Marcus makes it 5!! 

Final Classification 

Evolution Challenge - Morrow stars on the Sunseeker

LIVE RESULTS 

Evo Challenge

Garry Jennings Enters 

Marcus so keen on Sunseeker Success!

Perez seeks Sunseeker Success

Marcus Dodd has won Rallye Sunseeker for the fifth time in his career – with co-driver Andrew Bargery, he brought his Hyundai Accent WRC back to the finish of the rally in Bournemouth to increase his tally of victories on the opening round of the Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship. The Poole resident already held the record before today, but this result just goes to reinforce his mastery of the stages in the south of England .

  For the second year running, Steve Perez finished in the runner-up spot in his VK Ford Focus WRC. Co-driven by Claire Mole, the 2004 Gravel Rally Champion gave it his all, as he would dearly love to add victory on Rallye Sunseeker to his motorsport CV but, after 70 miles of competition, Dodd's winning margin was just over 1m20s.

  Having been fastest over the opening two stages through Bournemouth on Friday evening for the fourth year running, Paul Bird was still unable to translate his overnight lead into an outright victory. It was the Cumbrian's first event in his Subaru Impreza WRC and much of the day was spent experimenting with various settings and types of tyre, such that 3 rd overall was still a praiseworthy achievement.

  Allied to the MSA Gravel Rally Championship this year, the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge was responsible for almost 25% of the total entry on Rallye Sunseeker. The Group N production specification Lancers are competing for the first prize of a ‘works' drive on the 2008 British Rally Championship and it goes without saying that competition will be fierce! However, with such a quality entry on show, Phillip Morrow's 4 th place overall in his EVO9 raised a considerable number of eyebrows! Add to that the similar cars of former British Champion Jonny Milner and Welshman Julian Reynolds finishing line astern behind him, and the ‘Challenge' has begun its seventh season in fine style.

  In the battle for two-wheel drive honours, Ford Escort Mk2s held sway and, in particular, it was the example driven by Mick Jones that had cause for celebration. Jones and co-driver Andy Morgan kept Geoff Bennett & Tim Chapman at bay throughout the day to come home winners by just under two minutes.

  Whilst the Friday night section took place in heavy rain, Saturday defied the weather forecasters' predictions and remained sunny throughout. Nevertheless, recent rain had left the surface of the forest stages in a slippery condition. Over one-third of the crews who went over the start ramp failed to make the finish and the highest-placed casualty was Roger Duckworth who retired his Subaru Impreza WRC with a holed radiator.

  Andy Burton had been burning the midnight oil to re-prepare his Peugeot Cosworth after an accident in the Forest of Dean a fortnight ago, but his efforts came to nought when transmission failure robbed him of a potential 3 rd place.

  2006 Sunseeker winner Craig Middleton returned to the south coast in a Mitsubishi Lancer, but any chance of back-to-back wins was dashed when gearbox failure put him out.

FINAL CLASSIFICATION - 53 CLASSIFIED CLICK HERE

Evolution Challenge - Morrow stars on the Sunseeker
Phillip Morrow recorded a resounding victory the first round of the 2007 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge on this weekend’s Rallye Sunseeker, his performance also rewarding him with an impressive fourth place overall and a win in the Production Car Class.

Co-driven by his elder brother Simon, the Ulster siblings led the 23-car strong Mitsubishi field from start to finish, crossing the line ahead of Jonny Milner/Ian Windress and Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh in third.

The Bournemouth-based event, which was also the opening round of the Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship, began on Friday evening with two runs of a stage taking the event’s 90 competitors through the town’s botanical gardens and along the esplanade road.

Morrow made his intentions clear right from the start, not only leading the Evolution Challenge after the first two stages, but blasting into second place, surrounded by a host of more powerful WRC cars. He was closely followed by Milner, then series newcomers Garry Jennings and Sebastian Ling in third and fourth.

Experiencing problems early on were Jonathan Sparks, who frustratingly had to retire due to loss of power and Tom Naughton, who had to replace his car’s gearbox during the overnight halt.

Saturday featured 12 stages in the Wareham and Ringwood forests, the rain during the week leading up to the rally making the traditionally soft gravel roads more treacherous than usual, with stretches of standing water and slippery corners catching out the unwary.

