HOLSWORTHY’S reigning British Rallycross Champion, Dan Rooke, continued his challenge for the RX2 International Series title by maintaining a 100% record of qualifying for event finals in 2017, in the fifth round at Trois-Rivieres in Canada on Sunday, August 6.

Competing in his first year of international competition in the FIA World Rallycross Championship support-category, Rooke entered the North America event — his first ever competitive appearance outside Europe — on the back of his maiden victory in the series in Sweden a month earlier.

Starting the Canadian round just six points behind series leader Cyril Raymond, Rooke began the event with the sixth fastest time in Q1, before setting the quickest time in Q2 to end day one leading the Intermediate Classification, despite challenging and changeable wet and dry conditions.

The fastest time in Q3 on Sunday morning strengthened Rooke’s position further, but contact with title-rival Raymond at the start of Q4 damaged the steering on Rooke’s Team Faren-run car. Regardless, he salvaged the fourth fastest time to qualify second in the Intermediate Classification.

Starting on pole position for semi-final two, the MSA Academy member stormed to victory and set the fastest time of the two semis to join Raymond on the front row for the final. The pair ran side-by-side into turn one, before Rooke attempted to undercut Raymond at the corner exit to have the inside line for turn two, but made minor contact with the rear of his rival’s car and dropped to fourth.

Battling back up the order, Rooke had already taken his compulsory joker lap by the fourth lap and was challenging for second position, but after being forced wide by another car on the loose section, he made contact with a concrete wall, and was then hit by another car, forcing the British driver to retire. He was classified sixth.

Rooke said: “We started off this weekend not having the right set-up on the car, it was very tail happy and we couldn’t get the power down on corner exit as we would like, but the team made a few changes that worked really well. We managed to set two fastest qualifying times — we really had the pace.

“We had a bent suspension arm from the contact in Q4 but were still able to set fourth fastest time, so we were happy with that. I was pleased to set the quickest time in the semi-finals and it was looking good for the final.

“I left Cyril [Raymond] room at the first corner, I wanted a clean race, but the contact dropped me down. We had more damage on the car but I pushed really hard. I went for a gap to get back up the order and passed two people, but got put in the barrier in the next corner. It’s really disappointing, we have a costly repair bill and lost valuable points. In fact, this is the most disappointing moment in my rallycross career so far.”

Rooke remains in second position in the series, 14 points behind leader Raymond with two rounds remaining, in France next month (Friday, September 1 to Sunday, September 3) and in South Africa in November (Friday, November 10 to Sunday, November 13) but more funding is required to allow him to compete.

Rooke said: “We don’t have the budget for the next round at the moment, but we’re working on it. We really want to fight for this title.

“If you’d told me at the start of the year that we would be in this position now, I wouldn’t have believed it I don’t think, but things have been going well and hopefully we can attract some support. We need to decide what’s best for this year and my future career too.”

If you’d like to donate to Rooke’s Just Giving page, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dan-rooke-rx2