AFTER 13 years, Rally Yorkshire will step down as a qualifying round for the MSA British Rally Championship for 2014.

The rally, which is more than 30 years old, has a unique route that is based around Pickering.

Rally Yorkshire will be part of the British Rally Championship (BRC) for the last time later this month when the penultimate round of the 2013 championship will take place on September 27 and 28.

The parting of the ways follows several discussions between clerk of the course Rod Parkin and BRC manager Mark Taylor.

Parkin, who originally brought Rally Yorkshire into the BRC in 2000, admitted to being disappointed with the outcome, but felt both parties wanted different things from the event.

“The BRC want more promotion and advertising than we can deliver on a limited budget,” he said.

But Parkin said he felt it was a positive decision from both parties and was adamant it was the correct outcome.

He said: “There were no fallings out. We have left the door open for a return.”

Rally Yorkshire will consolidate its immediate future providing a top-quality, historic rally for the RAC Championship and regional qualifying rounds for the BTRDA and English Championships.

“The event will be stronger,” said Parkin. “We are sorry to lose the BRC but we have to react to what we can deliver but the main thing is the event continues.”

Final details of the 2014 BRC calendar will be announced later this month.

 

• Using farm tracks, stubble fields and a disused railway line, Malton Motor Club organised the Mike (Stivie) Stephenson Memorial Charity Rally, in the Goodmanham area, near Market Weighton.

After eight stages, the event was won by Ian Joel and Graeme Wood driving a Ford Escort Cosworth.

Local driver Steve Bannister a great friend of Stivie, took time out of his busy rally program me to compete with navigator Julie Stephenson. Driving his Mk 2 Ford Escort two wheel drive, they finished third overall and second in class.

Steve Magson, of Pickering, with co-driver Geoff Atkinson in a Vauxhall Chevette HSR used the event to check the new set up on the engine for the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire later this month. They reported no problems and finished tenth overall sixth in class. Alan and Rachel Ward, of Kirkbymoorside, in a standard engine Vauxhall Nova were down on speed on the long stubble field straights and after stage two had to change a gearbox, but they made it to the end and finished second in class. Two Malton Motor Club Members were not at the finish.

Dave Bullock with Alan Smith reading the notes in a Toyota Celica GT4, retired after Stage 5 with a misfiring engine, and Rob and Nick Carr, in a Ford Escort Mk 2, retired on the same stage with a broken half shaft.