 class but the reigning BHRC champion was bettered by
Stouff by over 16 seconds after the challenge from Lomax was
neutralised when his gearbox failed leaving him stranded in Chirdonhead.
Meanwhile, Peter Smith, out in an Escort while his Opel is reshelled
following an indiscretion on the Bulldog, took third place.
See Pictures from the event:
Or Watch the 2010 Roger Albert
Clark Rally winners at work:
The 2011 Dunlop/WONAGO
MSA British Historic Rally Championship was back in Wales last Saturday
for the second round, the Bulldog Historic Rally and your media team was
there to watch the action.
Adding some international colour to the the usual high quality field was
the unfamiliar face of former World Rally Championship star Francois
Delecour. Four time WRC event winner and runner-up in the 1993
championship, Delecour was there to drive one of Tuthill’s ten identical
Porsches on the event in forests of North Wales in what was the opening
round of the BHRC’s new five-round Tuthill Porsche Challenge.
“I’ve always been a big Porsche fan and I’m particularly excited about
driving on the Welsh stages, some of which I know from doing Rally GB in
the past, and which I consider to be among the best in the world,” said
Delecour. Despite his status, Delecour played down his hopes of winning
his class against the regular British competitors.
“I know Tuthill Porsche by reputation and driving one of their cars will
give me a great chance to have a lot of fun. I’m not completely sure who
I will be competing against but rallies like this tend to get a lot of
very good local experts so I know it won’t be easy.”
Despite
our focus on encouraging entrants to the support events of the Roger
Albert Clark Rally we couldn’t help but gravitate to the start at
the Welshpool Livestock Centre and over a cup of tea with Councillor
Estelle Bleivas, the mayor of Welshpool, discussed the revenue that a
major rally can bring to a locality. The mayor was astonished by the
crowds who had turned up the previous evening to watch the ceremonial
start. With a crowd estimated at over 1,500 people and long queues down
the street from the fish and chip shop the town was grateful for the
out-of-season income that the event had brought. Despite what you
may have read on Facebook however, this is not an admission that the
Roger Albert is about to change its start venue to Wales!
Out there in the service park there was a fine display of historic cars
with Category One represented by the lovely Imp of Geoff Taylor and
Steve Greenhill and the wonderful Volvo PV544 of eventual category
winners Ian Beveridge and Peter Joy. Category Two was going to be
interesting with David Stokes hoping to hold off his fast charging
rivals after a good win on the Mid Wales. Many were expecting a hard
three way battle between the Escort MK1s of Stokes and Guy Weaver,
Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard and Rupert Lomax co-driven by David Alcock.
Lomax blew away his rivals through the opening nine-miler in Dyfnant,
taking the lead by 11 seconds but his glory was soon over. "I followed
the tree line instead of the stage and got stuck up a fire break," said
Lomax
There
was less than a second between Stokes and Stouf on the opener, but as
they arrived at Dolgellau for first service Stokes had pulled out a
two-second gap. Stouf and Erard had had a bit of a moment and damaged
the rear near-side quarter against the bank on a square right hander on
stage two but their luck held and they made it back to service in one
piece. When asked if he was concerned about the younger Belgians
catching him Stokes commented that he had been in the same ditch but his
skill enabled him to avoid the bank!
Peter McDowall and Ian Orford in their Porsche 911RS had been fourth
best through Dyfnant, but found Gartheiniog harder being caught mid
stage. Although Chris Browne and Liz Jordan found their Escort
struggling for power, they still made it to service in third, ready for
a change of plugs.
Stouf and
Erard managed to get in front after Dyfi Main as they got more used to
their English language notes only for Stokes to respond through Big Ray,
returning to service six seconds up with his greater experience of the
stages beginning to show. After fourth in class on the Mid Wales event,
the Belgian Crew had worked hard on their strategy to gain those extra
seconds by watching as many in-car videos as possible from their rivals
to determine where they could make up time. “It was clear that we were
braking earlier into the fast corners” said Erard “so we are trying to
brake later and go into corners faster now”
Stokes continued to edge away to clinch his victory over the final leg
of stages to maintain his position at the top of the championship leader
board.
Roger Albert
Clark Rally Media and Publicity Team Announced
Colin
Heppenstall the Rally Manager for the Roger Albert Clark Rally is
pleased to announce a major change for the Roger Albert Clark Rally
2011. He is particularly pleased to tell you that the Media and
Marketing Office has now been expanded and renamed as Roger Albert
Clark Rally Media and Publicity. This expanded role now encompasses
all pre and on event media, marketing and publicity.
