'Head Waiter' Hope holds his nerve to claim EuroRallye Cup crown
Playing a waiting game paid dividends for Colin Hope and co-driver Nick Patrick in their Vauxhall Nova, as they became the 2006 EuroRallye Cup champions at Saturday's Bulldog Clubmans Rally, after a close battle with the similar car of Brian McGuinness / Ian Harden. Despite conceding victory on the day, Hope's points haul leapfrogged him over championship rivals Martin Laverty / Andrew Roughead and Mike Winfield / Andy McGowan, snatching the title from under their noses at the last round of the season.
For the third year in succession, the EuroRallye Cup title race came down to an exciting final round 'winner takes all' battle. Four long stages through Dyfnant and Dyfi forests would decide the outcome of the series, and the question was whether Hope's Nova could outrun the Peugeot 206s of Laverty and Winfield. Overnight rain made the mid-Wales forest tracks very slippery, but Hope started steadily, settling into second behind McGuinness. The Irishman had nothing to lose after two earlier non-finishes, and hard-charged into a 10-second lead through stage one, Dyfnant, which he extended to 40 seconds after stage two, Gartheiniog. At service in Dolgellau, McGuinness announced he was pleased to still be in the rally, after so many mechanical problems this year. Hope, meanwhile, arrived at service still in second, a minor fuel pump problem being his only worry.
McGuinness pushed even harder through stage three, Dyfi Main, but just when he was regaining confidence in his car's reliability, the clutch started slipping badly, and he was forced to slow. He arrived at the finish line with smoke pouring from the clutch housing, and seemed destined to retire again. Fortunately, the long road section to the final stage, Dyfnant 2, allowed the clutch to cool down. McGuinness drove carefully through the 8-mile stage to record his first EuroRallye Cup win of the season, 13 seconds ahead of Hope. "We were going really well until halfway through Dyfi, when the clutch started playing up" reported McGuinness. "I was desperate to avoid finishing on the end of a towrope again, so we drove in as high a gear as possible all the way through Dyfnant. It's got us home, and that's what matters. Hopefully our luck has changed at last."
By comparison, Hope's progress was trouble-free. With 2 minutes 30 seconds in hand already, he took 50 seconds out of Laverty through Dyfnant 2, returning to the finish ramp in Oswestry having won both the EuroRallye Cup and the ANCRO 1400 class. "We knew we had a good chance to take both championships, so we came here to finish and score points. We're really chuffed to have done it. We've had a superb season, and we're grateful to Iain Shirlaw of EuroRallye and Compomotive Wheels for supporting such an exciting, hard-fought championship" said Hope.
Laverty, third, adopted a quick-but-safe approach on his way to winning the Peugeot 206 1400 Challenge title. He was 25 seconds ahead of Winfield, who had a troubled day. After an unaccountably slow start, Winfield found many of the route note descriptions inaccurate, which contributed to a huge 'moment' at a tight right hand corner in Dyfnant 2. Despite his woes, his compensation was to finish second in the EuroRallye Cup and the ANCRO 1400 class, in his second season of rallying.
Of the other series contenders, Kelly Jones / David Kippax finished fifth in another Peugeot 206. In only her third-ever rally, the lady driver concentrated on staying mistake-free on the slippery stages, and building experience. ERC 1600 class champions Chris Peart and co-driver Gordon Blyth suffered the proverbial early bath, damaging their Proton Satria's front end and retiring on the first stage.
Once again, the EuroRallye Cup proved that you do not need an expensive car to enjoy close, competitive rallying. Hope is a worthy champion, and any one of three drivers could have taken the spoils. The series has become a well-respected integral part of the ANCRO Clubmans Championship, and is one of the 'hidden gems' of national rallying, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who pushed their cars to the limit through some of the most challenging classic forest stages in Britain.
Writer: Ian Harden
DATE POSTED: 31st October 2006TOP