PAS MOTORSPORT

26.09.10 Championship hopes end in Yorkshire for Peart

Burton Pidsea’s Chris Peart ended his BRC Challenge rally season last weekend with a disappointing retirement on the final round of the championship, the Trackrod Challenge rally. The retirement ended his hopes of taking the championship title.

Going into the event Peart had been just three points behind the championship leader and, with the event using some of his favourite Yorkshire forests, he had a good chance of claiming the crown.

The opening Housedale stage saw Peart and co-driver Jamie Forrest take third fastest time and second in class but it all went wrong on the second stage when his Peart Auto Services-backed Vauxhall Corsa S1600 ran wide on a bend and clipped a tree which caused damage to the wheel, brake disc and steering. The damage was severe enough to put Peart out of the event and end his championship hopes.

"The first stage went ok, we were still getting used to the car with it being our first time competing in it on gravel," said Peart.

"We were pushing hard on the second stage but took a long sweeping bend a little too quickly. There was a tree right next to the track and we hit it as we ran wide. Sadly the resulting damage meant we couldn’t continue."

"It’s a disappointing way to end the championship but overall I’m very pleased with my year, we’ve been competitive and the events have been very enjoyable."

Peart is currently deciding on his plans for 2011 and may contest some local events in the remainder of 2010.


19.09.10 Peart set for championship battle

Burton Pidsea’s Chris Peart goes into the final round of the BRC Challenge rally championship next weekend, the Trackrod Challenge Rally, with a chance of taking the title as he lies just three points behind the leader.

Peart and co-driver Jamie Forrest have enjoyed a very successful season so far and with the last championship round being held in Peart’s favourite Yorkshire forests hopes are high that they could take the title.

"The Yorkshire forests are pretty local to me and I’ve competed in them many times," said Peart. "After a season competing in places such as Wales and the Isle of Man it’s good to end the championship in Yorkshire and I’ll be pushing very hard to try and get the championship lead."

With the engine in his forest rallying car not ready Peart will use the Peart Auto Services-backed Vauxhall Corsa which he took to two second placed results on his last championship event, the Isle of Man Challenge Rally.

"It’s unfortunate that the car we used for the earlier forest events cannot be used, it’s quite a disadvantage to use the Corsa as I’ve never used it on gravel before. Hopefully I will get an opportunity to test the car before the rally."

The rally takes place next Saturday (25th September) and it includes stages in the classic North Yorkshire forests of Langdale and Dalby.


12.07.10 Double delight for Peart on Isle of Man

Burton Pidsea’s Chris Peart had a productive weekend on the Isle of Man when he took second place on each of the two Isle of Man Challenge rally rounds he contested in his Vauxhall Corsa S1600.

After a very disappointing last round when the car engine blew before the rally start Peart and co-driver Jamie Forrest were keen to get their championship challenge back on track on the island.

The first event consisted of nine stages on the tricky stages which were held on closed public roads. The opening stage saw the crews start from a foggy TT Grandstand in Douglas for a short blast along part of the TT course. Peart’s event got off to a great start when he set fastest time on the stage.

Three longer stages followed and Peart showed consistent pace in very changeable conditions to hold second placed behind local driver Kevin Vondy after the Corlea stage.

“I was delighted to be lying in second after the early stages,” said Peart. “The weather conditions made driving difficult but we had a troublefree run through all the stages.”

At over 17 miles stage 6, Ballanank, was the longest of the first event and with a mix of fast wide roads and tight and bumpy lanes it was a big challenge for the crews. Peart maintained his quick pace to stay in second place. A third and second quickest time followed on the next stages with Peart ending the event on a high by taking quickest time on the famous Tholt-y-Will stage although the time was not enough to overhaul the event winner.

“Second was a brilliant result, I was very happy with that. We had a good steady run and the car was faultless.”

The second Challenge event saw the crews compete over eight stages. Conditions were again changeable although as the day progressed the mist and rain became worse, making driving at speed very hazardous. Peart was again on the pace and by the end of stage four he was leading the event.

“The rain got very heavy in some of the stages and the tarmac was extremely slippery, we also had to contend with thick mist. To be in the lead in those conditions was very pleasing.”

Second place on the fifth stage saw Peart drop to second on the leaderboard. His clean run continued until the eighth stage when a wheel was damaged on the Peart Auto Services supported Corsa but despite this he kept his second place. The wheel was changed prior to the ninth and final stage which would see the crews tackle the notoriously difficult Druidale road in the mountains before dropping down into Douglas to a finish back at the TT Grandstand.

Despite being over a minute behind the leader Peart pushed very hard on the last stage and, despite a faulty intercom, he stormed to quickest fastest time taking 56 seconds off the leader but it wasn’t quite enough to take the win.

