• Robert Swann / Darren Garrod Win S.A. Gas Premier Rally 2011
  21st November 2011

A misty but dry Sunday morning greeted the capacity 60 car entry for the SA Gas Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally organised by Dukeries Motor Club which this year ran entirely within the Sherwood Pines Forest.

Premier Historic Rally
The action got underway at 9.00am with the beautiful Historic Ford Escort Mk1 BDA of Ernie Graham co-driven by his son Will who was making his co-driving debut. The father and son team claimed victory at the end of the day so not a bad start to Will’s rallying career.  The expected challenge from Matthew Robinson driving an immaculate Ford Escort Mk2 failed to materialise when his recently rebuilt engine failed on stage one, he now faces a race against time to get it repaired before the upcoming RAC Rally.

Dukeries crew Robert Close / Mike Reynolds debuted their stylish blue Datsun 240Z coupe and were fastest on one of the six stages and by the end of the event they finished a fine second overall. John Everard / Mark Sharpley from Hull competed in the drivers immaculate Alfa Romeo Guilietta Sprint.  The main problem they had was a back window that popped out, so the crew had a drafty afternoon, but were very happy with their days sport and they pleased the many hundreds of spectators.  The Alfa is the best looking car and is very smart in the bright orange paintwork. 
Not so lucky were local crew Jim Hinchliff / Stephen Mazzitelli whose MG Midget succumbed to engine failure after 4 stages.  Charley and David Blaney brought along their very tidy Escort Mk2 and finished 8th in the rally at the end of the day.

S.A. GAS Premier Rally
The S.A.Gas Premier Rally which followed the Historic event through the stages was led away by Robert Swann / Darren Garrod who were competing in a Subaru Impreza N15. The Essex based driver was never headed during the event and claimed a deserving win but they were pushed hard by the experienced Ford Escort WRC team of Ian Joel / Graeme Wood.  The gap at the end of 33 frenetic stage miles through the trees of Sherwood forest was only 11 seconds.  (The seeding of the leading crews appeared correct because the results after the first group of stages showed the leading cars were still in seeded order.) 

Event sponsors Karl and Guy Simmons were running as car 3 in an immaculate Subaru Impreza N15, resplendent in SA Gas colours, and they were holding 3rd place comfortably until a front driveshaft broke.  They eventually finished the rally in 5th place, just failing to catch 4th place Escort Cosworth crew of Phil Pickard and leading Dukeries MC co-driver Ian Bass. Third place was the Chesterfield based crew of Richard Hill/Pat Cooper who were taking part in another Escort WRC car. 

The leading two wheel drive competitor on the event was Pete Beer partnered by John Pickavance in an immaculate Ford Escort Mk2 resplendent in its Roger Clark Cossack colours.  Ninth overall and 1st in class was their reward for some exciting sideways driving. The best placed Front Wheel Drive crew were Dukeries MC member David Wood co-driven by Charlotte Banner; the 1400cc Vauxhall Corsa took them to 1st in class 1 and 23rd overall.

Gary Wayne and Shane Barnes were threatening the top ten until a broken driveshaft on their Subaru Impreza part way through last stage which meant they dropped to 14th overall. Still a great result after a 20 year lay off from the sport.

The battling Ford Escort Mk 2’s of John Stevens / Don Bramfoot and Mark & Liam Mazzitelli were never more eight seconds apart during the event with John ahead, but Mark gained the upper hand going into the last stage by a scant 1 second, he managed to extend this to 7 seconds over the final four mile stage with some committed driving. Another Dukeries crew were David Welch / Stuart Proctor who brought their powerful Talbot Sunbeam home in 22nd place, the slippy surface probably preventing them from getting all the power to the road.

With a little less power on tap, Emlyn Evans co-driven by Bridie Hall finished a creditable 34th overall in what was only the drivers second forest rally in his freshly rebuilt Peugeot 306 S16. Liam and Peter Butler decided to drive sensibly after a trying season in their Vauxhall Nova and they were happy to finish just behind Martyn & Darren Hills Peugeot 106.

The new format for the Premier Rally which used a compact route entirely within Sherwood Pines received praise from the 60 crews that took part, and many are already looking forward to the 2012 event on Sunday 18th November.

 

• Spectator Information Now Available
  16th November 2011

The Dukeries Motor Club have now published spectator information for this weekend's SA Gas Premier Rally & Premier Historic Rally. Please visit the Spectators page, or download the information as a PDF by clicking here.

 

• Marshals Information
  5th November 2011

For any rally to be successful it is essential to obtain the support of a very large number of marshals and radio crews. Dukeries Motor Club are very grateful for all the support we receive from many individuals, groups and motor clubs and we hope as many people as possible will come and help to run the SA Gas Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally on Sunday 20th November.

We are pleased to confirm that there is already a full entry of 60 cars for the rally. This year the event takes place entirely within the confines of Sherwood Pines forest using a variety of different routes. The compact format will mean that every marshal will have the oppertunity to see the competing cars up to six times during the day. We will provide you with all the necessary information, including stage maps and entry lists, plus a unique gift.

Anyone willing to help should please contact either :-

Chief Marshal - David Northcote
Tel No. 01636 812579 or 07801 228049 (after 5pm)
Email - davidnorthcote1@btinternet.com

Stage Commander - Ian Evans
Tel No. 01246 863507 or 07899 045006
Email - ianevans737@btinternet.com

Please use email if possible.

Alternatively if you are a member of a local motor club, please contact your own clubs Chief Marshal.

We know you have an enjoyable day !

 

• Full Entry of 60 cars for the SA Gas Premier Rally & Premier Historic Rally 2011
  23rd October 2011

The Dukeries Motor Club are very pleased to announce that the full field of 60 entries has been reached a month before the event date of the SA Gas Premier Rally & Premier Historic rally 2011.

The organisers & event sponsors SA Gas would like to thank all entered competitors for the great support shown for the new format event. Full details of the entries can be found in the online entry list (there are currently also 4 Reserve entries received as designated with Rct numbers from 101 upwards).

 

• Entries open for the Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally
  30th September 2011

Entries are now open for the 2011 Premier Rally & Premier Historic Rally supported by S.A. Gas Engineering. The event will run in a new more compact format on Sunday 20th November to make a more attractive and affordable event for competitors. It will be entirely within Sherwood Pines forest with 6 stages totalling 33 forest stage miles and ZERO road miles and Service time after every stage. This format means that the rally cars do not have to be taxed or insured for the public highway.

The event will be a true one day event with Scrutineering and Documentation commencing at 7.00am in Sherwood Pines. The tarmac surfaced service area will be just 300m from the stages.

In order to achieve such a compact format the maximum entry is limited to just 60 cars. The Premier Rally will be the final round of the 2011 ANEMMC, AEMC and EMAMC Stage Rally Championships and the Premier Historic rally will be an ideal shakedown for the Roger Albert Clark Rally which is 12 days later.

To provide further value there is a Stage Practice event for those competitors who are unfortunate enough to retire on the early stages. For more information, and to enter the event, please click here.

 

• New compact format for Premier Rally
  2nd September 2011

The Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally will be run in a new more compact format on Sunday 20th November to make a more attractive and affordable event for competitors.

With the agreement of the Forestry Commission the event will be run entirely within Sherwood Pines forest with 6 stages totalling 33 forest stage miles, ZERO road miles and service time after nearly every stage. This format means that the rally cars do not have to be taxed or insured for the public highway.

The event will be a true one day event with Scrutineering and Documentation commencing at 7.00am in Sherwood Pines. The tarmac surfaced service area will be just 300m from the stages.

Please note that in order to achieve such a compact format the maximum entry is limited to just 60 cars.

The Premier Rally will be the final round of the 2011 ANEMMC, AEMC and EMAMC Stage Rally Championships and the Premier Historic Rally will be an ideal shakedown for the Roger Albert Clark Rally which is 12 days later.

 

• The Premier Rally & Premier Historic Rally – Sunday 20th November 2011
  14th March 2011

The date of the 2011 Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally has been confirmed as Sunday 20th November.  The event will comprise of 40 stage miles in Sherwood Forest linked by just 58 road miles.  This will be a true ‘one day’ event with a relaxed Scrutineering & Documentation on Sunday morning, a lunchtime start with stages in the afternoon and then stages in the dark before an early evening finish & awards presentation around 7pm.  

The Premier Rally will again be a qualifying round of three Regional Stage Rally Championships; the Competition Car Insurance EMAMC Stage Championship, Roadrunner/ Phoenix Awards ANEMMC Stage Championship and the Ward Construction AEMC Stage Championship. 

Despite the disappointment of not attracting sufficient entries for the 2010 event, Dukeries Motor Club are absolutely committed to running a successful Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally in 2011.

 

• Premier Rally / Premier Historic Rally Cancelled - Official Statement
  12th November 2010

Dukeries Motor Club regret to announce the cancellation of the Premier Rally / Premier Historic Rally which was due to run on Saturday 20th November.   By the first closing date we had received just 49 entries which is insufficient to continue with the event this year.   Since the discounted entries closed on the 31st October we have received just 7 more entries so there is no indication that there are lots more entries to come.   

Dukeries Motor Club were always prepared to incur a sizeable loss in order to run the Premier Rally, and have done so on several previous occasions, but this year the losses would be in excess of £10,000, which equates to more than £200 per competitor. 

The club would like to apologise to all the competitors who have supported the event, the officials who have already spent huge amounts of their time preparing for the event, and the sponsors Revolution Wheels & SA Gas for their continued support.  We are particularly mindful of the very generous gesture that Steve Perez has made relating to the event and we are very sorry to have disrupted his plans.   

All competitors will receive a full refund of their entry fees. 

The Organising Team

 

• Extra £50 Discount Offer closes on 31st October
  27th October 2010

The event has been able to maintain the same entry fee for the fourth year and to encourage early entries will not bank entry fee cheques until 10th November. In addition any driver who was also a driver on the 2010 Dukeries Rally will benefit from a £50 entry fee reduction provided their entry is received by the 31st October.  To provide further value there is a Stage Practice event for those competitors who are unfortunate enough to retire on the early stages.

