Harris blasts to Retro Rallycross Championship victory at Silverstone

The opening round of the 2019 obp Motorsport Retro Rallycross Championship was held at Silverstone Circuit in glorious spring weather (March 24) and it was Steve Harris in his equally glorious Ford RS200 who claimed the first final victory of the season.

Harris overcame early electrical issues to battle his way back up the order in Q3, the semi-final and final to take the win, ahead of Derrick Jobb with his Ford Escort Cosworth.

One of the star performances of the weekend was delivered by Retro Rallycross 1600cc sub-category driver Steve Cozens with his Citroen AX. Despite bending the rear suspension in the qualifying stages, Cozens gave chase to the two four-wheel drive cars ahead in the final, while also fending off the attentions of Mini Clubman racer Stewart Bowes.

Bowes’ challenge for an overall top-three ended when he tried an inside move at the loose-surface hairpin and hit a tyre wall, dropping him down the field. That left Gary Simpson as Cozens’ nearest challenger with his BMW E30, but it was behind the York driver, who took top honours in the Super Retro points, where the action unfolded in the final, as Tony Lynch (Toyota MR2) and John Cross (Lancia Stratos) traded places with David Halford on his debut with the Group B Audi Quattro. Halford eventually finished fifth overall and third of the four-wheel drive runners, ahead of Cross and the recovering Bowes, who almost overtook the Stratos right at the end of the race. Lynch finished eighth on his first outing in the Retro Rallycross category.

“We had a few electrical issues early in the day, but we found the cause and got back up and running,” said winner Harris. “I’m always smiling when I’m in this car, it’s just fantastic to drive, and so much fun. The final went really well and I’m delighted to win. We’re going to try and do all four rounds of the Retro four-wheel drive category, and we’ll definitely be at Lydden on Easter Monday.”

MG Metro 6R4 driver Rob Gibson retired at the semi-final stages, while Paul Easterbrook’s best ever Retro Rallycross event came to a sad end when he lost a wheel from his Toyota MR2 after the circuit’s jump in the semi-finals, while Ford Fiesta driver Mark Finch was forced out with technical troubles. Jason Bowes (Volkswagen Golf) and Simon Hart (Ford Escort) were also victims of issues in qualifying and didn’t make it to the semi-finals.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the size and quality of the entry throughout all of the Retro Rallycross classes this weekend,” said Retro Rallycross Championship promotor, Shirley Gibson. “There were some unfortunate technical problems for some, but spirits were very high for the season opener and the first opportunity for our title sponsors obp Motorsport to meet and spend time with our drivers. It was a great win for Steve Harris in a final that saw cars from all three divisions fighting for position. Retro Rallycross is so exciting, the mix of cars makes for interesting and diverse racing. As we move on to Lydden Hill for round two on Easter Monday we are hopeful of another great turnout.”

2019 Retro Rallycross Championship: Round One, Final Result:

1 Steve Harris             Ford RS200 (Retro 4WD)
2 Derrick Jobb             Ford Escort (Retro 4WD)
3 Steve Cozens            Citroen AX (Retro)
4 Gary Simpson           BMW E30 (Super Retro)
5 David Halford           Audi Quattro (Retro 4WD)
6 John Cross                Lancia Stratos (Super Retro)
7 Stewart Bowes         Mini Clubman (Retro)
8 Tony Lynch               Toyota MR2 (Retro)