>> Round 1 Irish Rallycross Championship 2011/2012
Posted on: 27 Oct 2011
by P.Pascoe |
Darragh Morris VR6 Golf
The Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship started 16 October 2011 at Mondello Park. The team had spent the summer upgrading the cars for a tilt at this season’s championship. Unfortunately we had problems with part suppliers, this left us in a race against time to have the cars ready for the first round. With time running out the team had to prepare Andrews Celica at the last minute, and revert Pauls Subaru to a previous specification. The first up grades for Darraghs VR6 Golf were completed in time, with a new gearbox and up rated drive shafts we hoped the continuing development with the Golf would pay dividends in only his third outing in the car.
The team arrived at a sunny Mondello unsure of how the day would go with cars that were still being prepared the previous evening! All cars passed through scrutineering, and after the practice session we were cautiously optimistic. Heat 1 saw Andrew and Paul take to the circuit with George Tracey in the ex Kenneth Hanson Xsara and new comer John Kelly in an Evo 7. Both Andrew and Paul made reasonable starts following George into turn 1 with John Kelly right on the back of Pauls Subaru. In a tight race Andrew took second with Paul Third. This was repeated in Race 2 with George winning the first 2 heats. John Kelly unfortunately broke a gearbox. Heat 3 was a 1-2 with Andrew edging Paul by 0.02 seconds.
Darragh took to the track with his revamped Golf and showed greatly improved pace battling with Darragh Byrne’s beautifully turned out Xsara. Darragh performed well in the Golf holding his position well, until a small mistake led to a spin allowing the Xsara to pass by. Darragh continued to learn the car and put in some consistently fast laps through out the heats, again swapping places with the Xsara in some close exciting racing. His pace improved throughout the day which was encouraging for the team after all the hard work by Darragh to upgrade the car. Paul debuted the car last year and commented “Last year I raced the car and it was difficult to put in consistent lap times and find any grip. Seeing Darragh race today was great, proving his ability to improve his car and gain some experience. This was only his third event in the Golf, he drove very well and could compete with established drivers. As he continues to improve the car and gain more experience he will soon be a regular in the A Finals”. Now Darragh has sorted the gear ratio’s the next step will be to match wheels and tyres to the gearing of the car. Watch this space as the Golf continues to develop……
With the heats completed it was time for the A-Finals for each class, with the fastest 8 drivers from the finals qualifying for the main race of the day the Irish Championship scoring Superfinal. Andrew lined up second on the grid alongside George Tracey who was on pole, with Paul in third place on the grid. George took the lead into the first corner with Andrew in second and Paul in third. This was the order for the 5 laps on a very warm day at Mondello. Andrew and Paul took second and Third place respectively with George winning comfortably in his ERC spec Xsara. Andrew commented “We knew we had to race hard in the A Final for a decent grid slot in the Superfinal. Today is very warm, there is plenty of grip, the top modified drivers will be extremely quick in these conditions we will have to wait and see if we did enough to qualify for the Superfinal”. Andrew and Paul drove the wheels off their cars in the A Final and qualified third and fourth for the Superfinal. Supercars are 4 wheel drive and heavier than the lighter 2 wheel drive modified cars. On a warm dry day the lighter 2 wheel drive cars are extremely quick, this always makes the Superfinal interesting. The standout performer in the Modified class was Ian O Connell in the Lotus Exige who was setting similar lap times to Georges ERC Citroen.
Superfinal Front row was George Tracey, Ian O Connell, Andrew Morris, with Paul Pascoe, Ian Byrne on Row 2. Willie Coyne and Dessie Tierney on Row 3.
A great start from George and Ian as they led into turn 1 with a fast starting Andrew in third place. Ian Byrne made a great start but run wide in turn 1 allowing Paul to follow Andrew through in fourth place. Andrew controlled his pace in third perfectly as did Paul in Fourth, George won from Ian’s rapid Lotus. An excellent result in hastily prepared “spare cars”. We hope to have our main Subaru back for round 3, and further upgrades on the other team cars by round 4. We left Mondello delighted with the result and look forward to round 2 with the aim of scoring some good points, prior to the return of the 181 Subaru later in the season.
