The Team In Action In Belgium

Stages: 3 – Starters: 60 – Finishers: 55

After the disappointment of gearbox failure on the Bovington Stages, Mark II Motorsport headed across the channel to take part in the Monteberg International Rallysprint over the May Bank holiday weekend. Mark II had previously competed on this event in 1998 and 1999 bagging a 3rd and 5th place.

Driver Mark Welch was realistic about the team’s chances. “The Escort Cosworth is getting a little long in the tooth – we have a number of World Rally Cars (WRC) competing this weekend as well as some quick local boys in various 2 wheel drive cars”. “We are looking forward to the challenge of competing on closed public roads, and the format is good, 3 runs over the stage with your best time counting”.

Co driven again by Helen Thompson, the team pitched up early Sunday morning under very heavy skies and lots of water left by the overnight rain.

Competition on the event would come from Belgian hero and ex WRC and multiple National Champion Patrick Snijers driving an Impreza. Other fast locals included Bernie Munster in a BMW, Bert Conelis in another Escort Cosworth and Filip Pyck in a Toyota Celica GT4. The British contingent included Stephen Hendy in a Focus WRC, Mark Worley in a Subaru WRC and Dick Mauger in another WRC, this time an Escort.

After 2 very slippery familiarisation runs through the 6 mile stage, the teams lined up for the first timed run. Mark II’s blue Cosworth set off on the stage with Helen expertly reading the notes to Mark. A cautious run on the now drying roads saw them some way off the pace with a time of 5:17, 42 compared with Snijers effort of 4:48, 98, although in fairness Snijers had taken part on the National Event the day before on the same stage. Top Brit was Worley posting a 5:02, 52 closely followed by ex BTRDA National Champion Will Nichols.

The second timed run on new tyres saw a big improvement from Mark II with a time of 5:05. Snijers was still sitting pretty at the front just ahead of Filip Pycks Celica and Worley’s Impreza WRC. Hendy had also improved and his time of 4:54 saw him one place back from Worley.

All was not completely well with Mark II’s Escort Cosworth. “Despite the anti lag system, its sluggish off the line and sluggish out of the slow corners” said Welch, mystified as to why the team weren’t sub 5 minutes for the stage and were still languishing in 17th place.

The final run saw Welch push the Cosworth hard, almost too hard giving the crew a fright with a big tank slapping moment on a section of the stage still wet and muddy from the overnight rain. With the post event drinks bill at stake (Mark had told Helen that a sub 5 minute run meant she was buying the beers) the Cosworth soon caught the Focus Cosworth of Andrew Thompson (no relation) which had broken a drive shaft. This momentarily delayed the progress of Mark II and left them with an agonising 5.00.09 for the final run and Welch with several rounds of drinks to pay for!!!

The final outcome was 14th and 4th in class – not the result the team expected, but with the moment on the final run and the delay passing the Focus, Welch could understand where some of the time had gone. “I’m not sure tat the new turbo we installed before the event is working properly either” said an optimistic Welch. However, on the teams return to the UK, the turbo was checked and found to be faulty, so with a healthy car and a clean run a top 10 time was well within the teams grasp.

The event was won by Snijers with Worley coming in 3rd as top brit!

Mark II Motorsport Would Like To Thank Their Sponsors :-

Posted 6th June 2010