24-25th February

SUNSEEKER CAME OF AGE!

Celebrating it’s 21st Anniversary, The Rallye has progressed from its humble beginnings to become one of the most popular events in the calendar and one that Bournemouth has really taken to its heart.

Action started with the cars tackling two special stages, in the dark, through the Lower Gardens in Bournemouth Town Centre. The action continued on Saturday 25th February when the cars head off to the gravel tracks of Wareham and Ringwood Forests and Somerley Park . The revised route for the 21st anniversary rally gave the spectators more opportunities of seeing the cars and crews in action.

“With our close ties and involvement with the rally fraternity it was great for us to become a partner in this event, especially being so local to us”, commented Peter Marsh, managing Director of Turbo Dynamics Limited.

History

This was the eighth consecutive time that Poole-based Sunseeker International have been headline sponsors of the opening round of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship and the first year that Turbo Dynamics co-sponsored the event.

Back in 1986, the event was known as the Citroen Winter Rally in deference to the French car manufacturer's involvement. Coincidentally, 1986 was also the last time that a two-wheel drive car took top honours as the Ford Escort RS of local estate agent Colin Short, co-driven by broadcaster Gary Champion, arrived back at the finish for the champagne celebrations.

Over the years the National Rally Championship has often been used as a test-bed by manufacturers for their new cars and so it was in 1987 when Malcolm Wilson's factory-run MG Metro 6R4 took the first of a string of event wins in the series. Japanese car-maker Mazda took over the mantle of event sponsor for six years from 1988 and, apart from Mika Sohlberg's sole victory in a Lancia Delta in 1990, Fords were to prove unbeatable for almost a decade. Pete Doughty's Sierra opened the scoring in 1988, followed by the similar car of Trevor Smith who went on to become one of the event's three-time winners (1989/91/92). Ulsterman Stephen Finlay's victory in 1993 was the last for a Sierra, while Scottish Rally Champion David Gillanders ushered in the era of the Escort Cosworth with wins in 1994 & 1995.

Multiple National Rally Champion Chris Mellors took his one and only victory on the south coast as he won the Bournemouth Winter Rally in 1996, again at the wheel of an Escort Cosworth, while Raymond Munro put his name on the winners' trophy the following year in a Metro 6R4, fully ten years after Malcolm Wilson's success in the car. The Subaru Impreza first appeared on the winner's rostrum in 1998 in the hands of Roger Duckworth, which then brings us on to the Sunseeker era.

In recent years the name of Marcus Dodd has become almost synonymous with Rallye Sunseeker. Originally sponsored by Sunseeker Sales, the winner of the rally four times in the next five years, in both Escort and Subaru World Rally Cars, was also leading in the snow of 2004, before an accident put him out, and he finished runner-up last year. It was Irishman Kenny McKinstry who denied Dodd five straight victories, while Roger Duckworth survived the treacherous conditions of 2004 to take his second win.

2005 saw David Higgins make a rare appearance in Bournemouth as he went on to win in a borrowed Hyundai Accent WRC. At the Awards Presentation that evening, the defending British Rally Champion was magnanimous in his praise of the event's organisation, commenting that others could learn from the level of professionalism displayed.

MIDDLETON MAKES IT AT LAST!...

Having missed out on victory by just six-tenths of a second in 2004, Craig Middleton won Rallye Sunseeker 2006, the opening round of the MSA Gravel Rally Championship, in his Hyundai Accent WRC. After 15 special stages, he and co-driver Robin Hernaman arrived back at the finish in the centre of Bournemouth nearly half-a-minute ahead of runners-up Steve Perez & Neil Dashfield (Ford Focus WRC).

As has become the norm, Rallye Sunseeker was split into two legs, with the first taking place on Friday evening prior to an overnight halt. Late that night Turbo Dynamics were contacted to supply a turbo to replace a competitors failed turbocharger on an Evo 7. In the event a fellow team came to the rescue but TD had all the necessary parts in stock and ready for some late night shopping had all else failed.

