RACING REPORTS

BRITISH RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP: KNOCKHILL BY HAL RIDGE SEPTEMBER 25-26

VITOLS AND TOHILL KEEP THE WINNING HABIT IN SCOTLAND

 Title protagonists Roberts Vitols and Derek Tohill kept their hopes of challenging for a maiden British Rallycross Championship crown on track with one victory apiece on a challenging weekend at Knockhill.

It was pre-event points leader Ollie O’Donovan who topped the qualifying order on the opening day of the 5 Nations BRX Scottish encounter. In the final on Saturday, round four, O’Donovan led from pole position and headed a fast-starting Steve Hill on the opening tour. However, with rain falling, 2007 title-winner O’Donovan spun his Ford Fiesta early in proceedings, handing the advantage to Hill.

Meanwhile, opening-round winner Roberts Vitols had been left on the startline as the pack headed for the fast first corner, but once he got his Citroen C4 moving he set a blistering pace, caught those ahead when they took their joker laps then pounced when Hill succumbed to a broken CV joint.

That left Vitols a clear path to victory, where he was flanked at the finish by O’Donovan and Tristan Ovenden, the Supernational champion having qualified on the front row.

Six-time title-winner Julian Godfrey was forced out of the day’s proceedings with a blown engine in his Ford Fiesta. Reigning champion Mark Donnelly had a torrid day aboard his LD Motorsports Citroen DS3, which began with a significant fire in free practice and culminated with a misfire due to a broken alternator pully that caused retirement from the final.

Frustrated with the issues, Donnelly subsequently withdrew ahead of the second day, allowing engine-builder Godfrey to swap seats and make his first Citroen DS3 Supercar start in the same machine on Sunday for round five.

Having been in the wars on Saturday, including a heavy self-inflicted spin into the tyre wall in the semi-finals, Tohill hit the ground running on Sunday, He set the pace from the front.

He topped