He said, “Due
to the ever increasing profile of this event especially with the
increased media attention form both home and abroad, I felt it was time
to expand the team to deal with all publicity and marketing for the
Roger Albert Clark Rally, which has now firmly established itself as
the must do event of the year.”
In addition
to liaising with the wider media as in the past, the new office will be
responsible for all aspects of marketing and publicity, which will
include improving the sponsor experience on the rally, be they
individuals or groups.
Steve
Higgins will continue to head the team as Event Media Officer and have overall responsibility for all media matters, including website
management and editing the event programme. Since the untimely death of
Paul Adams a few years ago, Steve has taken on the media officer role,
in addition to driving the course closing car on the rally.
Malcolm
Higgins will join his brother on the media team officially this
year, undertaking the exciting new role of Publicity and Marketing
Officer. Since 2004 he has taken on a number of different roles,
from co-driving the course closing car, Clerk of the Course for the
support events, to latterly that of Event Secretary. He is sad to stand
aside from the organisational team but pleased to take on this new role.
John
Higgins is the final member of the team and he joins us as our IT
Officer. His wide experience in the field of computing was
invaluable in 2010 when we had an unexpected problem with our website
during the event. He liaised with our web hosting suppliers and kept the
site alive. Once again he will have the responsibility for all on event
web issues and updating.
This new team
reunites the original course closing crew for the Roger Albert Clark
Rally, a partnership which stretches back to the very first event in
2004.
Steve said
recently, “I see that 2011 will be a real challenge with the additional
work that we have taken on, but I am pleased and excited that we can all
be working together as a team once more. I also look forward to renewing
my contacts with the media and our sponsors”
Martin Kilburn
and Tim Buckley win Markku Alen Marshalling Trophy
As
we all know the
Roger Albert Clark Rally 2010 was an extreme
event by any standards and we have written our grateful thanks many
times since here on these pages. However it is perhaps time to repeat
these thanks generally, with reference to an article taken from “The
Marshal” publication, which landed on the doorstep yesterday. This
article talks about two members of Huddersfield Motor Club, who recently
won an award at the Clubs’ Annual Dinner.
Martin
Kilburn and Tim Buckley were the proud winners of the Markku Alen
Marshalling Trophy, given for their efforts in ensuring that Langdale
stage of the Roger Albert Clark Rally ran against all the odds.
Driving their Land Rover defender, they led the set up team through the
snow, digging and shovelling their way to the finish line.
Thank you
once again and congratulations on your award.
Article and
photograph courtesy of “The Marshal” April 2011 edition.
As the weather
gets better and the nights longer, so the memory of those short, cold,
snow laden winter evenings start to recede. And, historic rallying is
in full swing again. Earlier this month we saw Roger Albert
stalwarts and members of the 'seven out of seven’ club David Stokes and
Guy Weaver take the post-historic
honours on the Mid Wales stages pulling time out on the men of the
moment Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard.
Given that this was the first time over some of
these stages for the Belgian crew, fourth in class wasn’t a bad result
but co-driver Joris says that they were surprised by the speed
differential between themselves and the leading crews over the stages
but they had learnt from the experience. Joris and Stefaan have been
busy watching the on-board footage of their rivals and have seen that
they were just too slow in some of the corners and have decided to drive
on English notes next time out. So, next weekend on the Bulldog Rally
of North Wales, we’ll see them ditch their previous system of translated
Patterson notes for notes read in English. That should be something to
listen to on the post-event in-car!
Although they will not be able to use notes on the
Roger Albert Clark Rally in December, it’s good to see that last
year’s winners are getting lots of practice on British gravel prior to
defending their crown in December. We’ll try and catch up with the team
on the Bulldog and hear how the new system is working for them.
In other news, we’ve heard that another European
crew is planning a return to the Roger Albert this year. ASM
Motorsport will return to competition in FIA European Historic Rally
Championship and the Spanish Historic Cup as well as competing in
several rounds renowned out of the "official" calendars such as the as
the Rally Legend in the Republic of San Marino and the Roger Albert
Clark Rally in Great Britain.