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>> Magic Mario 3rd in title chase
Posted on: 21 Nov 2010
by P.Pascoe |
Michael “Magic Mario” Morris moved into 3rd place in the Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship after producing his best performance of the season following his return to the cockpit. In what has been a frustrating start to the season for Andrew and Paul Michael lifted the team by driving to 3rd place in the overall standings (taking dropped scores into account).
The troubled start the team has had to the season continued the day before round 4 when Darragh Morris was forced to withdraw following problems with his VR6 Golf. The team also had to make a last minute turbo change to Michael’s car.
The first heat started well for Michael as he stormed into second place at the first corner. This did not last long as a gear selector problem dropped him into third at the flag. In the second heat Michael also finished third. With pole position for the final heat the team was positive of a strong run. This was not to be when a boost pipe came loose on the dummy grid, forcing Michael to retire.
With the heats over Michael lined up 5th on the grid for the Supercar A Final. He made a storming start into 4th place and drove a fantastic race to maintain that position and qualify for the Superfinal. Another strong start from the second row saw Michael into 4th place into the first corner hot on the heals off the popular Irish Champion Tommy Graham. This was to be the story of the race with Michael pushing Tommy hard for the entire race , while maintaining the gap to David James in the TDP Evo. At the flag Michael just missed out on 3rd place to Tommy by a bumpers length. George Tracey won the Superfinal from Andy Scott in what was an enjoyable days racing at Mondello Park. Michael did not disappoint the crowd and performed his trade mark doughnuts before taking the congratulations from the team.
This was the perfect end to the first half of the season and gives the team time to regroup and mount a Championship challenge in the new year. We would like to wish our friends, supporters and fellow competitors a Merry Christmas and Safe New Year.
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>> Magic "Mario" makes podium on return!
Posted on: 18 Oct 2010
by P.Pascoe |
Michael Morris took 3rd place in the Division 1 A Final on his return to the Irish Rallycross Championship. He beat his rivals David James and David Dempsey in a fine race, with Tommy Graham leading Mad Mark Watson home in the first event on Irish soil in the 2010-2011 championship. It was a remarkable return to action for the BMRT team manager, who had not driven for over a year and damaged his suspension in the first heat. His performance lifted the team on a day when technical issues blighted the progress on last year’s runner up Andrew Morris and Paul Pascoe in their newly refined Impreza RSCs.
In the first heats Paul had problems with boost pressure that could not be resolved at the track. This effectively ruled him out of a competitive placing. Andrew and Michael started the day well with a competitive run with Andrew taking a 3rd place with Michael in 4th. Heat 2 saw Andrew retire with a terminal gearbox failure. Michael took a solid 2nd place chasing down Mad Mark. With Michael now getting a feel for the car he produced a quick time in heat 3 to secure a front row start for the A Final.
With Andrew out Michael and Paul lined up for the Supercar A final in cool dry conditions. Michael made an excellent start and held 3rd place going into the first lap. He managed to maintain this position and pull clear of David James in 4th place. Paul retired on lap 3 with an engine problem. Michael continued to the flag under no pressure to secure a 3rd place finish for the team. A fantastic result that took away the disappointment of the technical difficulties suffered by Andrew and Paul.
Michael continued his good form in the Superfinal, and came home 4th overall after a coming together with the Lotus of Ian O Connell. A great drive and reward for the team on a difficult day. Michael ended the event by performing a series of doughnuts to the delight of the crowd and signalled his intent on challenging for the top 5 in this seasons championship.
Michael Morris
“it’s great to be back and have a good result for the team today. Disappointing for Andrew and Paul, but this result has lifted their spirits. Thanks to the team and engineers for support and hard work. BMRT will be back in the next round to build on this result and get Andrew and Paul back on track”
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>> BMRT at Top Gear!
