Pirelli International Rally GASS MAKES CAUTIOUS START 18-20 April 2008 Reigning Pirelli Star Driver Darren Gass made a sensible start to his prize season in the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship. The youngster took to the wheel of his Pirelli liveried Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, accompanied by his experienced co-driver, Scot Neil Shanks. The evening stages on Friday saw them push the boundaries of their knowledge of the car. Darren commented, “It is so much different that when you drive in a test, this is the real thing.” He admitted to feeling some pressure to perform well in the prize car too, “I feel that if I don’t do well I would be letting the team and myself down.” But the team had no such expectations, Pirelli’s Martin Pallot saying, “Darren needs some miles under these conditions to settle in. My hope is that he gets used to the car and learns from the experience.” In the darkness of Friday evening it would be combination of a rare pace note error and failing power steering that left the Mitsubishi stranded in a ditch. The pair dropped around ten minutes, but with no significant damage, continued to gain mileage on Saturday, top ten times recovering them to 14th overall at the finish. “We had some transmission troubles later on Saturday,” explained Darren at the Carlisle finish, “and I am a little frustrated that we didn’t finish higher. But it is s long way to go to the end of Rally GB in December, so I’m pleased that we completed the whole route and learned a lot about the car.” The next scheduled event as part of the Pirelli Star Driver prize is the Jim Clark International Rally in the Scottish Borders. The end of May Bank Holiday weekend will be a change of surface for all the runners, swapping from gravel to asphalt for the first of three events on “the tar”. PRE PIRELLI RALLY TESTING Gass tests his Pirelli Star Driver prize car 08 April 2008 Several Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship contenders have been undergoing testing prior to the start of the season next week, Darren Gass being one benefiting from some tuition too. He made the trip to Wales on Tuesday where his newly Pirelli liveried bright yellow Mitsubishi awaited, along with fellow Northern Irishman Kris Meeke. The plan for the day was to allow Darren to acclimatise himself to the Evo IX, and hopefully learn from the experienced Meeke in the unfamiliar machine. After the first few runs both Darren and Kris were surprised how slippery it was on the forestry loop, Darren commenting, "It's a different beast to the Citroen and if you go off the clean line it takes much longer to come back after it has gone sideways." he added, "It is all new today; I had to learn the stage first, as Neil isn't here to call the 'notes. Then the car is so different, even from the WRC Subaru I drove once last year and to cap it all I'm using a HANS helmet for the first time too." The youngster has not been idle since winning the Pirelli Star Driver final in December, taking fitness seriously in advance of the 2008 season, "I'm going to the Gym twice a week and playing football in between, I'm even being more careful about what I eat and drink." he said. Although he has not driven competitively since the final, the full day in Wales will see him drive at least as many miles as the opening round in Carlisle next week. "It has been a good day and well worthwhile," concluded Darren, "The stages in Kielder should have more grip so it will take a couple of stages to get the feel of it, I'm really looking forward to it." The Pirelli International Rally starts from Carlisle City centre on Friday 18th April at around 7pm with stages running into darkness. The bulk of the stages will take place on Saturday with the finish back in Carlisle at around 5pm. For more information visit www.rallybrc.co.uk AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL SHOW Gass unveils his 2008 Pirelli prize car 11 January 2008 Darren Gass, winner of the inaugural Pirelli Star Driver competition unveiled his prize car, a top International spec Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 on the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship stand at the Autosport International Show. The inaugural Pirelli Star driver will be entered on all rounds of the 2008 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, in its striking Pirelli livery it will be maintained by ADR Motorsport as an independent team. “Its been killing me over Christmas waiting to find out what the Pirelli deal would be”, said an excited Darren, “I am absolutely delighted to find that Pirelli are giving me a brilliant opportunity to progress my career, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 won last years British Rally Championship and it will be a great car in which to progress and learn. I can’t wait to get started, I want to do myself and Pirelli’s proud.” His prize of a fully funded drive in the 2008 BRC was awarded after he and five other finalists were selected, one from each of