Reigning BTRDA 1400 Champions Neil Weaver and Nick Thornton are aiming to make it a hat-trick of wins on next Saturday’s (7 July) Quinton Stages Rally.
Newtown driver Weaver and Shipley-based co-driver Thornton have won the 1400 section of the Quinton for the last two years and will bid to make it three as they return to the stages at Crychan in their ACCREDIS UK and Hankook Tyres-sponsored class B9 1400cc Proton Satria.
It will be their fourth outing in the Harry Hockly Motorsport-run car. The crew have had podium success in the three rallies they have competed in so far this season as they came second in the 1400s on the North Humberside Forest Rally in March and won the Somerset Stages in April before finishing second on the Dukeries Rally earlier this month in the poor conditions.
There are no championship points at stake for the pair as they are not defending their title or contesting a series this year, instead they are doing selected BTRDA Tesco 99 Octane 1400 Championship rounds and scoring points in the 1400 Rally Club standings.
But nevertheless Weaver and Thornton are chasing the treble on the 45-mile Llandovery-based forest gravel event.
“We won the Quinton 1400s in 2005 and 2006 and it would be great to make it three in a row with victory this year so that’s what we’re setting our sights on,” Weaver said. “I like the stages on the Quinton, it’s a rally I enjoy doing so hopefully we will have a good run. It won’t be easy to get the win as there’s some tough competition out there but we will be pushing hard and trying our best as always.
“I’d like to thank all our sponsors: Telford-based ACCREDIS UK, Hankook Tyres and Harry Hockly Motorsport for making it possible for us to be out there competing and we hope it will be another successful event for everyone involved.”
After claiming 28 points in the 1400 Rally Club standings on the Dukeries, Weaver and Thornton are currently fifth overall in the table on a score of 86.
| 