But there was no stopping Morrow, who was back to his old form and reveling in his car’s improved set-up. In the first loop of three stages he increased his lead to 15 seconds ahead of Milner who was in turn just ahead of Reynolds and Ling - both Welshmen reporting that they were getting used to their new cars and having to use organiser’s pace notes rather than their own.

Not far behind a battle raged between seven more Mitsubishis: Neil McCance, Garry Jennings, who reported his car had lost third gear, Craig Middleton, Stephen Petch, Richard Hill, Nik Elsmore and Connor McCloskey, with just 11 seconds separating them all.The next trio of stages heralded dramas for a number of Evo Challenge crews. Jennings’ battle with his transmission concluded on SS6 and Spain’s Alex Sabater pulled over on SS7 when his engine went on to three cylinders, whilst Middleton retired end at the next service halt having lost fourth gear. Also exiting the event at this point were Tom Naughton and Wayne Sisson, who’s contact with the scenery saw them go no further.

Although going off the road and into a ditch at the end of stage seven, damaging his car’s suspension in the process, McCance managed to continue - as did Errol Clark who plunged his Evo down a bank, through a fence, only to climb out of the undergrowth with just a couple of scratches. Ling also dropped time after clipping a tree, which meant he was now coming under pressure from Elsmore, Petch, McCloskey and Hill.

Whilst Morrow and Milner consolidated their positions, all were determined to start the season with the largest haul of points possible and, although the surface of the stages was starting to get rutted, there was no let-up in pace from the chasing pack.

Elsmore elbowed his way past Ling to take fourth place on SS12, but it all nearly ended on stage 13, when his car’s brake pedal went to the floor approching a junction following a high-speed straight. Thankfully, there was an escape road straight on and although losing time Elsmore was able to continue – shaken but not stirred.

But it was Morrow’s day and his performance rewarded him with a more than deserved Evolution Challenge win, fourth place overall and a first in class.
“This is the best start to the season I could have hoped for”, said Morrow. “After a few bad runs last year I was starting to get concerned, but this result has really boosted my confidence. I’m also really pleased with the car. It performed 100% and the adjustments we made recently have made all the difference to the way it handles. I’m now really looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Milner crossed the line back in Bournemouth happy with second place – admitting he had driven within his limits. Reynolds was equally as pleased with his third place - first time out in an Evolution IX, whilst Ling felt he could have driven faster if he was more used to his car.

McCloskey finished an excellent fifth, with Petch, Hill and then Elsmore taking the next three places. The remaining two top-ten places were taken by David Bogie and Danny Barry, both youngsters posting impressive performances in their Evo Challenge debut. David Bogie also won the Shell Helix best prepared car award.

Gordon Cunningham and Alan Carmichael were also pleased to finish their first event in the Mitsubishi Championship, with Carmichael overcoming a number of set-backs for which he was rewarded the Tesco 99 Octane Spirit of the Rally award.

The Evolution Cup was secured by Miles Johnston, who had thoroughly enjoyed his series debut, having led right from the start. Second place went to Wayne Radford, with Mark I’Anson’s Challenge ending when his car’s transmission developed problems half way through the rally.

The Evolution Challenge offers drivers what is widely regarded as the best prize in British rallying – the chance to become a Mitsubishi works driver in the 2008 British Rally Championship. The Evolution Cup will see the winner walking away with a first prize worth £5000.

Also included in this year’s Mitsubishi championship is the Evolution Cup for standard specification Mitsubishis, the PIAA Junior Award for under 25 year-old drivers, plus the Pirelli and Performance Friction Brakes Cups.

The series is backed by Mitsubishi Motors UK Ralliart and sees continued support from its associate sponsors Pirelli, PIAA, Speedline Corse and Shell, whilst Sparco, Performance Friction Brakes and Tesco 99 Octane (suppliers of the controlled fuel for the championship) join the series for the first time in 2007.

