2 Brits Racing - 2011 OPRC CHAMPIONS!!!
After a slow start to the season (see below) the 2 Brits Racing team of Nick and Kelly Mathew won the final event of the OPRC at the 2011 Rally of the Tall Pines to be crowned 2011 OPRC Champion Driver and Co-Driver.
2011 Tall Pines was a tough event for a lot of teams, with several having issues and taking flats at inopportune times. The 2 Brits rally started off poorly as well, with electrical gremlins hitting the car off the start line of the very first stage! Managing to overcome this issue and drive a consistent and fast event, the team managed to pull out a victory against a very quick Narini team and always consistent Martin/Johnson team. Running on well performing DMACK tires, the team managed to earn a 1st place podium spot and bring home the 2011 title from a very strong field.
Check out the excellent video footage of this and previous events courtesy of TV2GO in the video section.
2011 Tall Pines was a tough event for a lot of teams, with several having issues and taking flats at inopportune times. The 2 Brits rally started off poorly as well, with electrical gremlins hitting the car off the start line of the very first stage! Managing to overcome this issue and drive a consistent and fast event, the team managed to pull out a victory against a very quick Narini team and always consistent Martin/Johnson team. Running on well performing DMACK tires, the team managed to earn a 1st place podium spot and bring home the 2011 title from a very strong field.
Check out the excellent video footage of this and previous events courtesy of TV2GO in the video section.
News From 2011
So far the season has had its ups and downs for the team. Starting with the Rallye Perce Neige in Maniwaki, QC it was the first time the team had really been back in the car since the rebuild. With extensive modifications to the cage, seating position and cockpit setup, the car was a completely different animal. After setting off on the first few stages and not being comfortable, the team suffered an early DNF and ended the rally after only a few KM.
On to rally 2 of the OPRC at Lanark Highlands Forest Rally, an event the team won in 2009. After a good seed running behind Sylvain Vincent in 2nd place, the team were excited to be back on pace following a test day a few weeks earlier. Unfortunate events saw the team DNF again, although this time due to an engine failure on the 3rd stage while running in 2nd place behind Martin and Johnson.
Rally 3 of the OPRC (Black Bear Rally) and the team were finally back on pace. Starting off running a little further down the order than expected, the team finished the first couple of stages in 5th place. After a strong remainder of the rally and a sportsmanlike move from 'Crazy' Leo Urlichich, the team found themselves in 1st place at the start of the last stage. Unfortunately a snapped rear drive shaft and a hairy final 18km stage put the team in 2nd place, holding on by a mere 0.9 seconds after over 70 minutes of racing. Thanks to Rallysport Ontario for purchasing such wonderful timing equipment that allow the results to be so close!!
Galway Cavendish rally was the next on the lit, which turned out to be an up and down event for the team. With overheating problems all day starting on the first stage, the team was unable to compete for the top spot, but instead managed to pull in respectable 3rd place behind a FLYING Martin/Johnson and equally on pace Huber/Vanos.
2011 Rallye Defi St.Agathe marked the fist win for the team in 2011 and has put us back into contention for the 2011 OPRC title. After a mediocre opening on the first day, the team found themselves behind the familiar rivals Martin and Narini who were both running fast. On the second day the car and team were a lot more comfortable and with some boost issues sorted out, managed to pull out first place in the OPRC, setting some consistently fast top 10 stage times with the highlight being 4th fastest on stage on the tarmac based Montpellier stage. Check out the videos page for a great video created for us from the rally! There is also some TSN footage of the team on the Defi show being aired on TSN and RDS.