The MkII Ford Escort takes class honours on the Pirelli Richard Burns Foundation Rally, an emotion-filled event on the 2013 MSA British Rally Championship calendar.
Back in 1993, Richard Burns took four victories en-route to the RACMSA British Rally Championship at the wheel of Subaru’s Legacy RS. Just eight years later, the Englishman would take third place on the 2001 Rally Great Britain and simultaneously secure his first World Rally Championship, again with Subaru. Four years later, as a result of a brain tumour that brought his WRC career to a premature end in 2003, Richard Burns passed away.
Today the Pirelli Richard Burns Foundation Rally stands (alongside the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland) as a staple event of the MSA BRC Championship, in honour of both its former Champion. This year’s event saw Citroens, Fords and Jukka Korhonen ruled the roost at the sharp end, the Citroen driver becoming the first Finn in ten years to win a round of the British Rally Championship.
Further down the road, this historic MkII Ford Escort was busy cementing Class 3 honours, with Steffan Evans and co-driver Gareth James finishing almost three minutes ahead of nearest rivals Ernie and Will Graham in their own Escort RS. Up front, Class 2 runners Richard Hill/Pat Cooper and David Stokes/Guy Weaver were busy securing a one-two in a duo of, yep, Ford Escort RS’.
Given that Burns’ enthusiasm for rallying started in the same model, the result seemed highly appropriate.
– FULL GALLERY OF IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE – CLICK – Shots courtesy of Chris Huish and RallySportMedia
