Archives August 2022

Wigan racer Tony Lynch wrapped up the Retro Rallycross Championship’s Retro class in fine style with a double victory on the penultimate weekend of racing at Pembrey.

Tony and his Landsail Tyres Motorsport Team Geriatric team headed for the Welsh circuit sitting pretty at the top of the standings, and looking to try and replicate the success it had enjoyed on a first visit to the venue earlier in the campaign.

With a number of changes having been made to his Toyota MR2 ahead of the weekend – which included tweaks to the suspension and the fitting of a new gearbox – Tony was optimistic about his chances on track.

After a solid run in practice on Saturday, Tony battled his way to victory in the opening heat of Round 6 and followed it up with two further top three finishes to earn himself second on the grid for the final.

Up against the rapid Mini of Terry Moore, Tony came through the final with an impressive victory having taken the lead at the start, with issues for Simon Hart giving him an unassailable advantage in the class points.

Celebrating in fine style in Round 7 on Sunday, Tony went unbeaten through the three heats before making it two wins from two in the final – meaning he would be unbeaten across the four rounds held at Pembrey over the course of the campaign.

With the Retro class crown now secure, Tony will go into the season finale at Lydden Hill in November looking to be crowned as the overall Retro Rallycross champion in a two-way battle with the Super Retro title winner John Cross, who also wrapped up his own title in Wales.

“Heading to Pembrey, the focus was firmly on picking up a strong haul of points so to come away from the weekend with two wins and having provisionally won the class title is fantastic,” Tony admitted. “The car was strong all weekend and we were able to show good pace in both rounds, which was reflected in the end results.

“To come away from Pembrey unbeaten across four meetings this year is something we’re very proud of, and a huge amount of credit for that has to go to my team. They continue to do a fantastic job in preparing the car for every meeting, and the effort every weekend to ensure we are able to fight at the front is second to none.

“I also have to thank Paul Waldron for the work he has put in alongside the boys this year on the Toyota as his support has been invaluable, as has the backing from all of our sponsors over the course of the year.

“When we made the decision to go down this route with the Toyota, our goal was to win the Retro Rallycross title and having won the Retro class crown, hopefully we can now secure overall honours when we head to Lydden Hill for the big finale.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch will seek to retain his place at the head of the Retro Rallycross championship standings when the series returns to Pembrey this weekend for the penultimate race weekend of the season.

As was the case earlier in the year, the South Wales circuit will play host to two rounds with racing taking place on both Saturday and Sunday, with Tony seeking to try and replicate his double win from the previous visit in his Landsail Tyres Motorsport Team Geriatric-run Toyota MR2.

That double success played a big part in Tony hitting the front in the points standings and he was able to retain his advantage last time out in Belgium, where he celebrated his first ever appearance at the Glosso circuit with a hard-earned podium finish.

Since returning from European soil, Tony and the team have been hard at work on the Toyota, with work having been carried out on both the suspension and gearbox to leave the MR2 fighting fit for the weekend ahead.

With an increased field set to do battle this weekend in the Retro class, Tony makes the trip aiming to try and add to his victory tally but with one eye also firmly fixed on the bigger picture of maximising his score to keep his title bid on track.

“We had some great results at Pembrey earlier in the season and it would be fantastic if we can go back to Wales this weekend and repeat them,” he said. “We know that won’t be easy, but I’m hopeful we can in the mix for some silverware and hopefully push for a win.

“We’re at that stage of the season where the points are more important than ever, so it’s important that we stay out of trouble this weekend to retain our position at the front.

“We’ve put a lot of work into the car with our suspension partners AVO and Paul Waldron has assisted with the new gearbox so we should be in good shape, and I’ll be giving my all to deliver the results on track.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch produced a battling performance on track at Glosso to maintain his lead in the Retro Rallycross Championship standings.

The Landsail Tyres Motorsport Team Geriatric driver made the trip to Belgium seeking to add to the fine double win at Pembrey that had seen him move to the head of the championship standings.

Despite never visiting the circuit before, Tony was quickly up to speed at the wheel of his Toyota MR2, with a series of changes made to the car ahead of the weekend paying dividends as he won the opening heat of the weekend and then took second place in heat two.

Further improvements to the car were then made overnight ahead of the remaining two qualifying heats, with Tony once again fighting at the sharp end of the field to ensure that he would line up in second place for the final.

Fighting hard to get ahead of the Mini of Terry Moore off the line, Tony grabbed the early lead before coming under attack from his rival, who would battle his way back to the front.

Tony however would follow him home in a solid second place to ensure a solid haul of points that enables him to retain his position at the head of the standings ahead of Rounds 6 and 7 of the campaign at Pembrey later this month.

“It would have been nice to come away from the trip to Belgium with victory, but second place is a good result in terms of the championship as we were able to finish ahead of our main rivals,” he said.

“Having never visited Glosso before, we weren’t sure how the car would perform but the pace was good from the outset. The work we did ahead of the weekend proved to be positive, and we made further improvements that will benefit us going forwards.

“Terry just had a little bit too much for us in the final, but the important thing is that we stayed out of trouble and put some good points on the board. Now we can look forward to the return to Pembrey later this month and hope to replicate our winning form there.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch will seek to maintain his strong run of form when the 2022 Retro Rallycross Championship season resumes this weekend at the Glosso circuit in Belgium.

Tony and his Landsail Tyres Motorsport Team Geriatric will make the trip over the English Channel looking to mainland Europe eager to build on a fine performance last time out Pembrey, where Tony stormed to a double win at the wheel of his Toyota MR2.

Those two wins allowed Tony to hit the front in the championship for the first time this season, with the two month break since the Welsh meeting providing the team with the opportunity to continue work on improving the Toyota.

Alongside technical partner Paul Waldron Motorsport, the team has worked to resolve the suspension issues that Tony suffered last time out and has also spent time given the car a full overhaul to ensure peak reliability for the Belgian weekend.

Eager to reward the team for its efforts, Tony has his eyes firmly fixed on the top step of the podium to retain his place at the head of the standings.

“It seems like an age since we raced at Pembrey and I can’t wait to get back out on track,” he said. “Confidence is on a high after our double win last time out and we head for Belgium with one goal – and that is to bring home another win.

“Although we haven’t been racing, the team has worked hard with Paul Waldron to make sure that the car is in the best shape possible for this weekend as reliability is more important than ever when we are so far from home.

“If we were to have a failure on the car then it would be game over as we can’t just nip back home for parts, so hopefully all the hard work will help to give us the best possible chance of success.

“With Glosso being a new addition to the calendar, we’re all taking a bit of a step into the unknown, but we’re ready for the challenge and looking forward to getting our championship challenge back underway.”