Callum Black/Jack Morton won the Dunoon Presents Argyll Rally in style their Pallas Connections Fiesta Rally2, while Darren Atkinson not only leads class B13 and the Escort Challenge but now tops the overall drivers’ points table in his Haldane Fisher Escort Mk2 as well.
After a troubled start to the season, Callum said that he needed to score big on the two Scottish rounds to give himself any chance of retaining his Protyre Asphalt title – and that’s exactly what the 586 Sport driver has done with a second on the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally and first in Argyll netting him 58 points out of a possible 60.
That’s taken the Brackley ace from 10th to third in the standings, just seven points behind the leader and with one of his mandatory two scores already dropped.
Callum looked after his wet Michelin tyres on the dry opening two short stages around the village on Dunoon before setting the fastest time on each of the remaining wet and dark five Friday night stages to go into the overnight halt with a 41 second lead.
He then set the fastest time on all six of Saturday’s morning loop of stages to extend that lead to 1min 40secs by midday service and then set a further three fastest times (overall) to finish 2mins 04secs ahead of his nearest Protyre Asphalt rival.
Also putting his title challenge back on track was Neil Roskell. The Blackpool driver was second overnight, despite co-driver Dai Roberts feeling unwell, and he never put a foot wrong on Saturday’s very tricky and changeable weather/road conditions to secure a strong second-place Protyre Asphalt points finish in his ND Civils/Burdens/Witham Motorsport Fiesta Rally2.
That puts Neil second in the series, just five points behind the leader and with a dropped score in the bag, while Dai takes the lead of the co-drivers’ standings – which is a title he won in 2022.
Hugh Brunton/Drew Sturrock led after SS2 in their PM Print Škoda Fabia Rally2 and finished Leg 1 in a very strong third Protyre Asphalt position. Saturday began with a puncture and they lost more time with gearbox problems in the last three miles of SS12. They pushed hard on the final loop of stages to complete the Protyre Asphalt podium.
William Hill celebrated his birthday by picking up fourth-placed Protyre Asphalt points in his Hills Ford Fiesta Rally3. The Worcester driver admitted that he struggled to find a rhythm at times, but he and co-driver Richard Crozier never let that get the better of them as they brought the first non-Rally2/R5 car home to the finish.
On a rally where one minute it was dry and the next it was wet, conditions did not favour a powerful rear-wheel drive car – although nobody told that to Darren Atkinson!
True, he did have a big moment on Friday night and lost the intercom on Saturday morning, but the Haldane Fisher Escort Mk2 ace was on inspired form from start to finish.
Back with co-driver Phil Sandham, who was celebrating his 75th birthday, Darren collected sixth-place Protyre Asphalt points to take the lead of the series – and put himself in pole position for a test with M-Sport in a Puma Hybrid Rally1.
2024 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship – top 5 drivers’ overall after Round 5:
1. Darren Atkinson….114pts
2. Neil Roskell….109pts
3. Callum Black….107pts
4. Simon Bowen….101pts
5. William Hill….93pts
