Tohill Begins European Rally Campaign
Derek Tohill (Dublin) sponsored by Teng Tools returned to the European Rallycross Championship (ERC) in a brand new Division Two rear wheel drive (RWD) Ford Fiesta Mk.7. Tohill, the only Irishman to win a European championship event, sat out the 2009 season after making his debut in the championship during 2008. The five times Irish Rallycross stock hatch champion, spent 2009 evaluating the best way forward towards achieving his goals in European Rallycross competition. During the winter of 2009, Tohill and his Rallycross Rebels team commissioned a brand new Ford Fiesta MK.7 RWD to be built by Ingvar Gunnarson Motorsport in Sweden. The team visited the workshops and set about carefully designing the exact specification for the new car. The team researched the build of its new challenger very carefully and ensured all the best parts were used.
Tohill spent the Winter driving a Peugeot 106 to keep his hand in throughout the Irish Championship. This resulted in another title for the Irish man. He also drove his Fathers RWD BMW in Lydden Hill, England over the Easter bank holiday weekend. This was great preparation for the Irish mans exploits into RWD machinery and an experience that wetted his appetite for some more RWD action!
Round.1 – Portugal
The event in Portugal was the first time an American driver ever drove in a European Rallycross Championship event. Tanner Foust the double Formula Drift Champion (2007, 2008) finished a credible eighth overall in his first ERC start.
Tohill, the only Irish Rallycross driver competing in the ERC got off to a nervous start when the clutch in the Fiesta gave way in unofficial practice. But heads soon turned in the first qualification heat when Teng Tools backed driver won his heat with the forth fastest time. The second qualifying heat was to take another turn for the worst when Tohill’s new car failed to leave the start line with yet another burnt out clutch. At this point there were no more spares and the teams participation was put into jeopardy. But, thankfully Dutchman Jos Sterkens lent the team a clutch disc which just allowed Tohill to take the start of the final qualification heat. Tohill posted the 2nd fastest time in Heat 3 to ensure the Irishman was the last direct qualifier for the all important A final.
The Irishman made a blistering start to the A final climbing up to second place by the end of lap 1. The Irishman having a close flight with Norwegian Ole Kristian Nottveit for second place. Eventually the Norwegian got the upper hand after a half spin from the Irishman let Nottveit through to second place. The A final was won by reigning European Champion Knut Ove Borseth also driving a Fiesta MK7. But, Tohill and the Rallycross Rebels team were extremely satisfied with 3rd place on the debut of their new car and at a new circuit for Tohill. Derek commented “This was essentially a test session for us in a brand new car. To pick up a third place with so many teething problems bodes well for the remainder of the season. A big thank you must go out to all the team, my family and my sponsors. Everybody has done a fantastic job to be on the grid and be competitive out of the box. The past 6 months have been nothing but hard work. It’s nice for everyone to be awarded with a podium finish on the new cars debut and our return to the ERC!”
Round. 2 – France
One week later the Rallycross Rebels team arrived at Kerlabo in North France for round 2 of the ERC. New parts arrived at the circuit with the intention of improving the Fiestas reliability of the clutch and improve the transmission system in the new car. Close to 35,000 spectators came to the small village of Cohiniac in Brittany.
Teething problems continued with the teams brand new car in France when Tohill retired from the first qualifying heat with a leaking fuel rail. The team were feeling quiet lucky not to have experienced a serious fire. But, this left the Irish man last overall after day one in France. Heat 2 on Sunday morning brought joy to the team when the Irishman won his heat and set the fastest overall time beating the current European Champion in a fair fight. This surprised the ERC paddock as most people expected the Irishman to take a little longer to run at this sort of pace. The third heat did not go the Irishman’s way after the track was watered just before Tohill started his heat. This meant Tohill set the 6th fastest overall time. All other drivers in the later heats went faster due to better track conditions.
This meant the Irish man qualified 5th overall, again the last direct qualifier to the main A final. Once again the Irishman made on of his customary blistering starts. Immediately the man from Dublin moving up to 3rd overall. Tohill took his Joker Lap early and quickly caught back up with both Norwegians Knut Ove Borseth and second place driver Ole Kristian Nottveit. Tohill was set to take second place once Nottveit took his joker but a rare mistake from the Irishman resulted in a spin giving the advantage to Belgian Guino Kenis and past European champion from Czech Republic Roman Castoral. Tohill managed to pass the chequered flag in 5th place ahead of Norwegian Lars Øivind Enerberg driving the ex Knut Ove Borseth car which won the 2009 European Championship.
Tohill commented after the first two rounds of the championship. “It’s been a very steep learning curve for me and the team over the first two events. We have learnt a lot about the new car but still have a lot more to learn to extract the maximum potential from the car. We are a close knit team and I am hoping this will give us the edge over our competitors as the season progresses. We will analyse every aspect of the two weekends and improve all areas where possible. We are placed third overall in the championship standings at this early stage which is good news considering most of our rivals in the table are massively experienced in RWD at both National and European level. We aim to improve at every event, the stopwatch proves we have the speed we just need to string it all together and ensure 100% reliability. This will give me the RWD track time I need”.
The car is already being re-prepared in Ireland ahead of the next two legs in Great Britain and Hungary where the Rallycross Rebels team intend on building on concrete foundations laid down over the first two championship rounds.
All rounds of the European Rallycross Championship are being covered by Motors TV and will air in the week after each race. Click on the link below for TV schedule details:
