Gould wins on Rivet debut

Martin Gould took his Buxton 4x4 Rivet to a Britpart MSA BCCC win on his first event with the car after a tough battle with Justin Birchall and Ryan Cooke.

Birchall led early on but such was the level of competition that after four runs he was only one second in front with Cooke and Gould tied for second.

Run five saw Gould move into the lead for the first time, a position he would maintain to the end of the event as Birchall rolled his Lofthouse Freelander and dropped to sixth.

"The event has been a lot of fun," said Gould. "We had a great battle and it's a shame Justin rolled his car. The course was very hard on both car and driver, it was a real challenge so I'm delighted with the win."

With Birchall out of contention it was Cooke who took second I his Milner LRM-1.

"I'm chuffed with second, I'm very happy to get to the end of the event with no problems," commented Cooke. "The nerves were building up waiting for the last run of the day, especially as we got held on the start line due to an incident on the course, but we made it through. Hopefully we can put in another good performance at the next round."

Steve Smith moved up to third, with the new engine in his Clio performing well. Smith was tied on time with Richard Wynne-Williams in his Lofthouse Freelander.

Andy Powell took his Simmbugghini to fifth, a repeat of his round one result. After somersaulting his Yamaha on the first run of day one and clipping a concrete bollard on day two Neil Davey was fortunate to come away with seventh. In eighth was Alan Thomas who had Mike Moran in the passenger seat as Moran's own car was not ready for the event.

John Thorne was ninth in his Yamaha and Paul Harris rounded off the top ten. Harris was set for a great result but brake problems and a puncture on the final run dropped his GSR Maxilight down the leaderboard.

In the Trophy category Phill Bayliss took another win in his Land Rover 90 with Ben Clay in second and Jon Damrel in third. Both Steve Anning and Nick Pritchard retired on the second day.

Pat Masters won the Freelander Challenge ahead of Brian Chase and Alex Howard. Alastair Moore-Myers was fourth and Graham White survived a very heavy landing after a jump to take fifth.

BCCC Top 10:
1. Martin Gould/Simon Kerfoot (Buxton 4x4 Rivet) 01:16:00
2. Ryan Cooke/Darren Cooke (Milner LRM-1) 01:17:48
3. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Clio V8) 01:23:48
4. Richard Wynne-Williams/Ian Jones (Lofthouse Freelander) 01:23:48
5. Andy Powell/Evalda Kazla (Simmbugghini) 01:25:27
6. Justin Birchall/Louise Birchall (Lofthouse Freelander) 01:28:11
7. Neil Davey/Tony Barley (Yamaha YXZ1000R) 01:28:37
8. Alan Thomas/Mike Moran (Warrior Indy) 01:28:53
9. John Thorne/ (Yamaha YXZ1000R) 01:31:19
10. Paul Harris/Karina James (GSR Maxilight) 01:34:30

Birchall battles the elements to take BCCC win

 

Justin Birchall returned to the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship in style as he took a win in the opening round at Pikes Peak.

Blue skies and sun greeted the crews as they got their cars ready on Saturday morning but by the time run one started snow was falling around the course. It was Birchall who set the fastest BCCC time on the opening run in his Lofthouse Freelander, three seconds ahead of the Milner LRM-1 of Ryan Cooke. In third was Ben Duckworth who was using a Milner R5 as his usual LRM-1 was not ready.

Birchall continued to set the pace throughout day one and he held a lead of over two minutes overnight.

Other BCCC crews didn’t fare so well on day one. Steve Smith, who had flown in from Dubai the day before the event, didn’t even make the start on run one after problems with his Clio. Richard Coleby rolled his Polaris out of the event mid-way through the day after setting some quick times. Martin Gould, whose Buxton 4x4 Rivet was not ready in time, broke a shaft on his Polaris.

Cooke’s hopes of challenging for the win on day two were dashed when he was forced to stop his car on the third run. With a good lead Birchall backed off slightly but in doing so he broke a propshaft on the penultimate run. The shaft was replaced and Birchall completed the final run of the event to win by over three minutes from Duckworth.

“I’m very happy with the result,” said Birchall. “It was a fantastic course and the very changeable weather made it extremely challenging. I think we broke the propshaft by going slower in one of the rutted offroad sections so we went back up to normal pace on the last run.”

In third place was Colin Gould on his first event in his Clio V8. Gould commented “I’m extremely pleased with third, I’m still learning the car and we’ll get quicker – the car has the pace, the driver needs to improve a bit! It looks like it will be a good championship, there are some very talented drivers and quick cars out this season.”

Mark Jacques’ Chevy-powered Lofthouse Freelander was fourth with Andy Powell, who had a new engine in his Simmbugghini, was fifth despite suffering brake problems on day one.

In the BCC Trophy Phill Bayliss enjoyed a successful first event as he took the win in his Land Rover 90 ahead of the Tomcat 100 of Ben Clay. Steve Anning was third.

2014/15 Freelander Challenge champion Ian Linford had suspected head gasket problems on the recce lap so decided not to start. Brian Chase was leading the Freelanders after day one but electrical problems dropped him to third behind Graham White and Pat Masters.

Chris Bird led the Clubman category after day one and he was setting times which would’ve seen him leading the event overall. He didn’t contest the second day so it was Toby Jefferson who was the first Clubman home. In second was Phil Ibbotson who was using his Metro 6R4 for the first time since 2013. Jonny Koonja was third, driving on his first event for around ten years after spending recent years in the navigator’s seat.