the six rounds of the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship. The 19 year-old from near Armagh in Northern Ireland came out on top after a final grueling two day assessment based at M Sport back in mid December. “We have deliberated long and hard about what direction to take when Darren won the prize. The plan was always to make it a logical step and we intend to assist Darren in other key areas in order he has every opportunity to progress through the sport.” said Martin Pallot from Pirelli UK. All the competitors who register for the 2008 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship, irrespective of which class they enter, will be eligible once again for Pirelli Star Driver selection. Martin Pallot concluded, “We’re all eager to start the new season, I think it is a lot clearer now what Pirelli and the BRC Management team are both offering and trying to achieve with this scheme. If you are a driver who is serious about his/her career you have to be part of it. We are already enjoying working with Darren and we look forward to nominating more Pirelli Star Drivers from the BRC events, offering the 2008 winner a Pirelli prize drive in 2009.” Supplied copyright free Press contact: Simon Moss M: +44 7968 585534 T: +44 1785 887988 E: simonmoss@rallybrc.co.uk. Further information on the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship can be found at www.rallybrc.co.uk Pirelli Star Driver Winner, BRC R3 and Junior Champion Markethill teenager Darren Gass and his Scots co-driver Neil Shanks have had a very good year by anybody’s standards. Darren made the decision to swap from the Fiesta S1600 that they had campaigned in their first full season in 2006, to a Citroën C2 after the first round of 2007. The move obviously suited them and although the season was not perfect, the result could not have been better. At the final gasp Darren and Neil sealed the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship Rally 3 category, after an arduous Rally GB took its toll on all the competitors. The result also secured the coveted MSA Junior class awarded to the best under 25 driver in the British Rally Championship. The achievement was even more special as Darren is the youngest registered driver to have contested the whole 2007 season. As if these results were not enough, Darren was also nominated as one of the six Pirelli Star Driver finalists, each one judged and nominated from the rounds of the BRC. The youngster’s season was finally capped just last week when a panel of esteemed Motorsport professionals comprising Malcolm Wilson, Risto Laine, Autosport’s David Evans and Pirelli’s Mario Isola, voted unanimously to award him the inaugural Pirelli Star Driver award. The prize is a fully funded drive in the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship in a professionally run car which will be announced soon. “I can’t believe it,” enthused the normally quiet Darren, “It had already been a good season for us, but this is fantastic. I’m getting calls from all over to congratulate me but it’s been a team effort to get this far. “I’d like to thank all our sponsors this year. It’s a bit of a list but here goes: Quarryfix Ltd, Cheevers Chemists, Dalzells of Markethill, Haffey Plant Hire, Killycarn Sand & Gravel, EMC Autopax, ID Graphics and Jonny and all the lads at Crozier Motorsport Engineering. Particular thanks go to Trevor Dalzell who made doing rally GB possible, without his help we couldn’t have finished the season. “There is obviously one person who has helped me from the very start. My dad has always supported my rallying and I think this is a good way to repay him. Although I’m sure he’d prefer cash! ”I can’t forget Neil (Shanks) either, he was there on my first BRC rally in 2006 and he’ll be in the prize car with me in 2008. He has helped keep me calm when things have not gone so well and he’ll be celebrating with us at the BRC Bash in January. He concluded, “The BRC and Pirelli have given everybody a reason to push even harder in any class in the championship, it’s a great incentive.” GASS ON Crash.net GASS EYES JUNIOR & R3 TITLES 21 Sep 2007 Young Northern Irish rally driver Darren Gass has set his sights on winning the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship Junior and R3 titles this season. Gass, who currently leads the race for the Junior title - 6 points up on Matt Beebe and who is second in the R3 standings, 1 point behind Conrad Rautenbach, endured a nightmare outing on the Ulster International Rally recently though, with technical problems on day 1 and an off on day 2, leaving him well down the order at the finish. Speaking exclusively to Crash.net Radio last month, prior to his home event, the 19-year-old noted that his decision to switch to the Citroen C2 S1600 from the Jim Clark, the second round in the championship, was however definitely the right one. “It seems to have worked out well for us,” he stated. “It is a big improvement on the Fiesta and getting to the finish of the rallies is a real benefit. We