Following the Woodpecker Rally it's all change at the top of the Gold Star Championship.

Following the previous round, the Quinton Stages, Hugh Hunter was the leading driver with Damien Cole in second place and Will Nicholls in third. However, stirling drives by the local boys on the Woodpecker put all the usual front runners in the shade.

Hot favourite Andy Burton was sidelined when his Peugeot Cosworth caught fire on stage 5 handing the lead to Ludlow local Shaun Gardener in his Lancer Evo 5.9. Gardener took full advantage of the demise of both Burton and Steve Perez, going on to win, taking maximum BTRDA points. Championship leader Hugh Hunter in his Focus WRC 01, started badly and after stage 2 was down in twelfth place following a spin, which he put down to his tyres going off quickly. Reigning BTRDA Gold Star Champion Will Nicholls in his Impreza WRC was having an even worse day as he was languishing down in 61st place after stage 1, complaining of a slipping clutch, However he had clawed his way up to 17th after SS2.and then up to 5th after SS5 where he remained until the finish. Meanwhile, Damien Cole, Hyundai WRC, Mike O'Brien, Focus WRC and Steve Simpson, in another Hyundai WRC were having a good tussle all tied in 4th. Unfortunately for O'Brien, he picked up a puncture in Radnor and slipped down the order. Another local having only his third BTRDA outing this year was Nigel Griffiths, showing the BTRDA regulars a clean pair of heels too. He finished 2nd overall, 22 seconds behind Gardener. The success of the local crews on the Woodpecker showed just how important local knowledge can be...

At the end of the day the Gold Star table had a different look with Will Nicholls moving up from third to take over at the top. Damien Cole held on to second, while Hugh Hunter, although finishing ahead of Cole, dropped to third due to having to drop a higher score than Cole. Michael O'Brien and Steve Simpson remain unchanged in fourth and fifth respectively. Seven points separate the top three crews with O'Brien a further eight points in arrears. Reigning MSA Asphalt Champion Steve Simpson has slipped further back although his performances on gravel this year have shown that he can mix it with the more established loose surface experts. It now looks like a three way fight for the Gold Star title with Will Nicholls perhaps looking the favourite to retain the title, although Damien Cole would dearly love to add the BTRDA Gold Star crown to the Welsh National title that he retained on the Woodpecker.

The early part of the season saw The Silver Star category dominated by three Irishmen, all in Mk 2 Escorts, with Frank Kelly leading Ryan Barrett and Seamus O'Connell. However, Frank Kelly had a rare a non finish on the Woodpecker which saw him surrender the lead to long time BTRDA stalwart Jon Ballinger. There's obviously as much life left in Jon as there is in his faithful Opel Manta! Henri Grehan took the overall Silver Star honours and when he finishes he is the man to beat. Unfortunately he's only had one other finish this year, the North Humberside, where he came top of the Silver Star pile. Non appearances for Ryan Barrett and Seamus on the Woodpecker have resulted in them dropping to third and fifth but good finishes on the Plains and Cambrian good see them renewing their challenge for the title. Steve Blunt in fourth only joined the Series on the Somerset Stages and has scored on every round since, so he also could mount a challenge. So, just like the Gold Star, it's all up for grabs over the remaining two rounds.

In the 1400's the year began with everyone expecting Graham Middleton to clean up in his Suzuki Ignis. Reliabilty problems have caused him to go back to the drawing board and the dominant driver has been Darren Pinchin. However, despite retiring on the Woodpecker he still leads the table, 20 points ahead of Harry Portlock. Whilst Pinchin is probably favourite for the title, just two points behind Portlock is Ian Sutton and as both have only scored on 5 events second place is there for the taking..

Interest in the BTRDA® Rally First Challenge continues to grow and there have been a number of enquires from competitors preparing cars for future events. Several rally car preparation / hire companies are interested in Rally First as it is a good entry-level opportunity for new competitors. The official test to ensure that a BTRDA® Rally First car is not fitted with any form of limited slip differential will be to place a set of rollers under one of the driven wheels. No Rally First car should be able to drive off these rollers. If it does then it will be taken as a failed test….

20-year old Jason Hopkins (Nissan Micra) leads the Series with Roy Gravestock just six points behind but Dave Bennett (Vauxhall Corsa) scored maximum points on the last three events and is getting closer. Hopkins and Gravestock will need to maintain their 100% finishing record to keep Bennett behind them. Interestingly, the BTRDA® Rally First cars are proving very reliable - there was a 100% finishing record on the Quinton and, after 5 events, there have been only two retirements throughout the whole year.

The points after the Woodpecker leave each category nicely poised and, with competitors' best 6 scores to count, there is everything to play for on the remaining Plains and Cambrian Rallies…

Press & Media Officer Steve Skepper - Email

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