Alex Sabater the team manager of ASM Motorsport
looks forward to the coming season... "We are very much looking forward
to the season
ahead. We did our first test and some rallysprints in February which
worked out well for us and has given us encouragement for the coming
season. We were very successful last year and indications are that we
will be able to field between two and three vehicles on every round of
the Spanish Championship this year”.
Their work starts in the second weekend of April
with on the Rally Sanremo Storico and the following months will see the
team involved in one way or another right across Europe with visits to
eight different countries. Next up will be the Historic Rally of Spain
before moving to the City of the Flowers, on the shores of the
Mediterranean for the Sanremo Rally. The programme will continue with
the Acropolis Rally in Greece; the Rally Lahti in Finland; the Alpi
Orientali in Italy; Costa Brava in Spain and the Rallye du Var in
France.
Miquel Amblàs, the team coordinator comments: “In
terms of logistics we have ahead a hard season ahead of us but the team
has a great deal of international experience so this gives us confidence
for the coming battle”.
As a result of
their win on the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally, the Belgian crew
of Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard earned a free entry to the prestigious
Boucles de Spa rally. Now, they've gone one better and won a free entry
to the 2011 Roger Albert by taking the top spot on their home
event. Will they manage to complete the treble by winning again in
December? Joris talks to Paul Lawrence about this remarkable run
of success.
The 2010
Roger Albert Clark Rally was an event that really lived up to the
name, the R.A.C Rally. This was an event that truly was as tough as it
gets for competitors, organisers, spectators and even the media and once
again Acceleration TV's cameras were there to capture the full story of
the on the entire route capturing action from the stages, the service
areas and even the road sections. Needless to say there is some superb
on-board action as well, including from the Escort of the winners,
Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard.
If you haven't seen this evocative record of the event then now's your
chance. The first public viewing of "Dancing on Ice" the story of
the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally will be at the De Lacy
Clubhouse on Friday 4th March 2011. All are welcome and the
bar will be open so come along, see the film and meet members of the
event team. Hope to see you there...
Roger Albert Clark Rally to attend Rally
Show at Cornbury
We
are pleased to announce that the
Roger Albert Clark Rally
will
have a trade stand at the Rally Show at Cornbury, on 14th and 15th May
2011. The Rally has been represented for the last four successful
years at The Rally Show at Chatsworth in Derbyshire but TRSL, the
organisers of that event have mutually agreed with Chatsworth House that
variations available from the estate roads to provide a suitable rally
stage have been, for the time being, at least, exhausted. Thus the Rally
Show at Chatsworth will not happen later this year. Instead, the Rally
Show will run just once this year, at a new venue in Cornbury Park,
Oxfordshire.
Cornbury
Park, the family home of Lord and Lady Rotherwick, provides an exciting
new location for this popular motorsport festival. Since its launch in
2007, The Rally Show has attracted more than 70 000 visitors and
competitors to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. Some of the biggest names
in world rallying have attended including Marcus Grönholm, Rauno
Aaltonen, Paddy Hopkirk, Stig Blomqvist, Bjorn Waldegard, Ari Vatanen,
Jimmy McRae, Mikko Hirvonen and Russell Brookes.
Malcolm Neill, Director of The Rally Show said, “Cornbury is a superb
venue for our event, and proved its motorsport credentials when it
hosted special stages on the Network Q RAC Rally in the 1990s. The
special stage runs around the main house and is 100% smooth asphalt. It
is just over a mile long, with great spectator viewing and a hairpin
finish. Competing cars will be able to start at thirty second intervals
which will enable us to pack as much action as possible into the two-day
event.” Over two days, The Rally Show boasts a combination of
competitive rallies, and demonstrations of the latest World Rally Cars
and Historic Rally Cars. It is an event for the whole family to enjoy,
with the opportunity for spectators to drive specialist trials cars, or
even brave a guest ride in a rally car.
On a cold but
clear Thursday evening the
Roger Albert Clark Rally media team
arrived in Glasgow for the start of Monte Carlo Historic on the event's
return to Glasgow. Forty nine cars were slated to start but in the
event only forty seven made it to the start ramp in Blytheswood Square.
However we didn't by any means feel short changed when of those that did
make it over the ramp included some pristine examples of famous marques
from the past. Where else in the UK would you see so many Lancia
Fulvias, a brace of Datsun 240Zs and clutch of Mini-Coopers?