weren't having much luck with the Fiesta. The Citroen feels good. We have worked on the set-up a lot from the Jim Clark and it has all come together for us. Every part of the car is just two steps better – the brakes, the suspension. The difference is just day and night. Now if I can hold the lead in the Junior Championship - and possibly win the R3 Championship too that would be a good result for me.” Asked about the final two events, the International Rally Yorkshire, which runs on October 6 and the Rally GB, he added that his tactics for both events will be very different. “We are looking forward to the Trackrod and it will be my first time doing Rally GB and it should be a good experience. We will need to approach GB however with a wee bit more caution,” he explained. “For instance the Trackrod is only a one-day rally and so to get to the finish in Wales [which is a three-day event] will be a big bonus. It is a good buzz to do Rally GB though and compete with the world championship material people. We will give it a go in Wales and see how we get on there.” Rally GB though won't be his only outing in the WRC this season, as he is also hoping to do the inaugural Rally Ireland in November, once again using his Citroen C2. Pressed on what he might do next year, Gass said that nothing has been finalised yet, although the WRC is the ultimate aim for the future. “I am not quite sure at the moment to tell you the truth,” he replied, when asked about his plans for 2008. “If we could win the Pirelli Star Driver Award scheme [and get the works drive in the BRC in 2008] that would be a big benefit and if that comes off then maybe I would probably use my old Citroen in a few world rallies. But if that is not to be we will have to look at the thing again and see what we can do. I think every young driver wants to end up in the WRC but that is a big step away – and there is a lot of money between there and now,” he concluded. GASS’S PROMISE THWARTED Ulster International Rally 31 Aug - 1 Sep 2007 Darren Gass and Neil Shanks had high hopes for the Ulster International Rally this weekend, but disaster struck before they had even reached the first stage. After a successful test and driving guests on the Ulster Rally press day, the Markethill youngster was ready to entertain his home fans in Armagh. With at least one of the stages passing within a few hundred yards of Darren’s house and a good recce with his Scottish co-driver, their disappointment was plain as they returned to the service area. “We set off to the start in the Mall in Armagh, signed some autographs and returned to make our final tyre choice before the first stage,” explained Darren, “There was what felt like a bit of engine movement while we were in the traffic, but I put it down to the fierce clutch and trying to drive slowly in town.” The problem would only become clear on the 55 minute run to the first stage, when a broken engine mount was discovered. “It got worse and we had to stop and check under the bonnet,” said Neil, “it was only then that we found the broken mount. It had cracked in two places and there was no point in continuing and causing more damage.” When the car returned to service it was a simple repair, but they would take no further part in Friday’s proceedings, electing to watch the rest of the field instead. Super Rally rules that saved them several times last year in their Fiesta now came into play again, allowing them to restart on Saturday. With no pressure Darren pushed on stages familiar to him, setting some impressive times in the 1600cc Citroen C2, but it came to an abrupt end on the final stage when they ended the rally in a ditch. Unable to recover the car in time, they were forced to use Super Rally again, scoring points in the Rally 3 class by returning the car to parc fermé before the end. The team is now waiting for gravel suspension to arrive in readiness for the next round of the British Rally Championship, Rally Yorkshire in early October. Darren would like to thank Quarryfix Ltd, Cheevers Chemists, Dalzells of Markethill, Haffey Plant Hire, Killycarn Sand & Gravel , EMC Autopax, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Castrol, ID Graphics (NI) and Crozier Motorsport Engineering for their support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com IRDC Performance Improvement Award Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship August 2007 Young up and coming Irish rally driver and recent Pirelli Star Driver nominee Darren Gass was awarded the IRDC Performance Improvement Award on the last months Rally Isle of Man, a prize presented by the International Rally Drivers Club. The Award scheme rewards driver by judging who has improved the most and rewards cash to each event winner. The IRDC Performance Improvement award goes to Darren Gass following a spirited drive on the Manx Rally, well done. The IRDC competitor performance database has been providing performance data for rallies since the 1980’s. The performance is determined by a tried and tested algorithm that takes the stage times of each competitor and determines their improvement on performance on subsequent rounds. The current improvement table is shown below. Darren Gass Steve Graham David Meredith Lorna Smith Fin McCaul Matt Beebe Note: The IRDC competitor performance database has been providing performance data for rallies since the 1980’s. This year the system will be used to measure the performance improvement for each registered BRC crew following each round of the championship. The crew that shows the greatest improvement in their performance will be awarded up to £200 at each round. The more BRC Championship crews that enter the round the larger the award. 