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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.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch enjoyed a near perfect weekend on track at Pembrey, with a double win allowing him to hit the front in the 2022 Retro Rallycross Championship.

Tony and his Landsail Tyres Motorsport Team Geriatric team made the trip to the Welsh circuit chasing a first victory of the campaign, having grabbed a podium finish from the opening meeting at Lydden Hill.

Although the Pembrey meeting would feature a smaller grid than usual as a result of issues for some of his rivals, Tony knuckled down and focused on the job at hand when track action kicked off on Saturday and he powered his Toyota MR2 to three wins from three in the qualifying heats to grab pole position for the final.

Seeing off the challenge of Rob Buckmaster’s Ford Fiesta on the opening lap, Tony soon started to build a gap out front and duly wrapped up his first victory of the campaign.

The day wouldn’t pass without problems for the Toyota however, with the team working to resolve an issue with the rear suspension ahead of Sunday’s action, which would see Tony doing battle in the opposite direction around the Pembrey circuit.

As had been the case the previous day, the Toyota would prove to be the class of the field across the three heats and final as Tony doubled up, despite running into further problems with the rear suspension.

The points scored across the two rounds mean Tony has taken a twelve point lead over defending champion Simon Hart in the standings ahead of the next round, which will be held at the Glosso circuit in Belgium in August.

“It was a shame that the field was a bit smaller at Pembrey, but when you are running older cars like we all do, there is always the chance that you can run into a few problems and repairs can take a bit longer to complete,” he said.

“We were all keen to put on a good show for the fans and in terms of the on-track action, things couldn’t have gone much better when it comes to the results we were able to pick up.

“The car performed well across the two days which is credit to the team for the work they put in to prepare it, and the only issue we had was with the rear suspension as the circuit proved to be a particularly tough on the cars.

“We know our partners at AVO will get that sorted before we head for the next round in Belgium and we’ve now got some time to sort out a few things with the car to make sure we can maintain our form through the rest of the campaign.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch will look to close the gap at the top of the Retro Rallycross Championship standings when the series heads to Pembrey this weekend for rounds three and four of the season.

Tony endured as mixed start to his campaign at Lydden Hill after gearbox issues on his Landsail Tyres Team Geriatric Toyota MR2 hampered his challenge in the opening two rounds, but he still makes the long trip to Wales sitting second in the early season points.

The Toyota has performed strongly at Pembrey in the past, with the car having undergone significant improvements since in a bid to try and help Tony challenge for class honours during the season ahead.

Whilst the car will continue to run with the standard gearbox that was fitted during the Lydden Hill meeting following the issue that developed with the racing ‘box, Tony remains confident of a strong showing on track at a venue where he tasted victory last year.

Although a repeat would be welcome this time around, the main goal is to try and take points out of current leader Steve Cozens to enable Tony to strengthen his position in the title race.

“We know Pembrey won’t be an easy weekend but we go there confident that we can challenge for some strong results,” he said. “We saw last season that is less of a power circuit than Lydden Hill and that plays to our strengths with the Toyota as the handling of the car is something that we know is very good from all the work that has gone in.

“We’ll have to see whether we can get into a position to fight for victories this weekend but I feel more confident abou our chances than at Lydden Hill last month and we’ll be giving our all to try and pick up some silverware.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch was able to salvage a podium finish from what proved to be a challenging opening meeting of the Retro Rallycross Championship season at Lydden Hill.

The Landsail Team Geriatric driver headed for the Kent circuit hoping to make the most of a raft of upgrades carried out on his Toyota MR2 over the winter, although a lack of pre-season testing meant the first two rounds would be something of a step into the unknown.

The opening two heats for round one saw Tony grab a pair of third place finishes but an issue with the gearbox on the car then forced him to retire from the final qualifying heat.

Despite that, Tony qualified in third spot on the grid but the issues with the gearbox resulted in him being forced to pull off the circuit seconds after the lights went out – leaving him classified back in fifth place.

