Ludlow Castle pair’s miracle escape after spill in Antrim

11:06am Thursday 4th September 2008

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RALLY aces James Wozencroft and Chris Ridge, both members of Ludlow Castle Motor Club, made the long trip to County Antrim in Northern Ireland to contest the fourth round of the Tesco 99 Octane British Rally Championship, the Ulster International Rally.

Going into the Armagh-based rally, the duo were lying third overall in the championship just one point behind three-time British Rally Champion, Mark Higgins. After a class winning performance on the same event in 2007, the Competition Car Insurance-backed crew were in a highly-confident mood. With two incredible near podium results on the previous sealed-surface rallies, Wozencroft and Ridge looked to go one better on their favourite event of the season.

The Northern Irish stages are traditionally very fast with unforgiving bumps and jumps around every corner. The recent severe flooding around the Armagh region made the already treacherous stages even more demanding by the addition of loose gravel and deep mud.

Wozencroft and Ridge launched their Subaru Impreza into the first stage, recording a time inside the top six of British Rally Championship contenders. The pairing were more than happy with this especially as they felt there was more speed still to come.

However, stage two would see their world turned up side down, literally.

After a heavy landing over a big jump, the Impreza plunged into an uncontrollable roll and subsequently into retirement.

Wozencroft said: “We were in fifth gear at about 110mph as we approached a series of small crests in the road.

“Over the first brow, the car very unexpectedly launched into the air and landed heavily on the nose.

“This threw us into a bank on the right side of the road and started the car rolling.”

The car rolled approximately six times before coming to rest on its roof and the rally organisers had no other option but to stop the stage and get immediate medical assistance to the crew.

With such heavy impacts on the car, the doctors felt it was necessary as a precaution to send them both to a nearby hospital for x-rays and check ups.

But the lads were later released with no serious injuries.

Due to the accident the crew are now lying fifth in the British Championship but hope to return to action on the next event, the Trackrod Rally in Yorkshire, to get their championship title back on track.