Sutton & Cheam Motor Club boasts a large and varied membership made up of some of the top rally and race drivers in the country together with a large number of British, UK and even World Champions amongst their number.
Every month the committee awards the ‘Competitor of the Month’ award to someone who has achieved something great in their motor sport.
It doesn’t have to be first place, sometimes overcoming adversity (or is that reliability?) is enough. We’ll send you a voucher for £20 too. Tell us what you’ve been up to each month contact Nigel Griffiths at: the.gs100@gmail.com
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- April Competitor Of The Month – Angelica Fuentes & Jacob Gascoine-Becker
Angelica co-drove Kurt Thiel in his Porsche 911 Carrera RSR to 7th o/all and 3rd in class at the Tour Auto. Starting in Paris and ending 7 days later in Nice, the route took in some classic French roads and race circuits along the way.
Our other competitor of the mouth is Jacob Gascoine-Becker who’s just recently joined the club and is starting out on his motorsport journey. After initially trying an Autosolo at Brands Hatch, Jacob entered the Regis Sprint at Goodwood and finished 8th in class against some established sprinters.
Other notable SCMC results in April included,
Declan Dear co-driving Matthew Hirst to 6th o/all on the Carlisle Stages Rally which is a round of the British Championship which as you’d expect attracts an excellent entry.
Paul Braddock also entered his Mini in the Regis Sprint and finished 9th in class.
Our very own chairman has been bitten by the motorsport competition bug again and has taken up Sporting Trails. I believe the purchase of a car is on the horizon but for this month he was the ‘Bouncer’ to driver James Tickle in his Ibex at the The Alan Gisby Trial. Ian has certainly settled into his new motorsport discipline as the crew finished equal 2nd.
Unfortunately, Darrell Taylor & David Burden had bad luck on the Manx & SMC Stages respectively but hopefully they’ll both have better events in the future.
- March Competitor Of The Month – Jamie McBain
Jamie continues his run of giant killing results in his Peugeot 205, this time taking 4th o/all 1st in class at the Bovington Stages in early March. With Jordine Crooks alongside him, Jamie had a day long battle with the Darrians and R5’s and only managed to loose one wing mirror along the way!
Other SCMC members also competing a Bovington were, Paul Garraway taking his Sunbeam to a fantastic 18th o/all, 3rd in class, Pete Wilkins & Caroline Brampton 31st in the BMW and John & Sharon Mills finished 38th o/all in their Mini.
Other notable SCMC results in March included,
Declan Dear co-driving Matthew Hirst to 3rd o/all on the Malcolm Wilson stages
The Dukeries Stages saw the following results
Ben Smith/Ben Smith 16th o/all 4th in class
Oliver Hucklebridge 36th o/all 8th in class
Scott & Darren Stutchbury 40th o/all 11h in class
Last weekend saw the Hucklebridge’s visit Pembrey again for the Kath Curzon Memorial Rally with some father v son rivalry. Ian had issues on the first stage dropping him towards the back of the field. Good stage times for the rest of the day brought him back up the field to finally finish 24th o/all just three places ahead of Oliver but it was close!
Sorry if I missed anybody but please let me know your results so that they can be considered for COTM.
- February Competitor Of The Month – Neil Beaumont
Looking East towards Norfolk and the Snetterton Stages, Neil Beaumont stepped out of the shadows of Rob Swann to pilot his own ‘Chariot of Fire’ (Mitsubishi Evo 8) to 15th O/A, an impressive finish from the occasional competitor. Hopefully, Neil will keep up his performance at other events this year so keep your eyes peeled on the results sheet.
Photo courtesy of David Garrison Photography
Other SCMC members results in February were, joining our Competitor of the Month at Snetterton in February were Darrell Taylor (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) who finished 8th O/A and Pete Wilkins / Caroline Brampton (BMW M3) who finished 49th O/A. Sean Quigley / Colin Quigley (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) finished the event 11th O/A after suffering with a double puncture on the second stage. Steve McNulty (VW Polo R5) was at it again with Barbadian rally man Stuart Maloney in Norfolk where they ended 5th O/A, one place higher than January. The British Rally Championship visited The East Ridings Stages in February which boasted one of the largest entries seen on a Closed Roads Rally in the UK. 164 cars took the Start Ramp in Beverley, East Yorkshire. Rob Swann (Fiesta WRC) took top S & C MC driver honours at 12th overall. Sitting just ahead of Rob but in the navigator’s, seat was Declan Dear (Skoda Fabia Rally 2) who expertly guided Matthew Hirst to 8th O/A. Slightly further down the enormously competitive field we find Sean Quigley/ Colin Quigley (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) finishing at 22 O/A whilst Darrell Taylor (Ford Fiesta Rally 2) came close behind at 26th O/A.
