Official rally reports of rally driver Ryan Champion

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Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship Round 1 Pirelli Rally – 20th & 21st April 2007

CHAMPION TAKES PODIUM IN BORROWED CAR.

Ryan Champion took a superb third place in the opening round of the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship, the Carlisle based Pirelli International Rally, in the Merlin International Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX borrowed from former British Rally Champion Jonny Milner.

Champion, the runner up in the 2006 British Rally Championship, looked like he may have to sit out the 2007 season after recently finding out he would not be retained by the Mitsubishi Motors Rally Team for whom he drove last year. However, a last minute deal to drive Milner's MSR Motorsport prepared car allowed the thirty-one year old Champion to contest the Pirelli Rally with usual co driver Craig Thorley, an event they won in 2006.

The event headed into Kielder forest on Friday evening for four stages in the dark. Despite only a brief test in the Pine Direct/Netting Services backed Mitsubishi before the event, Champion ended the first day in third place headed only by the two Mitsubishi Motors entries. Ryan commented "It took a little while for me to build up confidence in the car and learning it in the darkness of Kielder is not easy! We changed the suspension set up of the car to make it easier to drive."

Mid way through day two which was back in Kielder, this time in daylight, Champion was hit by a puncture just two miles into a nine mile test. He said, "I felt it go soft early in the stage but we had no option but to drive on with it. Eventually the tyre came off completely and we had to do the last few miles on the wheel rim." The puncture caused a minute to be lost but Champion finished the event in a strong third position.

"As it was a last minute deal to do the rally, I have to be pleased with a podium finish. With only a little bit of time in the car before the event we didn't have the speed to win but it's a good result on a tough event and I have to be thankful to Jonny and MSR for making it possible," Champion reflected. The Yorkshireman's plans for the remainder of the season are yet to be confirmed. Champion has registered for the British Rally Championship, the next round of which is the Jim Clark Memorial Rally in Scotland next month, but at present is still searching for backing to contest the rest of the series. "I'd say at the moment the Jim Clark is looking unlikely but then I thought that about the Pirelli so we'll keep trying!" Ryan commented .
The Kelso based Jim Clark Memorial Rally takes place on the closed public rounds of the Scottish Borders on May 25th/26th