Tyrone Drivers travel to Carryduff for a night of Club Autotesting

It was a welcome sight to have 33 drivers turn up for a Club Autotest, and that is just what happened at the Autotest Drivers Club mid-week event held at Carryduff Building Supplies.  Three open and flowing tests were run at the spacious premises, and using the natural obstacles found in such a location.  In fact, one test had a run in through the main door of a building and out the other side.

At least a dozen drivers turned up who had never done an autotest before, many giving it a go after sampling Targa Rallies, and enjoying that experience.  The experienced drivers were on hand to offer guidance and support, and as expected, one of the top autotesters in the country took the overall award on the night.  Mark King steered his Vauxhall Nova to a convincing win over James Wilson’s Cooper S, and in third place, Paul Mooney from Coagh upheld the Tyrone honours.

Early leader was Paul Blair, this time driving his Son’s Nova, but the car developed an engine fault during the evening and he slipped down the order to 4th overall as a result.  That said, the conditions were very slippy, and at times like driving on ice, so the power-loss was perhaps less of a handicap than it otherwise might have been.

Stewartstown driver Norman Ferguson finished 6th place despite a couple of pylon penalties on the night, and Dungannon’s Eric Patterson and Malcolm McQueen piloted their rally Mazda MX5s to 12th and 22nd places respectively.

The beginners all had a great time and with relatively easy reversing on the tests, hopefully they all gained an interest in competing on more of these events.