The Keith Frecker Memorial Stages, an annual event organised by Blackpool South Shore Motor Club and held at Weeton Barracks saw Phil and Mick Gallagher take a comfortable win in their MG Metro 6R4.
Run for the most part in glorious sunshine the Gallagher brothers finished over a minute ahead of Wirral father and son Wesley and Ryan Simpson who were slowed by gearbox problems with their Ford Escort Mk2.
Peter Jackson and Steve Coombes had set the early pace but having lost their oil filler cap midway through stage three they were forced to retire their Escort with ominous sounds coming from the engine. It was then left to Chris Collie, who had made the long trek south from Aberdeen, to take up pole position in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6. His lead was short lived as a complete loss of brakes saw him and co-driver Ric Wood crash out into instant retirement.
That saw the Gallaghers move into a pole position they weren’t to relinquish and when their closest rivals Mike Gilman and Iain Douglas crashed their Escort Cosworth WRC on the penultimate stage their win was all but guaranteed. With the Simpsons safely ensconced in second place Keith Dowthwaite and Chris Neale secured the final podium placing in another Escort Mk2.
Results
1 Phil Gallagher/Mick Gallagher (MG Metro 6R4) 1hr02m32s;
2 Wesley Simpson/Ryan Simpson (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr03m45s;
3 Keith Dowthwaite/Chris Neale (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr04m30s;
4 Ian Tiffany/Graham White (Subaru Impreza) 1hr04m43s;
5 Dave Hornbrook/Caroline Howell (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6) 1hr04m58s;
6 Thomas Abbott/Stephen Riley (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr06m22s;
7 David Greenbank/Alister Wells (Subaru Impreza) 1hr06m38;
8 Andy Graham/Rob Chesters (Subaru Impreza) 1hr07m03;
9 Ean Lewin/Laura Taylor (Ford Fiesta ST) 1hr09m06;
10 Ian Martin/Gareth Reynolds-Jones (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr09m13.
Class Award Winners
1: Andrew Irving/Reg Irving (Peugeot 205);
2: Colin Stockil/Sarah Craven (Peugeot 205);
3: Abbott/Riley;
4: Tiffany/White.
View a gallery of photos from the 2012 Keith Frecker Memorial Stages, here.