1-15 entries = £100 award 16-25 entries = £150 award more than 25 entries = £200 award. For further details contact: Tony Graham 07966 831229 tony.graham@delan.co.uk or visit the IRDC website: www.irdc.org.uk GASS ON HOME TAR Ulster International Rally 31 Aug - 1 Sep 2007 Armagh’s very own Star Driver will contest his home event, the Philip White Tyres Ulster International Rally next weekend, with regular co-driver Neil Shanks alongside. The rally’s base is just minutes from the nineteen year old’s home in Markethill and his star status comes after his nomination on Rally Isle of Man. As the third of six nominees for the Pirelli Star Driver scheme, he will go forward to a head to head shootout at the end of the season to win a drive in the 2008 Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship. But Darren didn’t need the nomination to prove his status at home. As one of three drivers invited to chauffeur guests and journalists for the official Ulster Rally press launch, the combination of youth and experience showed here too. However his practice for his home International didn’t stop there, as he contested the Lurgan Park Rally with mum alongside, posting twelfth overall and first in class. “That was a bit of fun though,” he explained, “We need to be much more accurate on the lanes and having done this event twice before, it is probably the one I have most experience of, so I know how tricky it is.” He continued, “We have used a different car every time on the Ulster, but I think we’ve learnt enough in the Citroën to have a reasonable set-up from the start. The problem that you face on home ground is over confidence. I know we’ll have lots of support from spectators and the team but I’ll have to concentrate even harder so I’m not distracted and don’t try to push too far.” The Quarryfix backed Crozier Motorsport team will look after the car again, planning a complete strip down after the event in readiness for the change back to gravel on Rally Yorkshire in October. With plans to compete in Europe again still not ruled out, they may not get a chance to rest too much after Ulster. The rally is based at the Armagh City Hotel with several loops of stages centred on the adjacent service area. A maximum entry will head off from the start ramp in the Mall on Friday afternoon at 2.45, returning for an overnight halt that evening. The remainder of the 121 mile route is completed on Saturday, with the finish back at the Mall at around 5pm and presentations later in the City Hotel. Darren would like to thank Quarryfix Ltd, Cheevers Chemists, Dalzells of Markethill, Haffey Plant Hire, Killycarn Sand & Gravel , EMC Autopax, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Castrol, ID Graphics (NI) and Crozier Motorsport Engineering for their support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com The rally is based at the Armagh City Hotel with several loops of stages centred on the adjacent service area. A maximum entry will head off from the start ramp in the Mall on Friday afternoon at 2.45, returning for an overnight halt that evening. The remainder of the 121 mile route is completed on Saturday, with the finish back at the Mall at around 5pm and presentations later in the City Hotel. Darren would like to thank Quarryfix Ltd, Cheevers Chemists, Dalzells of Markethill, Haffey Plant Hire, Killycarn Sand & Gravel , EMC Autopax, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Castrol, ID Graphics (NI) and Crozier Motorsport Engineering for their support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com GASS STARS ON ISLE OF MAN Rally Isle of Man 19 - 21 July 2007 Nineteen year old Darren Gass from Markethill in county Armagh and Scottish co-driver Neil Shanks scored their second straight fifth place in the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship this weekend. In doing so, the youngest driver in the 2007 Championship moved within seven points of triple champion Mark Higgins and was nominated as the third Pirelli Star Driver finalist. The award means he will go into a shoot out with five other nominees for the inaugural Pirelli Star Driver prize, a fully funded drive in the 2008 British Rally Championship. However the result and subsequent selection was not without its dramas. They were bettered by fellow C2 driver Conrad Rautenbach on the first stage by just 1.4 seconds but pulled ahead by 0.6 of