Simon Bowen arrives at the Dunoon Presents Argyll Rally (21/22 June) leading the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship standings, thanks to a magnificent unblemished run of four impressive top six finishes.
Co-driven by Craig Simkiss, the Preston driver has been a master of speed and consistency in his Ford Fiesta S2000T so far this year and is currently in pole position for not only the Protyre Asphalt title, but a private test with M-Sport in a Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1.
He faces strong opposition for both those rewards, not least from number one seeds Callum Black/Jack Morton. Last year’s champions got the strong result they so badly needed last time out on the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally and the 586 Sport crew are now focused on claiming back-to-back Argyll Rally wins in their Pallas Connections Fiesta Rally2.
Neil Roskell is also moving up the Protyre Asphalt leaderboard. Partnered by the 2022 co-drivers’ champion Dai Roberts, Neil has twice finished runner up in the series and will be out to win in Argyll in his ND Civils/Burdens/Witham Motorsport Fiesta Rally2 to boost his current points tally.
Sam Touzel has been on great form this year, with ever better results in his Smart Scaffolding/Express Auto Parts Fiesta Rally2 culminating in his first overall rally win on the recent non-championship L’Etacq Attack Rally on home soil in Jersey. He will be aiming to continue that excellent run when he and co-driver Aaron Nicolle contest Argyll for the first time.
Roger and Tommi Henderson scored their best Protyre Asphalt result last time out and will be aiming for another top seven points finish in their DKMS We Delete Blood Cancer Fiesta Rally2. Darrell Taylor/Dylan Thomas appear in another Fiesta Rally2, Ant Eaton/Ian Jackson start in their familiar Autotest Fiesta R5 and David White/Jane Nicol contest the event in their White’s Bakery Fiesta R5.
And if it’s experience that you’re looking for, then look no further than Hugh Hunter/Rob Fagg who will be fighting for another top result in their Robert Hunter & Son Tarmac/Lewis & Hunter Contracting Fiesta Rally2.
Mark Kelly/Will Atkins will be hoping to end their recent run of bad luck with a strong finish in their Kelmore Škoda Fabia R5, as will John Stone (who is partnered this time by Sam Collis in his Legend Fires Volkswagen Polo GTI R5), and Hugh Brunton/Drew Sturrock (Škoda Fabia Rally2).
William Hill’s amazing run of magnificent overall results and class B14 victories came to an end on the Jim Clark. Co-driven by Richard Crozier, the Worcester driver arrives in Argyll leading the class and looking to reinstate the status quo in his Hills Ford Fiesta Rally3.
Also aiming for top class B14 points will be Dumfries driver Joe Mckeand (who is co-driven this time by Ryan McMichael) and Bobby Macdonald/Martin Maccabe (who are both in Subaru Imprezas), together with Nathan Bolton/Phil Kenny, Ian Jarvis/Paul Train and Tony Davies/Terry Martin (all in Mitsubishi Evo 9s).
Darren Atkinson leads class B13 and the Escort Challenge. The Lancaster pilot is also an astonishing third in the overall drivers’ standings, illustrating how hard he pushes his Haldane Fisher Escort Mk2. He’ll be reunited in Argyll with co-driver Phil Sandham.
Attempting to stop Darren’s run of B13 success will be Gordon Morrison/Ian Parker who had an excellent run on the Jim Clark and are second in class in their Lochwinnoch Motors Heavy Haulage Escort Mk2, and third-placed Aled Wyn Morgans/Ian Taylor in their Aberystwyth Motorsport Escort Mk2. Huw James/Lewis Sim will be hoping to carry on the good form that took them to a class podium finish on the Manx in their A&D Tyres Escort Mk2, while Tim Cole/David Sutcliffe will be back to their spectacular best in their Manx Automobile Assistance/MAA Logistics BMW E36 Compact.
Michael Harbour/Cameron Dunn arrive at Round 5 leading B11 in their rapid VS Pro Pressure Washing Services/Miller Waste Water Escort Mk2 and will continue their battle for class points against Ben Crump/Ian Beamond (Coltech Escort Mk2), George Heighway/Zak Linham (Toyota Corolla) and Ant Allery/Richard Bonner (Escort Mk2) – while Nathan Evans/Rhys Edwards make a welcome return to the series in their Renault Clio RS.
Paul Evans/Callum Young bring a slender B10 lead to Argyll and will be looking for their first class victory of the season in their Electric Bike Supermarket Escort Mk2. Rory and Paul McCann have twice won B10 this year and will be eager to take the class lead in their Metalways Honda Civic, while Kyle Casement/Liam McCann will also be keen to add to the Manx day one class victory in their BVS Vehicles Citroën C2. Don’t discount Max Murray/Matty Owen as potential class winners either, given their pace on the opening two rounds in their Citroën C2, which has been repaired following their accident on day two of the Manx.
Simon Hunter will be aiming to take the lead of B9 in his Kwiktrak Vauxhall Corsa S1400, which is a position his navigator Howard Pridmore already holds in the co-drivers’ section. He’ll be battling against Martin Melling/Neil MacDonald, who also lead the Plastics4Performance Mini Challenge points in their Mini Mayfair. Kenny Watt/Eilidh Williamson join that fight in their Mini.
There is also a very close battle in class H3b and the BTRDA Historic Asphalt Cup. Denbigh’s Will Rowlands will be hoping to recapture the lead in both in his Escort RS1800 Mk2, while his navigator Emyr Hall already tops the co-drivers’ sections.
Nikki Addison (co-driven by Iain Thorburn) will be aiming to edge out a gap at the top of the Ladies’ Challenge when she contests the event in her Electric Center Honda Civic Type-R.
Action from the Dunoon Presents Argyll Rally will be streamed live and free-to-view on the Special Stage TV Facebook and YouTube channels.
The Argyll Rally is based in the town of Dunoon, which will once again host the now traditional opening two stages on Friday 21 June. This will be followed by a further five Friday night stages to complete all of Leg 1’s challenging 27 stage miles. Saturday will feature two loops of stages on the picturesque Cowal Peninsula, bringing the total competitive mileage to almost 75 stage miles.
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