Callum Black celebrated back-to-back Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship titles by winning the final round of the series, the Hills Ford Stages (14-15 September), at his first attempt in his 586 Sport-preparedPallas Connections Ford Fiesta Rally2.
Co-driven by three-time champion Jack Morton, the Brackley driver lost 37 seconds on Saturday when an engine mapping issue saw the car trip into limp mode on both SS1 and 2, but he quickly regained that time and more as he took the lead on SS5.
As well as the title, Callum wins a private test in a Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 at the M-Sport Evaluation Centre track located at the team’s headquarters in Cockermouth, Cumbria – while his car will have a full systems check and shakedown by the M-Sport Rally2 support team.
“This was my first time at Hills Ford Stages and I underestimated how good the stages were going to be because once I did the recce I realised that it was going to be a fantastic rally,” said Callum.
“We had a bit of a blip on both the Saturday night stages and lost a chunk of time, but Sunday was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. The stages were really fast and challenging and all credit to the organisers for putting on such a good event.
“I’m delighted to win back-to-back Protyre Asphalt titles, and to finish the season with four wins out of four events is quite special. The second half of our season could not have gone better really.
“Winning the opportunity to test a Puma Rally1 with M-Sport is something that I’m really looking forward to and it’s going to be an awesome day. It’s going to be the most incredible end to an incredible season.”
Neil Roskell arrived at the Hills Ford Stages knowing that he could tie on points with Callum but would lose the title on a tiebreak. That didn’t lessen his commitment or determination to end the Protyre Asphalt season on a high and he attacked the stages with characteristic gusto.
He lost time with a big overshoot on SS7 and lost even more time after collecting a rear left puncture half way through SS9. This meant that he and co-driver Dai Roberts went into the final stage just one second ahead of Steve Wood/Kenny Hull in an epic battle for second. In a fantastic finale, Neil was 11 seconds fastest through the concluding 8.51-mile Marcle Hill stage the second time than he’d been the first to secure second place on the event (and in the championship) in his ND Civils/Burdens/Witham Motorsport Fiesta Rally2.
Steve finished third, a mere three seconds behind, after a gutsy performance in his Sligo Pallets Citroën C3 Rally2. The 2022 Protyre Asphalt champion admitted to lacking confidence after an accident in Galway but was back to his best by Sunday afternoon. He might well have snatched second place, had it not been for a moment when he “floated along a ditch” having gone a little wide on a very fast right hander on the final stage. Nevertheless, a podium finish was an excellent result.
Roger Duckworth was equal third overall after a magnificent start to the event on Saturday. He and co-driver Alun Cook were sensational in their “older, original” Technia Fiesta R5 and finished fourth, just 15 seconds off the podium.
James Labey clinched the Protyre Asphalt Junior title after a superb run in his Fiesta Rally2. The 22-year old from Jersey stalled the engine twice in two Sunday morning stages after being caught out a little on patches of gravel, but despite this he and co-driver Sion Cunniff completed their first event since the Dunoon Presents Argyll Rally in June to take home the coveted U25 trophy.
Stephen Simpson never put a foot wrong in his CA1 Sport-prepared Tudor Glass Fiesta Rally2 as he, co-driven by Mark Glennerster, took home seventh-placed Protyre Asphalt points to move him from 12th to eighth in the overall drivers’ standings.
Philip Hopkins was in his usual full attack mode and destroyed a bail chicane on SS5. Having replaced the radiator and intercooler, he and co-driver Sam Allen continued at unabated pace in a bruised Hopkins Race Transporters Mitsubishi Evo 6 to win class B14 and take home eighth-place overall Protyre Asphalt points.
Sean and Colin Quigley enjoyed an excellent first event in their smart Ashley Group Fiesta Rally2 and were rewarded with a well-deserved Protyre Asphalt top 10 finish.
Roger Moran/Daniel Petrie finished just outside the Protyre Asphalt top 10 after a faultless run in their Moran Motorhomes Škoda Fabia R5, Mike English/Andy Robinson overcame intercom problems to finish well in their Proact Fiesta Rally2, Richard Slinger/Mark Twiname survived a few early scary moments to complete the event in their Mitsubishi Evo 6, Mark Holmes/Mark Broadbent finished well in their Metro 6R4, despite the car’s engine cutting out for 90 seconds on SS10, while Tom Jones/Andy Conibear got to the finish after a good run in their Eveleighs Garage Subaru Impreza.
This was Rob Hughes’ first rally since the Legend Fires North West Stages back in March, thanks to a combination of work commitments and engine issues with his CSG Motorsport Fiesta. Co-driven by Dylan Thomas, Rob picked up maximum R5 points after an excellent run.