a second on the next stage. The opening spectator special through Castletown was rerun as stages three and four and by the overnight halt Darren lay sixth, still less than two seconds adrift of the Zimbabwean class leader. With the prospect of rain all the drivers gambled on their tyre choice being correct and the youngster chose well for Friday’s opening 7.38 mile stage. Darren extended the tiny third of a second advantage to two thirds by the next stage, but he lost the advantage when the handbrake failed to slow the car on the first run through Ballig. “We hadn’t used the handbrake until that point,” he explained, “so it was a bit of a surprise when it didn’t work and we ended up hitting a bale. It was superficial damage but we dropped over eight seconds to Conrad.” Any threat from Stefan Davis faded on the same stage when he retired, only continuing on Saturday using Super Rally rules. This left the way clear for a straight fight with Rautenbach, but stage twelve was about to prove their worst. A front puncture on a very fast section caused them to stop to change the tyre. “It went down almost immediately,” said Neil, “but we managed to change it really quickly and only lost two minutes twenty seconds. We got plenty of practice in Belgium last month so we both knew exactly what to do.” The puncture left them seventh BRC crew overnight, after the final test was cancelled due to the discovery of an unexploded WW2 bomb. More critically they dropped out of contention for the class win, or so they believed. The opening stage of Saturday would throw up an opportunity as Rautenbach went off, losing almost nineteen minutes and promoting Darren and Neil a place to sixth. Unable to make any impression on the cars ahead in the remaining stages, Darren took the decision to consolidate the position, pushing to maintain concentration when the conditions allowed. Their excellent result promotes them to fourth in the overall Championship, Darren leading both the Junior Driver and Rally 3 categories. “We could have been third overall if it wasn’t for the puncture,” he said at the finish, “but to get the Pirelli Star Driver award is fantastic, I’m made up. The car has run without a hitch and we worked really well together on what is a really tough event.” The series moved to Northern Ireland for the next round on the last day of August and first day of September for the Ulster International Rally, an event Darren is especially looking forward to. “I can stay in my own bed every night.” he smiled, “The rally starts and finishes in Armagh about six miles from my house so we should have a lot of local support.” Darren would like to thank Quarryfix Ltd, Cheevers Chemists, Dalzells of Markethill, Haffey Plant Hire, Killycarn Sand & Gravel , EMC Autopax, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Castrol, ID Graphics (NI) and Crozier Motorsport Engineering for their support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com TEENAGE GASS READY FOR ISLE OF MAN Rally Isle of Man 19 - 21 July 2007 After taking the Rally 3 class win and fifth place in the BRC’s Jim Clark Rally, Northern Irishman Darren Gass and his Scottish co-driver Neil Shanks had some extra practice in Belgium before this weekend’s Rally Isle of Man. They set some excellent times their newly acquired Citroën C2 S1600 on the Belgian Ypres Westhoek Rally, even posting a couple inside the top twenty and impressed many with local knowledge. Despite several punctures Darren pronounced himself happy and ready for the third round of the British Rally Championship. “The rally was a great experience,” said Darren,” and it has given us more time on tarmac ready for the Manx lanes.” Still the youngest driver in the series, Darren hopes the Citroën will be better suited to the Isle of Man than last year’s Ford. Although his times were still impressive in 2006 until suspension damage forced the youngster out. “So far the car has been 100%.” he said, “I’m sure it is a better car but I’m also more comfortable in it and I think that counts for a lot. We managed to play with suspension settings in Belgium where there was less pressure than on the BRC events. There were more S1600 cars competing so it made us push harder which I hope will make the Isle of Man an easier event.” Darren reckons there is more to come from the little Citroën C2 and he will get a chance to shake test the car on Wednesday on the official pre-event shakedown. The action starts on Thursday evening with the bulk of the stage mileage on Friday and Saturday. Start, finish and centralised service are at Douglas’s famous TT Grandstand with a prize giving and party on Saturday evening. 165 Stage Miles on some of the fastest asphalt in the world awaits the crew and they will be ready to tame the Manx tarmac on Thursday. Darren would like to thank Quarryfix Ltd, Cheevers Chemists, Dalzells of Markethill, Haffey Plant Hire, Killycarn Sand & Gravel , EMC Autopax, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Castrol, ID Graphics (NI) and Crozier Motorsport Engineering for their support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com © Copyright Darren Gass Ralllying 2006 Website by SM Motorsport PR GASS IMPRESSES IN BELGIUM Ypres Westhoek Rally 22 - 23 June 2007 Darren Gass and Neil Shanks took their Citroën C2 Super 1600 to the Ypres rally last weekend and impressed many with top twenty times, but dropped time with punctures and a last stage moment. The event began well despite either Darren or Neil having contested a European mainland rally before. “We missed four hours of the recce but managed to get three passes of all the stages,” explained Neil. “We made pretty good notes but we could see that you could make lots of time by cutting some of the corners. We decided not to pay any attention to the stage times early on and concentrate on getting the first day under our belts.” Despite their determination to ignore the results, by the penultimate stage of Friday they had moved into 27th place overall and people had started to pay attention. “We seemed to attract a lot of interest,” said Darren, “Maybe because I was probably the youngest driver and one of only a few from the UK or Ireland.” Thankfully their puncture and subsequent time loss on the day’s final test was not recorded, as an accident cancelled the stage, leaving them still inside the top thirty overnight. The first stage of Saturday went without hitch, but a spin at a hairpin lost the pair around ten seconds on stage eight and by the lunchtime service they had another spin to report. Better news was their first top twenty time which moved them to 22nd place overall. “We’ve been swapping times with the other Super 1600 cars and the car is behaving really well,” said Darren at service. Straight after service stage thirteen saw their second puncture of the rally, but this time they suffered the penalty. “We cut a corner a bit too much and the edge of the tarmac punctured the left hand front tyre. After the one on Friday that broke the wheel too, we stopped and changed it and I think we were practically slowest through the stage.” shrugged Neil. Luckily the time lost only dropped them three places, which they made amends for on the last stage before service in the centre of Ypres. Darren pushed on and despite being stuck with three slicks and one intermediate tyre, he was seventeenth quickest, moving back to 23rd with just two stages remaining. The run to the finish would be fraught though, as they suffered another puncture on the penultimate stage. They stopped and changed it but the jack handle had become dislodged and they had GASS’S BELGIAN ADVERTURE Ypres Westhoek Rally 22 - 23 June 2007 Darren Gass and Neil Shanks take a departure from the normal British Rally Championship campaign to contest Belgium’s Ypres Westhoek Rally this weekend. The asphalt event comes just weeks after their stunning fifth place overall on the Jim Clark Rally, but the narrow bumpy stages will be a completely different challenge for Northern Irish teenager, The roads around the medieval town of Ypres have a very difficult and dangerous reputation, with the Quarryfix Citroën C2 duo’s biggest challenge to try to follow the local specialists and avoid the ditches and gravel thrown across the road by previous cars. “We have been talking about contesting a French or Belgian event for a year or so,” explained Darren, “But it will be a new experience and we are up against some tough opposition. There are 25 cars in class A6 and although only about half a dozen are Super 1600, a good number are C2R2 Championship runners and they will be pushing hard.” He continued, “Simon Jean Joseph is seeded as first S1600 and he is bound to be the one to catch, but we’ll play it by ear and our aim is to get to the finish.” Of the 107 entries the vast majority are Belgian, with only six drivers from the UK entering the classic 190 mile event, the first asphalt round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. It is also a round of the European Rally Championship and is easily accessible form the UK, just 60 miles from Calais and within easy reach of Lille or Brussels airports. The rally is based entirely in the centre of Ypres with six stages on Friday evening starting at 18.00. A restart on Saturday morning is followed by twelve more stages interspersed with service halts throughout the day. In typical European rallying style the event finishes with a podium and party at around 22.30 on Saturday night. Ypres Westhoek Rally top seeded Class A6 crews 3 JEAN-JOSEPH Simon - BOYERE Jack CITROEN C2 S1600 18 AAVA Urmo - SIKK Kuldar SUZUKI Swift S1600 28 DE WINKEL Jan - VAN HOEK Radboud RENAULT Clio S1600 34 GASS Darren - SHANKS Neil CITROEN C2 S1600 35 TLUSTAK Antonin - DEDIC Vlastimil CITROEN Saxo Kit Car 36 SCHAMMEL Gilles - JAMOUL Renaud CITROEN C2 R2 Darren would like to thank Quarryfix Ltd, Cheevers Chemists, Dalzells of Markethill, Haffey Plant Hire, Killycarn Sand & Gravel , EMC Autopax, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Castrol, ID Graphics (NI) and Crozier Motorsport Engineering for their