Of the starters
we took a chance to grab a word with 'Roger Albert' stalwarts
Steve and Tony Graham in their Ian Chamberlain supported Lancia Fulvia
looking beautiful as ever (the car that is, not Ian...) As we write
this, warming up in the pub after standing in the cold Glasgow air for
two hours, they are starting the initial liaison section to Dover before
crossing the channel before dawn tomorrow, Friday.
Asked about
their preparations for the epic event, Tony said that the car has been
fettled with a new limited slip differential which on preliminary
testing transformed the handling of the car on slippery surfaces.
Apart from a complex set of average speed tables and miles to kilometres
conversion kit everything else remains as it was after the Roger
Albert Clark Rally although they are prepared for the snow and ice
of the Col Du Turini following the purchase of some 'proper' studded
tyres.
We wish them
good luck and bon chance! Follow their progress on Facebook - SPG
Rally.
This
could so nearly have been the year when the Escort stranglehold on the
Roger Albert Clark Rally
came to an end but it was not to be.
Paul Lawrence recently caught up with Rob Smith who led the 2010
event despite a string of punctures before his rally finally came to an
end through a thirty minute 'off' in Newcastleton.
Although understandably despondent at the time, Rob vows he will be back
in 2011 for what he regards as one of the best events in the calendar.
Listen to what he had to say.
Eric Carlsson on his 1960 win and visit to Pickering RAC start
For more than a
decade, Erik Carlsson was one of the
world's most successful rally drivers and in 2010 on the the fiftieth
anniversary of his first victory in the British RAC rally it is worth
remembering some of his achievements. In many ways, Erik was the first
global rallying star driver. He always drove
for Saab, and because he was a native of Trollhattan in Sweden, the home
of Saab, this made him a PR man's dream. He was the big man
for
the big occasion. Yet Erik Carlsson never really looked like a rally
driver. His Saab cars were small and under-powered - how on earth, then,
could Erik have won so much? He was, of course, always ferociously
fast, brave and spectacular. People seeing the way that two-stroke Saabs
would shriek their way through a special stage were often struck dumb.
No-one else, not at the time or probably in later years, ever seemed to
command a car in this way.
The magic was not in the Saab, but in Erik himself, who was unbelievably
fast, fearless, with remarkable stamina. By the time he burst on to the
European scene he had already started winning in Scandinavia: by 1959 he
had won two Championship rounds, and two second places. Not, in fact,
that he was a totally safe driver by that time. For some years there was
the occasional roll, often when the car exceeded Erik's limits. Perhaps
we can't blame the poor brakes (until the Saab Sport came along with
front-wheel discs they were a bit of a joke...), but he had enormous
faith in his own abilities, and the Saab's front-wheel-drive character:
usually - but not always - the combination was effective.
'I like the drum brakes,' Erik quipped, ' because they don't work.
That's why a Saab is so fast - there is no way of slowing it down. And
downhill, there was nothing quicker. The road holding was just
fantastic; you can do anything with it.'
Although I was never privileged to see
him compete, Erik Carlsson has always been a hero of mine and the
opportunity to meet him at the start of the 2010 Roger Albert Clark
Rally when he was there courtesy of the Saab Historic Rally Team was
just too good to miss. That he was there with his co-driver from
1960 was the icing on the cake. Listen to what Erik had to say
when Paul Lawrence asked him about his memories of rallying.
Race Retro is
once again bringing together the very best in historic motorsport when
it returns to Stoneleigh Park, Coventry, from 25-27 February and the
Roger Albert Clark Rally team will be there.
Come
along to our stand and we'll be happy to talk to you about historic
rallying and our plans for the 2011 event.
As well as rare and legendary cars
Italian rally ace, Lancia driver and two-times World Rally Champion Miki
Biasion is also making an appearance at the show and a month after the
Monte Carlo Historic has made a nostalgic start from Glasgow there will
be an opportunity to see a big Monte Carlo Rally display commemorating
the world-renowned rally as it celebrates its centenary year.
Outside, there's the HERO-sponsored
Live Rally Arena, where historic rally cars are put through their paces,
some by great names from rallying's past. There's a big tribute to the
Birmingham Superprix, the event which saw racing cars take to the
streets of Birmingham and pitted man and machine against the rigours of
city roads. As well as three cars which actually competed in the event,
there's a selection of posters and memorablia from the Superprix, which
- to the dismay of fans - was canned after five years.
