2007 MATADOR TYRES MSA BRITISH OFF-ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP (BORC)
Castle O’er, Scotland, June 30th/July 1st – round 3 of 5
For immediate release
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
RICHARD KERSHAW HEADS TO SCOTLAND
WITH 10-POINT LEAD IN 2007 BORC SERIES
Castle O’er forest set to play host to BORC entrants;
Keith Lewis and Toby Jefferson aim to close points’ gap
NEWTOWN (Wales): Huddersfield’s Richard Kershaw will take a 10-point lead in the 2007 Matador Tyres MSA British Off-Road Championship (BORC) to the third round of the series in Castle O’er forest in the Scottish borders on Saturday, June 30th and Sunday, July 1st.
The Yorkshireman won the last round of the series in mid-Wales, but faces fierce competition from all the series regulars on what promises to be a tricky and varied 10-mile stage in one of the most famous forest areas of the Borders region of southern Scotland.
Marches 4×4 Motorsport Management Limited have again been delighted by the response to the event, which will take place in an area steeped in motorsport tradition.
The venue at Castle O’er is a large conifer forest located near to the convergence of the White and Black Esk rivers and an ancient Iron Age hill fort at the nearby hamlet of the same name. Other local names for the village are Castle Over or Castle Overbie.
The area is steeped in rallying history and has been a regular venue for rounds of the Scottish Rally Championship and both the Scottish and RAC rallies in previous years.
Nearby Eskdalemuir is better known for its weather station, its world famous Samye Ling Buddhist monastery and the fact that it holds the record for the most rainfall ever to fall in the United Kingdom in a 30-minute period – 80mm back in 1953!
Kershaw’s closest rival after two rounds of this year’s BORC is Abergavenny’s Keith Lewis in his Simmbugghini, with Toby Jefferson a further 13 points adrift and tied with Preston’s Gordon Monaghan, the winner of the first round in Staffordshire back in April. The BORC is being contested by a truly national entry, with drivers competing in a wide array of four-wheel drive car, spaceframe and buggy-type derivatives.
Also chasing honours in the main category, and in need of valuable championship points in Scotland, are Ian Bartram and John Cockburn, who are both tied in equal fifth in the series on 133 points. Ryan Cooke, Lee Mansfield, Colin Gould, Robin Duxbury and Jeremy Fearn complete the top 10 in the points classification.
Clubmen will be permitted to enter on the day for a ?120 entry fee, while the Trophy category is developing into a two-man race between a tied David Nutter and Matt Lowe. Both have 157 points from a first and second-place finish and are well clear of the likes of David Brown and Tim Hayday in the points’ standings.
The weekend’s timetable gets underway with the compulsory noise test and scrutineering from 07.30hrs on Saturday morning and this is followed by documentation and a drivers’ briefing from 09.30hrs. The first day’s Safari competition gets underway on the 10-mile stage from 10.00hrs.
Day two action on Sunday, July 1st, begins at 09.30hrs and is due to finish in the early afternoon. This will be followed by the presentation from 16.00hrs. The rally headquarters, camping and catering facilities will be situated in the nearby farm buildings and fields.
Spectator information
Site Entrance: OS Map 79/NY 2207 9465
The entrance is near to the village of Twiglees and is about 10 miles north-east of Lockerbie on the B723 from Lockerbie to Eskdalemuir. The site will be signposted from Boreland. Spectators and competitors are requested to observe a 15mph speed limit when they leave the B723.
Ends
Images of BORC competitors are available from Steve Rees, www.concept-photos.co.uk
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@compuserve.com. www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.marches4x4.com
www.BritishOffRoadChampionship.co.uk