POOLE driver Marcus Dodd blitzed through Dorset’s woodland quagmires to win a record seventh Rallye Sunseeker title on Saturday.
Heavy rain in the early hours of the morning ensured Dodd and co-driver Andrew Bargery had to be on top of their game to handle the conditions.
But the duo made it look easy and took their Hyundai Accent WRC to victory in seven out of the 10 stages held.
Dodd racked up a stunning overall time of 55 minutes, 2.1 seconds to thrash second-placed driver Andrew Burton by 33.7 seconds. Steve Perez was 46.7 seconds back in third.
After losing his Rallye Sunseeker crown to Isle of Wight driver Will Nicholls when his cambelt snapped last year, Dodd was delighted to regain his local title with a near-faultless performance.
He said: “The rain wasn’t particularly great for us, but it was a great day. We had a good run and we didn’t really put a wheel wrong.
“Conditions were very difficult and it was quite hard because in places there was good grip, and in other places there was very bad grip.
“We were just waiting to have an accident. But the stages were brilliant considering the amount of rain we’ve had down here over the past two weeks and on Friday night.
“There were 101 hairy moments, but you just forget about them. It was lovely to win my home event. You can’t do any better than that.”
Dodd joined his Rallye Sunseeker rivals at the Bournemouth Marriott Highcliff Hotel for the presentations after taking the chequered flag on the ceremonial finish ramp at nearby Pier Approach.
But he was planning to lay off the champagne as he had an early start on Sunday morning.
The 39-year-old is currently training to represent Great Britain in the 35-39 age group at the European Triathlon Championships in Ireland on July 3 and 4.
After winning four national rally championships, Dodd admits he would love to compete for his country on the world stage in his latest sport.
He said: “I’ve made the British age group team for the European Championships and I’m hoping to qualify for the worlds as well.
“I couldn’t celebrate too hard on Saturday as I was training in the morning – I was up at 6am to do three hours on the bike.
“I thought about going out running after the rally, but my back was killing me.”
One major change to this year’s Rallye Sunseeker schedule was the absence of the Friday night stage through Bournemouth’s Lower Gardens and along the promenade.
Instead, the rally kicked off with a ceremonial start on Poole Quay, which allowed thousands of spectators to mingle with the drivers and get close to the cars.
Although Dodd was disappointed to see the back of the Bournemouth stage, he admitted: “There were thousands of people on Poole Quay and that was great.
“They were actually able to see the cars, look inside and talk to us, which is what we’re here for.”
