Stuart Deeley and Alistair Dodd took a convincing win in their Lotus Banks Europa on High Moor Motor Club’s Keith A Wood Memorial Stages Rally. The event was a counter to the ANWCC and SD34 Stage Rally Championships and the final round of the Three Sisters Rally Challenge.
A field of sixty cars from all parts of England and Wales descended on the Wigan venue for a series of twelve timed to the second special stages where overnight rain left standing water on many sections of the track.
That produced a spate of spins during the early stages resulting in a number of retirements including Alan Kitson and Ron Aspinwall who went out in spectacular style rolling their Hillman Imp and demolishing a tyre wall in the process.
By the finish Deeley and Alistair Dodd, who had dominated proceedings throughout, finished almost half a minute ahead of the Ford Escort Mk2 of runners-up Brian Hardman and Paul Jackson. Ron Aike and /Brian Neale claimed the final podium place after bringing their Ford Escort Mk1 home two seconds ahead of the Honda Civic Type R of John Deegan and Phil Merrills.
Peter Tattersall and Stephen Riley secured the inaugural Three Sisters Challenge Championship title despite being forced to ease back on their pace during the later stages when their Escort MK2 developed gearbox problems.
Results
1 Stuart Deeley/Alistair Dodd (Lotus Banks Europa) 28m57s;
2 Brian Hardman/Paul Jackson (Ford Escort Mk2) 29m23s;
3 Ron Aiken/Brian Neale (Ford Escort Mk1) 29m44s;
4 John Deegan/Phil Merrills (Honda Civiv Type R) 29m46s;
5 Keith Davies/Ian Cooper (Ford Escort Mk2) 29m46s;
6 Peter Tattersall/Stephen Riley (Ford Escort Mk2) 29m54s;
7 Kevin Jones/Rosalind Goodall (Ford Escort Mk2) 29m58s;
8 Stuart Gilks/Mark De Spong (Nissan Micra RWD) 30m05s;
9 John Ric Wood/John Wood (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo4) 30m20s;
10 Keith Dowthwaite/Tony King (Ford Escort Mk2) 30m21s.
Class Award Winners
1: Stephen Johnson/David Barratt (Nissan Micra);
2: John Cross/Kristopher Pirie (Citroen Saxo);
3: Deegan/Merrills;
4: Gilks/De Spong.
View a gallery of photos from the 2008 Keith Wood Memorial Rally, here.