There's also the H&H auction, where
the leading classic car auction house is selling a variety of cars and
motorcycles which could kick-start your historic motorsport, while
classic and competition sales and preparation specialist Legends
Automotive is showing a selection of its carefully-picked cars.
Adult ticket prices start from just
£20 for Friday and Saturday; £15 for Sunday when booking in advance.
Children's tickets are £5 on Friday or Saturday and free on Sunday.
Parking is also free throughout. The show is open from 9.30am each day
and closes at 5.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 4.30pm on Sunday.
To
book tickets and for the latest updates, please visit
www.raceretro.com.
This year the Monte Carlo Rally celebrates its centenary and following a
successful bidding campaign, Glasgow has been chosen as one of the host
cities for the start of the 14th running of the Rallye Monte-Carlo
Classique.
Glasgow’s confirmation as a host city reawakens a historic connection
between Glasgow and the Monte which stretches all the way back to the
1920s.
The first time Glasgow was chosen as
one of the official starting points for the Monte Carlo Rally was back
in the 1920s and another Scottish starting location was the northerly
tip of the country, at John O’ Groats, although its geographical
location didn't suit everyone. The 1949 rally left Glasgow from the
former Royal Scottish Automobile Club building at Blythswood Square
and this became the regular city start point with thousands of
Glaswegians lining the streets to watch the cars leave at one minute
intervals on their long trek towards Monte Carlo and the start proper of
the event.
The last Monte Carlo rally to have
Glasgow as a start point was the event of 1973. This was a watershed
year in the rally’s history as the event began to change from its
traditional form as an endurance challenge for the gallant amateur, to
becoming a round of the World Rally Championship.
A lack of entries, rising costs and the changing nature of the event
signalled the end for Glasgow and the Monte, until now, 38 years later.
Other starting cities this year
will be Marrakesh in Morocco, Warsaw, Barcelona and Reims but we thought
they were just a little to far away for us, so Glasgow is where
we're headed to see Steve and Tony Graham, long-term Roger Albert
stalwarts flagged away on their Monte adventure and to talk to
prospective 2011 Roger Albert Clark Rally entrants. Anyone
else for Glasgow?
A Happy New
Year from all of us here at the organising team for the
Roger
Albert Clark Rally! As I write this there are now only 324
days to the start of the 2011 event and plenty to be done in the
meantime.
If
you would like to come and talk to us about the event's past and its
future then why don't you come and see us this weekend at the Autosport
International show at the NEC? We will be easy
to find on Stand
2702 in Hall 20 right opposite the main show entrance.
We will have the
Tuthill Porsche and Dave Hemingway's Open Rally winning Escort on our
stand and as usual there will be an opportunity to buy event merchandise
but more than anything else we want to meet you, our fans and supporters
to hear what you like about the event and what you would have us change
to improve the event. What could be better on a cold January
weekend than spend it in the company of friends with rallying in common?
You know it makes sense!
Tickets are now
on sale for the show, which is held at the National Exhibition Centre,
Birmingham, on 15-16 January. Adult tickets cost £30 per day, with
children’s tickets priced at £19.50. Group tickets are also available.
A reserved seat in the Fifth Gear Live Action Arena, home of thrilling
racing and awe-inspiring stunts will provide entertainment for the whole
family, is included with every show ticket.Tickets are available from
www.autosportinternational.com priced £30 (standard), £37
(paddock pass) and £100 for a platinum pass (plus £2 booking fee).
As usual, a host of motorsport stars will be making the trip to
Birmingham for the show. Commentating legend Murray Walker will be
joined by the current faces of Formula One for the BBC, Jake Humphrey
and Martin Brundle, as well as eight-times Le Mans 24hr winner Tom
Kristensen, F1 test driver Gary Paffet, ex-F1 driver Anthony Davidson,
triple FIA World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx and Chevrolet WTCC
star Rob Huff.
For the rally
fan there will be a display of cars from rallying’s spectacular Group B
era while auction house Coys is holding auctions during the weekend and
highlights from the list of cars to be offered for sale include an RS200
EVO, an ex-Colin McRae Ford Focus WRC and an ex-Juha Kankkunen Delta HF
Integrale Group A car.
This is how the stand looked during
build. It will be better by the time you get there!
Noisy,
big, beautiful, a little bit scary, exciting, exhilarating, exhausting,
bad for your complexion and fast. That's what Jim Valentine, leader of
the Saab Historic Rally Team thinks of the Roger Albert Clark Rally.
