TDC Member Derek Tohill Outwits European Champion Borseth

Derek Tohill Outwits European Champion Borseth in a Dramatic A Final in England
Round 3, England, Lydden Hill Race Circuit, Wooton, 29th May – May 31st 2010

Derek Tohill (Dublin) entered the 3rd round of the European Rallycross Championship (ERC) in the South of England near Dover with high hopes of gathering some useful championship points. The Irishman did more than expected with a spectacular drive to take victory and maximum championship points.

The Rallycross rebels team had to earn every single point the hard way. It was one of those weekends when perseverance was the key. The first day of racing on Sunday netted Tohill a 5th fastest qualification time in his Ford Fiesta MK7 RWD. The Irishman was not particularly happy with this pace and himself and fellow team member Gordon Lynch hunted down the man who engineered the Fiesta Ingvar Gunnarsson. “We couldn’t quiet put our finger on what we were missing, the car was quick but was just not quick enough compared to the very quick drivers in the class. We explained to Ingvar how the car felt and he quickly pointed towards the limited slip differential.” Immediately it was obvious that there was an issue. The spare rear axle was examined and Ingvar gave the thumbs up to fitting said spare. Tohill also had problems selecting 4th gear so the team went about removing the gearbox and striping it in the mobile workshop. A dogring for 4th gear was damaged, thankfully the team had a spare and were able to fit it and re-assemble the gearbox. The team went to bed looking forward to Mondays racing with the hope of going quicker.

Heat 2 on Monday started well with Tohill posting 2nd fastest time overall, this was a marked improvement. Heat 3 saw the Teng Tools backed driver beat European Champion Knut Ove Borseth in a clean battle and a fastest time of the day for the Irishman. This put Tohill in pole position for the main A final, an opportunity the Irishman would relish.

Tohill again made a blistering start and led into the first corner. The Irishman completed 4 laps at the head of the field and then took his mandatory joker lap. But, when the Irishman exited the joker lap, current champion Borseth just snook ahead of the Irishman. But, this wasn’t the end of matters, on the final lap Tohill got a good run on the Norwegian on the way up to the North bend and produced a clean overtaking manoeuvre. The 12,000 spectators rose to their feet to applaud the Irishman in what was a spectacular move for victory on the last lap.

Tohill commented afterwards “The team deserve this so much; we never stopped working all weekend and never gave up. We all believe in each others ability and this ensured the car was just perfect for me on Monday. This gave me the opportunity we have been working towards since the beginning of the season. It’s the first time somebody has beaten Borseth in a fair fight in a long time. Yes, he has been beaten a couple of times but mainly due to his mechanical failures. This has moved us up to 2nd in the championship standings and will give us a bit of momentum we badly needed to keep spirits high, roll on Hungary!”

This weekend the Rallycross rebels team will participate in round 4 of the championship. The track is situated 2 hours from Budapest and usually hosts a warm event. The team are due to arrive in Nyirad on Thursday to set up everything for the weekend. The Irishman aims to put Borseth and everyone else under pressure. Who knows what could happen after that!

All rounds of the European Rallycross Championship are being covered by Motors TV and will air in the week after each race. Click on the link below for TV schedule details:

http://www.motorstv.com/car/rally/european-rallycross/22042010/erc-irishman-returns-european-rallycross

On-line Video action from Lydden Hill:

http://www.rallycross.hu/d2lyddenhill2010.html
Current Championship Standings

1 Knut Ove Børseth
Ford Fiesta Mk7 RWD
2 Derek Tohill
Ford Fiesta Mk7 RWD
3 Ole Kristian Nøttveit
Citroën Xsara RWD/Mazda RX-8

For further information and more pictures please contact:

Rallycross Rebels Press: info@rmf.ie

or www.derektohill.com

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I have great sympathy for Derek , as I know what that first corner carnage is like!