BCCC Top 10

1. Justin Birchall/Louise Birchall (Lofthouse Freelander) 01:39:39

2. Ben Duckworth/Mathew Cook (Milner R5) 01:43:07
3. Colin Gould/Aaron Burch (Clio V8) 01:48:24
4. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (Lofthouse Freelander) 01:50:48
5. Andy Powell/Evalda Kazla (Simmbugghini) 01:51:18
6. Richard Wynne-Williams/Ian Jones (Lofthouse Freelander) 01:54:56
7. Neil Davey/Tony Barley (Yamaha YXZ1000R) 01:57:55
8. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:00:25
9. John Thorne/ (Yamaha YXZ1000R) 02:01:41
10. Paul Harris/Karina James (GSR Maxilight) 02:08:53

We are the champions - 2015 edition

BCCC - Mike Moran

 

BCC Trophy  - Nick Pritchard

 

Freelander Challenge - Ian Linford

 

Walters win for Duckworth

Ben Duckworth took his third Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship win of the season at the final round of the season at Walters Arena in South Wales. Andy Powell finished second to wrap up the runner's up spot in the championship, which has technical support from Ravenol.

Heavy rain made the already slippery course treacherous as the crews made their first runs. An early victim was Richard Green who rolled his Bowler and, after suffering neck pains, decided not to continue. Duckworth set the pace from the first run in his Milner LRM-1 and he built up a lead of over three minutes at the end of the day. Ryan Cooke was second in his Milner with Powell third.

Day two got off to a bad start for Duckworth as he suffered a puncture on the first run but he continued to head the leaderboard until the end of the event.

"I'm very pleased with the result," said Duckworth. "It was a very wet and extremely slippery course on day one and it was difficult to push hard. We had a couple of moments and struggled with the radiator getting bunged up with mud. As the course dried our times improved and, despite a puncture on the first run of day two, we managed to take the win."

With Cooke retiring after clutch problems Powell took second place despite a weekend that had gone anything but smoothly, with a broken propshaft and flat battery amongst his many issues. Powell commented: "It was a tough event and a very testing course but those are the courses I like. The weekend wasn't without incident but we overcame the problems. Thanks to Phil Ibbotson for navigating and to all the organisers and marshals, it's been a great season all in all."

Mark Jacques finished third in his 3M Challenger after tying with Britpart's Paul Myers. Neil Davey was fifth in his GSR 206 after driving all of day two with no power steering. Steve Smith was sixth despite an ailing engine in his Clio and Jason Sharpe was the final BCCC finisher in the Isuzu D-Max.

Steve Anning took his Peugeot 206 M3 to victory in the BCC Trophy ahead of the Insanity Racing Tornado of Jon Damrel. Nick Pritchard was third in his Goka Buggy despite several issues including having to change the clutch on day one. The result was good enough for Pritchard to take the Trophy championship.

In the Freelander Challenge the Race2Recovery team of Grant White and Yanto Evans headed the leaderboard ahead of Alastair Moore-Myers and Ian Linford. Linford wrapped up his second Freelander Challenge title in his Team Sheepie machine.

Justin Birchall won the Clubman class in his Lofthouse Freelander in a time that would've placed him first overall had he been registered for the championship. Birchall's win came despite a trip to hospital after suffering a back injury early on day two.

Planning is already well underway for the 2016 championships with round 1 scheduled for 9th/10th April.

BCCC Results
1. Ben Duckworth/Mathew Cook (Milner LRM-1)    02:05:46
2. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini)    02:14:26
3. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger )   02:17:03
4. Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado)   02:17:03
5. Neil Davey/Tony Barley (GSR 206 Evo 8)   02:17:57
6. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8)   02:19:20
7. Jason Shape/Richard Lester   (Isuzu D-Max)   02:20:49

Duckworth wins battle of the Milners

Ben Duckworth took his second Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship win of the season in his Milner LRM-1 after a weekend-long battle with the similar car of Ryan Cooke at round 5 of the series, which has technical support from Ravenol.

Mike Moran was quickest on the first run but by run three Cooke had taken the lead.

At end of the 10 runs of day one Cooke held a 19 second lead over Duckworth with Moran in third.

Cooke’s lead was lost on the opening run of day two as he hit a rock which punctured the car’s floor. The Milner duo swapped fastest times throughout the day but it was Duckworth who claimed the win.

“It was a great fight with Ryan, the two of us were very close all event,” said Duckworth. “I’m very happy with first place, the team have been working hard to develop the car and they were even tweaking it at the event with some suspension changes to help it ride the bumps better so thanks to them for all their efforts.”

Cooke was very satisfied with second place after a season of mixed fortunes. “I’m really pleased with the result although it’s obviously disappointing not to win but all credit to Ben, he turned the screw on day two to get ahead of us.”

“It was a tough course on the car but we finished so I think we’ve turned the corner with the reliability. I’ll keep trying and pushing hard and we’ll see if we can get a win at the next round. Thanks to all my team and sponsors, without them I’d not be here racing.”

With Cooke in second it was Moran who brought his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger home in third, a result which was good enough for him to retain his BCCC title.

Moran commented: “It’s been a great weekend. Congratulations to Ben and Ryan, their pace was incredible and they must’ve been taking some big risks to set the times they were doing! With the championship up for grabs we played it safe to make sure we got the car to the end.”

“The course was hard on both car and crew, we had a few issues over the weekend including two broken alternators. Third place means we cannot be caught in the title race now, it’s good to have wrapped it up with one event to go. Thanks to Lofthouse Motorsport for preparing the car.”

Paul Myers finished fourth in his Land Rover Tornado ahead of Steve Smith’s JRG Clio and Mark Jacques’ 3M Challenger.

In 7^th was Neil Davey who had fuel tank problems on day one while John Thorne returned to the championship with 8^th in his Arctic Cat Wildcat.

Jason Sharpe was 9^th in the Isuzu D-Max after front differential problems forced him to run in 2WD for most of day two and Paul Harris rounded off the top 10 despite a run one maximum when the electrical cut off switch snapped while trying to reset the car after it went into limp mode.