Posted on: 06 Oct 2010
by P.Pascoe |
BMRT to participate at Top Gear Festival November 2010
Team update
BMRT are delighted to announce our plans for the 2010-2011 Motorsport Ireland National Rallycross Championship. We can also confirm that Team Manager Michael Morris will be representing the team at the Top Gear Life Festival this November (www.topgearfestival.ie). Full press release to follow
After last season’s success Andrew & Paul have confirmed their participation for this year’s Championship. We are also delighted to announce the return of Michael for the full Championship, after missing a number of rounds last year. 3 other drivers are confirmed for selected rounds this year. Darragh Morris with debut the VW VR6 before the mid season break in the Supermodifed Class, he will be joined by Barry Jordan in a Renault Clio 172. A 4th Impreza is at an advanced stage of development. We hope to confirm driver details and dates in the near future.
The cars have been developed further by our engineers during the summer. We hope this will resolve some of the gearbox and overheating problems we suffered last year.
The team fitted a new specification gearbox to Andrews’s car and repositioned the cars water & oil cooling systems. We anticipate that Andrew will now be able to run at full power for the duration of the Superfinal and not have to watch the temperature gauge as much! We also expect the new gearbox to cope with the power better than the last one. Paul’s car has new running gear and brakes, with a new engine due during the season. We expect to see an uplift in performance from the modifications already carried out. The welcome return of Michael sees his Impreza at its highest stage of development to date with further upgrades due during the season. We expect Michael to be straight on the pace and challenging for podiums from day one.
Darragh’s Vr6 is 95% complete. We hope to have the young charger on track by the second of the Mondello rounds. He has done an excellent job in preparing the car and is an exciting prospect for the future. Barry Jordan is expected to return to driving for the team after a 5 year absence before the mid season break. His Clio is at a similar stage of development as the Vr6. The race is on within the team to get both cars on track within the next few weeks.
Next round is 17th October 2010 at Mondello Park. Please call into the garage to meet the team, you will be most welcome. On track action from 09.30
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>> BMRT finish season on a High
Posted on: 10 Mar 2010
by P.Pascoe |
Sunday 7th March 2010 saw BMRT drivers take 2 places on the podium in the Superfinal with Andrew Morris & Paul Pascoe finishing 2nd & 3rd respectively. Andrew Morris also secured the runner up position in the Supercar class & 2nd in the overall championship! Paul finished the season 3rd in the Supercar class and 7th in the overall standings in what has been a successful season for the team.
Following Round 6 the team were kept busy rebuilding gearboxes. Andrews's gearbox was completed on the Friday before the event, and installed Saturday 6th March. There was no time to test the car prior to the event. This was reflected in Andrews qualifying heats where he finished 3rd in heats 1 & 3, qualifying 3rd for the Supercar A-Final, taking no chances with an untried gearbox. This was clearly the correct strategy as Andrew still had to score points in the finals to ensure 2nd place in the overall championship. The teams second driver Paul Pascoe had no such problems and qualified a seasons best in 2nd to newly crowned champion Tommy Graham.
Team Manager Michael Morris "Andrew knew he had to drive cautiously in the qualifying heats, we could take no chances as a damaged gearbox may have ruined our championship after working so hard to get ourselves into this position. With the heats over Andrew has no choice but to drive hard in the finals. Its what we are here for"
Drive hard is what he did. At the start of the A-Final Andrew took second place from his team mate and worked Tommy Graham hard. In doing so he secured a front row start for the important Superfinal. Paul made a good start, eventually finishing 4th by a few 100ths of a second to David Dempsey.
After 6 rounds battling Tommy Graham, Andrew just needed to settle for a podium in the Superfinal to secure 2nd overall in the Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship. Having raced carefully all day Andrew burst off the front row to lead Tommy Graham into turn 1. Paul also made an excellent start and followed closely in 3rd place. Andrew led Tommy for half of the race, eventually being passed on the main straight a few laps from the end. With the points secured to maintain his position in the overall standings, 2nd place was cause for celebration. Paul came home in 3rd place his highest overall finish since joining the team.
Andrew Morris "It was a fitting end to the season for all of our team members, sponsors and supporters. We look forward to the Rallycross Awards Night at the Green Isle hotel 24th April where we can celebrate in style. I would also like to congratulate David Dempsey who finished the championship in 3rd place".
Paul Pascoe "I would echo Andrews thanks to everyone involved with the team. It has been a good season for us. Well done to David as well. We have battled hard & closely all season, I am looking forward to the start of the new season already".
Michael Morris. "Thank you to our Engineers, Sponsors, Supporters and everyone who has wished us well during the Championship. The hard work preparing for the start of the new season in October starts now. Andrew drove brilliantly and secured 2nd overall. Our aim is to beat that next time around. We have the time to improve the car and also Pauls who finished 3rd in class and 7th overall. 2 top 10 finishes in the championship is something to be proud of. The next few months of hard work will see the team run 3 Subaru Impreza Supercars and 2 cars in the modified class for 2010-2011. Keep watching BMRT.ie for updates. Until then we look forward to our awards night in April"
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>> Second in Overall standings
Posted on: 23 Feb 2010
by P.Pascoe |
Andrew Morris moved into 2nd place overall in the Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship after finishing 2nd in the Superfinal at Mondello Park 21st February 2010, despite losing 4th gear in the Supercar A-Final. Paul Pascoe finished a seasons best 4th.
The team arrived at Mondello full of enthusiasm & anticipation of a good result despite the snow on the ground. The track was clear, however extremely cold and slippery conditions made tyre choice critical. The team decided to run both cars on wets for practice and the first heats. Andrew and Paul finished 2nd & 3rd respectively in heat 1. The team changed Andrew and Paul onto slicks for heats 2 & 3 as the track had dried out too much for wet tyres. In slippery conditions Andrew & Paul finished 3rd & 4th. With improving track conditions for Heat 3 Andrew took a 2nd place with Paul scoring another 4th. This put Andrew on the front row for the Supercar A-final in 2nd place on the grid with Paul lining up in 4th.
Andrew Jumped Tommy Grahams 560BHP Fiesta ST at the start of the A-Final to lead into turn 1 with Paul keeping his 4th position. During lap 1 Andrew lost 4th gear, giving Tommy an opportunity to take the lead coming onto the main straight. The top 4 remained the same throughout the 5 laps with Tommy winning from Andrew, followed by David Dempsey in the EVO5 and Paul in 4th place.
Andrew lined up along side Tommy on the front row of the Superfinal, with Paul on the 3rd row in 6th place. Andrew again made an excellent start beating Tommy into turn 1. With 4th gear missing Andrew could offer minimal resistance to Tommy, who took the lead at the end of lap 1. Paul also made a good start from the 3rd row to move into 4th place by the first corner. The top 4 again maintained position through the race with Tommy winning from Andrew, David & Paul, followed by Willie Coyne, Chris Grimes, Derek Tohill and Ian O'Connell.
This result leaves Andrew in 2nd place in the overall standings with Tommy confirmed as the Irish Champion. Paul consolidated his position in the top 10.
Andrew Morris "I would like to congratulate Tommy on winning this years Championship. We had some close races this season, the amount of my paint on Tommy's car confirms this! I look forward to round 7 in a couple of weeks to confirm second place in the Championship".
Paul Pascoe "Happy with 4th place today, best I could do in the conditions. A top 10 finish overall is within sight, a strong performance from myself could even see a top 5 finish. This will be great for me personally and encouraging for the team".