Results - Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge
1 Phillip Morrow (Lisburn)/Simon Morrow (Lisburn) – 1:06:48.8
2 Jonny Milner (Huggate)/Ian Windress (Northallerton) - 1:07:32.8
3 Julian Reynolds (Narberth)/Patrick Walsh (Aberystwyth) – 1:08:00.5
4 Sebastian Ling (Llandysul)/Aled Rees (Crymych) – 1:08:30.9
5 Connor McCloskey (Lirea)/Damian Connelly (Monaghan) – 1:08:55.9
6 Stephen Petch (Richmond)/Michael Wilkinson (Tow Law) - 1:09:34.8
7 Richard Hill (Chesterfield)/Aled Davies (Llanelli) - 1:09:35.4
8 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Vicky Allen (Denbigh) – 1:09:40.7
9 David Bogie (Dumfries)/Rob Fagg (Isle of Man) – 1:10:22.3
10 Daniel Barry (Enniskerry)/Mark Bowen (Cork) – 1:10:43.9
11 Errol Clark (Irvinestown)/Greg Shinnors (Limerick) – 1:11:12.8
12 Neil McCance (Coomber)/Jim Crozier - 1:11:28.0
13 Wayne Radford (Dinnington)/Nick Cadwallader - 1:14:00.5
14 Gordon Cunningham (Galston)/Stuart McManus (Kilmarnock) – 1:14:00.5
15 Alan Carmichael (Ballymena)/Ivor Lamont (Ballymena) – 1:17:05.4

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Cup
1 Miles Johnstone (York)/Ian Bevan (Wrexham) – 1:11:48.9
2 Wayne Radford (Dinnington)/Nick Cadwallader - 1:14:00.5

Retirements
SS2 Jonathan Sparks (Glastonbury)/Bradley Magnus (Downham Market) – Engine
SS6 Garry Jennings (Kesh)) /Craig Drew (Lydney) – Transmission
SS7 Alex Sabater (Barcelona)/Josep Moreno (Girona) - Engine
SS8 Thomas Naughton (Bury)/Horace Saville (Bury) – Accident
SS8 Wayne Sisson (Carnforth)/Daniel Stone (Chesterfield) – Intercooler
SS8 Craig Middleton (Llandrindod Wells)/Robin Hernaman - Transmission
SS8 Mark I’Anson (Haydon Bridge)/Graeme Walker (Henley) - Transmission

LIVE RESULTS HERE

MARCUS SO KEEN ON SUNSEEKER SUCCESS!

Multiple MSA National Rally Champion Marcus Dodd will start as clear favourite for victory on the Bournemouth based Rallye Sunseeker on February 23/24. Dodd has tasted the victory champagne four times previously on the event, and will be keen to make it win number five on this his is home rally.

The Poole based driver starts as car number 1 in his Hyundai Accent WRC4. Prepared by Marcus's own HPM Motorsport team, the silver and black machine was the pace setting car in the 2006 MSA National Gravel Rally Championship. Mechanical glitches would unfortunately blight Dodd's championship aspirations as the team continued to develop the ex-factory machines throughout the season.

With the teething problems behind him, Marcus and his Hove based co-driver Andrew Bargery will have mixed memories of the 2006 Rallye Sunseeker. In virtually his own backyard, Marcus set a searing pace in the Flitewise.com and Sunseeker Powerboats backed car. The Pirelli shod Hyundai was over a minute clear of its closest rival when clutch failure halted their progress permanently and they were forced to retire.

Despite that retirement twelve months ago, Marcus goes into the event with great confidence. A continued program of development on the Accent WRC car and a complete winter rebuild means that Dodd and Bargery start the event with a brand new car that they know is a proven winner in the MSA National Rally Championship. Marcus is looking forward to getting started when the event kicks off with the traditional blast through the Bournemouth Winter Gardens and along the Promenade on the Friday night:

“It seems like a very long time since we were leading here last year” said Marcus. “Last season was a very public testing year with the car, as we developed a state of the art paddle shift gear change system and a number of other key developments. The result is a car that is more competitive than when it was a factory run car in the World Rally Championship! As with any development program there are always going to be problems to overcome, but there was no doubt that once we found reliability the car was a winner as we proved on other events. Competition will be tough again this year, and hopefully we can make up for the disappointment of 2006 with a very strong start on Rallye Sunseeker. It will be a busy weekend for us all at HPM Motorsport, and we are all looking forward to getting started”.

It certainly will be a busy weekend for the HPM Motorsport outfit. Aside from looking after lead driver Marcus, the team are fielding two other Hyundai Accent WRC's on the event. Dodd senior, Harry, is driving his regular car for another season in the MSA series, but newcomers to the team for the event will be Kevin Stevens and Tim Sturla. The British Rally Championship regulars will use one of the HPM Hyundai Accent WRC's for the first time on the rally.

Find out more about the team at www.hpmmotorsport.co.uk.

