SUNSEEKER '09 // NICHOLLS TAKES WIN AS FRONT RUNNERS FALTER

Will Nicholls and Nick Broom took the win in Bournemouth as others fell foul to various technical issues and accidents. The Isle of Wight driver and his Yeovil-based co-driver ended the 13 stages that make up the event nearly 30 seconds clear of 2004 winners Roger Duckworth and Mark Broomfield.
 
Will Nicholls inherited the lead when all three of his major rivals ran into trouble. The first of these was multi-Sunseeker winners Marcus Dodd and Andrew Bargery who suffered engine failure in their HPM Motorsport Hyundai Accent WRC. Dodd and Bargery were soon joined at the service park, when Paul Bird’s recently aquired Ford Focus WRC fell foul to an electrical problem, forcing him to retire.
 
Shortly after Bird's retirement Steve Perez's VK Liveried 07 Focus WRC ended its outing in the Dorset Forests embeded in a ditch.
 
Again, as in the last few years, the "Sunseker" was also the 1st round of the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge running under Group N regulations. The win went to Daniel Barry and Martin Brady in their EVO9, only three seconds ahead of Simon Hughes and Patrick Walsh in their identical car.
 
The traditional Friday evening spectator stage at Bournemouth Gardens was curtailed following an accident on the opening stage along the seafront. A competeing car left the road, destroying a lamp post in the process. The driver and his co driver suffered minor injuries with the driver having to be carefully removed by rescue crew from the car. The two runs never re-started as live electrical cables had come down with the impact.

All in all, the 2009 Rally Sunseeker was a succes and certainly an event we recomend visiting if the opportunity were to arise. Be sure and stay tuned for additional coverage of the 2009 UK MSA Gravel Rally Championship.

Editorial/Photo: Neil Tozer // 03.03.2009