SJR Hankook rally drivers Gwyndaf Evans and Stuart Jones are set to face more than 160 miles of fast and challenging roads next month as the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship heads to the Scottish borders for the Jim Clark Rally. With one round down and the championship still in its early stages, the SJR Hankook team now turns its attention to asphalt and one of the toughest tests of the championship.
Matador Tyres backed rally driver Craig Middleton bounced back from his fiery exit on the RBS International Manx Rally with a superb victory on the Severn Valley National Rally this weekend. With the Hyundai Accent WRC repaired after it ignited on the Isle of Man, the 26-year-old Welshman from Llandrindod Wells took a hard earned victory in hot and sunny conditions. The win keeps Craig’s chances of winning the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship alive after a year of mixed fortune so far.
The final three contestants of the Dunlop Race Academy 2 will go head to head at Silverstone on 24th August for the chance to compete in the Dunlop Driver’s Cup; the final round in the highly competitive Ginetta Championship where they will share the track with experienced racers.
Alec Berry from County Durham, Simon Shaw from Warrington and Luke Debono-Wilson from Essex, who will represent the North East, North West and South East were chosen from over 8,000 entrants. Seven regional winners competed at Donington race track to make this final three and were scored by the Dunlop Race Academy judges as they completed a full day of driver coaching and evaluation, fitness and media tests on the Donington Grand Prix circuit.
Hankook Tyres recently participated in the 2005 Swansea Bay Rally. The annual event is made up of nine major championships including the MSA Gravel National Rally Championship, Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge, Peugeot Total 206 Super Cup and of course Hankook 205 Challenge. For competitors of the Hankook 205 Challenge, this is the highlight of the season as they take on some of the most challenging WRC stages of Rally GB.
This year Chris Bayliss and co-driver Mark Mason took their second Hankook 205 Challenge win of the year at the Swansea Bay Rally. In stark contrast to last year’s event, which was dominated by one crew, Bayliss/Mason were part of a tight four-way battle for the lead, eventually taking the spoils by 1.1 seconds from Ian Winstanley / Neil Bye, with Rob Wilson / Dylan Jenkins third, nine seconds in arrears.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has announced that it’s offering US customers a $50 guarantee on tyres equipped with its self-sealing DuraSeal commercial tyre technology. The tyre company says it will pay out $25 for a tyre’s first retread if punctures up to a quarter of an inch in diameter in the tread area do not seal. Sidewall punctures will not be covered. DuraSeal technology initially will be available in Goodyear’s new Unisteel G287 MSA and G288 MSA mixed-service tyres. The company believes the technology will be popular in logging, landfill, construction, road building and other related applications.
The Government Motorsport Unit (GMU) is teaming up with various motorsport bodies to fund a unique stand at next week’s Autosport International. ‘Women in Motorsport’ will exhibit with a combination of resources from: Formula Woman, British Women Racing Drivers’ Club (BWRDC), Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) and the Motor Sports Association (MSA). The aim is to actively promote female involvement in motorsport and to assist women working within the industry.
The final round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship to be held at Brands Hatch, 31 October, will see Dermot Carnegie squaring up to the largest Supercar entry of the year. Ireland’s former rally champion Andrew Nesbitt will make his first appearance in the sport and the Ford RS200 Group B car will say farewell to the event.
Dermot Carnegie commented: “I can go to the final round and be free to race without thinking that a finish in the points is better than winning, that will be fun. And I want to have a go with Andrew Nesbitt,” he said.
Steve Mundy, Andy Grant and Kevin McCann are eager to end the year on a high, as is Will Gollop who won the first round of the championship but who has been out of action for much of the year after suffering an engine failure in his Ford Focus.
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