Titles for Kent racers Dan Swayland, Will Ovenden and Max Weatherley at Lydden Hill’s Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy weekend
05:00, 05 November 2024
updated: 12:16, 05 November 2024
There was triple title success to celebrate on home turf at Lydden Hill last weekend.
Isle of Sheppey’s Dan Swayland, Adisham’s Will Ovenden and Faversham’s Max Weatherley were all crowned in their respective series supporting the main event - the Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy.
In the Retro Rallycross category for up to 1600cc machines, Swayland (Ford Escort) delivered a brace of victories to secure the crown. Making his Retro RX debut, Bradley Venning twice finished second with a Peugeot 205, while it was Ashford’s Terry Moore (Mini) and points runner-up Tony Lynch (Toyota MR2) who completed the podium on both days.
Adisham’s Ovenden secured the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship title with a pair of victories, but the former Junior rallycross racer was made to work hard by Blean’s Matt Cake, who claimed a brace of second places. Rhodes Minnis’ Andrew Sage finished third in both rounds.
Former Swift Sport Rallycross champion Weatherley (LifeLive TN11) secured the inaugural 5 Nations BRX Cross Car Championship title, winning on both days in the amalgamated RX150 and Cross Car divisions.
Top of the RX150 runners on both occasions was already-crowned champion Stephen Jones.
Adisham’s Tristan Ovenden (Citroen DS3) earned a podium finish in the Trophy, finishing third in the final of round nine on Saturday under floodlights behind inaugural winner Ian Barrett (VW Polo) and fellow Citroen DS3 racer Julian Godfrey.
On Sunday, Mini racer Oliver Bennett took victory ahead of John McCluskey (Ford Fiesta) who secured second in the drivers’ championship behind the already-crowned Patrick O’Donovan. Team RX Racing were confirmed as the team champions.
Tyler McAlpin secured a second-straight Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship title. He used an early joker lap strategy to climb up the order and win ahead of Benjamin Bartlett and Cayden Harris.
On Sunday Bartlett climbed from the back of the grid to end his year with a third victory of the campaign and finish as runner-up in the standings. Teddie MacPherson finished second to secure third overall while Capel-le-Ferne’s Phoebe Cake finished on the podium at her home event.
The Motorsport UK Supernational Rallycross Championship and the BMW Mini Rallycross Championship raced together at Lydden Hill, and it was Irishman Peter McGarry who stole the show of the Supernational runners, dominating in his Polo.
Having entered the weekend tied on points in the BMW Mini division, title-protagonists Abbie McGuinness and Wesley Wickens experienced differing results on Saturday, McGuinness claiming victory while Wickens lost out in a battle with fellow title-contender, Paddock Wood’s Leigh-Anne Sedgwick, and was fifth as Sedgwick and Michael Amlin completed the podium.
On Sunday, McGuinness led early on before taking an early joker lap, Wickens moving into a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. But second was enough for McGuinness to secure the title. Sedgwick finished third.
In the Retro Rallycross Championship Super Retro division, Pat Doran (Ford Escort) led the Saturday night final under floodlights, but under pressure from the Porsche 911 of Barry Stewart, lost the lead and was also overtaken by title rival Charlie French (Ford Escort).
On Sunday, Stewart led the final from the front to claim back-to-back wins, while French’s second place was enough to secure the crown for the Tuesday Night Rallycross Team ahead of Doran, who was third in the finale.
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