Round Two of this year’s British Rally Championship, the Pirelli Rally, started from the host city of Carlisle. This unique event of two days, using the famous forest roads in and around Kielder Water, started with a star-studded entry with some of the quickest Scandinavian drivers amongst them.
Bath Motor Club member, Ross Whittock, once again partnered Jamie Anderson in the Anderson Commercials/Alcolock GB/DMack R5 Ford Fiesta starting at number eleven, looking to improve on their seventh place in the title race after the first round – the Border Rally.
The pace for day one was very quick compared to 2016, with the perfect dry conditions helping in every way. After sliding wide on one corner, losing some twenty seconds, both Jamie and Ross arrived at the overnight halt in Carlisle in tenth place.
At the start of day two, the fireworks began amongst the leading cars and mistakes started to happen. Ross and Jamie emerged with only two stages left in seventh place and sixth was achievable. However, luck was not on their side and on the penultimate stage, a slide into a bank damaged the gearbox, leaving only the first three gears working. They lost between five and six minutes, but managed to get the car home to the finish podium in eighth place in the Rally Championship – disappointing, but still in the points.
The event was won by Fredrik Ahlen, from Sweden, which was his second podium so far this year.
The battle re-commences in Dumfries in three weeks’ time for the Scottish Rally.