BOLTON'S Rob Barry was a comfortable winner as he raced to his second successive title in the Gibsons of Brock Millennium Rally.

This unique event, the last to be run in Britain this Millennium and the very first to count towards the year 2000 North West Car Club Championship, was organised and run by Bolton-Le-Moors Motor Club.

Large crowd

The weather for the start of the rally on Monday alternated between rain, wind and sunshine in equal amounts, although the weather did not subdue Barry, driving a Group A Mitsubishi Evo4 car.

He was the first to tackle the tricky stages of Park Hall, Charnock Richard, and also the first of more than 60 cars starting the rally before a very large crowd. The rally comprised of 14 stages over two days all around the vast car parks, small forest and service roads within the Park Hall complex with changes being made to the stages after every two runs.

Barry dominated the first day by being quickest over five of the six stages going into the second day with a 50 second lead.

On day two he carried on where he left off again sliding his super-charged four-wheel drive Mitsubishi through the ice and muddy conditions of Park Hall increasing his lead all the time and with just three stages left and in supreme command and more than minute ahead of his nearest rival he eased off to make sure he finished.

Dave Burnett and his co-driver Neil Simpson from Bolton-Le-Moors Club were unfortunate. On the very first stage they slid wide on a corner into an earth bank. The resultant collision broke the wheel half-shaft and front suspension on their Vauxhall Astra Gsi putting them out of the rally for Monday.

They repaired the car ready for the second day where all cars eliminated on the first day could compete for the Neil Howard Trophy. They had a good run through the brilliant sunshine finishing seventh overall.

Vibrated loose

A third Bolton-Le-Moors team of Mike Postlethwaite and Dave Welding were going well over the first three stages when the gearbox seized. They retired, took the car home to change the gearbox but, on stripping it down, found a plug had vibrated loose during the rally and all the oil had leaked out causing too much damage to be repaired overnight.

Results: First, Rob Barry, Mitsubishi Evo4; Second, Keven Furber, Peugeot 106; Third, Robin Farrington, Mitsubishi Evo4.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.