PEREZ SEEKS SUNSEEKER SUCCESS …

After finishing runner up on the event last year, 2004 National Rally Champion Steve Perez is hoping to go one better and take outright victory when Rallye Sunseeker gets underway in Bournemouth this weekend.

Driving the VK Vodka Kick Ford Focus WRC, the Chesterfield businessman has teamed up with the experienced Claire Mole for their assault on the 2007 Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship and has to be one of the favourites for victory on the South Coast event which starts with a blast through the famous Winter Gardens on Friday evening.

However, Perez has extra inspiration again this year as friend and rival Paul Bird is returning to the championship and Rallye Sunseeker will see them squaring off against each other as they renew their ‘winner takes all' rivalry:

“I am really looking forward to this year's Rallye Sunseeker none more so than because I have beaten Birdy for two out of the three last years but unfortunately I had to leave early last year and couldn't claim my expensive bottle of Champagne. This year we are booked into ‘For Your Eyes Only' and I am looking forward to him blowing the dust of his wallet again!” said Steve.

Perez is indeed in for a busy season as he is combining the Hankook GRC in his Focus with the MSA Historic Championship in his awesome Lancia Stratos as well as taking in other occasional events when the calendar allows.

The action gets underway on Friday evening at 18.30 and recommences on Saturday ay 08.00 with the finish some twelve hours later in the resort centre.

More information is available at www.rallyesunseeker.co.uk or www.gravelrally.co.uk

Issued on behalf of VK Vodka Kick Championship Rally Team by Cartersport, PO Box 150 , NORTHALLERTON DL6 3WZ

Evo Challenge - 24-car entry sees quality and quantity for first round
The 2007 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge blasts off in Bournemouth with Friday and Saturday’s Rallye Sunseeker, the high-profile one-make series for Group N Lancer Evolutions commencing its seventh consecutive season.

Now featuring a calendar which includes six Hankook MSA Gravel Rally Championship rounds and two Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship rounds, the Evolution Challenge sees a strong and well subscribed entry of 24 cars for its first event of the year.

“It’s great that this championship continues to attract so many teams - and such a range of drivers - from a former British Champion to another who will be competing in a Mitsubishi for the very first time,” explains Championship Coordinator Simon Slade. “I’m also pleased to see such a high quality entry as well, which makes it difficult to predict a winner, especially as everyone’s driving a similar specification car.”

Returning to the Evo Challenge fold for another crack at the title is 2006 runner-up Jonny Milner, who starts this weekend’s event as the series’ number one seed. He is followed by last year’s PIAA Junior Award winner, 24-year old Phillip Morrow, who embarks on his third season in the Mitsubishi Championship.

The two returnees are followed by a quintet of Evo Challenge newcomers, led by reigning National Gravel Rally Champion Craig Middleton and then leading Production Class drivers: Julian Reynolds, Garry Jennings, Wayne Sisson and Sebastian Ling.

They are in turn followed by five drivers, all of whom have previously competed in the Evolution Challenge at some stage and are equally in with a shot at the top spot: Nik Elsmore, Richard Hill, Neil McCance, Stephen Petch and Connor McCloskey.

Added to this are drivers who have shown their abilities in other championships: Thomas Norton, Wayne Radford, Gordon Cunningham, Errol Clarke, Daniel Barry, Jonathan Sparks, Alan Carmichael, David Bogie and Spain’s Alex Sabater - and there’s no doubt that the first round of the championship is going to be a closely fought affair.

This year the Evolution Cup becomes part of the Evolution Challenge, run as a class within the championship for standard specification Group N Mitsubishi Lancers. The five drivers contesting this series include: Miles Johnston, Mark I’Anson, Wayne Radford, Errol Clarke and Stuart Haskins.

With the 24 Evolution Challenge runners representing 27% of the overall field, General Manager for Ralliart Paul Brigden said, “I’m delighted to see such a strong entry. We were confident that numbers would rise this year. We are hoping to see even more crews add their names to the list of registered competitors before the weekend, but whatever happens, it’s going to be an exciting battle – not only for this event, but throughout the season as well.”

The Rallye Sunseeker gets underway at 7.00 pm on Friday evening, with two stages through Bournemouth’s botanical gardens and along the sea front. The rally then heads into the Ringwood and Wareham Forests on Saturday for a further 12 stages before the finish back in Bournemouth at 6.00 pm.

