MOTORSPORT
BAJA GB 2006
Britain’s all-new candidate for FIA International Cup for Bajas
For immediate release
Monday, August 7th, 2006
NORWEGIAN DUO SET TO TACKLE BAJA
GB IN POWERFUL BOWLER WILDCATS
McKeith, Cooke and Jones set to bolster car section;
Essex Dakar biker Clive Town enters Welsh event
NEWTOWN (Wales): Norwegian drivers Ivar and Nick Tollefsen will take part in next weekend’s inaugural Baja GB, a candidate round for the FIA International Cup for Bajas, in a pair of powerful Bowler Wildcats. The pair are the latest international drivers to enter the exciting new event, which takes place in Radnor Forest on August 19th-20th.
The Bowler Wildcat is one of the most competitive non-factory cars available in world Cross-Country rallying and the Scandinavian pair will be co-driven by Grassington’s Quin Evans and Farnham’s Ben Gott.
Forty-five-year-old Iver is a World Record-breaking arctic explorer and has tackled the Dakar Rally on several occasions. He has already taken part in the Patagonia-Atacama, Tunisia and Morocco rallies this season with a Bowler Wildcat.
Also featuring on the car entry list – which is open to drivers of homologated T1 and T2 cars or competitors entered in a separate National category – are Leeds-based driver Glen McKeith and his female co-driver Caroline Smith. They will line-up in a Land Rover Freelander Warrior.
The Leicestershire pairing of Ryan and Chris Cooke have also entered the event and the Hinckley driver wheels out a Land Rover Defender. The Cooke duo will be up against Cheshire’s Michael Jones and Paul Round in a Desert Warrior and Banwell’s Nick Tidboald and co-driver Philip Peak in a Bowler Wildcat 200.
The event is also open to bike and quad riders and Essex-based Clive Town is one of the latest additions to the two-wheel entry with his KTM. The Heathfield driver has tackled the Dakar Rally on several occasions and finished this year’s event, riding alongside another Baja entrant, Patsy Quick.
Town will be hoping to add an outright Baja win to his role of honour, but he faces a strong line-up, including new entrant Brian Eland, from Burnopfield near Newcastle, on a KTM, Wilmslow’s experienced Stephen Malone on a KTM and Bournemouth’s Ray Watton on a four-stroke Honda.
The latest entrant in the quad category is Daniel Upton, from Wimbourne in Dorset, riding a Bombardier, although event organisers are expecting a late flood of entries in the bike and quad categories.
~There are just three more days to go before entries close and I am hoping that those competitors who were considering placing an entry act fast to avoid missing out on Britain’s first ever entry into international Baja-type rallying,~ said Chris Tomley, Chairman of the MSA’s Cross-Country Committee and Clerk of the Course for Baja GB 2006.
Baja GB has the full backing of the Motor Sports Association (MSA), the Forestry Commission Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government and Andrew Davies, the Welsh Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks.
Entry lists for the bike, quad and car categories are due to close on Thursday, August 10th. Regulations are available from the Baja GB office, 31 Market Street, Newtown, Powys, Wales, SY16 2PG, Tel: + 44 1686 626641, Fax: + 44 1686 628618, e-mail: secretary@BajaGB.co.uk and online at www.BajaGB.co.uk.
Ends
For further media information:
Neil Perkins, Baja GB Press Officer, NDP Publicity Services, NCH Building, Upper Bar, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 7EH, United Kingdom, Tel: +44 1952 825078, Fax: +44 1952 825001, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@compuserve.com. www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).