With round two taking place on Bank Holiday Monday, the team used the day off on Easter Sunday to replace the gearbox in the car – instead fitting a standard spare ‘box to the car to ensure that Tony could do battle on track.

Third in all three qualifying heats, Tony was this time able to contest the points-scoring finale where he brought the Toyota home to the flag in third to grab some hard-earned silverware.

Despite the challenging nature of the action on-track – which leaves Tony second in the early-season standings – there was reason to cheer as Landsail Team Geriatric was awarded the Martin Schanche Trophy for the best presented team in the Retro Rallycross paddock last season.

It marks the third time that Team Geriatric has secured such an award for presentation, reflecting the effort put in to ensure that the sponsors and partners are represented in the most professional manner over the course of a season.

“There are real mixed emotions after Lydden Hill,” Tony reflected. “On track, we were hoping for better results across the two rounds but the issue with the gearbox on Saturday was one of those things that we couldn’t control.

“The team did a great job to replace the ‘box for Monday and we were able to put up a good fight on track but ultimately, there was only so much we could do with the standard unit fitted.

“However, to be given the Martin Schanche Trophy was an unexpected surprise but one we are very proud of as a team. We put a huge amount of time and effort into our presentation because we know how important it is when it comes to representing the various sponsors who allow us to go racing. This award is for them as much as the team.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch will look to kick off his Retro Rallycross Championship challenge in style this weekend when the 2022 season bursts into life at Lydden Hill.

Tony and his Landsail Team Geriatric squad make the long trip to the spiritual home of rallycross in Kent hoping to challenge for silverware in the opening two rounds of the campaign, with Round 1 scheduled to take place on Saturday, and Round 2 then being run on Easter Monday.

The opening round will mark the first outing for Tony’s upgraded Toyota MR2, which has undergone a number of improvements during a major winter rebuild that was carried out following a heavy accident in the latter part of 2021.

A planned test outing in the BTRDA Rallycross season opener at Blyton last month had to be cancelled as a result of an electrical issue that was discovered during a pre-event run on a rolling road, with the team working to resolve the problem ahead of opening Retro round.

After successfully running the car on the dyno this week without a reoccurrence of the issue, Tony goes into round one in confident mood, with the goal being to try and challenge towards the sharp end and put a solid haul of points on the board.

“It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to run our planned test at Blyton so there is an element of us going into the unknown this weekend,” he said.

“The boys have put a huge amount of work into the car over the winter alongside Paul Waldron Motorsport, and I’m confident that the improvements that have been made will help us on track as we look to challenge for the title.

“We don’t want to get too carried away but we head for Lydden Hill with one goal in mind and that is to fight for victory. We want to be in the fight for championship honours this season, so a win would be a great way to start.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch will get his 2022 racing programme underway this weekend when he heads over the Pennines to Blyton for his first outing of the new season.

Tony and his Landsail Team Geriatric outfit will take part in the opening meeting of the new BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship season as part of the team’s preparations for the new Retro Rallycross Championship campaign, which gets underway at Lydden Hill next month.

The decision to contest the BTRDA opener has been taken in order to gain vital track time with the upgraded Team Geriatric Toyota MR2, which has undergone a full rebuild over the winter.

The extensive rebuild programme, carried out by the team alongside Paul Waldron Motorsport, came on the back of a bruising end to Tony’s 2021 campaign which left the Toyota extensively damaged following a fire and an accident at Knockhill.

As well as fully repairing the shell, the team has worked hard to remove weight from the car to boost the power-to-weight ratio, with the engine also given a full rebuild and further work carried out on the suspension alongside team partners AVO to improve handling.

With the goal for 2022 being to try and secure the Retro Rallycross Championship crown, this weekend’s outing will be used by the team as a test, with the focus firmly on readying the Toyota for next month’s Retro opener rather than chasing an outright result.

“After a difficult end to last season, we took time to regroup over the winter and evaluated our plans for 2022,” Tony said. “Clearly we have unfinished business in Retro Rallycross after the incidents at Knockhill cost us the title so having made the decision to return, it was all about what to do with the car.

