2007 MATADOR TYRES MSA BRITISH OFF-ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP (BORC)
Baden Hall, Staffordshire – round 1 of 5
For immediate release
Sunday, April 15th, 2007
GORDON MONAGHAN TAKES OUTRIGHT VICTORY IN
BRITISH OFF-ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER AT BADEN HALL
Richard Kershaw finishes second; third place for Keith Lewis
BORC competitors praise new Staffordshire off-road venue
BADEN HALL (England): Preston’s Gordon Monaghan won a closely-fought opening round of the 2007 Matador Tyres MSA British Off-Road Championship at Baden Hall, near Eccleshall, in Staffordshire on Sunday.
The Monaghan RS driver emerged victorious from a three-way battle for the honour of winning the first ever BORC event at the new Baden Hall venue. After 11 runs through a challenging and varied stage through woodland and over grassy and sandy surfaces, Monaghan finished 24 seconds ahead of runner-up Richard Kershaw.
~I was lying second after the first day and decided to give it a good go on the first runs this morning,~ enthused Monaghan. ~We pushed hard and our time of 6m 15s on the eighth run was crucial. It was the fastest time of the weekend. That was the breakthrough. I was able to slow a little after that to make sure we had no problems. It feels great to be the first BORC winner at Baden Hall.~
Kershaw, from Huddersfield, clinched second place by five seconds on the final run after beginning the tense decider eight seconds behind Abergavenny’s Keith Lewis in a Simmbugghini. Kershaw lost a potential outright win on the fifth run on Saturday when his Peugeot 306 GSR Evo9 suffered ECU problems and he lost nearly a minute to his two main rivals.
Lewis led by 23 seconds after Saturday’s six timed runs, but slipped behind his rivals on the final five timed tests on Sunday, as Class H winner Neil Davey finished fourth and Stirling’s John Cockburn clinched Class G and fifth overall.
Other class winners included Accrington’s Ian Bartram in a Warrior Storm, fellow Lancashire driver Carl Duffield in a Tornado II and Nuneaton’s Andrew Wilson, who won Class D in a Range Rover.
Colin Gould, one of the pre-event favourites, lost seven minutes with electrical problems on the third run and eventually finished a lowly 18th. Lancashire’s Dan Lofthouse suffered clutch problems on the first run on Saturday and the seven-minute delay pushed him down to an eventual 22nd overall.
Local driver Herman Griese enjoyed an action packed weekend at the wheel of his Car-Gas Tomcat. The Fenton-based driver suffered driveshaft, shock absorber and alternator problems over the course of the weekend and was able to take his car back to nearby Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday evening to carry out repairs at his own garage. He eventually finished 20th.
~Baden Hall may be local for me, but it is still a fantastic venue for motorsport,~ enthused Griese. ~The stage was challenging, the land owner was fully-supportive of the event and the strength in depth of the entry was excellent. I hope that this is the start of regular national events at Baden Hall.~
Forty-two drivers entered the National ‘A’ category and a further 11 were entered in the Trophy and Clubman sections. Victory in the Trophy section fell to Northern Ireland’s David Nutter in his Tomcat, with Chorley’s Matt Lowe taking second place and David Brown finishing third in a Land Rover. Nick Forsyth won the Clubman category in his Land Rover 90.
The event was organised by Marches 4×4 Motorsport Management – the founding organisers of Britain’s exciting, new Baja GB – and was the first of five events in this year’s Matador Tyres MSA British Off-Road Championship.
~I would like to thank James Goucher of Baden Hall Enterprises Ltd for his support and hospitality this weekend,~ said clerk of the course Selwyn Kendrick. ~This is a new and exciting venue with a great deal of potential. We had no problems throughout the weekend and the feedback from competitors has been very positive. I am sure that Baden Hall will become a regular feature of the calendar in the future.~
Baden Hall – Final results
1. Gordon Monaghan (Monaghan RS) 1h 11m 25s
2. Richard Kershaw (Peugeot 206 GSR) 1h 11m 59s
3. Keith Lewis (Simmbugghini) 1h 12m 04s
4. Neil Davey (GSR 206 Evo) 1h 14m 05s
5. John Cockburn (Tomcar Max Traction) 1h 14m 58s
6. Ian Bartram (Warrior Storm) 1h 15m 55s
7. Carl Duffield (Tornado II) 1h 16m 04s
8. Brian Farmer (Warrior Porsche 306) 1h 16m 07s
9. Toby Jefferson (Peugeot 306) 1h 16m 29s
10. Lee Mansfield (Bowler Wildcat) 1h 17m 22s, etc
Ends
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www.BritishOffRoadChampionship.co.uk