The Evolution Challenge offers drivers what is widely regarded as the best prize in British rallying – the chance to become a Mitsubishi works driver in the 2008 British Rally Championship. The Evolution Cup will see the winner walking away with a first prize worth £5000.

Also included in this year’s Mitsubishi championship is the PIAA Junior Award for under 25 year-old drivers, the Pirelli Cup and the Performance Friction Brakes Cup.

The series is backed by Mitsubishi Motors UK Ralliart and sees continued support from its associate sponsors Pirelli, PIAA, Speedline Corse and Shell, whilst Sparco, Performance Friction Brakes and Tesco 99 Octane (suppliers of the controlled fuel for the championship) join the series for the first time in 2007.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge & Evolution Cup entries (in start number order)
10 Jonny Milner (Huggate)/Ian Windress (Northallerton)
12 Phillip Morrow (Lisburn)/Simon Morrow (Lisburn) (J)
13 Craig Middleton (Llandrindod Wells)/Robin Hernaman (J)
14 Julian Reynolds (Narberth)/Patrick Walsh (Aberystwyth)
15 Garry Jennings (Kesh) /Craig Drew (Lydney)
18 Wayne Sisson (Carnforth)/Daniel Stone (Chesterfield)
19 Sebastian Ling (Llandysul)/Aled Rees (Crymych)
20 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Vicky Allen (Denbigh)
21 Richard Hill (Chesterfield)/Aled Davies (Llanelli)
23 Neil McCance (Coomber)/TBC
25 Stephen Petch (Richmond)/Michael Wilkinson (Tow Law) (J)
28 Connor McCloskey (Lirea)/Damian Connelly (Monaghan) (J)
30 Miles Johnstone (York)/Ian Bevan (Wrexham)*
33 Thomas Naughton (Bury)/Horace Saville (Bury)
34 Mark I’Anson (Haydon Bridge)/Graeme Walker (Henley)*
47 Wayne Radford (Dinnington)/TBC*
48 Gordon Cunningham (Galston)/Stuart McManus (Kilmarnock)
49 Alex Sabater (Barcelona)/Josep Marino (Girona)
52 Errol Clark (Irvinestown)/Greg Shinnors (Limerick) (J)*
53 Daniel Barry (Enniskerry)/Mark Bowen (Cork) (J)
57 Jonathan Sparks (Glastonbury)/Bradley Magnus (Downham Market)
58 Alan Carmichael (Ballymena)/Ivor Lamont (Ballymena)
59 Stuart Haskins (Taunton)/Mike White (Highbridge)*
61 David Bogie (Dumfries)/Rob Fagg (Isle of Man) (J)

* = Evo Cup
(J) = Junior driver

Rallye Sunseeker Website

JENNINGS CHALLENGES EVOS
2005 Irish Group N tarmac Champion will contest this weekend’s opening round of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge, Rallye Sunseeker at the wheel of his black Evo 9 with Craig Drew on the pacenotes.  

Fermanagh man Jennings is no stranger to UK gravel rallying, having driven for the Peugeot works rally team on the British Rally Championship in 2003, but he admits he is a little rusty. “I only competed on gravel once in 2006 but even though we netted third place overall, I think mixing it with the Evo Challenge guys will be an eye opener.” He continued, “The season didn’t get off to the best of starts after I retired in Galway with a simple but terminal electrical fault, but I am confident that was an early season hiccup. I have been lucky to have supportive sponsors and Kumho have been instrumental in persuading me to come to the Evo Challenge, so I hope we can post a solid result in Bournemouth to repay the faith all my sponsors have placed in me.”  

Craig brings plenty of experience to the co-driver’s seat, regularly sitting alongside Damien Cole in four wheel drive WRC machinery and finishing the 2006 Rally GB in an Evo 7. The new partnership will be tested to the full, however, as the pair will not have had any time in the car together before the rally.  

The 67 mile event starts in Bournemouth at around 6.30pm on Friday with two quick stages along the asphalt of the promenade. It is a great spectacle with all the cars running spotlights in the dark. But the rally begins in earnest on Saturday at 8am, concluding after twelve more gravel stages in the town centre at 6pm.  

The team would like to thank its sponsors: Kumho Tyres, JMB Enterprises, Walker Contracts, Autocar Logistics, Sligo Pallets Sydare Eggs, Euro Auto Salvage, OMP, Shell Racing Fuels and KG Motorsport for their continuing support.