Dream to reality

Ludlow Castle Motor Club member Tim Cains’ dream of winning a championship could come true with only three rounds to go.

Tim Cains from Ditton Priors, along with co driver Richard May, are contesting this year’s AB Motorsport Heart of England Rally (HoE) Championship in their Peugeot 309 Mi16.

 The Championship is run alongside other championships within various rallies around the Midlands and Wales. The final three rounds are the Quinton Stages, Woodpecker Stages and finally Caerwent in South Wales.

  Cains is currently lying second in the HoE Championship behind fellow LCMC members Duncan Edwards/Colin Stevens (Ford Escort Mk2).

 Edwards is currently leading the championship with one rally in hand, but Cains could take this position off him by finishing in front of him on both the Quinton and Woodpecker. This would then leave him needing a good place finish on the final round at Caerwent.

Cains hoped to get his new engine for the Quinton in just one week’s time, but it won’t be ready until the Woodpecker in early September. Cains will therefore struggle on with the standard Mi16 engine until then.

 The new engine will give a massive boost in torque and also develop approx 215bhp, still down on power to Edwards’ Escort. The company building the engine, West Midland Motor Sport (Kidderminster), who specialise in Peugeot rally car preparation, say that the car will be both fast and reliable. They are building it for him as part backing for the Championship.

Cains is presently converting his car back to gravel spec for the Quinton Rally. The event uses stages around Llandovery and the famous Epynt military ranges, which does include for this year the full Rally Wales GB route over the ranges.

LCMC wish Cains and all other club members competing in the HoE Championship good luck.

Report & photo by Russell Kenhard (kentonphotografix)