Stone ready for a third tilt at the Tarmac title (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Stone ready for a third tilt at the Tarmac title

9:07am Thursday 5th January 2012 in Motor sport By Chris Flanagan, Sports reporter

BLACKBURN’S John Stone is hoping to use next month’s North West Stages Rally as a launch pad for another tilt at the National Tarmac Championship title this year.

Stone was leading the 2011 championship after picking up 56 points during the first three events of the year.

But the engine of his Skoda Fabia WRC blew up during the Rally of the Midlands and an attempted comeback in a hired Group N Lancer EVO9 at the Tyneside Stages ended in further misery following turbo failure.

That meant that the final six events of the season did not deliver a single point as Stone finished in 12th place in the final standings.

Stone’s Skoda Fabia is now undergoing its annual winter rebuild in preparation for 2012 and another challenge for the title, having also led the National Tarmac Championship midway through the 2010 season.

And the Blackburn businessman hopes it will be ready in time for the North West Stages on February 3 and 4, when he is due to team up once more with co-driver Lee Carter.

The duo won the Blackpool-based rally in 2004 but Stone was forced to contest the event in a Nissan Micra last year after a crack was discovered in the cylinder head of his Skoda Fabia, delaying the rebuild.

He still finished first in Class F, for cars up to 1000c, in 2011 together with co-driver Kevin Hodkinson but is hoping to compete for overall honours this time.

“I enjoyed the Formula 1000 car but I’m hopeful the Skoda will be ready this time and I’m excited at the prospect of taking it back to Blackpool,” Stone said.

“We’ll be using the event to brush off the cobwebs before mounting another challenge on the National Tarmac Championship.

“We have been leading that series for the last two years up until the halfway stage and would love to win it eventually.”

The North West Stages has now been running for 15 years, raising more than £85,000 for charity in that time.

Oswaldtwistle’s Broadfield School will again be among the benefic-iaries, together with the Marie Curie Cancer Care fund.

Stone’s Legend Fires company will be the event’s main sponsor for a ninth time in succession.

Also competing in the event will be Nigel Worswick and co-driver Clive Molyneux, of Blackburn’s 2300 Club, in their Ford Escort Mark 2 as well as Clitheroe Motor Club duo Steve Quigley and Terry Martin in a Renault Clio 16v.

Clitheroe’s Ian Rayner will be co-driver for Graham Chester, while Oswaldwistle’s Phil Peak will navigate for Derek Blyth.

Also competing will be Accrington duo Steve Johnson and Steve Butler in their Nissan Micra and the pair are offering entry into a free draw for a place in an autosolo or production car autotest later this year to anyone who sponsors them with at least £25.

The top donation of more than £50 will receive automatic entry.

The draw closes on February 2 and more information is available online at www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Johnson-nwstages.

This year’s rally will see the Blackpool Promenade stages take place on the evening of Friday, February 3 and the afternoon of Saturday, February 4. The section at the water front at Fleetwood will be on the Saturday morning.