“Repairing the Toyota hasn’t been a small job in recent months so huge credit has to go to everyone in the team and to Paul Waldron for getting it prepared for the new season, and we now go into 2022 with the car in better shape than ever before.

“Given that we haven’t been able to go out and test the car, the plan for the Blyton weekend is make the most of the track time available to make sure we are in the best shape possible for Lydden Hill when the serious business gets underway. The on track results aren’t important and given that we will also be running outside our usual class, I’ve got to drive with my head and not try and get involved in battles I don’t need to get involved in.

“Our programme this season wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our loyal sponsors so a huge thank you as ever to Landsail Tyres, Lucas Oil, Pemberton Tyres, AVO, Rye Motors, Wigan Car Paints, Signtec and Tootsies as well as our latest backers Feel Good Health Clubs. Special thanks to Paul for the work that he has put in alongside my boys to prepare the car, and we look forward to working alongside him more closely as the season goes on.

“I’m confident that we can have a successful season on track this year, and can’t wait to get started.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch was left to wonder what might have been after bringing the curtain down on his Retro Rallycross Championship campaign at Lydden Hill.

Tony and his Landsail Team Geriatric outfit headed for the ‘Home of Rallycross’ looking to try and overturn an eleven point deficit to the rival Simon Hart in the standings, with Tony’s title challenge having taken a hit after a fire in the previous event at Knockhill.

With Tony having also rolled the car during the Scottish meeting, the team was forced to work hard to ensure that he was able to compete in the season finale, with the Toyota MR2 looking almost good as new by the time it was loaded onto the trailer for the long trip to Kent.

Any concerns there may have been about the car were put to one side after the opening heat as Tony secured second spot, and he then went one better in heat two as he beat the rapid Mini of Terry Moore and the Citroen AX of Steve Cozens to victory.

A third place finish behind the pair in heat three meant Tony would qualify in second place for the finale, with title rival Hart starting from fourth at the wheel of his Escort.

Having taken points out of Hart through the heats, Tony headed into the final race knowing the title was on the line but would lose out to Moore and Cozens on the run down to turn one.

From that point on, he had to settle into third spot and despite ending the year with another podium finish, fifth for Hart meant he edged Tony for top spot in the standings.

“We knew that we had a chance of the title but the loss of two cars from the entry before the weekend made things more difficult when it came to taking points off Simon,” he said.

“We just focused on the job at hand and the car went well in the heats to qualify second, which is probably more than I was expecting against Terry and Steve as their cars are better suited to Lydden Hill than the Toyota.

“The start was key in the final and I really needed to try and get ahead so I could then work to keep them behind, but they got the jump at turn one and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back ahead. I had to settle for third, and unfortunately that wasn’t quite enough to overhaul Simon and take the title.

“It all comes down to what happened at Knockhill and the fire there ultimately proved to be decisive as the points we lost in qualifying were the difference between us winning the title and finishing in second.

“It’s frustrating that a mechanical issue that was outside our control has cost us the championship, but at the same time, I’m hugely proud of the team for their efforts as they have turned out a fantastic car for every round and – Knockhill aside – we’ve been right up there at the front all year.

“I have to say a huge thank you to the sponsors who have backed us this year, and all of those who have given shown their support along the way. It’s a shame that we couldn’t deliver the title, but we gave it our all.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch will look to end his season on a high this weekend at Lydden Hill when the Retro Rallycross championship heads for the spiritual home of the sport for the 2021 season finale.

Tony’s participation in the final round of the year had been in doubt on the back of a dramatic weekend at Knockhill, where his Landsail Team Geriatric Toyota MR2 was left heavily damaged following a roll in the second meeting of the Scottish double-header.

That followed an engine fire in the opening round that had forced the team into a dash back down to Greater Manchester to carry out overnight repairs in a bid to retain the championship lead.

The unfortunate incident in the fifth round of the year saw Tony slip to second in the Retro Rallycross standings behind Simon Hart, and left him facing a race against time to get the Toyota prepared for the big finale.

