CARTER MAKES RALLYCROSS RETURN IN PGM SUZUKI SWIFT AT CROFT

 

Former BTRDA SuperModified 1600cc Rallycross Champion, Larry Carter, returns to action this weekend at his local Croft Circuit for the final round of the Autosport International BTRDA Rallycross Championship which takes place on Sunday 6^th November.

However, the motorsport broadcaster and journalist from Northallerton, North Yorkshire will not be using his trusty Peugeot 206 rally car in which he took the title in his debut season in the sport back in 2014, instead he’ll once again be at the wheel of a British Championship-specification Peter Gwynne Motorsport Suzuki Swift Sport.

Due to business commitments, Carter hasn’t been able to contest the BTRDA Championship for the past couple of seasons and hasn’t raced in Rallycross since the corresponding meeting last year when, in another PGM-backed Suzuki Swift, he battled to second place in the SuperModified ‘C’ Final before a bruising encounter in the ‘B’ Final saw him placed ninth in the 1600cc car against much more powerful opposition.

This time it will be an even taller order as a capacity entry has been received for the Darlington & District Motor Club-organised event which will see a total of 84 cars in action, including 26 in the SuperModified class.

The Suzuki Swift Sport is the car used recently by Ginetta GT4 racer Fraser Robertson at the final round of the British Rallycross Championship by Odyssey Battery and the MSA British Rallycross Grand Prix by Procter’s Coaches last month and will see Carter enjoy backing from sponsors Yorkshire Van Lease, Fuchs Titan Race, Design Bi-folds, Swift Signs, RWS Bodyworks, Peter Gwynne Motorsport and 7/10 Oils as well as www.cartersport.com.

Carter said: “Watching everyone else having fun whilst I did the commentary at the Croft British Rallycross Grand Prix made me even more determined to race at the final round of the BTRDA series! Thanks to Peter Gwynne Motorsport, I’ve been offered the chance to race a competitive Suzuki Swift once again and following last year’s experience, hopefully we can have a good, clean run and improve on our results from 2015.”

Practice starts at 9am with the first of three sets of heats getting underway from around 10.15am. Adult admission is just £10 on the gate with accompanied children aged 15 and under admitted free. There is free parking and free paddock access also. Croft Circuit is located on the A167 just five miles south of Darlington and for further information, please visit www.croftcircuit.co.uk

Image courtesy of Tony Todd 

Testing Terrain for Trio on Trackrod!

The sun shone as three Swifts swooped into Dalby Forest service park on the first day of October ready to take on the BTRDA Trackrod Rally.

First to take to the stages was British Rallycross Supernational driver Todd Crooks and girlfriend Jordine Wadge making their debut in BTRDA Rally.  Waiting for this day to finally arrive, an anxious Jordine had an even longer wait for her first taste of codriving when reaching stage one there was a thirty minute delay.

There were smiles as the two returned to service after SS3 however, and after a close encounter with a deer that jumped into the stage in front of them in Langdale, the pair realised what a real adventure rallying is.

Finding good pace through SS4 Crooks settled into his stride with the swift until reaching a collection of cars retired on the side of the stage.  Avoiding the cars put him in line with a large deep pot hole which caused damage and explained the parked cars.  Nursing the Swift back into service the crew got to work replacing the severed strut and bent hub just in time for Crooks to continue to SS5, where unfortunately their rally would end when a ball joint let go during a tight chicane.  

Jonathan Hodgson and codriver Gary Baker were next out and due to the delays queuing for stage start, there was concerns of the clutch overheating although they managed to made it though the morning stages until they too found the pothole on SS4 causing them to limp into service with a puncture.  New rubber on, the Yorkshire boys continued incident free to complete their third rally in a row.

Droitwich driver Tom Delaney and codriver Matt Walk were not so lucky.  Having had a steady run though their first stage learning grip levels,  the MSA Student encountered a rock in the middle of the road resulting in a cracked sump which ended play at SS3.

Whilst the Dalby Forest terrain got the better of two of the swifts in this occasion, congratulations to Jonathan and Gary on completing the day.

Well done to Todd and Jordine who worked well together and made a great team.   Hope to see them having more 'quality time' together or rally stages in the future. 

