This year marks the 65th anniversary of the prestigious ‘Dukeries Rally,’ which commenced in 1960.
The rally derives its name from the rural region of northern Nottinghamshire known as the ‘Dukeries,’ which was once the domain of five dukes
As this marks our second visit to Pitlane News, we previously covered the final stage meetings at Donington Park in early December of last year. This time, we are honored to have Kian Photography as a member of our PLN Junior squad.
Round 7 and 50 stage miles of diverse circuit routes lie ahead, with seven special stages this year promising as much action and excitement as the previous year, and it certainly delivered, showcasing a wide range of vehicles demonstrating the art of rallying and testing their abilities around the modified East Midlands circuit.
Stage 1 and it’s John GRIFFITHS / Emma MORRISON #2 leading the way with a 6.07 sec, and an even faster stage 2 time of 5.59 secs, just 4 secs ahead of Michael IGOE / Will ATKINS in car #1 for Class A.
Stage 3 and GRIFFITHS / MORRISON #2 still 7 secs ahead of car #1 the Citroen C3 despite being closer in stages 1 & 2, clawing back some valuable seconds on stages 4 and 6. Car #3 VW Polo R5 GTI of Alex STONE / John STONE a further 5 secs behind sitting in 3rd place by stage 3.
Stages 4 through to 7 the Skoda R5 continued to stay ahead of the Citroen C3 Rally II car taking the overall Class A win with a total stage time of 46.49 just 10 secs ahead of their rivals Michael IGOE / Will Atkins.
However, on a final note we must not overlook the numerous B, C, D, E, and F-class rally cars that arrived and delivered an exceptional performance for the spectators who bravely endured the cloudy and chilly Sunday at Donington Park.
Courtesy of Phil and Kian Baines.
SPONSORED BY TOORACE