Leaders at the end of the first leg, for the third year running, were Paul Bird & Ian Windress who had forsaken their 2005 ANCRO National Championship-winning Focus in favour of a hired Subaru Impreza WRC. Loss of fourth gear early on Saturday, and no replacement box, hampered their progress throughout the remainder of the event, but they persevered and were rewarded with 3rd place overall

Fresh from a win on the Inverness-based Snowman Rally last weekend, reigning Scottish Champions Barry Johnson & Stewart Merry travelled virtually from one end of the UK to the other to take 4th on the south coast in their Subaru Impreza WRC. Richard Gower/Aled Davies (Hyundai Accent WRC) & John Lloyd/Pauline Gullick (Subaru Impreza WRC) rounded off the Top Six. Local interest focussed on south of England Ford Main Dealer Steve Hendy (Ford Escort WRC) who had spent much of the day dicing with fellow National Asphalt Rally Championship contender Steve Fleck (Subaru Impreza WRC). However, the outcome was put beyond doubt when Fleck retired with electrical problems at the end of the final Ebblake Turbo Dynamics stage, 15, while Hendy continued on to 7th place.

Almost one-third of the total entry for Rallye Sunseeker was made up of Group N ‘production' category cars and, as expected, the battle for top honours here was also extremely hot! After several changes of leader during the day, Anthony Willmington not only emerged as category winner, but also as the first-ever recipient of the spoils of a round of the Mitsubishi Evolution Cup in his Lancer EVO6. Alistair Tough (Subaru Impreza) was right behind him, with early leader Rob Smith (Subaru Impreza) eventually taking 3rd.

On his first event in a four-wheel drive car, Sunseeker regular and F1 commentator, Tony Jardine, co-driven by Motorsport News Editor Jim Holder, finished 17th overall and 9th in class in a Subaru Impreza, declaring himself well pleased with the result.

Neil Weaver won the two-wheel drive section in his 1400cc Vauxhall Corsa, finishing almost three minutes in front of his nearest rival, Jamie Hickman, who took maximum points in the Peugeot 206 Cup. On a bitterly cold, but dry, day the retirement rate was considerable. Amongst those who would not see the finish were four-times Rallye Sunseeker winner Marcus Dodd who was, indeed, leading the event once again when clutch trouble intervened and put his Hyundai Accent WRC out of the running. Other former Sunseeker winners Kenny McKinstry & Roger Duckworth (both Subaru Impreza WRCs) were both forced out with mechanical troubles.

Leaders at the end of the first leg, for the third year running, were Paul Bird & Ian Windress who had forsaken their 2005 ANCRO National Championship-winning Focus in favour of a hired Subaru Impreza WRC. Loss of fourth gear early on Saturday, and no replacement box, hampered their progress throughout the remainder of the event, but they persevered and were rewarded with 3rd place overall.. Fresh from a win on the Inverness-based Snowman Rally last weekend, reigning Scottish Champions Barry Johnson & Stewart Merry travelled virtually from one end of the UK to the other to take 4th on the south coast in their Subaru Impreza WRC. Richard Gower/Aled Davies (Hyundai Accent WRC) & John Lloyd/Pauline Gullick (Subaru Impreza WRC) rounded off the Top Six. Local interest focussed on south of England Ford Main Dealer Steve Hendy (Ford Escort WRC) who had spent much of the day dicing with fellow National Asphalt Rally Championship contender Steve Fleck (Subaru Impreza WRC). However, the outcome was put beyond doubt when Fleck retired with electrical problems at the end of the final Ebblake Turbo Dynamics stage, 15, while Hendy continued on to 7th place.

Almost one-third of the total entry for Rallye Sunseeker was made up of Group N ‘production' category cars and, as expected, the battle for top honours here was also extremely hot! After several changes of leader during the day, Anthony Willmington not only emerged as category winner, but also as the first-ever recipient of the spoils of a round of the Mitsubishi Evolution Cup in his Lancer EVO6. Alistair Tough (Subaru Impreza) was right behind him, with early leader Rob Smith (Subaru Impreza) eventually taking 3rd.