support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com GASS FIFTH IN BRC ON CITROËN C2 DEBUT Jim Clark International Rally 25 - 27 May 2007 Northern Irishman Darren Gass and his Scottish co-driver Neil Shanks took the Rally 3 class win and fifth British Rally Championship finisher in his newly acquired Citroën C2 S1600 on this weekend’s Jim Clark International Rally. With the excellent result he closed the gap in the Championship category to new leader Stefan Davis and moved into fifth place in the overall drivers’ standings. The rally started on Friday evening and the Quarryfix backed Citroen finished the first pair of short spectator stages cleanly, Darren clocking up his first competitive mileage in the car. The margins after the four miles of Friday night were small, bur he led the class although Vesa Mikkola’s R2 Civic was just a tenth of a second behind. By first service on Saturday, the BRC’s youngest driver was beginning to get to grips with the new car, driving much faster and having a good run through second stage. “We’re playing it in gently while learning the new car.” explained Darren at the service halt at Charterhall airfield near Duns. His learning curve continued to be fairy steep; finding unfamiliarity with the car meant adjusting brake bias to the rear instead of the front. “It made it like pulling the handbrake every time.” he said, “Simple things caught me out like finding the wiper switch when it started raining, but the times are coming and there’s loads more to come from the car.” As the day progressed they found it easier to push hard after raising the suspension slightly, catching Hugh Evans in stage nine, but admitted the car was short of top end speed on the long straights “It feels like it needs two more gears on the straights but it is geared perfectly for the twisty stuff.” he explained. By the close of play on Saturday he and Neil had moved into fifteenth place overall and sixth British Rally Championship runners, leading the class by over six minutes in the afternoon’s sporadic heavy rain. On Sunday the Markethill youngster survived a huge jump which dislodged the car’s front wing, allowing it to flap across the windscreen, while they were one of the first to be stopped on the first stage after an accident, which caused them to take a nominal time. The second two stages were drying but they decided to take it steady to the finish. On the last few stages their plan had to change a little though, as Rob Swann’s Subaru was catching after an earlier puncture. “Rob was taking time on every stage and it was really close going into the last one.” said Neil, “He was 2.5 (seconds) behind and he only took 0.8 off us in the last one, so we’ve held fifth overall in the BRC and the R3 class.” Darren concluded, “This Citroën is so much better than the Fiesta and there’s still more to come, although like the Fiesta the suspension is the key to improving the performance.” The next event is Rally Isle of Man where Darren had a challenging time in 2006. The event is another all asphalt affair and is based at the famous TT Grandstand in Douglas on 19th to 21st July. Darren would like to thank Quarryfix Ltd, Cheevers Chemists, Dalzells of Markethill, Haffey Plant Hire, Killycarn Sand & Gravel , EMC Autopax, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Castrol, ID Graphics (NI) and Crozier Motorsport Engineering for their support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com GASS SWITCHES TO CITROEN Jim Clark International Rally 25 - 27 May 2007 Young Northern Irish driver Daren Gass will drive his newly acquired Citroen C2 S1600 for the first time in anger on the forthcoming Jim Clark International Rally He will be joined in the new car by regular co driver Neil Shanks who will only see the car for the first time on the Friday of the rally. “I have driven the car for just ten miles on the roads near my house.” said Darren, “but hopefully I’ll get a chance to test a little more before the start. The problem is that the springs are French tarmac specification and we’ll probably only get the right ones just before the rally.” Despite the suspension being too stiff Darren has nothing but praise for the little Citroen, “Everything about the C2 is 100% better than the Fiesta; the gear change, the ratios, the engine, everything. Even the guys from Crosier Motorsport like it already; apparently the front bumper is held on with three screws so you can access the parts behind like the power steering pump quickly. It has been well designed I’m already excited about using it.” The team has been looking for a replacement to the Ford for the gravel rounds of the Championship and was considering four wheel drive. But the additional development of the Citroen means that the swap will be for all the remaining events The rally kicks off on Thursday evening with a shakedown at Kelso’s Floors Castle but the action proper stars on Friday. Two spectator stages near Duns are followed on Saturday and Sunday by fast and furious asphalt Berwickshire stages. The 160 mile