“Sportsmanship is alive and well in historic rallying”

We have grown accustomed to personal conflict as an accepted part of modern sport and motorsport is no different. From the top of the sport down, personal rivalries, posturing, questionable tactics and whining to the media are commonplace.

But it does not always have be so. On a Saturday morning this spring in the heart of Kielder forest I saw two fierce rivals enjoying their sport with mutual respect, great humour and constant banter.

The key players were Paul Barrett and Matthew Robinson. Northern Irishman Barrett starred on the season-opening Rally North Wales in his freshlyprepared Escort Mk2, while Robinson is an established ace in historics. He’s parked the Fiat 131 project and gone back to his faithful Mk2 this season but missed Rally North Wales due to pressures of work.

Barrett went into Kielder first on the road, with no lines to follow. “We’re at the head of some good drivers,” he admitted before the start. The opening stage of the Pirelli Rally was Robinson’s first competitive mileage since the end of the Roger Albert Clark Rally, over five months earlier. But you’d never have guessed as he scythed through Pundershaw 10 seconds quicker than anyone. “I thought I’d had a good first stage, but he took 10s out of me,” said Barrett.

But the decider on this event was over 15 miles in The Forks. Much of the stage had been run on the final day Caplestone Fell stage of the Roger Albert Clark, albeit in the other direction. I caught up with them just down the C200 at the arrival control for the final Whitesike test and both crews were buzzing.

Barrett jumped out of the car and said to Robinson: “I don’t care if you’ve taken 15s out of me in there; that was unreal! Some craic!” In fact, Barrett had turned the tables on Robinson to take a 15s profit and seal his victory. There was just time to swap rear wheels around before the last stage to make the most of the available rubber and, with his wheel change done, Barrett dived in to help Robinson change his wheels.

“I kept it stood on that right pedal as much as I could but I was beaten by a mad Irishman,” said Robinson with a broad grin. “I couldn’t wish to have been beaten by a better guy. The Irish lads like Paul, his brother Ryan and Marty Mccormack are awesome guys to race against and we have a great craic with them. That’s what it is all about; a good day’s sport.”

Barrett, too, had loved every minute of the contest. “Everyone works hard to come rallying and to be competing with people like Matt Robinson, that’s what makes it for me. Matthew’s pace was so good today.”

Respect is due to two fine drivers and worthy ambassadors for historic rallying.

The Holjes event hosted the last ever round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Touringcar. The rear-wheel-drive category that was introduced in 2007 has been wrapped up by the FIA following a lack of competitor support in recent years.

Somewhat predictably, in the series’ final term, the entries were large, the competition was close and the racing exciting.

Three drivers entered the final race in contention for the title. But it was young Norwegian Sivert Svardal who finished second, despite issues with his Mazda RX-8 in the closing stages, who took the title by a single point. He headed final-round winner Fredrik Magnussen in a year in which Svardal had aimed to make “at least one final” in his maiden season. He surpassed all expectations.

European Rallycross Championship leader Reinis Nitiss claimed his second win of the year in Supercar but intitally finished second in the final after being pushed off on the fifth lap by Cyril Raymond, who was later given a five-second penalty and dropped to fourth.

Thomas Bryntesson and Lukas Walfridson completed the podium, as British driver Andy Scott made the semi-finals.

Guillaume De Ridder moved himself into RX2 title contention with a second win of the season. Henrik Krogstad and Simon Olofsson scored their personal best finishes of the season in second and third.