Team Manager Michael Morris "Well done to Tommy and Andrew. They have certainly provided the entertainment at the top end of the field. Andrew has to have a reasonable finish at the next round to secure 2nd place overall. With a 5 point lead over his nearest rival, we are confident he can finish the job off. He has never been off the podium in the races he has completed this season. Paul should also bring home at least a top 10 finish, possibly higher. This has been a successful season for BMRT. Let's finish it off in style. Thanks to our Sponsors, Engineers & Supporters for their continued support"
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>> Andrew Scores High Again
Posted on: 19 Feb 2010
by P.Pascoe |
Andrew Morris moved to within 5 points of second place in the Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship after finishing second to Tommy Graham in the Superfinal at round 5 of the Irish Rallycross Championship. Having scored 54 points out of a possible 60 over the last 3 rounds this was indeed a successful weekend for BMRT. Andrew is also in a clear 2nd place in class, Paul is joint 3rd having moved into the top ten in the overall standings following his 6th place finish in the Superfinal.
The day started slowly with fog delaying the start of round 5 until 10.30. With only 2 laps of practice due to the late start, this was concerning for the team after making modifications to both cars during the winter break. This did not prevent Andrew from taking a lights to flag victory in heat 1, with Paul in 4th place. Andrew finished 2nd in heat 2 with Paul in 4th again. Heat 3 saw Andrew record another 2nd place finish, with Paul following home in 3rd place.
Andrew started the Supercar A-Final from the front row next to pole man Tommy Graham with Paul on the outside of the front row. A clean start saw Andrew lead into the first corner, followed by Tommy Graham, with Paul resuming his battles with David Dempsey's EVO. Tommy managed to pull past Andrew on the main straight to lead after lap 2. The order remained the same after 5 laps with Tommy taking the flag from Andrew, David Dempsey & Paul in 4th. This result left Andrew on the front row for the all important Superfinal with Paul lining up on the 3rd row.
At the start of the Superfinal Andrew again led pole man Tommy into the first corner followed by Barry McCardle, David Dempsey, Dessie Tierney, Paul Pascoe, Pearse Brown and reigning Champion Michael Coyne. The battle with Andrew & Tommy was hard, Andrew lost his bumper during the race and again Tommy's traction out of Dunlop onto the main straight saw him pass Andrew into the lead. Andrew consolidated his 2nd place and was never under any pressure for the rest of the race. Paul initially battled with Dessie Tierney for 5th place, eventually settling for 6th and 12 valuable Championship points. Andrew and Tommy finished the day entertaining the crowd with the now "Compulsory" post race doughnut celebrations.
Final Race order (Provisional)
- Tommy Graham
- Andrew Morris
- Barry McCardle
- David Dempsey
- Dessie Tierney
- Paul Pascoe
- Pearce Brown
- Michael Coyne
Andrew Morris. "We have worked hard to reduce the point's gap to reigning Champion Michael Coyne and set ourselves a target of 4 points per round. Today we managed to take 7 points out of his lead with 2 rounds to go. Tommy remains in front at the top of the standings, however we will not give up the Championship fight until it can't be done. Missing the first round and a failure to finish in round 2 has cost valuable points. If I am to be the Champion of Ireland I will have to win it in 5 rounds and not 6 which is the maximum number of rounds that count".
Paul Pascoe. "A good result today from a personal point of view, and that of the team. I have moved into the top ten of the Championship in my first full season in a Supercar, this i am happy with. To have 2 drivers in the top ten is encouraging for all of the team in what has been a break through season. Michael's car will be completed soon, which is something else we can all look forward to".
Michael Morris. "Another strong performance from Andrew today. He has reduced a 34 point lead by reigning Champion Michael Coyne down to just 4 in 3 rounds. He has out scored every other driver in the last 3 rounds and clearly shown his class. Paul also scored well today and did his job as the team's second driver. With both cars finishing well in the overall Championship points, today is a great start to the second half of the season".