“After our disastrous Jim Clark rally our aim for the two events was to collect a good haul of points for the championship and it’s great that we have achieved that.”

“The last stage was fantastic, the Druidale section was very tough and then the run down past Injebreck was extremely slippery, it was a fantastic way to end the event.”

Peart now lies in second place in the BRC Challenge and he will contest his final event of the championship, the Trackrod Challenge rally, in late September.


04.07.10 Peart hoping for change of fortune on Isle of Man

Burton Pidsea rally driver Chris Peart is hoping for a change of fortune next week when he contests the Isle of Man Challenge Rally.

After a good start to the season with fourth and second place on the opening two rounds of the BRC Challenge Peart suffered a blown engine on his Vauxhall Astra before he had even started the last championship round in Scotland.

He will use a different car on the Isle of Man event, a tarmac-specification Vauxhall Corsa S1600 with support from Peart Auto Services.

“The blown engine on the last round meant we scored zero points so we’ve dropped down to fifth in the BRC Challenge,” said Peart.

“The Isle of Man Challenge event counts as two championship rounds with points to be scored on each of the two days that the rally runs. It’s vital that we get a good haul of points on both rounds.”

“The Corsa was bought from a Manx driver so hopefully it should go well on the island’s lanes. We did an event at Twyford to test the car and finished fourth overall so the car definitely has the performance.”

The event is based in Douglas and will be fought over 17 special stages totalling 134 miles. The first stage starts from the TT Grandstand on Friday morning.

25.04.10 Peart takes class win on Pirelli Challenge rally

Burton Pidsea’s Chris Peart enjoyed a very successful Pirelli Challenge Rally last weekend when he took second place overall and first in class on the Carlisle-based event despite suffering severe brake problems on his car.

After undertaking a test session to tweak the suspension on his Peart Auto Services-backed Vauxhall Astra hopes were high for a good result on the event which was round two of the BRC Challenge.

Peart and co-driver Jamie Forrest got off to a good start on the opening Roughside stage, claiming third fastest time overall and first in class. Stage two, Pundershaw, was even better with second fastest time overall.

Drama was to strike on the third stage when the brakes failed midway through the course. Amazingly Peart and Forrest were quickest of everyone on the stage, moving them up to second overall.

"We had a good run on the opening two stages and were pleased to be in third place after Pundershaw," said Peart.

"We lost the brakes half way through the third stage and it felt as though we were coasting, it was a big surprise when we found out we were fastest overall!".

A pair of mole grips were used to ensure that the Astra pairing at least had brakes on the front for the remaining two stages. The Forks stage saw Peart and Forrest catch another car and the dust in the stages meant that they lost time, completing the test in seventh place and dropping to third place.

A big push on the final Bewshaugh stage saw them take another fastest stage time which moved them back up to second place overall and first in their class.

"It’s a brilliant result for us, I’m really pleased to take the class win and second overall, it puts us in a good position in the BRC Challenge championship."

The championship moves onto tarmac for the next round, the Jim Clark Challenge Rally in May. Peart is likely to contest the event in his other rally car, a Vauxhall Corsa S1600.

28.03.10 Peart claims class podium on Bulldog Challenge Rally

Burton Pidsea’s Chris Peart enjoyed a successful start to his 2010 BRC Challenge rally championship campaign when he took fourth place overall and second in class on the Bulldog Challenge Rally in his Peart Auto Services Vauxhall Astra.

Peart and co-driver Jamie Forrest made a cautious start to the opening 17 mile stage at the Sweet Lamb rally complex, completing the course in sixth place and fourth in class.

“It was the first time I have driven the car on gravel since last November so it took a few miles to get back into it,” said Peart.

“The opening stage was a long one with plenty of testing slippery sections, we were pleased to get to the finish in sixth.”

After a break for servicing at Welshpool the crews headed to the forests of Dyfi, Pantperthog and Gartheiniog for the remainder of the event’s 50 competitive stage miles.

Peart and Forrest took fifth place on the Big Ray stage before stepping up the pace on the last three stages of the event, claiming fourth place on each of the tests to end up in fourth place overall and second in class as the crews headed back to Welshpool for the rally finish.

“I’m pleased with the result, our aim for the rally was to get a decent haul of points to give us a good start in the BRC Challenge championship and we’ve achieved that with the fourth placed finish.”

“The car performed well and I enjoyed the stages although they were a bit different to the ones in Yorkshire that I usually compete on. It's an excellent start to the season and I'm looking forward to the next round.”

Peart and Forrest will continue their BRC Challenge campaign on the Pirelli rally which takes place at the end of April.