Whilst others were separated by seconds and even tied on time, Mark Kelly blitzed the opening two stages of the event on Saturday and went into the overnight halt with a seven second lead. He and co-driver Will Atkins extended that lead to 15 seconds when, running first on the road, they hit a brace of pheasants. The impact put a hole in the radiator of their Kelmore Škoda Fabia R5, forcing them out.
Having won the class B14 title in a Hills Ford Fiesta Rally3, Will Hill contested the event in a Dom Buckley RSC Fiesta Rally2. Unfortunately, he locked up under braking on a bumpy section in SS3 and put the car off the road. The car was undamaged, and he and co-driver Richard Crozier returned in the afternoon to get some valuable Rally2 seat time.
Brad Cole surprised everyone by turning up in a new Hydroline Solutions Fiesta Rally2, which promptly won the Dynamic Fluids Best Presented Car Award – selected by championship scruntineer Geoff Doe and presented by championship co-ordinator Paul Morris. It was the Somerset driver’s first rally since breaking his arm on the Manx National, so naturally he and co-driver Jamie Vaughan were being sensible and getting used to the Trick Motorsport machine, which couldn’t have been more different to the 2.5-litre Escort Mk2 he used to complete in. Unfortunately Brad’s rally came to an end on Sunday afternoon when a bad engine misfire intervened.
Simon Bowen/Craig Simkiss had a disastrous start and picked up an opening stage maximum time after putting their Fiesta S2000T into a ditch at high speed. They ended day one 2mins 22secs behind the leaders and then retired early on Sunday. Having led the series at mid-distance, Simon finished fourth in the overall drivers’ standings.
After such a fantastic season, it wasn’t an event that Sam Touzel will care to remember either. Despite the stages reminding him of his native Jersey lanes, nothing seemed to click. It was unsettling that his co-driver Max Freeman was taken unwell before the start and despite being replaced by the vastly experienced Ross Whittock it wasn’t destined to be a good event. The final straw came then he clipped a bail with his Smart Scaffolding/CC Fixings/ACD Disaster Management Fiesta Rally2 which damage a ball joint and effectively put him out of the event.
Meanwhile Adam Midghall/Thomas Pidden retired their Mitsubishi Evo 9 with gearbox issues.
One of the drives of the season has come from Darren Atkinson – who took home sixth-placed Protyre Asphalt points on the day to finish an incredible third in the overall drivers’ championship (for the second year running) in his Haldane Fisher Escort Mk2. Partnered throughout the year by a total of three different co-drivers (Matty Daniels, Phil Sandham and Harry Stubbs) the Lancaster driver is also the class B13 and Escort Challenge champion – for a third year running.
He was pushed hard all year, and also on the Hills Ford Stages, by Gordon Morrison in his Lochwinnoch Motors Heavy Haulage/Browns Pressure Washers Escort Mk2. The Scottish driver never gave up the chase and like Darren left many a 4WD rival in their wake – while Ian Parker claims the co-driver’s class title.
Oliver Davies/Jack Bowen celebrated their first class B13 and 2WD podium of the season in their KGP Motorsport/Adam Hewitt Agri Plant & Salvage Escort Mk2. They survived a late starter motor scare, which meant that they had to keep the engine running during the final afternoon loop for fear of it not firing back up if it stalled.
Aled Wyn Morgans/Ian Taylor were in their third different car in as many events and after driving their usual Escort Mk2 and a borrowed Escort G3 they were out in an Aberystwyth Motorsport Escort Mk2. They spun off the road on some gravel on SS3 and damaged the rear of the ABX Roofing Supplies car and felt slightly off the pace all event as they finished fourth in B13.
Huw James/Lewis Sim started Sunday holding a top 10 overall position but retired on the day’s opening stage when their A&D Tyres Escort Mk2’s head gasket failed.
A fourth class win of the season secured Ben Crump the B11 title after a great season in his Coltech Escort Mk2. His co-driver Ian Beamond finished second in the standings to Cameron Dunn (despite Michael Harbour non-starting as he couldn’t get his Aldosport/Hamilton Haulage/VS Pro Pressure Washing Services Escort Mk2 fixed in time for the event).
Charlie Wright scored an impressive second in class B11 in his Ford Fiesta R2, which is run by the students from Harper Adams University. Co-driven Adam Westerby, the #RallyingTheWrightWay driver got caught out on gravel under braking for a corner on SS4 and hit a bank, removing the front bumper. He also had to nurse the car to the finish with an oil leak – and was rewarded with his first B11 podium finish of the season.
