Quote:
Originally Posted by KA
There were 4 other 6R4s out on the Centurion that year- in entry list order (though as a BTRDA round, it employed reverse seeding, with the top cars starting last) the Metro contingent was:
3: Bill Barton/Don George D999VFW
7: David Williams/Wayne Goble D809EBJ (Is this the same David Williams who was involved in supporting the early career of Richard Burns?)
9: Rick Holmes/Phil George (Enterprise Racing) D990KHA
11: Brian Bell/Phil Mills (Bell Leisure Group) C84RBD
30: Richie Holfeld/Drexel Gillespie (Bill Gwynne Engineering/Holpak) E498KHU.
I think I've still got the 'Rally Sport' issue with the report for this one, so might be able to fill in what happened to the other Metros
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From the Rally Sport report:
- Barton won by 3 seconds from the Chapman and Mawson Escorts
- Williams retired after losing time with a succession of problems- a puncture, losing the exhaust and finally a broken gear linkage
- Holmes posted the first retirement of the event, barely getting a mile from the Civic Centre before stopping with 'an obscure electrical problem'
- Bell finished 14th after what the report described as a 'somewhat leisurely performance,venturing only occasionally into the top 10 stage times'
- Holfeld finished 24th after struggling with engine management problems which meant the car wouldn't pull much beyond 5000rpm all day
The report also mentions that several regular BTRDA 6R4 pilots (including Donald Milne and Pete Slights) missed the Centurion, some of them because of a date clash with the Scottish Championship Autofit Stages- won by David Gillanders' Metro from one Colin McRae in a Nissan 240RS and Donald Milne's 6R4. Other Metros on the Autofit were the cars of Jim Carty 7th), Kenny Dorans (8th) and John Baird (DNF)
Flicking through the rest of the mag, to give an idea of the number of cars in action at that time, a few other 6R4s are pictured, including:
- Paul & Brent Bennett- (reg no. not visible)- won the K&N Filters Rally (EARS/Motoring News Championship). The entry for this also included John Price's 6R4 (DNF) as well as Jeff Churchill's RS200 and Tony Worswick's Ferrari 308.
- John Price/Mike Bowen (D630BFD?) winning the Promenade Stages at New Brighton
- Russell & Donald Hale (D111BEG) winning a Poachers MC rally
- Kenny Dorans (D376COS) a publicity pic showing off new 'Elf Oils' sponsorship on his black Metro
- Steve Palmer and Will Gollop at the final round of the Lydden Rallycross Winterseries, won by Barry Hathaway's Metro