- January Competitor Of The Month – Duncan Brown
Duncan has had a busy start to the year competing at both ends of the country with his Mini. Early January saw Duncan finish 3rd o/all, 1st in class on the Sevenoaks and District Motor Club Acorn 12 Car rally, icy conditions making this event very challenging. Next was a 1200 mile round trip from South London to Tain in Ross-Shire for the Far North Winter Classic Targa Rally. Duncan had a great run finishing 6th o/all, 4th in class.
Club members had mixed fortunes at the Brands Hatch Stages with the Quigley’s and Jamie McBain unfortunately non finishing but Neil Beaumont faired better with 27th o/all in his Evo, Scott & Darren Stutchbury 30th in the Clio and Pete Wilkins & Caroline Brampton were 46th in their trusty BMW.
Photo courtesy of Gary Plimer
- December Competitor Of The Month – Ryan Stutchbury/Ben Perrett
The Goodwood Stages saw a number of club members in action at a very wet and windy Goodwood circuit. Ryan with Darren Stutchbury alongside had a rare outing in the family Clio and from a start number of 40 finished 14th o/all despite getting a time penalty for clipping chicane with his door mirror. Ben was driving his first event and after having a major spin on the first stage in terrible conditions, which certainly woke his co-driving Dad up, recovered well to finish his first event 41st o/all.
It should also be noted that Ellie Hucklebridge was also competing on her first event co-driving for brother Oliver. They were setting some good times before engine issues intervened.
Other club members results were:-
Driver/Navigator Overall Class
Ian Hucklebridge/Sam Cox Fiesta R5 9th 6th
Sean Quigley/Colin Quigley Fiesta R5 5th 5th
David Martin/Kelan Watkins 205 50th 17th
Kevin Ambrose/Daryl Ambrose Chevette 53rd 19th
Pete Wilkins/Caroline Brampton BMW 41sth 13th
Paul Garraway/Ben Garraway Sunbeam 31st 3rd
John Mills/Sharon Mills Mini 40th 11th
Other club member results in December include:-
The Donington Stages in early December saw a number of club members competing with the following results
Driver/Navigator Overall Class
Sean Quigley/Colin Quigley Fiesta R5 4th 4th
John Yates/Alex Lee Porsche 911 RSR 33rd 8th
Neil Beaumont/Dylan Thomas Evo 20th 6th
Sam Cox/Jack Cox Clio 60th 20th
The Christmas period saw members out on a couple of events. The Rixy Stages was very successful for SCMC teams with Rob Swann/Steve McNulty being the overall winners and followed home by fellow member Darrell Taylor. Further down the leaderboard the Quigley’s used the Subaru this time finishing 18th o/all, 2 places behind Jamie McBain/Jordine Crooks in their 205. Mark Fisher & Peter Spalding continue to have no luck at all having to retire on the first stage after multiple punctures.
Ian & Oliver Hucklebridge took their Fiesta R5 to the Jaffa Stages at Pembrey and continued to learn the car, gaining more confidence with the R5 all the time with 7th o/all.
As always, let us know your results so that we can include you in the monthly round-up.
Thanks to Andy Manston M&H Photography (www.mandhphotography.co.uk) for the photos
- November Competitor Of The Month – Rob Swann/Steve McNulty & Keith/Angelica Mainland
November saw the Isle Of Wight’s first closed-roads running of the Weaver Brothers Island Stages Rally. The event run over 7 stages saw Rob & Steve come out as overall winners by 18 seconds.
