Sport In Profile UK Issue 08 | Page 38

yorkshire dales autograss CLUB FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/SPORT_IP Yorkshire Dales AUTOGRASS CLUB A here is plenty of excitement around Yorkshire Dales Autograss Club as they look forwards to the Yorkshire Open and hosting the ladies and junior nationals. Club Representative Martyn Wood took the time to tell us more. He said, “I have been involved in Autograss for 8 years and I am into my 3rd year at the Yorkshire Dales club. I moved to the Yorkshire Dales club as the venue and club have a great vibe as soon as you enter the field, the track is one of the best if not the best in the country and that’s down to the hard work of landowner Peter Almack who has the track prepared unbelievably well for every race meeting. Im a co g es u rt e s y “My personal favourite memories were winning the class 2 Stu Nicholls memorial title in 2014 and as a club hosting the final British Autograss Series round in 2014 and the feedback we got on how well we ran the meeting as a club. “The most challenging aspects are that a lot of local newspapers initially say they are happy to advertise and run articles for us, yet they never appear and have four of Ro b Ch a m bers pages of Rugby, Football and Cricket so at times it is difficult to promote the club locally. “The most rewarding aspect of the role is at the start of play on a Sunday morning seeing the field full of spectators whatever the weather, and receiving positive feedback on a Sunday night about the meeting. “I have been involved with Yorkshire Dales for 9 years since the age of 12. We got involved with the club by spectating at a few meetings when the club was at its old track at Kiplin. 2014 was an interesting year. I built myself a completely new car so there was a lot of learning through new setups. Everything came together towards the end of the season thanks to a new exhaust system. After this I was contending for race wins against some of the top cars in the country although there were still teething problems which are to be expected with a new car. I also ended up winning the club championship in class 9. My parents have an agricultural machinery business so I’ve always had the facilities to build and maintain the cars to a competitive standard and my father has always been happy to help out. I’ve also had support from some other local businesses. For the rest of the season I’m looking to be competitive in both the British series and I was top qualifier in my class for the Mens National Championships at the beginning of August. I’m also looking to retain my club championship. The biggest challenges I’ll face are to continue being competitive in my current class and to bring out a new car, possibly in another class. My ambitions over the next five years are to fight for BAS and National titles as well as staying competitive at club level.” Peter Bowe 38 Issue 08