The 2010 Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally is a compact one day event providing 37 forest stage miles linked by just 56 road miles. We have taken advantage of the November date to provide an event which has both daylight forest stages in the afternoon and the extra challenge of stages run in the dark in the early evening. Rally HQ will be at Mansfield Civic Centre which is the location for pre-event documentation, the lunchtime start, service area and early evening finish.
 
The Premier Rally is a round of three Regional Stage Rally Championships; the Competition Car Insurance EMAMC Stage Championship, Roadrunner/ Phoenix Awards ANEMMC Stage Championship and the Ward Construction AEMC Stage Championship.  The Premier Historic Rally is a separate event for Historic Rally Cars running ahead of the modern event and is a round of the Motoscope Northern Historic Rally Championship. 

The events also host the MSA Inter-Association Stage Rally Championship which is open to teams of 3 cars representing any of the Regional Motorsport Associations.
 
The event web site has an on-line entry system to help with the submission of entries plus Bank Transfer and Paypal facilities.  

We look forward to seeing everyone on the 20th November.

 

• The Ultimate Rally Experience
  15th October 2010

Steve Perez has announced a once in a lifetime offer to compete on the Premier Rally in his iconic Lancia Stratos.  This is a unique opportunity, not only to ride in a Lancia Stratos, but also to compete as a co-driver on an actual rally. 

Message from Steve Perez:   “I am trying to raise money in memory of Martin Lewis who was sadly killed on this year's Dukeries Rally.  I know lots of people have already given money to various collections and Catherine, Martyn’s widow has donated every penny to Air Ambulance and rally charities.  I think it would be great to raise some money to send her and their 18 month old son Charlie on a holiday somewhere nice.

I am auctioning off the co-driver’s seat in the Lancia Stratos on the Premier Rally Saturday 20th November on eBay.    STRATOS RALLY: The Ultimate Rally Experience.

I know there is an initial £20k ‘buy it now offer’ but you never know!

I have put the entry in and Dukeries MC will donate the entry fee back into the kitty.  I appreciate that there can only be one winner so I am also offering sponsorship packages of £100 for your sticker on the car - lets cover it in stickers!  Lets everyone get behind it and show what we can do.  See on eBay for a Rally Experience.”

To visit the ebay auction, please click here.
For more information, please download this flyer.

 

• Premier Entries are now open
  25th September 2010

Entries are now open for the 2010 Premier Rally & Premier Historic Rally supported by Revolution Competition Wheels and S.A. Gas Engineering.   Thanks to the support of our sponsors we are able to maintain the same entry fee for the fourth year and to encourage early entries we will not bank entry fee cheques until 10th November.  In addition any drivers that started the 2010 Dukeries Rally will benefit from a £50 entry fee reduction provided their entry is received by the 31st October.  To provide further value there is a Stage Practice event for those competitors who are unfortunate enough to retire on the early stages.

For more information, and to enter the event, please click here.

 

• Format of the 2010 Events
  18th September 2010

The 2010 Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally will be a compact one day event providing 37 forest stage miles linked by just 56 road miles. We have taken advantage of the November date to provide an event which has both daylight forest stages in the afternoon and the extra challenge of stages run in the dark in the early evening. Rally HQ will be at Mansfield Civic Centre which is the location for pre-event documentation, the lunchtime start, service area and early evening finish.

 

• Premier chosen for the Inter Association Stage Rally Challenge
  14th September 2010

We are pleased to confirm that the Premier Rally / Premier Historic Rally on Saturday 20th November has been chosen as the MSA Inter Association Stage Rally Challenge event for 2010.  Teams of three cars representing each of the Regional Motorsport Associations will compete for a trophy and the 2010 MSA Inter Association Stage Rally Challenge title.

 

• Announcement of the date of the 2010 Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally
  18th August 2010

The date of the 2010 Premier Rally and Premier Historic Rally has been confirmed as Saturday 20th November.  The Premier Rally will again be a qualifying round of three Regional Stage Rally Championships; the Competition Car Insurance EMAMC Stage Championship, Roadrunner/ Phoenix Awards ANEMMC Stage Championship and the Ward Construction AEMC Stage Championship.  The Premier Historic Rally is a separate event for Historic Rally Cars running ahead of the modern event will be a round of the Motoscope Northern Historic Rally Championship.

 

• 2009 Premier Rally Report
  1st August 2010

The 2009 Premier Rally was won in convincing style by Michael O’Brien / Patrick Walsh [Ford Focus WRC] who set the fastest time on all 7 stages.  Second overall, just over 1 minute behind were Robert Swann / Darren Garrod in another Ford Focus WRC.  One of the most notable retirements was that of event sponsors Karl & Guy Simmons (Subaru Impreza GpN) who went off a great speed in the final Portland stage whilst challenging for 2nd overall.
 
In the Premier Historic Rally it was Richard Hill / Pat Cooper in a Ford Escort RS who were the deserving winners, 37 seconds ahead of Charlie Taylor / Steve Bielby in a similar Ford Escort.  However, on the first two stages they were all headed by the experienced Richard Lane / Frank Richer, but they retired with a blown engine on SS3.