event then finishes in the centre of Kelso on Sunday afternoon. Darren would like to thank Castrol, Dalzells of Markethill, EMC Autopax, PIAA, AC Vehicle Components, Alpha Cam, Killycarn Sand & Gravel, Crozier Motorsport Engineering, and ID Graphics for their continuing support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com GASS REPEATS SUPER RALLY THIRD Pirelli International Rally 20 - 21 April 2007 Darren Gass and Neil Shanks were placed third in R3 on this weekend’s Pirelli International Rally after stopping on the road section to the penultimate stage. The rules meant that the pair were heavily penalised but still recorded points in the British Rally Championship. Before the rally start in Carlisle, Darren admitted he was not looking forward to the darkness and stated that the two hardest stages in his opinion were to run on Friday evening. But as he pulled into the arrival control his thoughts were elsewhere, noticing that the clutch was not working correctly. Having no time to investigate or repair the leaking clutch fluid, Darren’s problems began on the first stage. Concentrating on gear changes, he nosed the car into a ditch on the second stage and took a minute to extricate the car from the soft undergrowth. A further blow on SS3 came in the form of a rear puncture and on SS4, an unrelated ruptured power steering pipe, but he retained second in the R3 class by the close of Friday. After three stages on Saturday, the steering problem recurred and the mechanics were up against it to repair it again in time. They eventually sent him on his way, incurring time penalties for being eleven minutes late out of service. Two stages later the sump guard came adrift, and they limped the car through the remainder of the stage, but without the protection bent a steering arm, giving the mechanics even more to do in the next short service. Darren’s Fiesta eventually arrived back at the airfield where hasty repairs were affected but to no avail. The steering rack eventually worked loose on stage twelve and the pair decided to stop on the road section to avoid more damage and importantly to avoid an accident. “We were lucky not to have been killed,” he said after the event, “And I don’t think I’ll be using the Fiesta on gravel again, it doesn’t seem to cope well with it.” Super Rally rules that kept him in the points on last year’s event again came to the rescue, but the Fiesta’s suspension was the culprit in 2006, adding weight to his decision to keep the car for asphalt events. Darren would like to thank Castrol, Dalzells of Markethill, EMC Autopax, PIAA, AC Vehicle Components, Alpha Cam, Killycarn Sand & Gravel, Crozier Motorsport Engineering, and ID Graphics for their continuing support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com GASS READY TO GO IN ‘07 Pirelli International Rally 20 - 21 April 2007 Darren Gass and Neil Shanks begin their assault on the 2007 Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship with this weekend’s Pirelli International Rally in Carlisle. After a long break since the last 2006 championship round, both Darren and Neil are raring to go. Darren has kept busy with the family business and managed a couple of events in four wheel drive machinery, finishing 4th overall on the Down Rally in a Celica, also taking a late entry on the Aghadowey race circuit rally. Unable to test the regular Super 1600 Fiesta before the Carlisle based Pirelli Rally, he is still keen to post a good result, “Obviously we are all on Pirelli tyres now so that will take a little while to get used to,” said the youngster from Armagh, “But we have had work done on the engine at Jondel who have found a bit more power so we hope to be close to the pace setters. Neil has competed on this event since 2002, so with my experience last year we should be able to get the pace notes right.” The Crozier Motorsport run team is also keen to try the new engine management set-up which promises to make the car more driveable. Despite the engine only being re-fitted last week, Darren is confident for the forthcoming event, “The dark stages on Friday night tend to be quite difficult for everyone so it should give us a chance to settle in without losing too much time. The problems we had with suspension on last year’s event are now sorted and I’m really looking forward to getting back to the Championship.” The team has a varied year planned, with the British series complemented by some outings on Irish tarmac including the possibility of Rally Ireland and Donegal. But closer to home the season gets underway from Carlisle at teatime on Friday, utilising stages in Kielder Forest and returning to the finish in the City Centre on Saturday afternoon. Darren would like to thank Castrol, Millview Fuels, Dalzells of Markethill, EMC Autopax, PIAA, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Alpha Cam, Killycarn Sand & Gravel, Crozier Motorsport Engineering, Mountune Racing and ID Graphics for their continuing support in 2007. You can check on the team’s progress at www.darrengass.com