Tony Lynch and "Lucas Oil Team Geriatric" in Swift Number 2

LYNCH ENTERS NEW ERA WITH PODIUM
For Immediate Release – 20 March 2013

Westhoughton-based racer Tony Lynch kicked off a new era in his racing career with a podium finish as the 2013 MSA Monster Energy British Rallycross Championship got underway at Lydden Hill at the weekend.

After three years of competing in the Suzuki Swift category, Tony and Lucas Oil Team Geriatric have switched focus to the equally competitive BMW MINI series, with the opening round of the new season marking Tony’s first appearance in the class.

With the late nature of his deal to contest the MINI series meaning preparation of his own newly acquired car is still ongoing, Tony took the decision to lease a car from elsewhere for the first meeting of the year, with his team working to prepare the car for the Lydden weekend.

Running in a striking new Lucas Oil livery, Tony set the fifth quickest time in practice before the team set to work on making improvements to the MINI, with Tony then making forward progress throughout the three heats to secure a place on the front row of the grid for the all-important final.

Despite the fact that his leased car was down on power, Tony produced a solid performance in the final to secure third place behind siblings Keifer and Kris Hudson, ensuring a strong points haul with which to start his championship campaign.

“After three years in the Suzuki, we felt it was time for a change and the BMW MINI class is an exciting challenge for us,” Tony said. “The MINI is also a good fit for us with Lucas Oil and is a car that people can relate to as it’s so popular with drivers on the road.

“With our new car being built up at the moment, we decided to lease a car to use for the early part of the season. The car was down on power a bit which didn’t help us at Lydden Hill and we’ll rectify that for the next round, but the boys worked hard to improve it over the weekend and we improved every time we went out which is a real positive.

“While it is always nice to win, I think we did everything we could this weekend and to finish on the podium is a job well done. We know there is a lot more to come as we learn about the car, and when our own car is ready, so to be third in the first meeting of the season is a good start. We can take a lot of confidence from our performance this weekend.”

LYNCH TARGETS TOP THREE AT MALLORY
For Immediate Release - 12 April 2013

Westhoughton-based racer Tony Lynch has his sights set firmly on the podium this weekend as he heads into the second round of the 2013 Monster Energy British Rallycross Championship at Mallory Park.

The event will mark Tony's second appearance in the BMW MINI class after his decision to switch from the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship over the course of the winter - having finished inside the top three of the Suzuki series in each of the past three seasons.

Tony and his Lucas Oil Team Geriatric outfit enjoyed a solid start to life in the MINI series with a third place finish in the season opener at Lydden Hill, with hopes high of at least repeating that result this weekend in Leicestershire.

Since the first meeting of the campaign, Tony and the team have worked hard to improve the MINI, having only taken delivery of the car in the run-up to the opening race weekend of the year.

As part of an ongoing development programme, Tony will run with new suspension and improved geometry on the car at Mallory, with hopes high of benefitting from the work carried out so far when the action gets underway.

"Lydden Hill was a solid start for us with the MINI but like we said at the time, there is plenty more to come," Tony said. "We've worked on the car a lot since then and have looked at the suspension and the geometry which should help us this weekend, although we know we will still be down on power a little bit having had the car on the rolling road.

"That is something we plan to rectify in time for the third round, so with that in mind, our aim this weekend is to try and get ourselves onto the podium again and pick up more solid points for the championship.

“At this stage of the season - while we are still learning about the car and making improvements - it's important that we keep picking up the points and then as the year goes on, we can aim to make a push forward in the standings.

"The boys have worked hard in the past few weeks to get to where we are now with the car, and hopefully I can bring home a solid result to reward them for their work."

SOLID PROGRESS FOR LYNCH AT MALLORY
For Immediate Release - 17 April 2013

Westhoughton-based racer Tony Lynch enjoyed another strong weekend of competition as the Monster Energy British Rallycross Championship headed to Mallory Park for the second round of the 2013 season.

Lucas Oil Team Geriatric driver Lynch went into the weekend buoyed by a fine podium finish in the season opener at Lydden Hill last month on what was his maiden appearance in the BMW MINI class.

In the weeks between events, Tony and the team had worked hard on making improvements to the car, with a revised suspension set-up fitted ready for the second race meeting of the campaign.

Despite his car still being down on power compared to his rivals, Tony's weekend started in fine fashion with victory in the opening heat, and a brace of fourth place finishes in the remaining two heats were good enough to earn him a front-row start for the final.

An early race clash with Keifer Hudson as the pair battled side-by-side at the start of the final saw Tony lose valuable time, with a half spin later on in the opening lap also dropping him away from the fight for the lead. Despite that, Tony was able to fight back to fourth spot for another solid points haul on his second outing in the MINI.

Despite missing out on a second successive podium finish, the progress made over the course of the weekend means Tony can now prepare for the third round of the year at Knockhill confident about his chances of victory, with further improvements to be made to his car prior to the trip to Scotland.

"Obviously I don't come away from the weekend pleased with the end result, but when you look at the performance, I'm delighted with how we got on," Tony said. "Although we'd made improvements to the car in time for Mallory, we know there is still work to do with it, so to show the kind of pace we displayed on track at the weekend is very encouraging for the remainder of the year.