Thanks to a monumental effort from the team – and the ever valued support of a number of key partners – the MR2 has been fully repaired in time for the trip to Lydden Hill, ensuring that Tony will be able to do battle on track.

Tony secured a podium finish at the Kent circuit earlier in the year, with a repeat this weekend being the target at the very least as Tony seeks to overhaul Hart and add a Retro class title to his already impressive resume.

“After the incident at Knockhill, I did wonder if we would be able to compete at Lydden Hill but I should have known better than to doubt whether the team would get it fixed in time,” he said. “I have to give massive thanks to everyone who has helped to get the MR2 into a position where it is now ready to race – particularly Paul Waldron and Wigan Car Paints – and it means out title bid is still very much alive at a time when it could easily have been dead in the water.

“Saying that, it has been a massive race against time to get ready and it means we go into the weekend having been unable to do the usual preparation we would do for such a big meeting. We will be on the back foot a bit going into practice and the opening heats as we check over the car and make sure everything is working as it should, but we haven’t put all this effort in to just to go to Lydden Hill and make up the numbers.

“We have no option but to go on the attack if we want to win this championship so that is what I’ll be doing on track, and I think I am more determined than I’ve ever been to try and end the year on a high.”

Wigan racer Tony Lynch was left singing the praises of his team for going above and beyond the call of duty on a dramatic weekend of racing as the Retro Rallycross Championship headed for Knockhill for the latest two rounds of the season.

Tony headed for Scotland holding top spot in the standings at the wheel of his Landsail Team Geriatric-run Toyota MR2, and with confidence high about a strong weekend at a circuit where he had enjoyed a number of front-running results in the past.

With a smaller field than expected having made the trip, Tony and fellow Retro class runner Simon Hart found themselves running track with the quicker Super Retro cars, with Tony beating his rival with ease in the first heat of round five.

Having held the lead through lap one of the second heat, Tony’s bid for second win would end in dramatic fashion when he was forced to pull off with flames coming from the engine bay.

With no option but to retire from the remainder of the day, the team packed up to make the 240 mile trip back to base in a bid to repair the damage – which was later traced to a small fracture on an oil pipe.

After a long journey and a late night in the workshop, the car was repaired before the team hit the road to return to Scotland in time for Sunday’s action, with the Toyota showing no ill-effects in the opening heat at Tony lapped quicker than he had done prior to Saturday’s dramas.

Victorious again in heat three, Tony went into the final chasing his second win of the season, but there was more drama to come when one of the notorious bumps on the loose surface section of the circuit unsettled the MR2 and resulted in Tony making contact with the tyres.

That tipped the car into a roll that would put Tony out on the spot, with the Toyota suffering extensive damage but Tony himself emerging unscathed.

Tony remains at the sharp end of the standings, and with the next round of the year scheduled to take place in November at Lydden Hill, will now evaluate the options available to conclude the season.

“It’s hard to find the words to express how I feel about the Knockhill weekend – apart from tired!” he said. “We headed for Scotland hoping to benefit from the recent work we had carried out on the car, but certainly didn’t expect things to be quite as dramatic as they were.

“On Saturday, we had a solid run in the first heat but then in the second, I thought we had an issue with the engine and when it stopped on track, I was sure we’d blown the motor as I could see smoke in the mirror. It was only when I got out of the car that I could see the flames but luckily, the same wasn’t so severe that it couldn’t be fixed.

“It did mean we had to head back to base, and I cannot praise the team enough for the effort they put in to travel all that way, get the car fixed, and then head back for Sunday’s action.

“For the final to them end in the way it did was absolutely gutting for us all and I have to hold my hands up as I got caught out by a bump that unsettled the car and that was that. Although we’re lucky that the engine and gearbox are both okay, it’s done a lot of damage to the car so we now need to sit down and make a decision on whether we push hard to repair it in time for Lydden Hill or see if there is the option to try and source a new car that we can prepare in time for the finale.”