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SEPTEMBER 28 2011 15

motorsport-news.co.uk motorsport-news.co.uk SEPTEMBER 28 2011 15

HISTORICS

‘A pair of wins gave Hutchinson the title’ Hutchinson the title’

‘A pair of wins gave Hutchinson the title’ Kirkistown action, p28

DOWNTHE PUB WITH

DOWNTHE PUB MALCOLM PUB MALCOLM

MALCOLM RICKETTS Age: 73 Lives: Harpenden This experienced historic racer has a passion for Lotus cars and has raced little else in more than 30 years of competition.

He began racing in the mid ’70s: “I went to the St John Horsfall meeting at Silverstone in 1975 or ’76 in my Lotus road car and thought: ‘Wow, this is fun’. I saw Roger Ealand have a huge accident that left his Marcos in two bits. [Marcos founder] Jem Marsh was there and they were quite jokey about the whole thing. Jem said: ‘I’ll cut a new tree down and I’ll get you back out racing in a couple of weeks.’ I heard all this and decided I’d like to have a go.”

He started competing in a Lotus Elite: “I did my first race in a road-going Elite. I could see that I should be trying to do it a bit more seriously and not use my road car so I bought an Elan – a 26R racer. Here I am 34 years later still racing an Elan, although not the same one.”

He’s Lotus through and through: “I have a Shapecraft Lotus Elan, a Lotus 11 – which is the ex-Alan Stacey Team Lotus car – and a Lotus 18 F1 car with a 1.5-litre Alfa Romeo engine, which is looked after by Classic Team Lotus.”

He’s driven some famous Lotuses: “I very much enjoy my association with Clive Chapman and Classic Team Lotus. Clive is always willing to hand me some special cars like the 49 and 79. If there’s anything to demonstrate then he often asks me to help out. I’m always delighted to do so.”

He’s a keen walker: When he’s not busy racing, Ricketts and his wife Jill are keen walkers. “We’ve done a lot in some exciting places such as the Himalayas, the Dolomites and North Africa.”

Ricketts: Lotus campaigner

Photos: Paul Lawrence

M c RAE STAGES WILL DECIDE BHRCCROWN

Stokes and Proffitt to go head-to-head following Isle of Man axing

By Paul Lawrence Friends and rivals David Stokes and Rikki Proffitt will decide the destiny of the 2011 Dunlop/Wonago MSA British Historic Rally Championship on Saturday’s Colin McRae Stages.

Following the cancellation of the planned season finale on the Isle of Man (see Rally News), the McRae becomes the seventh and final round of the series and Stokes can make certain of retaining his title by winning Category 2 in his Ford Escort Mk1. If Stokes fails to win the division, Proffitt can be champion by winning Category 1 in his Porsche 911.

“I’ve got to win,” said Stokes, “but if I don’t , I’d be delighted for Rikki to win it.” Proffitt, meanwhile, is thrilled to be in the title hunt after his best ever season. “If someone had said to me a decade ago when I started in the BHRC that I’d ever be second in the championship, I’d never have believed it,” said Proffitt. “I did suggest that David didn’t hand in his time cards, but he wasn’t interested!”

The championship’s first visit to the McRae Stages means that both drivers are competing over new roads. Stokes rallied in

Proffitt has been one of the stars of 2011 in Porsche 911

STANDINGS Dunlop/Wonago MSABritish Historic Rally Championship After six of seven rounds

POS DRIVER CAR

PTS

150pts C5) (class Mk1 Escort Ford Stokes David 1 150pts C5) (class Mk1 Escort Ford Stokes David 1

1 David Stokes Ford Escort Mk1 (class C5) 150pts 2 Rikki Proffitt Porsche 911 (B5) 146 3 Dessie Nutt Porsche 911 (B5) 134 4 Andrew Siddall Ford Escort Mk1 (C3) 127.5 5 Dick Slaughter Ford Escort Mk1 (C3) 125 6 Chris Browne Ford Escort Mk1 (C5) 122

127.5 (C3) Mk1 Escort Ford Siddall Andrew 4

Pr of fi tt: chasing leader

Stok es: “I’ ve go t t o w in”

Scotland in the 1970s, but has no memories of the stages. “It’s a level playing field in that respect,” said Proffitt, who faces tough Category 1 opposition from Dessie Nutt (Porsche 911) and Graham Waite (Volvo Amazon). Stokes’ main rivals are Chris Browne and Peter Smith.

more used having Proffitt With more used having Proffitt With

With Proffitt having used more than one co-driver, GuyWeaver, partner to Stokes, is already confirmed as overall champion co-driver.

