Bird Crushes Opposition To Win Dukeries Rally
Cumbrian driver Frank Bird was in scintillating form once again as he romped to his third outright rally win in as many months by dominating today’s MAXUS Dukeries Rally at Donington Park.
The event formed the third qualifying round of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship with MSVR and following his victory on the opening round at Oulton Park last month, 22-year-old Frank, from Penrith, along with Lake District-based co-driver Jack Morton decimated the opposition to win by over two and a half minutes.
In the Dom Buckley Motorsport-prepared and Frank Bird Poultry-backed Ford Fiesta Rally2 with assistance from Hager, Fuchs Titan Oils, Aico and Yuasa, the pair led from the start and comfortably won all six stages around various roads of the Leicestershire racetrack in changeable conditions.
In doing so, Bird retained his Dukeries Rally title which he won in 2019 on his rally debut with Hexham-born Morton and in between, the pair have taken thirteen outright victories and currently hold second place in the series, despite missing the previous round at Cadwell Park when they were on World Rally Championship duty in Italy.
Frank Bird: “Apart from it being quite slippery, we had no problems. The car ran like a dream and once we set the marker down on the opening stage, it was just a case of controlling things. The car was faultless so thanks as ever to the team, Jack on the notes, and my dad and our loyal sponsors for making it happen. It’s good to have won two rounds of the series but I’m not sure what other rounds I can do due to my racing commitments, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
Results – The MAXUS Dukeries Rally, Donington Park
- Frank Bird/Jack Morton (Ford Fiesta Rally2) 53 mins 55 secs
- Neil Roskell/Andrew Roughead (Ford Fiesta R5) +2:37
- Barry Morris/Tom Hutchings (Darrian T90 GTR) +2:39
- Ollie O’Donovan/Ashleigh Morris (Hyundai R5) +2.49
- Alistair Inglis/Colin Inglis (Ford Fiesta R5) +2.54
- Robert Hughes/Sion Cunniff (Ford Fiesta R5) +2.58
Images courtesy of Kevin Money Photography.
