Double delight for Tony Lynch wraps up Retro class crown

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.”