Home victory boosts McCormacks Citroen title hopes
Martin McCormack and Phil Clarke
took away a haul of prizes from this weekend’s Toddsleap.com Ulster
International Rally, the penultimate round of the UK’s Citroën Racing
Trophy.
The 127 mile event, which is also
the fifth round of the MSA British Rally Championship, saw the youngster not
only lead the C2R2 Max contingent from start, but take fourth place overall in
the BRC standings, missing out on an overall podium place by just under eleven
seconds.
With Mark Gamble withdrawing his
entry shortly before the event, the remaining three C2R2 Cup competitors set
about the revived Ulster stages, the asphalt roads of the north Antrim coast not
used in this format since 2002.
The weather was typically
unsettled for the start of the rally on Saturday afternoon and tyre choice was
on everyone’s minds. But it was McCormack who set the pace straight from the
word go despite early brake problems, comfortable on roads which were less than
an hour from his Draperstown home.
After the first loop of three
stages, Championship rivals Jason Pritchard and Andrew Edwards had got into
their rhythm. Despite choosing the wrong tyre combination for the surprisingly
dry conditions, the Welsh pair pegged McCormack’s lead to under twenty seconds
with a fastest time on the notoriously tricky eight mile Torr Head stage.
Andrew Hockridge and Rich Mills
were initially too cautious, but the car felt good on the opening stages and the
Welshman’s experience of a couple of Irish tarmac events, including a class win
the last time out, was enough to take joint fastest time with Pritchard on Torr
Head.
The first loop of stages was then
repeated and it was McCormack once again in charge, leaping another eighteen
seconds ahead of Pritchard in two stages. Pritchard responded, but it was not
enough as the pair set equal fastest time on the second run through Torr
Head.
The overnight halt stopped play
on the Ulster lanes, positions gelling with McCormack ahead of Pritchard and
Hockridge, but an early morning Saturday re-start meant another chance for the
chasing crews.
With stages now run in pairs
between service, the teams had a better chance of getting tyre choice right and
all three were on the correct Pirellis for the first loop. All had problems on
the first stage of the day, Cairncastle, McCormack and Pritchard overshooting
the same hairpin while Pritchard landed heavily, bending the steering.
It was McCormack who continued to
pull clear at the front, but Cairncastle was to claim a victim during the second
run, Pritchard clipping a bank and sustaining damage to the oil filter which
ended his rally on the spot.
Just three stages stood between
the crews and the Antrim finish and the remaining pair maintained station,
although a late electrical gremlin gave Hockridge a scare, a low voltage reading
making him reluctant to switch the engine off.
McCormack’s victory in the
Citroën Racing Trophy netted the MSA British Junior Rally Champion a cheque for
€2,000, boosted to €2,500 for being third placed two wheel drive car on the
event. Hockridge did not go home empty handed either, taking €1000 prize money
for his second place, courtesy of Citroën Racing.
As the champagne sprayed next to
the historic Antrim Gate, McCormack’s eventual winning margin was over three
minutes. But his victory is not enough to seal the Citroën Racing Trophy/C2R2
Cup title and the battle will go across the English Channel for Rallye Le
Touquet in late September.
Date published : 26 Aug 2009 - 14:01:33