In the BCC Trophy Nick Pritchard won in his Goka Buggy ahead of Steve Anning. Jon Damrel was third in the Insanity Racing Tornado even though his event was hampered with fuel starvation and electrical problems.

Ian Linford drove to another win in the Freelander Challenge with Andy Price in second and the Race2Recovery car of Grant White in third.

Ian Bartlett took his Bowler Tomcat to victory in the Clubman class.

BCCC Results:

1. Ben Duckworth/Matt Cook (Milner LRM-1) 02:24:03

2. Ryan Cooke/Chris Cooke (Milner LRM-1)    02:24:58
3. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger)    02:31:01
4. Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado)  02:35:19
5. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8)   02:36:43
6. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger)     02:37:29
7. Neil Davey/Tony Barley (GSR 206 Evo 8)  02:44:49
8. John Thorne/ (Arctic Cat Wildcat)  02:48:04
9. Jason Sharpe/Richard Lester (Isuzu D-Max)  02:58:29
10. Paul Harris/Karina James (GSR Maxilight)  03:14:17

Moran masters the conditions in Hafren

Mike Moran took his third win of the season at round four of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship, which was held in Hafren forest.

It was Moran who set the pace early on, building up a lead of 35 seconds in his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger over Ryan Cooke. Two of Moran’s main rivals were already out of contention with Neil Davey suffering a broken wishbone on his GSR and Ben Duckworth putting his Milner off the road.

Moran continued his good form throughout the nine runs of day one to build up a lead of almost three minutes with Cooke’s efforts hampered by broken power steering and brake issues.  Andy Powell lay in third in his Simmbugghini.

After sunshine and a drying course on day one the crews were greeted with heavy rain for day two’s eight runs. With the course getting increasingly slippery several drivers were caught out including Jason Sharpe who rolled his Isuzu into retirement. Moran had a couple of moments but kept it all together to take the win.

“I’d seen the weather forecast so I pushed very hard on day one when it was dry to try and build up a good lead,” said Moran. “The rain on day two made the course very difficult, it was like driving on ice in some places and we had a couple of big moments but fortunately the car stayed on the track.”

“It’s been a great weekend and the result has put us in a very strong position in the championship, I’m looking forward to the next round at Bovington now.”

Despite a last run puncture Cooke held on to second place.

“It was nice to have a good race for a change, we’ve had our fair share of problems this year. It was a very good course, very challenging. We had a few issues with the car and a puncture on the last run which almost cost us second place but we managed to hold on to the result.”

Powell continued his good run of BCCC results with third. He commented:  “I’m very happy with third although it’s a bit disappointing to be only 7 seconds off second at the end. It was a fantastic course and the conditions were very challenging. Other than throwing a belt on one run we didn’t have any issues with the car.”

Steve Smith was fouth in his Clio with Paul Harris having a good run in his GSR Maxilight to take fifth.

Nick Pritchard won the Trophy class in his Goka Buggy ahead of Steve Anning with Sian Rogers in third. The Insanity Racing Tornado of Jon Damrel made its first appearance of the season but retired at the end of day one with wheel bearing problems.

The Clubman class saw the return to the BCCC of Martin and Colin Gould, Toby Jefferson and Justin Birchall. Birchall was debuting his Lofthouse Freelander and he set some times that would’ve been quickest overall had he been entered in the championship. Problems with the fuel pressure regulator meant he could finish no higher than third Clubman. In second place was former BCCC champion Colin Gould, who survived a near roll in his new Polaris. It was Jefferson who took the Clubman win in his GSR.

In the Freelander Challenger Ian Linford took another win with Andy Price finishing second in his newly rebuilt car. Louisa Felice finished third Freelander.

The next round of the BCCC, which has technical support from Ravenol, takes place on September 12/13 at the Bovington tank training course in Dorset.

BCCC Results

1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger)    01:51:56
2. Ryan Cooke/Chris Cooke (Milner LRM-1)    01:55:37
3. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini)    01:55:44
4. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8)   01:59:14
5. Paul Harris/Karina James (GSR Maxilight)   02:01:22
6. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger)     02:01:24
7. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100)   02:07:25
8. Ben Duckworth/Kevin Bates (Milner LRM-1)   02:08:15
9. Neil Davey/Tony Barley (GSR 206 Evo 8)   02:15:51

Back to back BCCC wins for Moran

Mike Moran repeated his round two win with victory at round three of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship at Forrest Estate in South West Scotland.

Moran took the lead on run one amidst horrendous weather conditions , setting a time four seconds quicker than Ryan Cooke. Cooke’s hopes of a good result were dashed when the radiator on his Milner LRM-1 was damaged after run three. Neil Davey was putting his run one retirement on the previous event behind him and, despite several issues with his GSR, he was second behind Moran at the end of day one. In third place was Andy Powell who had a narrow escape after going off the road and almost hitting two large tree stumps.

In contrast to day one the sun shone on day two and, as the course dried out, the top three maintained their pace to hold position. Davey was lucky to finish though after a major problem with the exhaust but he managed to get it fixed to allow him to complete his runs. It was Moran who headed the leaderboard, leading the pack by over three minutes.

“I’m very pleased with the win,” said Moran. “The course was very tough and challenging but I think it put a smile on everyone’s face! Other than one puncture we had no issues all weekend. It’s a shame our rivals had problems but we still had some fun trying to see who’d set the fastest lap of the weekend.”

Davey commented: “I’m really chuffed to get second, especially with the problems we had over the weekend – it was a case of damage limitation. We had issues with the clutch on day one and then the centre of the exhaust blew off on day two. Fortunately we were able to sort it out so we got to the finish. It was a belter of a course.”