"Winning the first heat is an indication of the potential we have, but we made a lot of progress over the weekend and are in a good position moving forwards.

"Scoring points in the early part of the season was always our aim as we knew it would take time to get used to the MINI after three years running in the Swift series. With our performance this weekend, and the work we have planned before Knockhill, I'm confident that we'll be able to take another step forwards in Scotland."

LYNCH TARGETS FIRST MINI WIN AT KNOCKHILL

For Immediate Release - 10 May 2013

Westhoughton-based racer Tony Lynch has his sights set on a breakthrough victory this weekend as the Monster Energy British Rallycross Championship heads north for the third round of the season at Knockhill.

Lucas Oil Team Geriatric driver Lynch makes the journey to Scotland on the back of two solid outings in the BMW MINI class, where he is competing this season after a switch from the one-make Suzuki Swift series.

Already this season, Lynch has taken a brace of top four finishes, despite the loaned car he used for the events at Lydden Hill and Mallory Park being down on power compared to his rivals.

Having made improvements to the MINI ahead of round two, Tony has now concluded a deal to purchase the car outright, with further development work having been undertaken in recent weeks as he seeks to challenge at the front of the field.

With that in mind, Tony heads for Knockhill – a circuit where he has won previously – in confident mood as he looks to improve on his current fourth place in the championship standings.

“Since Mallory Park, we have concluded a deal to purchase the MINI we have been using so far this season and have put a lot more work into improving it ahead of Knockhill,” Tony said. “We’d already made good progress with the handling and have now been focusing on the engine to try and get more power, which will allow us to challenge right at the sharp end of the grid.

“It’s been a steep learning curve so far for the boys after three years in the Swifts, but they have worked really hard on the car and I’m confident that we’ll be able to reap the rewards of that work when we get to Knockhill.

“We’ve scored solid points in the opening two races but now we want to push forwards and hopefully we can repeat the kind of success we have enjoyed in Scotland in the past.”

Knockhill will also see Tony and Lucas Oil Team Geriatric benefit from a new agreement with Milltek Sport that will see the MINI run a number of new Milltek Sport performance parts from this weekend onwards.

“Milltek Sport is delighted to be supporting Tony Lynch for his 2013 campaign in the British Rallycross championship,” Milltek Sport Brand and Commercial Manager Steve Pound said. “Working with a team like Tony’s gives us the opportunity to further test and develop key product ranges in some of the most extreme conditions that motorsport can throw at them.

“The Mini Cooper will be running one of our full systems including a full sports exhaust and a 100 cell high flow sports catalyst. The systems are all designed and produced in our Derbyshire factory and constructed from T304 grade non-magnetic stainless steel, combined with the CNC controlled mandrel bending for the pipework of the systems they offer both improved flow as well weight savings over the standard exhausts.

“We wish Tony and his team the best of luck for the season ahead.”

LYNCH SECURES SCOTTISH SUCCESS

For Immediate Release – 15 May 2013

Wigan racer Tony Lynch achieved his pre-event aims in the latest round of the Monster Energy British Rallycross Championship after storming to his first victory of the 2013 season at Knockhill.

Success at the Scottish circuit allowed Westhoughton-based Tony to move up the championship standings, with the victory being the maiden success for his Lucas Oil Team Geriatric squad since making the switch into the BMW MINI class at the start of the year.

Tony went into the third meeting of the season eager to challenge at the front of the field, with extensive development work having been carried out on his car following the second round of the campaign at Mallory Park.

With improvements to both the engine and suspension, as well as a new exhaust system from new team supplier Milltek Sport, Tony made the trip north in confident mood.

When on-track action got underway with rain falling, the improvements to the MINI were made clear as Tony ran at the front through all three heats – securing victory in heat two alongside a brace of second place finishes.

In challenging conditions, pole position for the final put Tony in the ideal position for the start, and he maintained his place at the head of the pack when the lights went out. Making a push through the opening lap to build an advantage, Tony then elected to take the Joker Lap – an alternative route drivers have to take once each race – at the end of lap two.

Rejoining in the lead, Tony mastered the appalling weather to take the chequered flag first ahead of brothers Kris and Keifer Hudson, bringing him firmly into contention for the championship crown in his first season in the category.

“For the first two rounds of the season, we knew we were in damage limitation mode because of how late things came together to run the MINI,” Tony admitted. “However, with the changes we had made prior to Knockhill, this weekend was the first time we had gone into an event with confidence that we would be able to challenge for victory.

“The boys had worked really hard on the car following Mallory Park to make improvements, but I have to admit I was surprised just how good it was when we got on track for practice. They did a fantastic job and we were quick straight away.

“Even though there were a few tricky moments in the conditions as I'm still learning the limits of the car, we showed our pace to qualify on pole position for the first time this year and then the final went exactly to plan. I got the gap I needed before taking the Joker Lap and when I rejoined out front, I knew that the race was mine to win unless I made a mistake.

“Winning third time out is a fantastic achievement for us and a great reward for the boys for the work they have done, and also for the sponsors who continue to support us as we wouldn’t be there without them. We’ve shown what we are capable of and hopefully the win will be the first of many.”