"2009 BMRT recorded their first Pole position &, first overall win during the tale end of last season in March 2009. We have now consistently won races and finished on the podium during this season. Andrew's has finished on the podium for every race he has finished. With 1 win and 2 second places. What will be will be this season we will give it everything over the last 2 rounds, but one thing you can be sure of, BMRT will be one of the favourites for the title for the new season beginning in October".
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>> BMRT Ready for 2010
Posted on: 22 Jan 2010
by P.Pascoe |
With the New Year behind us we look forward to the second half of the Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship starting 7 February 2010. We have been in discussions with our sponsors over the festive period and are negotiating with potential new partners for the future. As the team grows so does the opportunities for our partners to expand their customer base through their association with the team. We hope to announce our sponsors for the remainder of this season's championship and going forward into the 2010-2011 Rallycross championship in the near future.
The short break between rounds 4 and 5 has enabled us to carryout work on the team cars in preparation for Round 5 of the Championship at Mondello Park 7 February 2010
Andrews Subaru Impreza has had a gearbox rebuild during the last few weeks and is fully prepared for his assault on the Irish Title. Andrew is up beat about delivering a title challenge following his performances in Rounds 3 & 4. "It's not going to be an easy ride over the remaining rounds for any of the title challengers. What we have done is maximise our performances over the last 2 rounds to outscore all of our competitors. We aim to maintain this momentum over the coming weeks and put ourselves in a position to challenge for top honours on the final day of the Championship. Reliability will be key for the rest of the season. Missing the first round, and having teething problems with the new car in round 2 has cost us, but we are still in there"
Michael Morris has been missing for a portion of the Championship with engine problems. The uplift in power resulted in an unexpected component failure in Round 2. This is in the process of being rectified and Michael will be back on track during the second half of the season. "It has been disappointing not to be on track, particularly as Andrew is challenging for the Championship. Developing the engine and transmission on our car has given us the performance to win races, however we have had problems along the way. As a team we are delighted by Andrews performance, and I have been carrying out my role as Team manager with my usual enthusiasm and commitment but, it's not the same as racing, I will be back on track very soon to mix it at the front again"
Paul Pascoe will continue to use the third BMRT Impreza while his new car is being built. We have changed a few suspension settings and the rear Diff over Christmas, and hope this will improve the grip levels, particularly off the line. We expect the new car to be on track for the beginning of the new season in September. "The new car has taken time to complete, we do not want to finish the build in haste and have taken a decision to difer its debut until September. I know Michael is working on sourcing the components we need to complete this project. Until then we will continue to use our current car and push on for the rest of the season"
In addition to our 3 Supercars, we are building 2 Super Modified cars for Darragh Morris and Barry Jordan, to challenge in the Super Modified Class.
Darragh will be campaigning a Golf VR6 this will complete his transition from Juniors to Super Modified. This will be the only VR6 Golf in the Irish Championship, and will certainly be a crowd pleaser with the sound of the V6 engine. Darragh is confident ahead of his debut in the class. "I can't wait to get out on track with the new car. I enjoyed my experience in the Junior ranks, and the fact I have just turned 17 does not deter me from giving it my best shot when we get on track in the spring. We hope to develop the car quickly into a competitive machine"
Barry Jordan has gone for a more nimble approach to his return to Rallycross. His Renault Clio will be lighter than Darragh's Golf, if not as powerful. The car is at an advanced stage and on schedule to be on track this season. "I took my time on deciding when to return to Rallycross and with what car. I feel the Clio has huge potential and we will develop the car with some of our partners during the tail end of this championship and during the summer. The aim is to be ready for the new season in September"
With the team expanding to 5 cars, and the help from our Sponsors, Engineers & Mechanics, the future is looking very strong for BMRT. We look forward to a strong performance 7 February 2010 at Mondello Park. See you there practice starts at 9.30.