Third place gave Andy Powell his second podium position of the season, a result he was happy with: “It’s been a cracking event and I’m very pleased with third. We had a few problems on day one including the fan belt coming off and a couple of near misses with ditches and tree stumps but we battled on and made it to the podium.”

Rounding off the top five were Jason Sharpe in the Isuzu D-Max and Mark Jacques in his 3M Challenger. Jacques was fourth overnight but two stoppages on day two caused by a belt coming off and broken windscreen wipers dropped him to fifth. Steve Smith was sixth in his Clio with Richard Green in seventh after a difficult weekend in his Tomcat which included having to replace both diffs.

In the Trophy category Sian Rogers took the win in her Mitsubishi Pinin ahead of Nick Pritchard’s Goka Buggy.

Ian Linford overcame a few problems, including a broken alternator, to win the Freelander Challenge. Alastair Moore-Myers, with Ravenol’s Brian Chase navigating, finished second despite a day one excursion. Louisa Felice continued her 100% finishing record in third, her first Freelander podium.

BCCC Results:

1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger)   02:16:14
2. Neil Davey/Tony Barley (GSR 206 Evo 8)   02:19:23
3. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini)   02:22:39
4. Jason Sharpe/Richard Lester (Isuzu D-Max)   02:26:27
5. Mark Jacques/Dan Lofthouse (3M Challenger)   02:29:18
6. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8)   02:32:46
7. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100)   02:33:46

Victory for Moran after tough Radnor event

After a gruelling two days of competition Mike Moran was victorious in round 2 of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship.

It was Ryan Cooke who was the fastest driver early on, building up a lead of 39 seconds in his Milner LRM-1 after three runs. Early casualties included the crews who finished first and third at round one with Ben Duckworth damaging a propshaft on his Milner and Neil Davey suffering a burst power steering pipe on his GSR.

Moran took the lead after the fourth run as Cooke had a drivebelt problem on his car which gave him a maximum time and dropped him down the leaderboard. With Cooke out of contention it was Andy Powell who lay in second place at the conclusion of day one’s six runs with Mark Jacques in third.

A further eight runs took place on day two and, despite the very difficult course conditions, the top three had a relatively troublefree day to maintain their positions at the finish.

“It was a tough old weekend,” said Moran. “The course was extremely challenging and it was very tough on both the cars and the crews. It was a shame that Ben and Neil retired early on but Ryan and Andy were putting in some great times so it wasn’t an easy win. All credit to everyone who finished, especially the guys in the standard Freelanders.”

“My car also won the Baja event last weekend in the hands of Dan Lofthouse so it’s been a great two weeks for the Lofthouse Motorsport team.”

By finishing second Powell equalled his best ever BCCC result in his Simmbugghini.

“The event was brilliant, a proper offroad course! Congratulations to Mike on the win, I’m very pleased with second. The car performed really well, other than a slight steering issue that we resolved overnight we had no problems which was a relief after the electrical troubles we had at round one.”

Behind Jacques in fourth place was Paul Myers with Cooke putting in some very quick times to battle back to fifth, despite an off on one of his later runs. Richard Green fought back from a power steering belt problem on his first run to take sixth in his Tomcat 100 with Steve Smith in seventh after having several issues with his Clio over the weekend. Jason Sharpe was the final classified BCCC finisher in eighth. Sharpe was another driver who overcame car issues to get to the finish, including a broken suspension on his opening run.

In the Freelander Challenge Pat Masters took the win ahead of Ian Linford and Craig Bounds with Louisa Felice in fourth. Brian Chase from the BCCC’s technical partner Ravenol co-drove Alistair Moore-Myers in his Freelander but they sadly retired.

Steve Anning won the Trophy category in his GSR despite breaking a steering arm early on day one. After rally co-driver Justin Brooks set some very quick times on day one in his Polaris it was Jeff Fletcher who won the Clubman class in his Bowler Tomcat.

BCCC Results:

1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger) 02:05:58

2. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini) 02:11:08
3. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:17:20
4. Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 02:20:54
5. Ryan Cooke/Lee Channing (Milner LRM-1) 02:24:43
6. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:31:19
7. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 02:51:10
8. Jason Sharpe/Ian Bevan (Isuzu D-Max) 03:09:03

Duckworth wins on BCCC debut

Ben Duckworth won the opening round of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship after a weekend-long battle with Mike Moran to kick off what looks like it will be a close season of competition in the offroad series, which has attracted additional support this year from new technical partner Ravenol. 

Moran set the pace on early on day one, opening up a lead of 21 seconds after three runs in his AT 4x4 Challenger. Duckworth was in second place on both his first BCCC event and his first event in his Milner LRM-1.  The pair were evenly matched over the remainder of day one with Moran leading by 24 seconds going in to day two. 

Third overnight was Ryan Cooke in another Milner LRM-1. Crews suffering problems on day one included Steve Smith who had an engine failure on his Clio and Paul Myers who had propshaft and trackrod end issues as well as an offroad excursion.

The lead was to change after the first run of day two, Duckworth completing the course 30 seconds faster than Moran. The pairing exchanged fastest times over the day and with one run to go Duckworth was 10 seconds up. In a tense finish Moran made up 8 seconds on the final run but victory went to Duckworth.

“I’m really pleased with the result,” said Duckworth. “We had a few teething problems with the car before the event so, although we knew it was quick, we weren’t sure how reliable it would be.”

“It was a brilliant course, we kept it consistent in the quick bits and tried not to lose much time in the offroad sections.”

2014 champion Moran was happy with second place on the first event for his newly lightened car.

“It was a perfect weekend really, we had no problems at all with the car, the course was great and there was tough competition. It’s good to see some new competitors joining the BCCC.”

Neil Davey finished third in his GSR 206 on his first BCCC event for several years with Cooke in fourth. 