Solloway initiates Escort Mk2 builds

Mark Solloway’s Historic Rallysport operation has just sold three Ford Escort Mk2s for use in Australia and now has a winter build programme of a further seven cars.

Stewart Reid is currently dominating the Australian Historic Rally Championship with four wins in a Solloway car and one of his chief rivals, David Hills, was in the UK last week testing his freshly-built car with David Higgins.

“They were so impressed that David’s father John ordered two more cars on the spot, one for himself and one for his other son Johnny,” said Solloway.

Birrell unbowed after Goodwood smash Former army officer Bob Birrell has pledged to return to racing next season despite suffering the first major accident of his racing career during the Goodwood Revival Meeting.

Birrell, who has raced all over the world in a racing career that spans more than 40 years, escaped with a severed Achilles tendon after wrecking his Formula Junior Brabham BT6 against the barriers.

“I’ve done most things in racing but I’ve never really destroyed a car and I’ve never hurt myself,” he said. “Goodwood saw these ambitions fulfilled in spades.”

Birrell: shunt won’t stop him

Birrell is already planning a return for the 2012 season. “In any case I had intended to race myLolaMk2 next year and rest the Brabham,” Birrell added. “And that is exactly what I’ll do.”

GT40s dominate Spa endurnace encounter

Ford GT40s dominated the Classic Six-Hour race at Spa on Saturday evening, with Christian Glasel and Ralf Kelleners heading home Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield by just under twominutes when the flag fell in darkness at 2200hrs.

Best of the Jaguar E-types, albeit three laps down on the winners, was the entry of Chris Scragg, Dave Coyne andMikeWright. However, an unnecessary incident behind the safety car ended the race for the Jaguar of Jon and Jason Minshaw andMartin Stretton. Their E-type was shunted from behind and into retirement. Hadfield and Voyazides also teamed-up to win the U2TC race in their Lotus Cortina.

IN BRIEF

BRIEF IN

ByBox on the box TV coverage of the recent HSCC ByBox Raceday at Brands Hatch will be split across two programmes on MotorsTV. The first will be broadcast at 2000hrs on Tuesday, October 4 and the second part will first go out exactly a week later.

Jones back onTour Wrexham’s Martin Jones returned to rallying following a three-year break when he contested the recent Tour of Flanders in his Ford Escort Mk2. Jones was competing for the first time since the Pirelli Rally in 2008 after putting his own rallying on the back burner as he prepares the Escorts of Paul Griffiths and Tim Pearcey.

Two-litre F2 decider Although Diogo Ferrao is safe as overall champion in Historic Formula 2, the destiny of the hard-fought two-litre class will be settled over the final two races at Dijon this weekend. Martin Stretton (March 752) and Matthew Watts (March 772) are the contenders, with Stretton talking a nine-point advantage with him to France.

of Isle Rally the of cancellation The for problems major caused has Man

Shinobu enthusiast Mini Japanese

Kitani scuppered The cancellation of the Rally Isle of Man has caused major problems for Japanese Mini enthusiast Shinobu Kitani. He had planned another foray to the island with his Mini Cooper and his car was already en route by sea when the event was canned. He had also booked return flights for his support crew.

foray another planned had He Kitani.

Cooper Mini his with island the to already was car his and canned. was event the when sea by flights return booked also had He crew. support his for

Martini for opt Swiss

Eggimann Beat racers Swiss

Stutz Reto and Mk3) (Daren

Swiss opt for Martini Swiss racers Beat Eggimann (Daren Mk3) and Reto Stutz (Cheetah G501) as well as Belgian Andre Wanty (Chevron B23) will join the Martini Trophy grid for the season’s final two races at Dijon this weekend.

Belgian as well as G501) (Cheetah will B23) (Chevron Wanty Andre

Solo Midget man The Midget of Max Whitehouse is the sole MG set to take on six Alfa Romeos and two Lancias in Saturday Classic Alfa v MG race at Castle Combe. Among the Alfa drivers is former Special Saloon ace Bob Trotter who has switched to an Alfa Romeo Alfetta this season.

Pearson take three Ian Pearson cruised to his third straight Classic Formula Ford 2000 title with dominant victory in the penultimate race of the season at Oulton Park on Saturday. When his nearest rival Tom Pope elected to miss the race, Pearson needed only a handful of points but he won the race to cement his title.

Ace Zodiac signing Le Mans racer Darren Turner will head a capacity field for the final race in the HRDC’s Touring Greats pre ’60 touring car series at Snetterton on Saturday. He will share James Turner’s Ford Zodiac Mk2 in the 38-car field.

WHY RALLY ISLE OF MAN HAS BEEN AXED >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PAGE 19

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