Michael Morris
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>> Third on the road second of Irish contenders
Posted on: 18 Nov 2009
by P.Pascoe |
Andrew Morris secured a second place points finish at round 4 of the Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship 15 November 2009. He finished 3rd in the Superfinal behind points leader Tommy Graham who was runner up to European Rallycross Ace Kevin Procter, making an appearance in his European Spec Focus ST. The strength of the Irish Championship is clear with new UK Rallycross Supercar sensation Andy Scott making the trip across the water with Kevin Proctor. Double British Open Champion Mad Mark was due on circuit, however he withdrew with car problems.
Qualifying heats went well for Andrew who entertained the crowd battling David James driving the TDP EVO6. Andrew won 2 out of the 3, finishing 2nd to David in Heat 3, after losing the lead during the middle of the race. The lack of grip with wet tyres on a drying track preventing Andrew recording a clean sweep in the qualifying Heats. Andrew qualified for the second row of the grid in the Supercar A-Final.
Paul Pascoe set the 6th fastest time in Heat 1 in the second BMRT Impreza. A closely fought battle with Declan Kelly in his Fiesta ST in Heats 2 & 3 saw honours even in their personal battle, however this cost both drivers time. Paul qualified in 8th place, earning him Pole position for the Supercar B-Final. David Dempsey in the EVO 5 joined Paul on the front row. Paul & David both made a good start, David just edged Paul into the first corner. Halfway through the first lap Paul tried an ambitious move around the outside of David’s EVO spinning his Impreza Just missing the tyre barrier. He recovered to finish the race in 2nd place handing David an easy victory.
Paul “I had problems getting the car off the line today, and had a game plan should David beat me at the start. I intended to take my time and pick him off over the 5 laps as I had the pace to beat him. I made an attempt to pass him on the outside lose section going into Rallycross 3. I tried to win the race in the first lap, where I know it is almost impossible to overtake. It was a mistake, one that I won’t make again. We have since discovered that the clutch slave cylinder is faulty, which would explain my erratic starts today”
Andrew lined up on the second row for the Supercar A-final. A strong start saw Andrew maintain his position going into the first corner, recommencing his battle with David James’s EVO. Andrew drove a strong race, finishing 4th and claiming his position in the important Irish Championship scoring Superfinal.
Andrew “The gearbox is due to be changed after today’s event. It felt ok in the main, however during the last qualifying heat and A-final I noticed a snatching when changing gears. I had to be mindful of this this afternoon. I am driving for championship points so we cannot afford to have a no score today”
Andrew made a good start in the Superfinal from the second row of the grid, Kevin Proctor leading from Tommy Graham, Andy Scott with Andrew in 4th place. Andrew moved up to 3rd capitalising on a mistake by Andy Scott, a position he maintained with a strong, professional drive to the flag. Kevin Proctor won from Tommy Graham, Andrew 3rd, David James 4th ahead of Barry McCardle the highest placed modified driver in 5th place. Kevin Proctor delighted the crowds with victory donuts, Andrew and David duly obliged the crowd with their own post race entertainment.
Andrew “I drove today with a clear Championship strategy. Kevin Proctor and Andy Scott are not eligible for Championship points, I was not going to take any risks racing them, and decided to concentrate on the overall Championship. This was the right thing to do, especially with the possibility of a failing gearbox this afternoon”
Team Manager Michael Morris “Andrew has scored 37 out or a possible 40 points over the last 2 rounds of the Championship. Andrew and BMRT are clearly the strongest combination over the last 2 rounds. Andrew drove within himself today and did not get caught up in any battles with visiting drivers. Using your head gives you an opportunity to challenge for championships. Andrew has moved into 3rd place overall in the Irish Championship. We need to maintain this momentum going into the second half of the season, it is all to play for.
