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!

Driver Coaching Day in the Welsh Mountains

Cracking day with Tom Delaney Rallying and Ed Fossey Motorsport yesterday gravel coaching in the Welsh Mountains.

Motor Sports Association (MSA) Academy Student Tom Delaney's level of car control is improving all the time, along with showing consistency in his lines.  Delaney certainly enjoys the car sliding on the gravel, not to mention getting some airtime!

Ed Fossey made the trip over from Jersey for his first session experiencing a gravel surface and after proving he listened and was confident enough, it was straight up onto the stage to see what he could do.  

A big step for the former Junior 1000 Rally Championship driver, getting used to the movement of the car on a loose surface, whilst being aware of the big drops where there is little room for error!

His speed improved everytime out and it was not long before he was looking very comfortable out there in the Welsh countryside.

Great job by the lads, despite the varied weather conditions with snow and hail, it was a successful day for both drivers with no dramas and the superb little Swifts performed brilliantly all day.

Three In A Row For PGM Instructor Alexander

Congratulations to PGM instructor Paul Alexander who took another class win in the Agbo Stages Rally​ held at Weston Park​ near Telford on Sunday. 

Alexander has now taken three consecutive class wins in his immaculately prepared 2.0 Mk2 Escort and claims he is still leaving time out there!

Paul Alexander:  "I’m really pleased with the result.  We don’t have any recent experience of the venue, and were using the same set of used tyres that we did the last rally on – so to be near the sharp end and take a third consecutive class win was a real bonus.  I think I enjoyed it even more because we had to work hard on the latter stages to hold the chasing crews off.   We’re now going to develop the CAM Auto Developments and PGM-supported car further and will hopefully be back out again soon – ideally when the Flanders International Rally Challenge commences on the ORC Canal Rally in Belgium"

Sponsors:  Amillan,  Cam Auto Developments, Goodridge Ltd, SBD Motorsport

Tom Delaney''s first event of the season, The Lee Holland Junior Stage Rally - Anglesey

 

Best of luck to Tom Delaney Rallying and the SVP/Rallynuts Team on the Pendle & District Motor Club Lee Holland Junior Stage Rally at Anglesey Circuit / Trac Môn today for the Junior 1000 Rally Championship.

Podium for Alexander on Dukeries Development Drive

Congratulations to PGM instructor Paul Alexander and Co-driver Tom Woodburn on their 1st in class and 3rd overall today in the Rainworth Skoda Dukeries Rally​ at Donington Park today.

 With tweaks to the car throughout the day in preparation for taking to the Irish lanes in their next outing in Killarney, the pair held a top three position for the majority of the day. 

As the light began to fade, Alexander just wanted to retain his second place behind the storming Proton of David Tinn however, a sudden retirement by Tinn meant the title was there for the taking.  Flicking the lamps on and heading into the darkness it was apparent the speedy couple were struggling with visibility from their spot lights.  Choosing to air on the side of caution on this test outing, Alexander eased off the gas and crossed the flying finish after a clean but somewhat frustrating run.

 Initially aiming for a top ten finish, Alexander was pleased with third overall and more importantly how the 2 litre Mk II Escort performed in this hotly contested event.  Whilst a suspension upgrade will have to stay on the wish list for 2015, an upgrade to the lighting system is planned before heading out to tackle the technical ‘Gortnagane’ night stage on the Rentokil Initial Killarney Historic Stages Rally – 5th December.

Car	Cls	Crew	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Penalty	Total	Cls Pos	O/A Pos
2	4	Ashley Field/ Ryan Vickers	7:32	6:28	7:55	7:39	6:51	6:43	6:17	6:18		55:43	1	1
20	3	Martin Hodgson/ Tony Jones	6:56	6:27	7:51	7:45	7:01	6:56	6:22	6:34		55:52	1	2
19	3	Paul Alexander/ Tom Woodburn	6:59	6:27	7:53	7:44	7:00	6:51	6:19	6:43		55:56	2	3
8	4	Paul Diamond/ Stephen Cox	7:08	6:32	8:05	8:00	7:05	6:59	6:27	6:40		56:56	2	4
6	4	Graeme Bell/ Russ Radford	7:03	6:36	8:07	7:54	7:15	7:07	6:28	6:40		57:10	3	5
87	5	John Yates / Rhys Yates	7:10	6:35	8:04	8:30	7:11	6:59	6:31	6:36		57:36	1	6
5	3	Julian Jones/ Mikey Herritts	7:13	6:41	8:06	7:56	7:17	7:04	6:34	6:46		57:37	3	7
32	4	Matt Downer/ Marc Gaunt	7:16	6:37	8:10	7:57	7:11	7:05	6:37	6:54		57:47	4	8
9	5	Oliver Hopkins/ Ashley Trimble	7:06	6:43	8:09	8:00	7:19	7:10	6:39	6:51		57:57	2	9
17	4	Andrew Bayliss/ Chris Sharpe-Simkiss	7:17	6:44	8:03	8:03	7:07	7:37	6:30	6:49		58:10	5	10