“I’m happy to get a good finish,” commented Cooke. “We had a huge accident last time we were here so I was dreading coming back but we enjoyed the weekend. Fair play to the guys at the front, we gave it our all but they were quicker.”

Rounding off the top five was Jason Sharpe in the Isuzu DMax, Sharpe also winning the production class.

Mark Jacques was sixth in his 3M Challenger with Richard Green in seventh. After electrical problems resulted in two maximums on the first two runs Andy Powell battled back to finish eighth in his Simmbugghini. Championship newcomer Dean Gibbs was classified ninth although he had to take maximums for his final runs after his Milner left the road near the start. John Thorne, another championship debutant, completed the top ten in his Arctic Cat Wildcat. 

In the Freelander Challenge Ian Linford continued his 2014 form with another win. He faced tough competition from Andy Price who had been leading until a puncture and broken exhaust brought him to a halt on a steep uphill offroad section. Price was able to continue and finished second ahead of Craig Bounds. All female crew Louisa Felice and Jessica Reynolds finished fourth on their debut.

Gordon Monaghan won the Clubman category in his Monaghan RS.

BCCC Results

1. Ben Duckworth/Matthew Cook (Milner LRM-1)  01:46:54
2. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger)  01:46:56
3. Neil Davey/Tony Barley (GSR 206 Evo 8)  01:49:04
4. Ryan Cooke/Lee Channing (Milner LRM-1)  01:50:26
5. Jason Sharpe/Richard Lester (Isuzu DMax)  01:56:32
6. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger)  01:58:18
7. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100)   01:59:47
8. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini)  02:08:57
9. Dean Gibbs/  (Milner R5)  02:11:23
10. John Thorne/  (Arctic Cat Wildcat)  02:12:31

Moran takes BCCC title at Walters

Mike Moran won the final round of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship and in doing so took the championship title.

With dropped scores taken into account Moran and Martin Cox were level on points going into the event so whoever finished ahead at Walters would take the title.

Cox’s challenge got off to a bad start with the power steering hose bursting on the opening run, meaning that he was in fourth place, 34 seconds behind Moran. The drama was to continue for Cox, with a banjo bolt breaking and an excursion into a ditch. He ended day one in second place but 1m 45 off the lead.

Moran meanwhile was having a trouble-free day in his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger, setting the fastest time on seven of the day’s eight runs.  In third place overnight was Paul Myers in his Land Rover Tornado.

Moran continued to set the pace early on two day, extending his lead by a further 15 seconds on the opening two runs. Cox was quickest on the final five runs of the event but, despite Moran losing time with a puncture, he couldn’t make up enough time to take the win.

“I’m gutted,” said Cox. “We’ve been quick all year and it’s very disappointing that mechanical problems here and at the last round have cost us the title. The power steering problem cost around 50 seconds and, without any spares, we had to fabricate a replacement on site. We also lost around 40 seconds stuck in the ditch”

“It’s been a fantastic season though with good comradeship amongst the crews”

The victory was Moran’s third of the season and it gave him his first BCCC title.

“It’s a dream come true and totally unexpected,” commented Moran. “. I feel sorry for Martin, he was within one run of wrapping the title up at the previous round but his engine problems gave us a chance which we’ve taken. We were consistently fast this weekend, the development work we’ve done on the gearbox with Lofthouse Motorsport, ACR and PPG has really paid dividends. After Dan winning last year it’s nice that another Lofthouse-prepared car has won the championship.”

“We’ve had six excellent courses this year and it’s been a great battle. Thank you to all the organisers and marshals for a brilliant championship, the competition has been excellent. ”

With Myers suffering a blown engine Andy Powell rounded off the top three in his Simmbugghini, despite navigator Phil Ibbotson being forced out of the event after sustaining an eye injury on the third run.

“It’s been a good weekend and a blinding one for Phil,” said Andy. “I’m pleased with another podium finish, we’ve ended the year well after a poor start to the championship.”

“It was a tough event and the car is ready for some work over the winter including another gearbox rebuild. We’ll hopefully be back for more next year. Thanks to Paul Harris for stepping into the navigator seat.”

Mark Jacques finished fourth in his 3M Challenger with Richard Green taking his Tomcat to fifth. Steve Smith was sixth in the JRG Clio ahead of Ian Bartlett. Jason Sharpe was the final BCCC finisher, battling to eighth after a testing event in the Jewson Isuzu D-Max Rally Team car.

Alan Thomas won the Trophy category in his Warrior with Paul Cumpstone taking victory in the Freelander Challenge. Ian Linford was second Freelander crew despite a broken alternator, damaged gearbox and broken clutch. The result which made Linford the Freelander Challenge champion.

BCCC results:

1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:28:06
2. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 02:29:01
3. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson/Paul Harris (Simmbugghini) 02:38:06
4. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:46:48
5. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:55:02
6. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 02:58:17
7. Ian Bartlett/Gary Bartlett (Tomcat Tornado) 03:01:40
8. Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 03:48:47

Moran takes last-gasp victory at Bovington

Mike Moran took his second Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship win of the season at round 5 in Bovington after long-time leader Martin Cox suffered engine problems on his final run.

It was Cox who set the pace early on, taking a lead of 17 seconds on run one ahead of Ryan Cooke in his Milner LRM-1. Cox and Cooke exchanged fastest times for the first six runs and the scene was set for a close battle between the pair. Unfortunately for Cooke his car then suffered a burst radiator which forced him out of the event.

This promoted Moran to second in his AT 4x4 Challenger with Andy Powell in third. Despite a puncture late on day one Cox held an overnight lead of over two minutes after ten runs of the course.

A further seven runs took place on day two. Cox’s car had been consuming oil at an ever-increasing rate and at the end of the sixth run he was forced to stop as soon as he crossed the finish line as the engine was totally out of oil. The car was filled up again but the engine let go just after the start line of his final run and Cox had to be towed out of the course. The resultant maximum dropped him down the leaderboard and gave the win to Moran.

