by Geoff Mayes
Richard Sykes didn't just take the victory on the Trackrod 'All Stars' event last weekend he dominated it, winning every single stage in his Peugeot 106
en-route to an eventual winning margin of well over 4.5 minutes.
Sykes, who was once more co-driven by Simon Taylor in the JAM Motorsport-run Peugeot, was in his element throughout the high speed stages in the Yorkshire Forests.
On an event where a well set up machine and excellent car control were key elements to any success story, the Stourbridge resident once again showed he was a class above everyone else.
He was a full 40 seconds faster than the next quickest competitor through the opening stage - and then continued as he had begun.
In fact, such was his pace that Sykes was faster than the 1600cc Citroen C2R2's for the later half of the rally and on stage 7, Staindale 2, he was the second fastest two- wheel drive in the entire rally. This meant that the little 1400cc would have been placed well inside the top 20 on the overall Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship results.
"Everything just clicked for us this weekend. The car ran brilliantly and full credit to Martin Bowyer for giving us such a sweet engine," said Sykes.
"The long straights on this event put a massive strain on the power plant but the engine never missed a beat all day long. After the opening stage I just drove at 95 per cent, not pushing hard but still going quick enough to maintain my concentration."
With his third win in a row Sykes is now in a strong position in the overall standings and as such will be looking for a good run on the season finale, the Tempest Rally in Aldershot on November 10.
