Tony Lynch in action - Photo credit Tim Whittington
Tony Lynch will be hoping to take second place in the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship this weekend at the final round of the Quaife MSA British Rallycross Championship, which is taking place at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire.
With rival Dave Bellerby already having secured the title for the second year in a row, Lynch goes into this round with a five point advantage on Adam Clark, both fighting to take second in the standings. If not for his bad luck, Lynch could still be in with a shout at the title. After winning the first round, his season seems to have gone downhill. He said: “Over the course of the season I've matched Dave [Bellerby] for pace, but due to bad luck I've not been able to beat him to the title.”
Lynch, who is based in Westhoughton, finished second in the championship last year and is looking to match that this time round. Despite his disappointment with a combination of bad luck and incidents that ultimately weren't his fault, he has still managed to stay upbeat: “The boys have worked hard on the car to make sure it's in perfect shape for the weekend and it's now down to me to make sure we go into the off-season celebrating a strong finish.”
That the team have 'worked hard' is an understatement – Lucas Oils Team Geriatric are considered one of the hardest working teams in the paddock and are famous for their attention to detail; this was recognised when the team won the BRDA's Best Presented Team award in 2008.
The Croft circuit is holding the British Rallycross Grand Prix on Sunday in addition to the last round of the Championship, which will be held on the Saturday. Tony Lynch is one of several drivers to take part in both, and is obviously excited about racing in a non-championship race: “The fact that it doesn't count for the championship means we can go out and race without having to worry about points and positions and I think that the drivers will put on a great show for the fans.”
Second place in the championship is still unfamiliar territory to Lynch, however. He was the National MDA Champion in both 2005 and 2006 and took the MSA Stockhatch title for the second year on the trot, both in addition to his multiple Rallycross Championships.