It was also a great event for local driver Alan Marriage who, together with Kevin Lane, scored his first points of the season with a third-place finish in his Brambourne Automotive Escort Mk2, while Philip Jones/Andrew Richards finished fourth in their Escort Mk2.
There were plenty of B11 retirements. Ant Allery/Richard Bonner retired their Escort Mk2 with transmission problems on Saturday, Matt Turner/Tom Bishop crashed their Aberystwyth Motorsport Escort Mk2 on SS3, George Heighway/Paul DeBono crashed their Toyota Corolla on SS7 and Geoff Glover/Keith Barker retired their Vauxhall Astra RWD after the clutch packed in at the end of SS5.
Darren Pool/Chris Beer felt that the tracking was out on their Eveleighs Garage Vauxhall Corsa and struggled to find a rhythm – not helped by a number of stoppages ahead of them. They persevered to score their first class B10 win of the season, beating Willie and Craig Nelson (Escort Mk2).
A magnificent six out of six class wins has secured Simon Hunter/Howard Pridmore a very well deserved B9 title in their Kwiktrak Vauxhall Corsa S1400. They finished ahead of Alex and Stephen Roscoe (Humphris Rallysport Nissan Micra) on the day to round off a superb season.
Action from the Hills Ford Stages is available to view on the Special Stage TV Facebook and YouTube channels, plus specialstage.tv.
The completion of the Hills Ford Stages marks the end of a fantastic three-year tenure as Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship Co-ordinator by Paul Morris. The BTRDA cannot thank Paul, Donna Preston and Paul Wakely enough for all their hard work in returning the UK’s premier sealed-surface series back to its former glory days with over 200 registered competitors, a wonderful camaraderie and a magnificent calendar of events. Applications for the post of Championship Co-ordinator are still open and anyone interested should contact Mike Broad at mike.broad@live.co.uk.
Hills Ford Stages – top 10 registered 2024 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship finishers:
1. Callum Black/Jack Morton (Ford Fiesta Rally2)….52mins 25secs
2. Neil Roskell/Rob Fagg (Ford Fiesta Rally2)….53mins 46secs
3. Steve Wood/Kenny Hull (Citroën C3 Rally2)….53mins 49secs
4. Roger Duckworth/Alun Cook (Ford Fiesta R5)….54mins 06secs
5. James Labey/Sion Cunniff (Ford Fiesta Rally2)….56mins 19secs
6. Darren Atkinson/Harry Stubbs (Ford Escort Mk2)….56mins 32secs
7. Stephen Simpson/Mark Glennerster (Ford Fiesta Rally2)….56mins 49secs
8. Philip Hopkins/Sam Allen (Mitsubishi Evo 6)….57mins 13secs
9. Gordon Morrison/Ian Parker (Ford Escort Mk2)….57mins 27secs
10. Sean Quigley/Colin Quigley (Ford Fiesta Rally2)….57mins 39secs
2024 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship
Final overall driver points (after Round 8):
1. Callum Black….176pts
2. Neil Roskell….164pts
3. Darren Atkinson….142pts
4. Simon Bowen….127pts
5. Sam Touzel….123pts
6. William Hill….114pts
Final overall co-driver points:
1. Jack Morton….178pts
2. Dai Roberts….162pts
3. Craig Simkiss…131pts
4. Rob Fagg…129pts
5. Ian Parker….125pts
6. Ian Taylor…119pts
Final class winning positions:
B9
Driver: Simon Hunter
Co-driver: Howard Pridmore
B10
Driver: Rory McCann
Co-driver: Paul McCann
B11
Driver: Ben Crump
Co-driver: Cameron Dunn
B12
Driver: Philip Jones
B13
Driver: Darren Atkinson
Co-driver: Ian Parker
B14
Driver: William Hill
Co-driver: Richard Crozier
B15
Driver: Callum Black
Co-driver: Jack Morton
R5
Driver: James Williams
Co-driver: Alan Thomas
H2b
Driver: Matthew Honeyborne
H3b
Driver: Geoff Roberts
Co-driver: Emyr Hall
BTRDA Historic Asphalt Cup
Driver: Geoff Roberts
Co-driver: Emyr Hall
Escort Challenge
Driver: Darren Atkinson
Co-driver: Cameron Dunn
Plastics4Performance Mini Challenge
Driver: Martin Melling
Co-driver: Neil MacDonald
Juniors
Driver: James Labey
Co-driver: Ifan Devine
Ladies Challenge
Driver: Nikki Addison
Co-driver: Emma Morrison
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