Saturday the 14th June 2008 played host to the ever popular Rainworth Skoda Dukeries Rally. The compact 10 stage event offered around 45 stage miles in & around the legendary Sherwood Forest and the Rally Headquarters based at the newly refurbished Southwell Racecourse.

The 49th running of the Dukeries Motor Club’s premier event was part of the Silverstone Competition Tyres BTRDA Rally Series, the MSA English Rally Championship & four prestigious regional associated championships.

The Scottish pair of Dave Weston / Dave Robson in their Ford Focus WRC 05 dominated the rally from the off and topped the time sheets on every stage to win by 51 seconds. With Weston not registered for BTRDA Gold Star points the battle was between the rapid crews of Will Nicholls / Nick Broom (Subaru Impreza WRC) last years winners, Damian Cole / Paul Morris (Hyundai Accent WRC) & Hugh Hunter / Andy Marchbank (Ford Focus WRC 02) to score maximum points.

Nicholls / Broom led the rest in 2nd position early on until SS5 when Cole / Morris beat the Red Funnel / Sydenhams / Kumho backed pair by a whopping 18 seconds to leap frog them into second overall,  where he just stayed to the finish.

The Get Connected owner Damian Cole continues to improve in forest rallying and it’s surely only a matter of time before he wins a BTRDA forest event outright. Nicholls / Broom fell just 3 seconds shy of Cole / Morris after a huge push on the final stage & had to settle with 3rd and the last place on the podium.

Hunter / Marchbank in their Dunlop & RS Hunter backed chariot took 4th with tarmac expert Stephen Simpson / Andrew Roughead (Hyundai Accent WRC) rounding out the top 5.

Notable retirements included Michael O’Brien / Ian Allsop’s Ford Focus WRC 02 (gearbox SS2), Shaun Gardener / Ben Innes’ Evo 5.9 (engine SS3) & Philip White & Richard Hage’s Evo 7 with rear diff problems causing them to set no further times than SS2.

The 1400’s was won for the second consecutive year by Julian Wilkes / Will Rutherford (Vauxhall Nova VXR) by a margin of 34 seconds from the Proton Satria’s of Darren Pinchin / Robert Leigh 2nd  & Roger Priestnall / Jamie Forrest a further 1min 29 sec adrift in 3rd.
 

Overall Results

1. Dave Weston / Dave Robson                         Ford Focus WRC05                43:11
2. Damian Cole / Paul Morris                            Hyundai Accent WRC             44:02 + 00:51
3. Will Nicholls / Nick Broom                           Subaru Impreza WRC              44:05 + 00:54
4. Hugh Hunter / Andy Marchbank                    Ford Focus WRC02                 44:27 + 01:16
5. Stephen Simpson / Andrew Roughead          Hyundai Accent WRC              44:45 + 01:34

 1400 Results

1. Julian Wilkes / Will Rutherford                      Vauxhall Nova VXR                 50:03
2. Darren Pinchin / Robert Leigh                       Proton Satria                          50:37 + 00:34
3. Roger Priestnall / Jamie Forrest                     Proton Satria                         52:06 + 02:03

Report and images by James Redman