• Huddersfield’s Richard Kershaw set to defend 18-point BCCC lead
• Ambaston’s Steve Lloyd heads to Devon with big Trophy lead
Ambaston’s Steve Lloyd has a good lead in the BCCC’s Trophy category. Pic: Songasport.
2008 BRITPART MSA BRITISH CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Hartnoll Farm, Tiverton – round 4: August 16th-17th, 2008
Huddersfield’s Richard Kershaw heads to Hartnoll Farm, near Tiverton in Devon, in a bid to defend his 18-point lead in the 2008 Britpart MSA British Cross-Country Championship (BCCC).
The event is the fourth round of the prestigious six-event off-road series for the first time and takes place on Saturday, August 16th and Sunday, August 17th.
Kershaw has begun to pull away from his main rivals at the head of the points’ standings after taking a useful win at Castle O’er in the Scottish borders recently and the Peugeot 206 Evo9 driver will be hoping to make the long drive to Devon worthwhile with his third win of the season.
His nearest challenger is Holywell’s consistent Tim Dilworth, who lies within striking distance of the championship leader in his Peugeot STi and 22 points clear of Deeside’s Neil Davey, the winner of the opening round at Baden Hall.
The terrain at Hartnoll Farm is a mixture of rough ground and grassland and will be new to all the established BCCC runners. The weather leading up to the event could become a key factor.
Broadbottom’s Martin Gould holds fourth place in the title race and is a mere four points behind Davey. A podium finish for the Matseratti driver could well catapult him up the leaderboard.
Officials at Marches 4x4 Motorsport Management are expecting many of the established runners to make the trip to Devon, despite the fact that the event falls in the peak August holiday season. The entry may well be bolstered as well by the attendance of several local Land Rover competitors.
Among those in need of points are Bamber Bridge-based Dan Lofthouse, Hatton’s Stephen Smith, Chesterfield’s Alan Kirkland, Darlington’s Graham Porter and Caxton’s Martin Cox, all of whom currently hold a top 10 place in the championship classification and could force their way into contention for honours over the final three rounds of the season.
King’s Nordley’s Ian Rochelle is one of several drivers who have shown pace on the first rounds of the season, but has not been able to turn that into good finishes. Chipping Norton’s Ray Kempster, Broadbottom’s Colin Gould and Farnham’s Ben Gott could also do with a top three finish in Devon.
There are several fascinating battles developing in the numerous BCCC classes: outside the overall top 12, Huntingdon’s Paul Garner leads G2, Heswall’s Roland Marlow heads class C, Nuneaton’s Andrew Wilson holds the advantage in D and Billericay’s Tim Hayday has the edge in Class B from Lancashire’s Laurie Boyle.
Tamworth’s Lee Clinton in BCCC action at the wheel of his Land Rover. Pic: Songasport.
Ambaston’s Steve Lloyd is running away with the Trophy category at the mid-point of the BCCC season. The Milner R4 driver has amassed a 28-point advantage over Talybont’s Martin James, with Stockton’s Peter Wood a further 11 points adrift. Other Trophy runners in Devon are likely to include Leeds driver Paul Myers and All Stretton’s Nick Forsyth.
The weekend’s timetable begins with scrutineering and documentation on Saturday morning from 07.30hrs (August 16th), with Safari competition on the four-mile Hartnoll Farm stage getting underway at 10.00hrs. Day two action resumes at 09.30hrs on Sunday and runs through until early afternoon.
2008 Britpart MSA British Cross-Country Championship – Positions after round 2 of 6 (official):
BCCC
1. Richard Kershaw (Huddersfield) 253 pts
2. Tim Dilworth (Holywell) 235 pts
3. Neil Davey (Deeside) 213 pts
4. Martin Gould (Broadbottom, Hyde) 209 pts
5. Dan Lofthouse (Bamber Bridge) 196 pts
6. Stephen Smith (Hatton) 187 pts
7. Alan Kirkland (Chesterfield) 184 pts
8. Graham Porter (Darlington) 179 pts
9. Martin Cox (Caxton) 179 pts
10. Toby Jefferson (Smithbridge) 176 pts
11. Ian Bartram (Clayton-le-Moors) 173 pts
12. Ken Powell (Kegworth) 171 pts
Trophy
1. Steve Lloyd (Ambaston) 258 pts
2. Martin James (Talybont) 230 pts
3. Peter Wood (Stockton-on-Tees) 219 pts
4. Adam Evans 147 pts
5. Nick Forsyth (All Stretton) 141 pts
6. Paul Myers (Leeds) 137 pts
7. Bob Seaman (Ludford) 75 pts
www.marches4x4.com
- Neil Perkins, 2008 Britpart MSA British Cross-Country Championship -
More reports from this category all copyright automobilsport.com.
