Official rally reports of rally driver Ryan Champion

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25/03/06 - Wold Construction North Humberside Forest Rally

CHAMPION UNLUCKY AT THE END.

Castleton's Ryan Champion was denied a top three finish on Saturday's Wold Construction North Humberside Forest Rally by an oil leak just two miles from the finish of the event's final stage.

The 30 year old was using the event for some 'match practice' ahead of his British Rally Championship campaign in a new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. On this occasion Ryan was
out in his familiar Champion of Castleton Evolution IV and admitted to being a little 'rusty' early on. "It's nearly six months since I've done a gravel rally and it felt like it on the first stage! But, that's why I wanted to do the event, to get back up to speed ahead of the BRC," Champion said.

Unfortunately a turbo problem was holding back Champion and regular co driver Craig Thorley.
The MSR Motorsport team identified the problem but, while they could improve the situation they weren't able to cure it during the event. Non the less, despite a time consuming over shoot at a junction, Ryan was up to third overall behind two Hyundai World Rally Cars in his production class Mitsubishi entering the final stage.

Thorley takes up the story, "We ran up a bank on one of the tightened junctions in the last stage and it seem to have knocked one of the oil cooler pipes. The oil pressure warning light came on and Ryan immediately switched the engine off. When we stopped there was a pool of oil under the car..."
Champion said "It's disappointing not to finish but really we just did the event for the mileage. Once the service crew got to the car, they fixed the problem in about 10 minutes and we drove the car back. It's just one of those things. The important thing is to now concentrate on the British Championship with the new car. That's when we need some good luck!" The Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship gets underway with the Pirelli International Rally held in Kielder forest in May.