The second round of the BTRDA Rally Championship took crews to the headquarters of the Ford Rally Team, M Sport based in Cockermouth, the base for the Malcolm Wilson Rally.
This was the first time both Lloyd and Barnes had rallied on these Lakeland Stages and it was to be a big challenge to both drivers. Barnes co-driver Neil Dashfield had already won this event and was well aware of the conditions ahead.
John Lloyd and Adrian Cavenagh who are both used to the rough roads of Africa stated that they found the surface very rough and did not feel that they were 'getting it together'. Despite what they thought on their performance they recorded fourth fastest time on the two stages in Greystoke Forest, finishing 11th overall.
Team mate Andrew Barnes broke his run of non-finishes which were due to mechanical failures, finishing 18th overall. "What a relief, to finish our first event of the year. it seems we have broken our duck, which is great news. A solid top 20 result is superb reward for Andrew's determination. The nature of the Cumbria stages are tight, tricky and very technical, one stage is 11 miles long, with the longest straight only 200 metres, the rest of the stage is just bend into bend into bend. So you can imagine how difficult that can be when your are still learning the car. Two top ten times are an indication of what is to come. Bring it on", said Neil Dashfield former winner of this technical rally.
Scot, David Bogie won the event driving a Toyota WRC.
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