By 
NORTHERN Ireland’s domination of autotesting’s Ken Wharton Trophy continued last weekend when the team of Mark King, from Newmills, Robin Lyons, Andy Blair and Stewartstown’s Steven Ferguson, claimed an 11th win in a row and 41st overall at the Peartree Inn & Country Hotel in Smite, Worcestershire.
It was far from a straightforward success on this occasion, however, as 11-time Northern Ireland champion, Ferguson, suffered with a misfire from the off, followed by a gearbox failure which resulted in a maximum time during a test, and Lyons had a rear linkage break but he still won his class.
Despite those issues, which saw team NI having to change the engine on Lyon’s Mini, they still managed to edge past the Republic of Ireland, led by recently crowned double British champion, Peter Grimes, who finished first overall individual on the day, as King and Blair won the large saloon and sports car sections respectively.
In the end, Northern Ireland’s A team won by 56.1 seconds from their Republic of Ireland counterparts, having been quickest in five of the six tests, with England B third, England A fourth, Scotland A fifth and NI B, which included Castlederg’s Lowry brothers, Adam and Jack, Paul Lowther and George McMillan, sixth. Wales A finished seventh.
And in the individual event, Grimes won from Blair, with Alastair Moffett third, King fourth and Adam Lowry a stunning fifth overall.
Northern Ireland’s latest victory has brought King’s personal tally up to nine and Ferguson to 10, so both are hoping for several more successes so they can overhaul Castlederg’s autotesting legend, Ken Irwin’s record of 14 wins in the Ken Wharton.
“We’re doing all right but we’ve still a way to go to beat Ken Irwin’s 14. Steven and I were talking and we’ve decided to do 15 and then retire!,” he joked. “We need another six and I’ll be happy!”
Last weekend’s success capped a memorable season for King, who not only finished fourth overall in the NI Championship behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Nova, but he also took third in the British series, which he competed in for the first time alongside Adam and Jack Lowry, thoroughly enjoying the experience in the process.
“I really enjoyed [the British Championship],” he beamed. “It was unbelievable. There were a few events I was really close to getting an overall win and during the year I had a few issues with the car with breakages so to come out of it with fourth overall in the Northern Ireland and third overall in the British is some achievement.
“It’s been a good year and going out and doing [the British rounds] with team Northern Ireland with the two Lowrys, it’s been really good craic. We had good craic, helped each other, it was enjoyable and then the Wharton, to top it all off, was the best way to finish off the year.”