A TOTAL of 28 racers including the reigning champion, three previous class champions and seven former race winners lined up for the first round of the 2011 Inline Garage Services Ironman Kart Championship at Teesside Autodrome last weekend.

Low temperatures and overnight frost led to variable grip around the circuit, which made confident driving difficult.

The eastern part of the circuit was greasy and damp whereas the western loop was nearly dry.

In these conditions the one man who stood out was Ingleby Barwick’s Colin Peacock who freely admits to liking the changeable conditions on the track. A dominant pole position by 0.8 of a second over 2.1 kilometre lap was followed by an equally impressive 53.7 second race win with fastest lap thrown in for good measure.

In qualifying, Norton driver Keith Clough led the chasing pack with his son Warren one place behind. Chris Fish from Coulby Newham was fourth on the grid, and first of the Class B runners, followed by Hurworth’s Andrew Bishop and Richard Jackson of Hartlepool putting in a career best sixth.

From the start, Peacock streaked away from the rest of the field and within four laps had amassed an eight second lead. Behind the leader, Keith Clough, Bishop and Fish all tussled for the remaining podium places, Fish eventually conquering Bishop for runnerup spot although.

Clough was delighted with a return to form which was lacking last year.

Fifth place was an unexpected result from current Class A champion Chris Roe, of Redcar, who had been a woeful 20th on the grid, but he really showed his mettle to storm his way through the field.

Sixth was Hutton Rudby’s Ian Pollard in his best finish, and rounding out the point scorers were Middlesbrough driver Chris Shipley, Bob McKenzie of Skelton, Steve Allan, from Redcar, and Penrith’s Mark Gaskin. Mark found it hard to contain his joy at the awards presentation at beating rally driving brother John, from Chop Gate, by two places, such is the rivalry. The next round takes place at Teesside Autodrome on Sunday, March 6.

THE first running of the Stockton and Durham Motor Club co-promoted Rallye177 takes place on Sunday and features a heady mixture of historic machinery and a mix of local competitors among the 40-car entry.

Named after the A177 road which connects the two clubs, the event starts at the Tall Trees Hotel, near Yarm, and the first car moves off at 9.15am and goes straight into a test at the hotel complex.

Historic rallies like these are a series of timed tests linked by regularity road sections where the crews have to maintain an average speed while they navigate, plot and bash sections from coded instructions which they only receive once the section is started.

The rally has drawn on its successful previous incarnation, the Croft Historic Rally, to attract entries from as far as Cardiff, Stroud and Stirling.

Entries are varied from the expected Escorts, MGs and Minis, through to Lancia Fulvias and Austin Healey Sprites. The variety extends to the oldest vehicle to start the rally, a 1953 Land Rover series1.

Previous CHR winner and Durham AC member Archie Simmonds and brother Richard will be ones to watch in their MG Midget.

Spectators are welcome at the start followed by the two morning tests at Teesside Autodrome; the first car which is due at 9.53am before a return to the venue at 2.10pm.

AFTER an absence of two years, there are plans for rallycross to return to Croft in November as the final round of the 2011 Quaife British Rallycross Championship.

The sport was axed as part of the reduction in dates permitted at the North Yorkshire circuit following the court case in 2009, despite being hugely popular with drivers from all over the country.

As a result, the popular Fuchs Lubricants Rallycross Open Championship and the annual Rallycross Superprix, which featured continental drivers in their powerful cars, were lost but following negotiations between the circuit leaseholders and championship organisers, a provisional date of November 6 has been included as part of the eight-round series.

TRIPLE British Superbike Champion and former Grand Prix racer Niall Mackenzie will be joined by World Championship Moto2 rider Bradley Smith as guests at a charity chat show on Tyneside tonight.

The pair will be taking part in the first Biking Legends event at the Avalon Bar, in the Trojan Rooms, Whitley Bay, and as well as the chat show and video show, the event will feature a display of iconic new and classic motorcycles.

Organiser Chris Berriman, whose company Merit Merrel Technology sponsors Bradley Smith, is busy lining up a number of top names to appear to appear during the year.

Chris said: “The region is a motorcycling hotbed and I’m sure the biking public will get right behind this charity event.

“We plan to put on four shows a year and so far Ron Haslam, Steve Plater, Mick Grant, Randy Mamola and Simon Crafar, as well as Bradley, have all indicated they want to attend”.

Up first is Mackenzie, Britain’s most successful 500cc GP motorcycle racer since Barry Sheene who will tell the story behind his wild younger days, his time as a works 500cc racer and reveal the true face of race legends such as Mick Doohan, Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson.

The evening should provide a fascinating glimpse into the Grand Prix and British Superbike scenes through the eyes of one of the most popular riders of recent years.

Tickets cost £10 and are available at the door.

For more information, visit www.classicbikenights.co.uk