There are likely to be battles raging throughout the field on Saturday. Whilst the S1600 Renault of Brian O’Mahony looks likely to be unchallenged in R3, class R2 should offer plenty of action. Battle resumes between the Clio of Adam Gould and the Puma of Luke Pinder and choosing a favourite for the Citroen C2R2 Cup will be a tough choice.
Jason Pritchard has fully recovered from the broken ankle that sidelined him at the beginning of the year and on last years event the young Welshman was the fastest Citroen pilot until mechanical gremlins stymied his run.
Current championship leader Andrew Hockridge admits he prefers gravel but has never contested the Yorkshire event before. Matt Cotton is still a contender for the title but really needs a good run this weekend in order to keep his championship hopes alive.
The Suzuki Swift Challenge has had a strong international flavour all year but for Rally Yorkshire it takes ‘international’ to a new level. Reigning Australian S1600 champion Molly Taylor has arranged for a one off drive in the series, with a view to possibly doing the full championship in 2009. Young Molly will go head-to-head with current series leader Mark Gamble who, along with opening round winner Gordon Nicol, has enjoyed success in these forests in the past.
Whilst the 2008 International Rally of Yorkshire might not have the largest entry, it certainly does not lack in quality and you can be guaranteed every class winner will be a deserving one.
The rally starts from Pickering Showgrounds on Saturday morning and, as well as stages in Dalby, Cropton and Langdale, also features a ‘spectator stage’ in the showgrounds at lunch time. The first car is expected to finish at around 5pm.
