Record fourth straight victory for Paul Bird

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team principal, Paul Bird, successfully defended his Jack Frost Stages Rally title to make it a record four wins in a row when he took a comfortable win at last weekend’s event at a dry but blustery Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire.
Driving the Rapid Solicitors, Kick Energy & Fuchs Titan backed FBP Ford Focus WRC07, Bird and Scottish co driver Kirsty Riddick set fastest times on all eight stages to win by a healthy two minutes and 12 seconds at this year event, sponsored by Autogas 2000. Indeed it was the event sponsor himself, Chris Wise, who chased Bird home in his MG Metro 6R4 but the double winner from 2007 and 2008 had no answer for the British Superbike and MotoGP team boss who added to his 2009, 2010 and 2011 successes.
Not that the Cumbrian had it all his own way as a spin on the opening stage was followed by a brief rain shower just as he was about to leave the line on slick tyres, but once he got into the swing of his first tarmac event since Rally Barbados last summer, he never looked like being headed. Paul Bird said, "It's great to win this event for a record-breaking fourth time, especially as I've not driven the car on tarmac for seven months. It took me a while to get going and the opening couple of stages were not perfect by any means. But once I got into my stride, everything started flowing and we got the vital testing time with the car we needed.”