Whilst it was predicted that the second round of the 2024 Micra Challenge had all the ingredients for a cliffhanger no one could have foreseen just how close the times could be. Just like at the front of the main field where Jonny Greer battled with Aaron McLaughlin, current Challenge Champions Stephen Whitford/ Jonny Hart had to dig deep to take on his pursuers at a much revamped Bishopscourt Circuit. With his Micra transmission refreshed after clutch failure on the opening round at Kirkistown Whitford was in determined mood to bag a haul of points to get his championship challenge back on track.
With ten Micras entered for the Race and Rally sponsored event there was plenty of competition – although there were last minute withdrawals of fancied front runners Fraser Mulholland/ Mark McLernon and Mark McElwee/ John Henderson due to technical issues. Of particular interest were Claudy crew and recent Killarney Forestry winners Jordan and Paul Hone and they did not disappoint as Jordan returned to his roots entered in the family Micra. The must anticipated challenge of Philip White/ Brian Rowan was shortlived however as their run of bad luck continued with driveshaft failure on the start-line of the first stage. They got back onto the stages with the help of fellow competitors but the resultant stage maximum put paid to any hopes of an overall win.
When Whitford/ Hart emerged from Stage 1 they were encouraged to find they had 1.4 second lead over the Hones with Round 1 winners Peter and Steven Dowds slotting into third place, a further 5.5 seconds behind. Stanley Orr/ Graham Henderson were next up but a wall of death act over the lorry tyre that lined sections of the new infield layout left him over 13 seconds behind the leaders. A further 8 seconds back were Andrew Bushe/ Geraldine McBride – the pair had no great expectations going into the event as they thought their down on power engine would struggle at Bishopscourt and a first corner spin left them with an uphill struggle for the remainder of the day. Standard Car Class competitors Jonathan Eadie/ Alan Eadie and Laura Phillips/ Robin Phillips picked up where they left off at Kirkistown with Eadie pinching the stage win by 1.9 seconds.
On stage 2 the battle resumed with Whitford/ Hart once again taking the win over the Hone crew but there was little in it with only 1.5 seconds between the front-runners. Peter and Steven Dowds picked up their pace to maintain third place and were only 8.9 seconds off the lead after two stages. Behind the top three the status quo remained although the field were bunching up as the times improved.
As the cars emerged from Stage 3 Whitford was coming under serious pressure with Jordan Hone continuing to charge – finishing only 0.1 seconds behind the leading Kit Car. Philip White/ Brian Rowan started to recover from their stage 1 disappointment and took a third fastest time only 3.5 seconds behind Whitford. Peter Dowds and Stanley Orr were in close attendance whilst having their own battle for the final podium position.
The sequence continued through Stage 4 but on Stage 5 Jordan and Paul Hone made their move and grabbed the stage win from Whitford/Hart – taking 1.5 seconds back and reducing the overall lead to 3.6 seconds – game on! Philip White / Brian Rowan continued their own recovery and were only 2.6 secs off Hone and 1.2 off Whitford whilst Orr/ Henderson took 0.2sec back from the Dowds brothers to take fourth on the stage. In the Standard Car class Jonathan Eadie has extended their lead to over 30 seconds at the end of stage 5.
By Stage 6 the Micras were the talk of the service area as they defied the laws of physics to throw their cars around the stages. Incredibly the top three Micras were covered by 1.3 seconds when Hones took another 0.5 seconds out of Whitford but White/ Rowan took the stage win – 0.8 seconds ahead of the Claudy crew. Orr, Dowds and Bushe followed behind as the battles raged throughout the field. Incredibly things got even tighter on Stage 7 as only 1 second covered the top three crews – White took another stage win whilst Whitford steadied the ship to take 0.6 back of Hone to extend his lead back to 3.7 seconds with the final stage remaining.
As the spectators held their breath and the crews completed Stage 8, all hell broke loose as the pace of the rally started to take its toll on the highly stressed machines. This time bad luck bypassed Whitford/ Hart as the crossed the finish but Jordan and Paul Hone struggled to the line as mechanical gremlins struck with an engine/ transmission problem denting their charge – second place overall remained theirs however which was the least they deserved after their days efforts. Philip White/ Brian Rowan took another stage win in a case of what could have been after their Stage 1 driveshaft failure. Further back Peter and Steven Dowds hung onto third place overall despite the efforts of Orr/ Henderson who once again took time back on the final stage. Andrew Bushe’s worst fears were realised when his engine finally gave up on him and he conceded a bundle of time as he dragged the car to the stage finish to get some points – albeit only in 6th place as White/ Rowan managed to nip past on the final run.
Jonathan and Alan Eadie continued their winning run and took the Standard Car Class honours with Laura and Robin Phillips completing the rally in the runners up position. More competition is expected for this class in the coming rounds.
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As the Ballynahinch Motor Club began their post event clear up the Micra crews were still buzzing with the excitement of the day and whilst the maximum points went to Whitford/ Hart the youngsters are coming for him – roll on St Angelo at the start of May!
Words: ANDREW BUSHE / MICRA CHALLENGE | Photos: NORTH X NORTH WEST PHOTOGRAPHY [Images must not be used in any way without prior written consent of the photographer]
