Kumho-shod Subarus finish 1st & 2nd on Rallye Sunseeker

The Kumho-shod Subarus of Will Nicholls/Nick Broom and Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield finished first and second respectively on last weekend’s (February 27/28) Bournemouth-based Rallye Sunseeker.

Rallye Sunseeker was the first round of the 2009 Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship, in which all competitors use Pirelli control tyres. However, the Nicholls/Broom and Duckworth/Broomfield teams elected not to register for the series, enabling them to contest the event on Kumho R800 gravel rally tyres, with very impressive results.

The local partnership of Nicholls and Broom assumed the lead on the rally’s initial visit to the well-attended Somerley Park stage – an advantage they were then to maintain for most of the event. Despite increasing pressure from former ANCRO (Association of National Championship Rally Organisers) Champions Duckworth and Broomfield they eventually ran out the overall victors by 22.7 seconds.

This was a memorable result for the Red Funnel-backed team who suffered a number of disappointments in 2008, and Nicholls and Broom were quick to pay tribute to their support team and both the car and its Kumho tyres, which had run without problem. Mindful of the ruts and potholes that accumulate when stages are repeated on an event like the Sunseeker, the Kumho technicians had made some changes to the tyre selection at the final service point.

Said Kumho’s European Motorsport Manager Steve Thompson, “Following on from our successes on January’s Galway and Jack Frost rallies, this result has given us a great start to the season. We were delighted with the way our tyres performed on this popular and well-contested event.”

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