Tohill Sidelined by First Corner Carnage in Hungary

Round 4, Hungary, Nyiradi Motorsport Centrum, Nyirad, Hungary, 4th June – June 6th 2010

Derek Tohill (Dublin) arrived in Budapest, Hungary for the 4th round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship (ERC) with high expectations after taking victory in England the previous weekend. Sunny and warm weather conditions at Nyirád were a nice change for the Rallycross Rebels team. This weather change came after a period of heavy rainfall in this area of the country and beyond. Between 11,000 and 12,000 spectators enjoyed, besides the weather, two days of Rallycross action at the Nyirádi Motorsport Centrum. The Irishman had a tough weekend with small gremlins still being experienced with the teams new Ford Fiesta MK. 7. It all meant the Irishman would have to do things the hard way as he was not a direct qualifier into the main A final. If the Irishman was to achieve a top 6 finish he would have to win the B final.

Qualifying in Hungary was positive for the Irishman as he qualified 2nd fastest and ahead of main championship rivals Knut Ove Borseth (Norway) and Ole Kristian Nottveit (Norway). The Rallycross rebels team were very satisfied with this start as it meant the Irishman would start from pole position in Heat 1 on Saturday. Gear selection problems in Heat 1 meant Tohill was left stranded on the start line leaving the Irishman with only 9th fastest time. This meant good results would be a necessity in Heat 2 & 3 on Sunday.

Heat 2 on Sunday morning started in fine style for the Irishman as he pulled out a big lead over his rivals. But, the Teng Tools backed Fiesta came to a sudden halt on the final lap. This put the Rallycross rebels team under pressure to try and repair the car for the 3rd and final qualifying heat. If Irishman did not get a good result in the 3rd heat it would mean no final, no points and an early journey home. The Rallycross Rebels team diagnosed the problem to be a broken crank trigger wheel and crank sensor. The team fitted the necessary new parts and the car was ready for the final qualifying heat.

Heat 3 were nervous times for Tohill and his team as the Irishman would have to finish the heat to ensure a place in the finals but Tohill would also have to push to ensure the Irishman was not too far down the grid in the B final. Tohill fittingly put in a stunning display of Rallycross driving to win his heat and post the fastest overall time by over 3 seconds. This was a display of what the team could have achieved had the previous 2 heats been without problems. This ensured Tohill qualified directly into the B final. A win in the B final was a must if the Irishman was to qualify for the A final and score some useful championship points.

Tohill drove a perfect B final, easing away from ex European champion Jos Sterkens (Belgium) to take victory and a place on the back row of the all important A final. Tohill made a blistering start in the A final to climb to 3rd place at the entry to turn one. But, then the 2009 European Champion Borseth hit the rear of Tohill’s car sending him into the side of the BMW driven by Belgian Guino Kenis. The BMW driver then hit the rear of Tohill’s Fiesta. All of this damage meant the rear axle and brake assembly were both bent as well as a loss of power steering and brakes. The engine was also down on power at this point so all Tohill could do was try and nurse the car home safely. This was proving rather difficult as the BMW of Kenis decided to wait up a lap and take the Irishman out of the race. But, Tohill avoided giving the BMW driver this opportunity and finished in 5th place overall. This has meant the Irishman is now placed 3rd in the overall championship standings.

The Rallycross Rebels team now take the long journey to Sweden for round 5 of the championship. Tohill commented “This weekend we had good speed but we just didn’t have sufficient reliability. The team have worked so hard to repair the car and I am disappointed with 5th place as we all deserved more. Guino Kenis was excluded for his unsporting behaviour which is the correct decision made by the FIA but it’s harmed our championship. We will have to work very hard in advance of Sweden to ensure we can fight again for victory. If we can win in Sweden it will keep our championship alive and be a nice reward for Gunnarsson Motorsports home event who have worked so hard with us on the Fiesta. It’s probably the most challenging circuit in the world of Rallycross and with 25,000 plus spectators a near formality, motivation is easy and we will try and put on a good show for everyone!”

All rounds of the European Rallycross Championship are being covered by Motors TV and will air in the week after each race. Click on the link below for TV schedule details:

http://www.motorstv.com/car/rally/european-rallycross/22042010/erc-irishman-returns-european-rallycross

On-line Video action from Round 4 in Hungary:

http://www.vimeo.com/12495615

For further information and more pictures please contact:

Rallycross Rebels Press: info@rmf.ie

or www.derektohill.com