SCMC had a number of crews competing on the event, results below
Driver/Navigator Finish o/all Class
Will Nicholls/Nick Broom Fiesta R5 5th 5th
Darrell Taylor/Jonathon Kennedy Fiesta R5 7th 7th
Sean Quigley/Colin Quigley Fiesta R5 4th 4th
John Peck/Jon Barratt Evo 5 DNF
Mark Fisher/Peter Spalding Escort DNF
Lewis Arkison/Pete Bold Escort DNF
Scott Stutchbury/Darren Stutchbury Clio 35th 9th
At the other end of the speed scale Keith and Angelica had their annual outing on the London to Brighton veteran car run aboard their 1904 Orient Buckboard and finished yet again. Despite some electrical issues which delayed progress they still managed to get to Brighton by 3:30pm.
Other club member results in November include:-
Declan Dear co-driving Matthew Hirst in their Skoda to a win on the Wyedean Stages and in turn winning the Welsh Rally championship for the 4th time in a row. Rob Dennis also had an excellent result on the same event finishing 16th o/all, 2nd in class.
The NHMC Cadwell Stages also saw a number of club members competing with the following results
Driver/Navigator Finish o/all Class
Jamie McBain/Jordine Crooks 205 10th 3rd
Sam Cox/Georgia Russell Clio 19th 7th
Neil Beaumont/Dylan Thomas Evo 25th 5th
David Martin/Kelan Watkins 205 DNF
- October Competitor Of The Month – Sean & Colin Quigley and Jamie McBain
Sean & Colin Quigley put their new Fiesta R5 to good use on The Challenger Stages at Bovington. Monsoon conditions made the first couple of stages very tricky but the Quigley’s set the pace and held onto victory by 12 seconds.
SCMC had great representation at The Challenger Stages, other members results included:
Driver/Navigator Finish o/all Class o/all
Darrell Taylor/Charlotte Ruth McGlashan Fiesta R5 3rd 3rd
Paul Garraway/Ben Garraway Sunbeam 27th 6th
Scott Stutchbury/Darren Stutchbury Clio 52 49th 15th
David Segal/Alfie Element Ford Escort” 50th 16th
Pete Wilkins/Caroline Brampton BMW M3 56th 10th
Tony Perrett/Ben Perrett Fiesta 72 37th 9th
Unfortunately, John & Sharon Mills failed to finish in the Mini.
Jamie had another busy month combining rallycross with rallying. The BTRDA rallycross season finished off at Knockhill with Jamie not only winning the classic class at Knockhill but the classic championship overall. Jamie also took a class win and 7th o/all in his rally 205 at the AdgeSpeed Stages held at Three Sisters Race Circuit.
Other club member results in October include:-
Declan Dear co-driving Matthew Hirst in their Skoda to a win on the Cambrian Rally Interclub
The annual Jersey Rally saw Mark Kelly finish 2nd o/all and Dave Edmunds/ Dom Jeans 39th o/all
Oliver Hucklebridge continued to gain experience in his Escort finishing 39th o/all at the AdgeSpeed Stages navigated by Sam Cox
- September Competitor Of The Month – Rob Collard & Rob DennisRob Collard finished off a fantastic season by winning the British GT3 Championship. Partnered by his son Ricky in their Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, September saw a race win at Donington at the beginning of the month then a steady run to 5th at Brands Hatch last weekend to take the title.Rob Dennis took his Escort to 2nd in class on the Woodpecker Stages based in mid Wales using the Sweet Lamb & Ceri forestry complexes.Other club member results in September include:-Darrell Taylor/Steve McNulty 2nd o/all Vale of York StagesDeclan Dear co-driving for Matthew Hirst in their new Skoda 13th o/all on the Woodpecker Stages and they had a great win on the Trackrod rallyThe Three Shires Stages closed road event saw excellent results with Rob Swann 5th and Sean & Colin Quigley 14thSCMC had great representation at the Castle Combe Circuit Stage Rally last weekend. Results belowDarrell Taylor/Jack Norris/Fiesta R5 – 3rd o/all/ 1st in classDave Edmunds/Dom Jeans/Escort – 35th/ 14th in classDavid Martin/Adam Taylor/205 – 42nd/ 18th in classScott Stutchbury/Darren Stutchbury/Clio – 39th/ 16th in classDavid Segal/Denise Gubbins/Escort – 46th/ 19th in classUnfortunately, John & Sharon Mills didn’t finish in their Mini.
- July Competitor Of The Month – Rob Collard
Rob partnered by his son Ricky took their Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 to 2nd place in both Race 1 & Race 2 at the Snetterton round of the British GT3 Championship in July. This follows consistent results in previous rounds including a win at Oulton Park which leaves Rob leading the championship with two rounds remaining.
