Ceri static cam vid

A few bits of video I did while also taking the photographs...

Images from BCCC Ceri

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Seconds in it as Gould wins at Ceri

Martin Gould emerged victorious after an event-long battle with Justin Birchall at round four of the Britpart MSA British Cross County Championship which was held at Ceri forest in Wales.

It was Birchall who led early on in his Lofthouse Freelander, his car benefiting from extra power after extensive work on the engine. Gould took the lead on run three and at the end of day one he was two seconds in front.

In third place overnight was Ryan Cooke who, along with his team, had got his Milner LRM-1 back to full health after his problems at the last round.

Crews not faring so well on the opening day included Richard Coleby who snapped a belt on his Polaris and Richard Green who rolled his Tomcat out of the event.

The competition between Gould and Birchall was just as intense on day two and, going into the final run there was only six seconds in it. A slight mistake at a hairpin on the last run lost some time for Birchall and Gould took the win by 13 seconds.

“It’s been a really good race,” said Gould. “I was on edge all weekend, wanting to keep the pace up but not wanting to push too hard and go off the road. Justin and myself were split by seconds all weekend so it was a great battle, I just managed to pip him at the end.”

Birchall commented: “It was very close and a great weekend’s competition. I’m impressed with the new engine, it’s given us some extra pace. The course was fantastic, a good mix of fast stuff and more technical sections. The rain on day two made the course very slippery and we had a few moments, we also blew a pipe on the power steering pump but we made it to the finish.”

Cooke maintained his third position with Andy Powell overcoming a couple of punctures to take fourth. In fifth place was Mike Moran who was debuting his Lofthouse Evo. Electrical problems and a high-speed spin hampered his day one runs but the car went well on day two as Moran got used to the extra power of the Evo 9 engine.

In the BCC Trophy Nick Pritchard took his first win of the season in his Goka buggy following the retirement of day one leader Steve Anning. Phill Bayliss consolidated his championship lead with second and the Tomcat of Ben Clay was third.

Graham White won the Freelander Challenge, his second win of the season. Alex Howard was second and Brian Chase was third.

The Clubman class saw a good entry with former BCCC champion Ian Rochelle driving his Rivet on the opening day and fellow-former BCCC drivers Phil Ibbotson and Gordon Monaghan also entered. It was Justin Brookes who led the Clubman in his Polaris at the end of day one but he didn’t run on the second day. Ibbotson who took the win in his Metro 6R4 Evo with Sian Rogers in second. In third was Dutch driver Maurice Ubachs who enjoyed his first BCCC event in his Toyota Hilux.

The next round of the BCCC takes place at Bovington in Dorset on September 10/11.

BCCC results:

1. Martin Gould/Simon Kerfoot (Buxton 4x4 Rivet) 01:09:57

2. Justin Birchall/Louise Birchall (Lofthouse Freelander) 01:10:10
3. Ryan Cooke/Darren Cooke (Milner LRM-1) 01:17:13

4. Andy Powell/Evalda Bob Kazla (Simmbugghini) 01:20:10

5. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (Lofthouse Evo) 01:20:30

6. Jonny Koonja/Matt Lowe (Simmbugghini) 01:20:32

7. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Clio V8) 01:22:00

8. Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 01:22:38

9. Neil Davey/Tony Barley (Yamaha YXZ 1000R) 01:23:41
10. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (Lofthouse Freelander) 01:23:50

BCCC champion to debut new car at Ceri

2014 and 2015 Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship title winner Mike Moran will contest his first round of 2016 next weekend when he brings his new Lofthouse Evo to round four in Ceri forest.

The car has been built by Lofthouse Motorsport who have prepared Moran’s cars for several years and, in contrast to most other cars in the BCCC, it features a relatively small capacity turbocharged engine.

“Lofthouse Motorsport have built a lightweight version of their popular offroad racer and it’s powered by a 2.0 litre AMS Mitsubishi Evo 9 engine which we had mapped last week. The weight reduction should help us brake later and take more speed through the corners.”

“At my age you become more impatient so it’s been agony having to sit out the first three rounds of the season while the car was being built. The BCCC is very competitive this year and my long-term navigator Tony Coid and I are itching to get back in the hot seats.”

As well as his BCCC campaign Moran is planning on using his new car on the Des Cimes event in France.

BCCC crews to convene at Ceri as season continues

Round four of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship takes place next weekend at a new venue, Ceri forest in Mid-Wales.

Presently leading the title race on 219 points is Richard Wynne-Williams in his M3-powered Lofthouse Freelander. Wynne-Williams debuted the car at round one and has had three good results to date. A test session at Sweet Lamb ahead of round four should help him to keep challenging for the title.

Andy Powell lies second going into round four on 205 points, the Ciderbug Simmbugghini performing well with its new LS3 engine. Two drivers share third place, with both Colin Gould and Mark Jacques having 202 points. Rounding off the top five is John Thorne in his Yamaha YXZ 1000R. 

In sixth place is Martin Gould and, after back to back wins in the last two rounds, he'll be aiming for another win in his Buxton 4x4 Rivet. 

Double-BCCC champion Mike Moran will give a debut to his new Lofthouse Evo at Ceri. Moran has been forced to sit out the first three rounds while his car was completed as he had already sold his previous machine. The new car is a development of the successful Lofthouse Freelander and it features a lighter frame and an Evo 9 engine.

In the BCC Trophy Phill Bayliss has dominated the season so far, taking victory at all three rounds. The Insanity Racing Tornado of Jon Damrel is in second place and, after destroying several tyres at the previous round, the team have invested in some stronger rubber for Ceri.

The Freelander Challenge has seen three different winners so far this season and competition has been very close. Pat Masters leads the way on 157 points with Michael Wilson in second on 129 in his Gibson’s of Kendal-supported car. Wilson has received support from Mintex and will have some uprated brakes for round 4. Louisa Felice in in third, 10 points behind Wilson. Felice has used the time between BCCC rounds to obtain a licence for stage rallying and she is planning to content some rallies later in the year, including Wales Rally GB. 

Joining the championship regulars will be some Clubman entries including Phil Ibbotson in his Metro 6R4 Evo and Oisin Riley in his TMC. Both of these drivers will be contesting their second BCCC event of the season.

The event starts at 10am on Saturday 23^rd July with a full day of competition. Day two will start at 9am with the final run expected at around 2pm. Spectator information is available on www.marches4x4.com.

BCCC TV: 2016 Round 3 - Forrest Estate