| Colin Read's the story | 2003
Event Reports
Richard Kershaw opens the 2003 championship by showing the same form that he displayed in 2002. Andrew West took modified production honours despite a roll in his Discovery. DriffieldKershaw wins again, but is chased hard by an on-form Tim Dilworth. Colin Read astounds onlookers with an incredible 8th overall for the Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin. KinrossRichard Kershaw takes his third outright win of the season, but is assisted by Dilworth striking electrical problems. Finally Tim Dilworth's day, having wowed the Hillrally world with his back-to-back victories Tim takes his first "British" victory. Andrew West pushed his Discovery into an amazing fifth overall. EllesmereKershaw wins his forth championship event this year to win a dominant second Goodyear MSA British Off Road title. A well deserved winner after another thoughtful drive. |
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| Reigning
champion Richard Kershaw extended his lead in the Goodyear British Off Road Championship rankings with a clear win in the sun at Driffield. 
Kershaw's win, his second of the season did not come without someconsiderable pressure from his title rivals. Saturday morning's early laps saw former champion Tim Marsh (TMC 4x4) set a blistering pace on the arduous MOD training ranges. Marsh's opening time of 10m19s was a full twenty two seconds quicker than his closest competitor, Tim Dilworth (Simmbugghini), and was quick enough to allow Marsh to catch and pass the usually rapid Gordon Monaghan whose BMW M3 engine expired on the following lap. On run three Kershaw upped the ante by setting the first sub ten-minute time for the 6.6 mile course with a 09m55s, but the two Tim's both responded  bygoing faster still on run four. Both Dilworth and Marsh continued to set strong times despite suffering from mechanical failures. It was Marsh though who came off worst, dogged with a series of suspension problems and a misfire on his self-built TMC4x4. Substantial repairs meant that Marsh was unable to complete all the runs within the time allowed and therefore scored a maximum time for the final lap of the day dropping himself from contention. In the production categories Andrew West lead Tony Walmsley whose Defender 90 had been totally rebuilt from a serious roll at the previous round. Unfortunately for class leader West, he was called away on day two, unexpectedly obliged to fly to Monaco to pick up a truck for his employers, handing the class win to Tony Walmsley. The Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin was showing true giant slaying form in Driffield, fresh from a visit to Ralliart in Rugby for some suspension development. Driver, Colin Read was pleased with the new Reiger, Dakar derived dampers, "Its just right now, we can go into the rough so much harder!" Read took an incredible eighth overall and first in class. Day two's hazy arrival brought more of the same at the front of the field, with Kershaw, Dilworth and Marsh trading times. Kershaw's lead though was too much for Dilworth to overcome, especially as Kershaw seemed to have the ability to match Dilworth's times whenever necessary. Dilworth did however have the last laugh with the fastest lap of the event an 08m47s on his penultimate lap. Alec Lofthouse took a well deserved third followed by a despondent Tim Marsh whose climb back to fourth was not enough to console him for his Saturday maximum. To download full results service - 1.55MB click here
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Top ten results 1. Richard Kershaw Amaterati 2h24m15s |