Stone set for North West rally (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Stone set for North West rally

8:42am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Motor sport By Chris Flanagan, Sports reporter

THIS weekend’s North West Stages Rally promises to offer what is likely to be the closest battle for top honours in the event’s 15-year history.

No fewer than four previous winners – Kevin Procter, Darren Doherty, Tony Bardy and Blackburn’s John Stone – have entered but they all face stiff competition from North West Stages newcomer Paul Bird, who recently took a record-breaking fourth consecutive victory on the Jack Frost Stages.

Blackpool’s North Promenade plays host to a pair of stages tomorrow evening with the floodlit section opposite the Norbreck Castle Hotel a favourite place for spectators.

Last year’s winners, Procter and Dave Bellerby, will be the first to be flagged away in the ceremonial start outside the Norbreck at 6.30pm and will start the Promenade stage at 8pm.

Saturday morning’s action centres on Fleetwood Waterfront, where the stage is run in the opposite direction to that used in previous years.

Four stages are scheduled there, with the first one starting at 9.15am and the last one at 11.40am – providing around four hours of non-stop rally action.

In the afternoon those crews still surviving then revisit the Blackpool Stage.

The first of those two stages starts at 2.50pm with the action continuing for two hours, leaving spectators time for a look around the Rally Village before the champagne finish gets underway just after 6pm inside the Norcalympia Exhibition Arena.

Aside from Stone and co-driver Lee Carter, there will be other locals involved.

Nigel Worswick, whose last event was in Barbados, teams up with Clive Molyneux, while Russell Morgan and Martin Kenyon are also in action.

Terry Martin is back on co-driving duties alongside Steve Quigley, while Tom Preston and Andy Park team up and Accrington duo Steve Johnson and Steven Butler will be in the hunt for Class F honours.

Ian Rayner, from Clitheroe, partners Preston driver Graham Chester and Oswaldtwistle exile Phil Peak co-drives Derek Blyth.

Kelbrook’s Ross Butterworh has fellow Pendle and District Motor Club member Jonny Koonja alongside him.