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Swift Claims Class Win At Icy Croft
Darlington rally driver Paul Swift defied the snow and ice to record a superb class victory en route to fourth place overall on today's Darlington and District Motor Club-organised Autogas 2000 Jack Frost Stages Rally which took place at Croft Circuit.
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Along with co-driver David Cox, the defending AS Performance North of England Tarmac Rally and Fuchs Titan Race ANCC Stage Rally Tarmac Champion overcame the disappointment of retiring on the recent Christmas Stages Rally to bring his Ford Escort Mk2 home following a race against time to get the car prepared.
With his team literally burning the midnight oil to fit a new Millington 2.4 litre power unit, the seven times British champion was hoping to repeat his podium placing on last year's event and Paul got off to a good start with a pair of top six times on the opening ice-bound stages around the Yorkshire race circuit.
SS3 saw him set third fastest time and at the lunchtime halt after SS4; he was up to fifth and looking good. The temperature just nudged above freezing as the day progressed meaning the track started to thaw slightly but Swift's pace was relentless and thanks to a string of top ten times on the remaining stages, Paul emerged fourth overall, taking not only Class 4, but finishing as top two wheel drive car on one of the trickiest events in recent times at Croft.
A delighted Paul commented: "What a fantastic job my team did to get the new engine sorted and installed in such a short space of time between the Christmas Stages and Jack Frost and I owe this result to them as they really have pulled out all the stops. Conditions were very difficult and you had to be on the right tyres which, luckily, we were but it certainly made life interesting at times. I'd have preferred a more predictable event to take the car out for the first time had I chosen, rather than snow and sheet ice, but it was fine and never missed a beat all day. I'd like to say a massive thanks to the organisers for all their hard work in staging the event and to all the marshals who stood out in cold conditions all day long."
Paul's next event is the Legend Fires North West Stages Rally, based in Blackpool, over the weekend of 8/9th February.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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Also in WRC Rally News 2010: |
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