Rising rallycross star Dan Rooke claimed his second career victory at Lydden Hill [August 31] to further extend his lead in the MSA British Rallycross Championship SuperNational category to 15 points with one round remaining.

Rooke started from the front row of the grid in the all-important A final, made a good start and took his joker lap immediately. As championship rival Gareth Wood [Ford KA] led at the front of the race, Rooke pushed hard and avoided being held up by a slower car with a great pass on lap three. When Wood took his joker on the final lap, MSA Academy member Rooke claimed the lead to win in his Dan Rooke Racing Citroen AX.

“It means a lot more to win for a second time, that’s for sure. I was over the moon with my first victory, but for my second one to come from the same track is really great, especially with Lydden being the home of rallycross! The final was a bit nerve-racking. I managed to get the start I was hoping for, to be able to go into the joker lap first. When I emerged back out, I was quite surprised with how close I was to the other half of the pack. As the race went on, I got a little bit held up by another car, but I was able slip past and start chasing down the leader. I knew as he went to take his joker it would be close, but he came out just behind me so I just had to bring the car home,” explained Rooke, who prior to the event had never raced on wet tarmac. “It was a learning curve for the team, we were a bit worried about how the car would handle in the wet, but it handles really well. It was a really good day for us and we cannot wait to be back out at Croft.”

Rooke won his first rallycross event at round two of the series - also at Lydden Hill - but thinks recent improvements to the car made the difference the second time around. “The car has performed above what we expected from it to be honest. It handled really well and I could put it where I wanted it. The improvements we have made since the last time we were at Lydden have really paid off, I don't think we would have had as good a result if they hadn’t been done,” said Rooke.

The Devonian driver has led the SuperNational championship since round two, but is aware that he still needs a strong result at the final round if he is to seal the title. “It would be fantastic to win the championship in my first season and that is what we are aiming for, but I am not taking anything for granted and I still need to focus – we still need a strong result at Croft.”

Full results from Lydden Hill can be found on the MSA British Rallycross Championship website, here. The final round of the championship takes place at Croft, North Yorkshire [October 10], followed by the MSA British Rallycross Grand Prix held at the same venue the next day.

British SuperNational Rallycross Championship Standings (after 7/8 rounds)

1 Dan Rooke – Citroen AX – 216
2 Gareth Wood – Ford KA – 201
3 Allan Tapscott – Vauxhall Corsa – 185
4 Tony Lynch – BMW Mini – 165
5 Stuart Emery – Peugeot 206 – 163
6 Mike Howlin – Ford Fiesta – 162
7 Paige Bellerby – Lotus Exige – 157
8 Todd Crooks – BMW Mini – 135
9 Gary Simpson – BMW 325 – 122
10 Slawomir Woloch – Ford Fiesta – 88

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