“It’s been a great weekend and it is a privilege to race at a venue usually used by our Armed Forces,” said Moran. “I feel sorry for Martin, he drove exceptionally well and deserved to win but it’s all about getting points and the result means I still have a chance of the championship.”

“The course was phenomenal with a good mix of fast, extremely fast and rough sections. The car performed well, our new gearbox was only finished on Thursday night and it has transformed the car. Thanks to Lofthouse Motorsport and Roland at ACR for all their work on it.”

Powell continued setting good times on day two to take second place in his Simmbugghini, his best ever racing result.

“I’m elated with second place, it’s a great result for us especially as we’re in a beam axle car rather than an independent. I enjoyed the course, it was certainly a tough test of man and machine.  We had a lot of work to do on the car after the last round including fitting a new transfer box, it was touch and go whether we’d make it to Bovington but all the work has paid off.”

Mark Jacques was another driver achieving a personal best result, overcoming shaft problems on day one to finish in third. 

Cox’s final run issues saw him drop to fourth ahead of Richard Green’s Tomcat. Paul Myers was 6th and the Isuzu of Jason Sharpe was 7th despite having to do some runs in two wheel drive after a driveshaft issue. 

In 8th was Ian Bartlett who towed Cox for almost a full lap in his Tomcat. Birthday boy Steve Smith finished 9th after stopping twice with problems on day one while Paul Harris rounded off the top ten after a troublesome event in his GSR Maxilight, the car suffering from overheating. 

In the Freelander Challenge Ian Linford took the win. Freelander newcomer Andrew Price was second. In third was the Race2Recovery crew of Grant White and Yanto Evans in their Dynamic Metals-supported car, the crew making history by becoming the first amputee pairing to enter and finish an event. Ian Letman was fourth despite rolling the car on day one.

Jon Damrel was once again victorious in the Clubman class in his Tornado.


BCCC results:
1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:29:49
2. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini) 02:32:41
3. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:37:39
4. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 02:38:15
5. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:43:22
6. Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 02:45:38
7. Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 02:51:01
8. Ian Bartlett/Gary Bartlett (Tomcat Tornado) 03:03:26
9. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 03:14:43
10. Paul Harris/Mark Phelps (GSR Maxilight) 03:15:48

Cox celebrates victory at tough Radnor event

Martin Cox took his second Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship win of the season at a tough event in Radnor forest.

Cox made a great start, quickest overall by 21 seconds on the opening run in his GSR 206. Paul Garner set the pace on the next three runs but Cox still led by 8 seconds.

With Garner retiring on run 6 it was Mike Moran who was Cox’s nearest challenger with Paul Myers in third. Myers soon joined Garner on the retirements list though, a blown head gasket on his Land Rover Tornado forcing him out.

After day one’s 9 runs Cox held a lead of 1m 40s over Moran with Steve Smith in third in his JRG Clio.

A further 7 runs took place on day two. Cox continued to head the leaderboard and, helped by Moran suffering a puncture, he finished over five minutes ahead of the pack.

“I’m happy with the result, it’s more points in the bag for the championship,” said Cox. “We put in a quick time on the first run and maintained the lead from there. It wasn’t a troublefree event though, we had issues with the power steering fluid leaking and the brake pipes had to be replaced amongst other things. We also found a deer running along the course at one point!”

“ The course was very demanding and challenging, it was a real test of the cars and drivers. Thanks to all the marshals and organisers for a great event.”

Moran was pleased with second place to follow up the win he had at round three.

“It was a tough old course and I was pretty nervous with all the mechanical ailments most cars were suffering from. Other than the puncture on day two we had no issues though. Martin was too quick for me, he deserves the win, I’m pleased with second. “

Smith completed a good event in the V8-powered Clio in third overall ahead of Andy Powell who overcame several car issues to finish fourth.

“We spent a fair proportion of time on Saturday fixing the car,” said Powell. “Issues included a broken steering box, stub shaft and king pins. The intercom was faulty too. To round off a very tough event we did the last two runs with a broken exhaust. I’m pleased to come away with fourth after all that.”

Mark Jacques followed up his sixth place in the Welsh Hill rally with fifth at Radnor. Jason Sharpe was 6th in his Isuzu D-Max.

In 7th was Ryan Cooke who had 2013 BCCC champion Dan Lofthouse in the navigator’s seat. Cooke had a trying weekend with a broken shock absorber on the first run followed by a failed power steering belt on run two. His woes continued on day two with the car having cooling issues but he managed to get to the finish. Richard Green finished in 8th, a higher finish was on the cards before fuel pump problems on day two.

Rounding off the top 10 were Paul Harris and Ian Bartlett. Both drivers suffered from car problems over the weekend including a broken ignition switch for Harris in his Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight.

Alan Thomas was the only entry in the Trophy championship and despite some car issues he successfully finished. There were no finishers in the Freelander Challenge either. The Race2Recovery car retired after a roll caused by broken rear suspension. Ian Letman had major clutch problems on day one. He eventually got it fixed and was able to do some runs on day two but he had too many maximums to be classified as a finisher. Ian Linford looked to be heading for a repeat of his round three win but a broken cambelt early on the second day put him out of the event.

In the Clubman category 2013 BCCC drivers Andi Skelley and Tom Hipkiss entered their Milners. Skelley’s car had a head gasket failure early in the event while Hipkiss did not contest day two. Jon Damrel battled various issues on his Tornado to take the category win.

The next championship round will take place at Epynt in Wales on 13-14th September.

1. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 02:08:30
2. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:13:56
3. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 02:14:54
4. Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini) 02:19:23
5. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:23:12
6. Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 02:37:09
7. Ryan Cooke/Dan Lofthouse (Milner LRM-1) 02:44:00
8. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:44:32
9. Paul Harris/Mark Phelps (GSR Maxilight) 02:50:54
10. Ian Bartlett/Gary Bartlett (Tomcat Tornado) 03:02:01

Every second counts as Moran takes BCCC win in Scotland

After an extremely close weekend of racing Mike Moran won round three of the Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship by just one second.

The event was held at Forrest Estate in South West Scotland with the crews facing 14 runs of a testing 8 miles long course.

Round 2 winner Andrew West set the pace early on but he was forced out on run 4 when the ball joint knuckle broke away from the lower arm which pulled the shaft from the diff, smashed the inner cv joint and split the brake pipe. Ryan Cooke took over the lead in his Milner LRM-1, closely pursued by Martin Cox. By the end of the nine runs on a very wet day one Cooke led by 48 seconds. Moran, in his AT 4x4 Indy Challenger, was a further 40 seconds back in third.

Casualties on day one included Paul Garner who had transmission problems in his GSR V10 and Andy Powell who retired to prevent further damage to a slipping gearbox. Powell’s navigator Phil Ibbotson had travelled overnight to get to the venue after his truck broke down on the A75 on Friday afternoon.

By the third run of day two Cox had moved into a two second lead but a puncture on the fourth run handed the lead back to Cooke. However, as well as suffering a puncture himself, Cooke had also damaged his exhaust and he was forced to back off on the final run of the event. This should’ve allowed Cox to take the win but he had a broken throttle cable and was forced to manually operate the accelerator with a cable through the window to get out of the course. Cox’s misfortune meant that it was Moran who came through to win ahead of Cooke with Paul Myers in third.

“I’m lost for words,” said Moran. “I’ve been sat behind Ryan and Martin all weekend, just keeping on going while they battled for the lead. They were both very unfortunate to have problems on the last runs. It’s unbelievable that after around 115 miles of competition the win was by one second.”

“Martin actually lent me a coilover after I broke one on my car, that shows what sportsmanship we have in the BCCC. It’s been a great event, a very good course with some nice fast sections. We’ve had three different winners in three events so it’s looking like it will be a great championship battle this year.”

The throttle cable issue dropped Cox to sixth as he had to take a maximum time on the final run.

“I was having a great battle with Ryan and I’d just managed to get into the lead but we had the puncture and then early on in the final run the throttle cable snapped,” said Cox. “We stopped and managed to thread a cable into the car so we were able to get to the finish but we had lost so much time we had to take a maximum.”

“It’s gutting to lose a potential win like that, we’ll go home now and lick our wounds and get ready for the next round.”

Steve Smith brought his JRG Clio home in fourth ahead of the Isuzu D-Max of Jason Sharpe. Mark Jacques finished behind Cox in 7^th with Richard Green in 8^th in his Tomcat. The final BCCC finisher was Paul Harris who overcame electrical problems and a broken shaft on his Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight on day one.

In the Freelander Challenge Ian Linford was victorious ahead of Ian Letman, who survived losing a wheel on one run. The Race2Recovery team, who won the first two rounds, had engine problems on the recce lap which prevented them completing a full competitive lap.

Jon Damrel won the Clubman category in his Tornado.

BCCC Results

1. Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Indy Challenger) 02:27 57
2. Ryan Cooke/Lee Channing (Milner LRM-1) 02:27:58
3. Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 02:31:41
4. Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Indy Clio V8) 02:33:48
5. Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 02:35:27
6. Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 02:41:12
7. Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:43:28
8. Richard Green/Richard Griffiths (Tomcat 100) 02:46:37
9. Paul Harris/Mark Phelps (GSR Maxilight) 02:56:38

Championship points after round 2

The top five in the championship race after round 2 are:

1. Martin Cox  166
2. Andrew West  161
3. Paul Myers  151
4. Paul Garner  139
5. Richard Green  133

Full results and championship positions have been emailed to all championship crews.

West and Widdop win in wet Wales

Andrew West and Peter Widdop battled tough weather conditions to take victory in round two of the Britpart British Cross Country Championship.

The event was held near Ebbw Vale on a hilltop farmland course made up of tracks and moorland. West was quickest on the first run of the event in his Discovery Centre-backed Milner R5, three seconds ahead of round one winner Martin Cox with Martin Gould lying in third place in his V8 Clio.

West continued to head the leaderboard throughout the opening day and he built up an overnight lead of 1m 39s over Cox. With Gould blowing a diff on the Clio it was Paul Garner who held third place going into day two.

The top three maintained their positions on day two with West extending his lead by a further 10 seconds.

“I’m very pleased with the result,” said West. “It’s been a real battle in the wind and the rain and it’s good to take the win. We had to change a wheel bearing overnight but other than that we had no problems. We’re up to second in the championship now so we’ll be pushing hard for another win at the next round.”

Cox took second despite his brakes failing on the last two runs, the result meaning that he keeps the lead in the championship race.

“Second is a great result in the circumstances,” commented Cox. “After a problem-free round one we had a few issues this weekend, wrong tyres for the first three runs, leaking power steering fluid and brakes which starting going three runs from the end and then totally failed on the last two runs. The weather was atrocious and I’m indebted to my service crew and all the marshals who stood out in it.”

Garner claimed his first podium position of the season in his GSR V10. He commented: “I’m happy with third, we were running on part-worn tyres so we struggled for grip in the wet conditions. We also had a rear shaft break which lost us time. We’re working our way up the leaderboard though so that’s good.”

Paul Myers managed to get his car repaired in time following it’s round one inversion and he was rewarded with fourth place. Ryan Cooke fought back from electrical problems on the opening run to take fifth place in his Milner LRM-1.

In sixth was Andy Powell. There was some doubt as to whether Powell would make the event as the new diff he needed for his Simmbugghini wasn’t delivered as planned. However, it finally appeared at 2.30pm on Friday and he got it fitted in time.

Paul Harris was 7^th in the Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight, a good result after his round one retirement. Mark Jacques claimed 8^th in his new 3M Challenger despite a broken trackrod end on day two.

The Isuzu UK D-Max of Jason Sharpe was in 9^th, the team having to borrow a CV joint from their service vehicle to keep the car going. Ian Bartlett rounded off the top ten in his Tomcat Tornado.

Alan Thomas won the Trophy category in his Warrior Gemini while in the Freelander Challenger Ben Gott triumphed in the Dynamic Metals-supported Race2Recovery car.

The BCCC moves to Scotland for the next round with the crews heading to the Forrest Estate course in Dumfries and Galloway.

BCCC Results

1.            Andrew West/Peter Widdop (Milner R5) 01:41:39
2.            Martin Cox/Paul Carson (GSR 206 Evo 9) 01:43:28
3.            Paul Garner/Giles Tinkler (GSR V10) 01:48:09
4.            Paul Myers/Martin Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 01:49:41
5.            Ryan Cooke/Lee Channing (Milner LRM-1) 01:55:52
6.            Andy Powell/Phil Ibbotson (Simmbugghini) 01:56:52
7.            Paul Harris/Mark Phelps (GSR Maxilight) 01:59:16
8.            Mark Jacques/Simon Last (3M Challenger) 02:06:45
9.            Jason Sharpe/Russell Sharpe (Isuzu D-Max) 02:07:32
10.          Ian Bartlett/Gary Bartlett (Tomcat Tornado) 02:09:23

Lofthouse ends perfect season with another win

2013 Britpart MSA British Cross Country Championship champion Dan Lofthouse rounded off a perfect season with another win in the final round at Walters Arena.

On a very muddy and slippery opening run the top three BCCC crews were separated by just three seconds with Toby Jefferson leading ahead of Lofthouse and Martin Cox . Cox’s hopes of finishing runner-up in the championship were ended on run two though when the engine failed in his GSR 206.

Torrential rain made parts of the course treacherous but the crews battled on with Jefferson, Tom Hipkiss and Lofthouse sharing fastest times on Saturday’s five runs. Lofthouse ended day one just over two minutes ahead of Hipkiss with Karl Gudgeon in third.

With both Hipkiss and Gudgeon suffering steering problems on day two Lofthouse was able to extend his lead over the day’s six runs and he finished with a lead of seven minutes.

“It was a tough event, very hard on both the car and the crew,” said Lofthouse. “We started on worn tyres but after a big moment at the jump on an early run we put new ones on which greatly improved the grip.”

“We had no issues with the car and no punctures, it’s a great end to what has been a perfect season.”

Paul Garner put in some great times on Sunday to pip Hipkiss for second on the final run. Garner’s co-driver Giles Tinkler said: “We’re happy with the result, we battled on through the conditions and got to the finish with no problems.”

Despite dropping to third Hipkiss was delighted with his performance: “It’s my best-ever BCCC result, second would’ve been even better but third is excellent. I enjoyed the course, it was very demanding and we had a few issues with the steering over the weekend. We managed to fabricate a temporary fix which allowed us to get to the finish.”

Another driver celebrating his best-ever BCCC result was Phil Ibbotson who brought his Metro 6R4 home in fourth.

“It’s my 30^th year of racing and this is my highest BCCC finish,” said Ibbotson. “I don’t usually like the Walters course but this one was enjoyable in a sadistic kind of way! The car ran like a dream”.

Rounding off the top five was Mike Moran who was another driver having problems with his steering. Toby Jefferson ended up sixth after his good start, his car requiring to be nursed to the finish after suffering a damaged frame.  Andy Powell was seventh, a good achievement in a car whose windscreen wipers stopped working. Powell had to operate the wipers manually with a piece of string which slowed him considerably in the awful conditions.  Paul Myers and Steve Smith were the remaining finishers, both experiencing problems on day two.

Non-finishers included Ian Bartlett who rolled his car on the final run of day one and Andi Skelley who had electrical problems on his new Milner part way through day two.

In the Trophy championship Paul Harris took the win in his Bristol Street Motors-supported GSR Maxilight ahead of Alan Thomas which meant he retained the BCCC Trophy title.

“I’m over the moon to win the title again, I didn’t think it’d be possible to win it twice. It’s been a difficult weekend, the conditions caused the car windows to steam up a lot which made visibility poor but we got to the finish.”

Matthew Morgan won the Freelander Challenge category with Nick Lines in second. In the Clubman class Jon Damrel was victorious in his Land Rover Tornado. Chris Bird led the Clubman event after the first run with a time that was quicker than the BCCC crews but his event ended with a broken diff on run two.

The 2014 championship will start in April with details expected to be announced at the Autosport show in January.

BCCC results
1.       Dan Lofthouse/Jonny Koonja (Lofthouse Freelander) 2h 24m 11s
2.       Paul Garner/Giles Tinkler (GSR V10) 2h 31m 15s
3.       Tom Hipkiss/Rich Hipkiss (Milner R5) 2h 35m 36s
4.       Phil Ibbotson/Will Jefferson (Metro 6R4) 2h 39m 25s
5.       Mike Moran/Tony Coid (AT 4x4 Challenger) 2h 40m 12s
6.       Toby Jefferson/Geoff Barlow (GSR 206) 2h 41m 49s
7.       Andy Powell/Andrew Graham (Simmbugghini) 2h 49m 19s
8.       Paul Myers/Alistair Myers (Land Rover Tornado) 3h 01m 17s
9.       Steve Smith/John Griffiths (JRG Clio) 3h 16m 22s