Disappointing for Paul today, but he is 4th in the Supercar Championship just behind Andrew. He got impatient today, he knows that, I am sure he will learn from this and pick his moments more carefully in the future”
“The team should be back to full strength for the second half of the Championship in the New Year. We are working on our budget for next year with our sponsors and will be looking to give others the opportunity to get involved with the team. The interest in our Championship from UK and European competitors clearly shows the appeal of the Irish Championship. I wish our sponsors, supporters, friends and competitors a safe and secure end to 2009 and look forward to seeing you all in 2010
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>> Andrew Dominates Superfinal
Posted on: 12 Nov 2009
by P.Pascoe |
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>> Race Report Round 3
Posted on: 03 Nov 2009
by P.Pascoe |
Andrew Morris took outright victory at Round 3 of the Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Championship today 1st November. This was only Andrews's second outing in the recently revised Subaru Impreza that has not raced for two seasons. Following teething problems at round 2 where Andrew demonstrated his Championship potential, challenging European Rallycross Driver Christopher Evans during the heats, this was the perfect way to welcome the Subaru back to Rallycross action.
The heats placed Andrew and team mate Paul Pascoe in the other BMRT Subaru Impreza together with Tom Kirwan in his Mitsubishi EVO 5. On full wets in the rain Andrew won the first heat from Paul and Tom. This was to be the race order throughout the qualifying heats with the times dropping as the track dried out.
Andrew initially qualified in 2nd place alongside Tommy Grahams Fiesta ST for the Supercar A-Final with Paul in 3rd place. A decision to allow fellow Super Car competitor Eddie Kinirons 2 free runs to set a time for the final, following problems with the gearbox in his Focus, Andrew and Paul eventually qualified 3rd and 4th respectively. Eddie set his qualifying times in drier conditions and just beat Andrews's fastest time of the day.
In the Supercar A-Final Andrew and Eddie Kinirons set off from the front row, with Pole man Tommy Graham retiring at the first corner due to engine problems. David Dempsey jumped Paul at the start to move into 3rd place. The race order at the end of lap one was Eddie, Andrew, David, Paul & Barry Johnson. Eddie was coming under extreme pressure from Andrew for first place, with Paul placing David under similar pressure for the final podium position. Andrew kept up the pressure on Eddie in the Focus and eventually passed him on the finish line to win the A-Final by 0.1 seconds, David was 3rd with Paul taking 4th, Barry Johnson finished in 5th place. The top four cars were separated by less than 4 seconds in what was an exciting Supercar A-final.
Andrew lined up in Pole position for the main race of the day, the Superfinal. Paul qualified 5th, but moved up to 4th when Eddie failed to make the start in his Focus. Modified A-Final winner Barry McCardle qualified on the front row in his rapid rear engined Renault 5 alongside David in the EVO 5. Andrew led the pack into the first corner and controlled the race from the front, never coming under any real pressure from the rest of the field and finished the clear winner. Paul battled with David again for 3rd place, eventually finishing 5th. Barry McCardle finished 2nd, Dessie Tierney 3rd and David 4th.
Andrew commented "This was a long time coming and great for the team, particularly with Michael Morris sidelined with engine problems this weekend. We had the two cars here today, both finishing in the top five. I am sure that will be of some comfort to Michael"
Team Manager Michael Morris commented "This is the second outright event win for BMRT following my win earlier this year. It's great for the team and the sponsors who all deserve this victory. Andrew qualified in Pole position for the Supercar A-Final earlier this year in the Toyota that clearly does not have the outright pace to challenge for the Championship, he has shown today that given the right car he can challenge anyone".
"I hope to be joining Andrew and Paul for the second half of the Championship when the team will be back to 3 Supercars. Also Darragh Morris will be moving up from the Junior grade with a new car, and another driver to be confirmed for the new year, will see 5 drivers lining up for BMRT. These are exciting times for the team and our sponsors going into the second half of the season"
The next event is 15th November 2009 at Mondello Park Race Circuit. Practice is from 9.30 with race 1 approx 10.15.
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>> Welcome to www.BMRT.ie
Posted on: 10 Oct 2007
by P.Grogan |
Thanks for taking a look at our new website. Over the coming weeks and months we will be posting all the news and photos from our outings in Mondello Park as part of the 2009/2010 Motorsport Ireland National Rallycross Championship.
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