Finally thank you to everyone who came and offered help and support to the new couple on their rally debut and to all the organisers, marshals and everyone who made the event possible. 

The Swifts will be back out in force on Grizdale Stages - 26th November 2016

Crooks set for BTRDA Rally Debut

For Todd Crooks Motorsport is his passion!  Competing in both the British Rallycross Championship and also the BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship series, this year Crooks  is keen to sample different forms of motorsport enthused  by the @BTRDA All Rounders championship.

Whilst a regular in the Rallycross paddock, Crooks tried his hand at Sprinting, supporting the MDA when they visited Blyton Race Circuit earlier in the year where he won his class. 

Also conscious of his other passion in life,  girlfriend of six years Jordine Wadge, who herself has grown up in the rallycross paddock attending her first event at only three days old, Crooks suggested a weekend away in Yorkshire....Rallying! 

What better way of spending some quality time together than heading off into the Dalby forest strapped in a rally car together? 

The couple will make their rally debut in a PGM Swift competing in the popular BTRDA Trackrod Rally Yorkshire car #125 this Saturday (1st October).  

If visiting the service park pop by and wish them luck. 

Peter Gwynne:  Having done a coaching day with Todd at the Sweet Lamb Complex, sat beside him, he was smooth and progressed well with good speed.   He certainly has the ability to do well but it will be interesting to see how he gets on this weekend.  It is a a totally different discipline for him and also with it being Jordine's first time on the notes, either way I think it will be a real adventure for them both. 

Todd Crooks:  After winning the BTRDA Super modified Championship last year I was keen to stretch my legs and try something new. The BTRDA all rounders Championship seemed the perfect way to do this, so we could continue with the Rallycross and do a bit of something else as well. With competing in two Championships our weekends are quite busy, so finding something to fit was the first priority.  When I noticed that the Trackrod was on a free weekend I was immediately drawn to it, and this was only enhanced after the practice with Peter at Sweet Lamb. I'm really looking forward to this weekend and seeing  whether Rallying is the thing for us!

Jordine Wadge:   Motorsport has always played quite a big role in my life, right from three days old. Mum and Dad were keen on their Rallycross, but we spent many a weekend at different forms of circuit racing too. 20 years on and Motorsport is still at the top of my hobbies. Not only did Todd and I meet at Rallycross some 6 years ago, but it also plays a part in my part time job too as a first aider. When I was given the opportunity last year to compete in my first Rallycross in memory of my mum it's fair to say I caught the bug.  I've done a sprint this year too, and with the Rally I'll have tried 3 different sports in less than 365 days. I'm really locking forward to seeing how Todd and I get on as a team, and whether I can keep up in the notes! Big thanks to Peter and Sarah for the opportunity, and Richard too for the training!

Next Stop the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire!

The Swifts are out in force for the BTRDA Trackrod Rally Yorkshire.  Fun weekend ahead with these guys:

Swift No: 125

Driver:  Todd Crooks

Codriver:  Jordine Wadge

Swift No: 144

Driver:  Jonathan Hodgson 

Codriver:  Gary Baker

Swift No: 161

Driver:  Tom Delaney

Codriver:  Matthew Walk

Trackrod Motor Club | Brian James Trailers | Yokohama UK | KRU Rally | SVP Motorsport | BTRDA Rally

Crooks Claims Third in Clubmans Rallycross Championship

 

 

Superb drive by Todd Crooks today in the BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship at Blyton Park.

First time driving the Swift at got 2nd in class!

Congratulations to Phil Chicken for the win in his #S1600 C2 and the MB Motorsport Team for getting Phil back out on track after a mechanical issue earlier in the day.

Carter Returns to Rallycross at Croft in PGM Swift

Defending BTRDA SuperModified 1600cc Rallycross Champion, Larry Carter, returns to action this weekend at his local Croft Circuit for the final round of the Autosport International BTRDA Rallycross Championship which takes place on Sunday 15^th November. 

Larry Carter interviewing Carl Fogarty

However, the motorsport broadcaster and journalist from Northallerton, North Yorkshire will not be using his trusty Peugeot 206 rally car in which he took the title in his debut season in the sport last year, instead he’ll be at the wheel of a British Championship-specification Peter Gwynne Motorsport Suzuki Swift Sport.