Other club member results in July include Mark Kelly finishing 2nd o/all in the Tour Of Epynt Rally despite a high speed spin, Oliver Hucklebridge with Sam Cox alongside gaining some more seat time in his Escort at Pembrey finishing 38th o/all and Keith & Angelica Mainland visiting Sweden to drive a Volvo 940 in the Slottssprinten.
- June Competitor Of The Month – Will Nicholls/Nick Broom & Darrell Taylor/Steve McNulty
Will & Darrell took full advance of the The Abingdon Motorsport CAR-nival weekend by entering the sprint on the Saturday followed by the rally on the Sunday. Both challenged the more specialist sprint machinery for FTD with Will finishing 4th fastest and Darrell 5th. Sunday brought mixed fortunes with Will and Nick winning the Abingdon CAR-nival Stages (the 5th time they’ve won the event) but unfortunately turbo failure brought Darrell’s event to a premature end.
Darrell and Steve made up for this disappointment by winning the John Overand Memorial Stages at Melbourne Airfield, East Yorkshire a few weeks later.
It was great to see so many club members supporting the Abingdon Motorsport CAR-nival and it should be noted that Ben Smith had a great result finishing 14th o/all from a start number of 59.
Outside of the Abingdon Motorsport CAR-nival weekend Richard Scarbrough co-drove Dan Bird to victory on the Rex Premier Anniversary Stages in their R5 Fiesta, Rob Swann finishing runner up. Declan Dear’s excellent run of results continued with Matthew Hirst winning the Kielder Forest Rally and Rhys Wyn Davies took his Darrian GTR+ to 2nd o/all on the Lucas Oil Rali Menai stages on Anglesey.
Other non-rally results for club members in June included Angelica Fuentes finishing 4th o/all in her borrowed Lockhart at the Brooklands Museum Double 12 Auto Tests, Jamie McBain returning to Blyton for the rallycross and winning his category and Rob Collard finishing 3rd o/all at Spa in the British GT Championship round with his Lamborghini Huracan.
Will Nicholls/Nick Broom photo courtesy of www.rallygallery.com
- April Competitor Of The Month – Declan Dear
Following on from their excellent win on the Get Jerky Rally North Wales – Interclub Event in March, Declan together with his driver Matthew Hirst won the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages which used iconic forestry stages in mid Wales. The event ran alongside the British Rally Championship round that used exactly the same route and the pace that Matthew & Declan showed in their older R5 Fiesta would have placed them 6th o/all against the BRC regulars. It should also be noted that Rob Dennis had an excellent run in his Escort finishing 19th o/all, 3rd in class on the same event.
Other notable results for SCMC members in April that showed the broad spread of motorsport events SCMC members compete in were, Darryl Taylor & Steve McNulty winning the Lookout Stages, the Quigley’s venturing to Belgium for the Rallye Salamandre and finishing 8th o/all, Will Nicholls and John Peck being at the sharpe end at the Island Car Centre Sandown Sprint on the Isle Of Wight, Jamie McBain for his class wins at the Pembrey BTRDA Rallycross, Rob Collard for finishing 5th o/all in the British GT Championship at Silverstone and Angelica Fuentes for competing in her first Autosolo and finishing 5th in class in the Tour Auto.
It’s fair to say it was a busy month for SCMC members.
- March Competitor Of The Month – Jamie McBain
As headlined in the Motorsport News magazine “Mighty McBain” had a fantastic result on the Alan Healy Memorial Rally held at Cadwell Park at the end of March. Being a circuit rally championship event, the entry attracted a number of R5 cars, but Jamie finished 6 o/all and 1st in class with his Peugeot 205. Brake problems on the early stages had Jamie and co-driver Harry Walshaw down in 24th o/all but once sorted they set a number of top 5 stages times to fly up the leaderboard.
Other notable SCMC results in March included Mark Kelly’s 6th o/all on the British Rally Championship North West Stages, Declan Dear co-driving Matthew Hirst to their 4th consecutive North Wales Rally – Interclub Event win and Angelica Fuentes co-driving Gabriel Perez to 2nd o/all in their Skoda R5 on the Rally Hecho in Mexico.
It was a busy month for SCMC members.