Former Australian Rally Championship class winner, Ernie Graham, has won the fifth round of the British Rally Championship Rallymasters after a thrilling battle between the Mk1 Ford Escort driver and Shelley Taunt in her Subaru Impreza in the furiously fast forests of Yorkshire.
The win moves Graham, who won the BRC Rallymasters round on the Jim Clark Rally, into third position in the championship standings.
“We had a really good run,” said the 45 year-old. “We had one overshoot which dropped us 20 seconds which meant we had to drive very aggressively to get back in front of Shelly Taunt. Apart from that everything went well and the championship battle is still alive going to the Tempest.”
Swindon resident Shelly Taunt had looked set to take her first BRC Rallymasters win before Graham overhauled her lead.
“We really struggled with grip,” said Taunt. “We tried the hard compound tyre in the morning and couldn’t get it together. We tried a soft one in the afternoon but that wasn’t much better but we still had a good battle with Ernie Graham.”
Championship leader Will Nicholls endured a cruel blow to his BRC Rallymasters campaign as he blew a gearbox oil pump seal oil on his way to the event, meaning his chances of clinching the title with one round to go were gone.
Nicholls and co-driver Nick Broom were three miles away from the Pickering Showground start of the event when they started to lose gearbox oil after a simple O ring – a component costing pence – gave out.
“I’m gutted,” said 46 year-old Nicholls. “It was the high pressure oil pump. One of the nuts came off and the pressure split the O ring. We drove to the event and took the gearbox out. If we’d had a new pump we could have easily fixed it and been in the event, but no-one carries them as they never fail.”
The BRC Rallymasters championship now heads to the mixed surface Tempest National Rally in November for a thrilling season finale.
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
RallySport Magazine Subscription
Select Subscription Level
Select Subscription Length
Recurring Subscription Cost
A subscription to RallySport Magazine give you access to all our rally
content from Australia, New Zealand and around the world – with news,
features and experiences nobody can match.
Our team are dedicated to providing an unrivalled experience which
shares, supports and promotes the sport of rallying.
By clicking "Subscribe Now" you agree to receive news, offers and updates on RallySport Magazine.
If you do not wish to receive marketing communications, you can update your preferences in My Account.
We will commence charging your payment method after the 7 day free trial expires.
If you cancel after expiry of your trial, cancellation will take effect from the end of your current monthly subscription period.
You will not be refunded any fees paid to RallySport Magazine unless otherwise set out in the terms and conditions.
Account Created!
Welcome to RallySport Magazine VIP Membership.
Get ready for your rally news experience to completely transform.
Start browsing news, exclusive VIP content or check out your account.