Carter registered for the 2015 series and did the opening round at Blyton in Lincolnshire back in March but since then, his weekend commitments have limited his outings, but with the Croft meeting counting as double points, whilst retaining the 1600cc title is not possible, a top three placing in the final standings is a possibility, although with 23 SuperModified cars entered, including another half dozen competitive 1600cc cars, it’s a tall order.

Rob Pickard in action previously at Croft

The Suzuki Swift Sport is the car used recently by Swift Sport series newcomer Rob Pickard and latterly by Drew Bellerby whereby the teenager won the D Final at the MSA British Rallycross Grand Prix at Croft on her debut in the car last month.

Carter said:         “Watching everyone else having fun whilst I did the commentary at the Croft British Championship meeting made me even more determined to race at the final round of the BTRDA series! I’ve invested a lot of time and money into sorting the 206 this year and it’s not a Rallycross car at the end of the day, so that will just do rallies from now on. But thanks to Peter Gwynne Motorsport, I’ve  been offered the chance to race a competitive Suzuki Swift which I’ve always wanted to do so hopefully we can have a good, clean run to end the season on a high.”

The car will be backed by www.cartersport.com, RWS Bodyworks, Yorkshire Van Lease, Swift Signs and Fuchs Titan Race in the meeting which features a mammoth 80 car entry. 

Practice starts at 9am with the first of three sets of heats getting underway from around 10.15am. Adult admission is just £10 on the gate with accompanied children aged 15 and under admitted free. There is free parking and free paddock access also. Croft Circuit is located on the A167 just five miles south of Darlington and for further information, please visit www.croftcircuit.co.uk

Battle for Yapp in BTRDA B Final

Competing for only his second ever time on gravel, piloting the Peter Gwynne Motorsport S1600 Hire Swift, former BTRDA AutoSolo Challenge Champion Jamie Yapp gained pace in every heat of the Round 2 of The BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship held at Pembrey Circuit, Wales. 

 Jamie Yapp takes a win in Heat 3

 

A win in heat 3 secured pole position for the B Final however, the chance of an A final promotion slipped away after losing out at the hotly-contested first corner.  Whilst left at the back of the pack, Yapp managed a finish to complete the days event although was left unable to compete in Round 3 of the double header event.

It is a quick turnaround for the PGM Team as the S1600 Swift makes its first trip across the water this weekend for Belgian Driver Kris Fruru to contest a National event at Eurocircuit, Holland in preparation for the start of the Rallycross Challenge Europe in which he came fifth in 2014.

Former BTRDA Solo Champion Yapp Commits to Rallycross

Having taken victory in his Rallycross debut at Blyton Park, Gainsborough in March 2014, the former double BTRDA Solo champion, Jamie Yapp put his 2014 Motorsport plans on hold to focus on a BTRDA Rallycross title chase for 2015. 

 Piloting a Peter Gwynne Motorsport hire Swift, more commonly seen in their own class within the British Rallycross Championship, Yapp made his initial rallycross outing having only driven on a loose gravel surface for the first time a few weeks earlier, during a coaching session with Peter Gwynne.

Jamie Yapp's debut at Blyton Park where he won his class.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my Rallycross debut last season and I’m looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into a full season this year, learning the new car and the circuits along the way – fingers crossed we get some more success.” stated Yapp

Jamie will be upgrading to the PGM S1600 Swift this season, which he previously sampled when featuring in the BTRDA Rallycross demonstration in the Autosport International Live Action Arena Show back in January. 

 The Peter Gwynne Motorsport S1600 Swift Jamie drove in the Autosport International Show

“I am looking forward to working with Jamie for a season” commented Peter Gwynne. “During his first test, Jamie soon got to grips with the car and was confident with it sliding that it was evident he had some ability.  Not phased his first time out on the gravel with cars all round him, he kept it smooth and consistent and went on to win his class first time out.  Going on that he should do well.”   

Jamie will make his first appearance in the BTRDA Clubman's Rallycross Championship this Sunday back at Blyton Park near Gainsborough.

On track action starts at 9 am.  Spectators admission  £5.