"There’s usually snow, there will be teasing, there may be tears, there
may be victory, there may be talent and no talent, there may be repairs
and there may be recoveries. Service might be in a big puddle but there
will be delicious dinners, there will be divine homebakes, and there
will be delays - Oh, and we may damage stuff " Jim says in his
invitation for new members to come and join him and the team for next
year.
As
.jpg)
As
one of only two non-Ford Escorts in the top 10, Tim Mason and Graham
Wild are planning to give their Porsche 911 a fitting finale on this
weekend’s Roger Albert Clark Rally.
Stourbridge
rally driver Richard Sykes will make his return to forest rallying next
weekend when he contests the Kall Kwik rally in Yorkshire. Sykes
has had a quiet rallying year in 2011 with his events restricted to two
outings in the BRC Challenge championship. He led both events and
finished a very close second on the Jim Clark Challenge rally.
Steve Perez is now resting in
Africa ahead of his flight back to the UK after finishing fifth on the
toughest rally in the world, the East African Classic Safari Rally,
which finished in Nairobi today (Monday 28 November).
Steve
Perez considers the
Roger Albert Clark Rally to be the best rally of
the year and will fly straight back from the East African Safari Classic
Rally to maintain his 100% record of starting each of the eight editions of
the Roger Albert.
Nothing
could be further from the truth. Like Kershope this Stage starts on three
ply and then gives way to some lovely roads which suck you in to going
faster and faster.
A
unique historic car rally which attracts competitors and spectators from
across the world is set for a warm Cumbrian welcome this December thanks to
funding towards its Carlisle city centre finale from Invest in Cumbria.
Gwyndaf
Evans has been confirmed as a leading entry for the 2011 Roger Albert
Clark Rally and will once again drive a Ford Escort Mk2 from Viking
Motorsport on the event that starts in Yorkshire on Friday 2 December.
With
most forest events now costing around £10 per mile, the four RAC support
events will all be under that mark and three of them are priced at under £9
per mile. If three crews from the same club get together, the entry fee on
three of the rallies will be less than £8 per mile.
At
a press day at Croft Racing Circuit earlier today it was announced that
the Darlington venue would once again host a stage of the Roger
Albert Clark Rally later this year. Croft is already blessed
with two club-level rallies, the Christmas Stages and the Jack Frost
events organised by the Darlington & District and Northallerton
Automobile clubs respectively and the region generally is steeped in
rallying folklore. However, a stage of the Roger Albert Clark
Rally is a real jewel in the crown to add to the circuit's three
other high-profile events in 2011: MCE Insurance British Superbikes
(13th - 15th May), Dunlop British Touring Cars (18th - 19th) June) and
the two-day Nostalgia Weekend historic festival (6th - 7th August). 
Despite
our focus on encouraging entrants to the support events of the Roger
Albert Clark Rally we couldn’t help but gravitate to the start at
the Welshpool Livestock Centre and over a cup of tea with Councillor
Estelle Bleivas, the mayor of Welshpool, discussed the revenue that a
major rally can bring to a locality. The mayor was astonished by the
crowds who had turned up the previous evening to watch the ceremonial
start. With a crowd estimated at over 1,500 people and long queues down
the street from the fish and chip shop the town was grateful for the
out-of-season income that the event had brought. Despite what you
may have read on Facebook however, this is not an admission that the
Roger Albert is about to change its start venue to Wales!
There
was less than a second between Stokes and Stouf on the opener, but as
they arrived at Dolgellau for first service Stokes had pulled out a
two-second gap. Stouf and Erard had had a bit of a moment and damaged
the rear near-side quarter against the bank on a square right hander on
stage two but their luck held and they made it back to service in one
piece. When asked if he was concerned about the younger Belgians
catching him Stokes commented that he had been in the same ditch but his
skill enabled him to avoid the bank!
J
for
the big occasion. Yet Erik Carlsson never really looked like a rally
driver. His Saab cars were small and under-powered - how on earth, then,
could Erik have won so much? He was, of course, always ferociously
fast, brave and spectacular. People seeing the way that two-stroke Saabs
would shriek their way through a special stage were often struck dumb.
No-one else, not at the time or probably in later years, ever seemed to
command a car in this way. 
If
you would like to come and talk to us about the event's past and its
future then why don't you come and see us this weekend at the Autosport
International show at the NEC? We will be easy
to find on Sta
