Mid-Wales Stages - 23-24 Jun 07

Posted: June 27, 2007 9:12 AM

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McCORMACK’S SECOND HISTORIC PODIUM FOR REID MOTORSPORT
Martin McCormack and co driver Liam Moynihan took their second podium finish, since joining the Reid Motorsport team, on the weekends Mid Wales Stages rally.

21 year old Martin, from Draperstown, using the Reid Motorsport MK2 Escort RS1800 once again demonstrated to his peers his extraordinary skill, on another forest event which he had no prior experience of. There are few rally drivers as experienced as five times British Champion Jimmy McRae and Jimmy was surprised when Martin took nine seconds off him on the opening stage around the Sweet Lamb forest complex.

“We took the car for a little test this time, on the Thursday before the rally, and it really helped me to reacclimatize with it before the start, and I think that really helped for going into stage one” commented Martin.

But thoughts of a win where drowned out literally on stage three, as the Escort ground to a halt for 50 seconds after one of the famous Sweet Lamb water-splashes, water penetrating the Escort’s electrics. Overnight it dropped Martin from first to eighth, with MK 2 Escort’s filling the top three places, local aces Gareth Lloyd and Julian Reynolds first and second, marginally ahead of Jimmy McRae.

The rallies second day, and the drama started early as leader Gareth Lloyd crashed out in spectacular fashion on the opening stage, handing the lead to former British Junior Rally Champion, and Sweet Lamb expert Julian Reynolds. Indeed Reynolds held the lead until the very last stage, when he dropped behind winner McRae, but the real story of the day was Martin McCormack’s charge from eighth to third at the finish.

“For us it’s a case of what might have been, as we were fastest on all but one of the day two stages. The stages were fantastic and the car and tyres were working very well. We will get our first win for Reid yet, and I am very much looking forward to the next round on the Isle of Man.”

At the finish Jimmy McRae exclaimed “Thank god for water-splashes” as once again Martin had shown a fantastic turn of speed on stages that he doesn’t have any experience of, being fastest on all but the last of the days stages where the Escort spluttered again. The next round of the series takes in Rally Isle of Man and Martin will be rallying in the same event as his three Reid team mates, Eugene Donnelly, James Cullen and Shaun Reid

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BHRC report Mid Wales Historic Stages
A tremendous battle between Jimmy McRae and Julian Reynolds was the highlight of the Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages, round four of the 2007 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship over the weekend (23/24 June).

While McRae/Andy Richardson took overall victory, David Stokes/Guy Weaver retained their overall title lead with a measured drive to victory in category 2 and Patrick Watts/Elgan Davies won category 1.

Category 1
"I'm trying hard, but I don’t want to go off," reckoned Watts as he started the second day. After the opening three stages on Saturday afternoon, the Tiger was only 13s clear of Philip Atkinson/Simon Coates, who were pushing on as hard as ever in their Lotus Cortina. However, a strong run through the 10-mile Hafren North stage on Sunday morning helped Watts build his margin. "That was a bit of a wake up," said Watts after the stage that received widespread acclaim. By the time the cars headed back to Newtown after Sunday's six stages, Watts was 1m18s clear of the rest.
Atkinson took second in category 1 and victory in class B4 and was pleased to head Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride home by nearly half a minute. The Porsche 911 crew lost time on the last stage on Saturday after the water splash in Sweet Lamb. "It was all the way up the hill before we could see anything," said Nutt. Fourth went to Neil Calvert and Arlene Cookson (Lotus Cortina), while a stirring drive from Graham Waite/Gill Cotton ended when the Volvo Amazon suffered a front hub failure.

"It's better out of the corners but we're losing out on the straights," said Clive King after changing the carburetor on his Mini Cooper, but it was still quick enough to win B2 by over a minute from Terry Cree/Richard Shores. Concerns about head gasket problems failed to slow their Mini Cooper S. "We carried water just in case and we weren't going to back off," said Cree.

John Parker and Robert Harrison won class B1 in their Saab 96 of after a typically energetic performance in the two-stroke car, while Nick Pinkett/Alex Lucking (Saab 96) ran alone to victory in class B3 in their four-stroke Saab version.

Category 2
With several of the leading Porsche crews absent, including Richard Tuthill and Steven Smith, Stokes/Weaver were able to take a measured pace to ensure another maximum haul of championship points. "It's driving for the championship rather than the rally, and we're not as spectacular as usual," said Stokes. Knowing that a steady run would get the result they wanted, Stokes resisted the temptation to try and fight with the Mk2 Escorts in category 3. The only scare for the Hydegate Rallyesport car was when the clutch played up going into the final stage on Saturday, but chief engineer Wayne 'Eric' Ball and the crew sorted that out at service.

Into second in category 2 and best of the Porsche 911s was that of Tom Mason/Graham Wild, who had a great run. "We'll have a push today and see if we can worry the old man," said Mason heading into Sunday. Only a drama with a misted screen after the Sweet Lamb ford hindered their progress.

A tremendous third overall in category 2 went to the 1600cc Escort Mexico of John Worthing/Bill Robertson. "We're back to our Robin Hood pace," said Worthing, who carried a spare wheel into parc ferme on Sunday morning after worries about punctures on Saturday. But all was well and they delivered a great result, heading home many more powerful cars in the process. They ended the rally 44s clear of Vince Bristow/Dean Mitchell (Escort Mk1).

C3 went to South Wales crew Neal James/Kevin Jones (Ford Escort Mk1), while Neil and Chris Parsons had an excellent run to second in C5 in their Escort Mk1. Graham Samuels/Tony Phillips ended a troubled rally by rolling their Escort in Hafren South, while Ian Rix also crashed out of the C5 contest.

"Neil started to recover some confidence on the Severn Valley and this progress continued on the Mid Wales, with still more to come," said Chris Parsons of his brother after they finished just two seconds behind the flying Worthing. Hugh and Debby Myers battled to the finish in their Datsun 240Z after a series of dramas and won the 'spirit of the rally' award for their perseverance.

Category 3
The pack of Escort Mk2s dominated the contest for overall victory and it was Gareth Lloyd/Ryland James who led overnight after a mighty start. "We've carried some confidence forward and we're attacking better," said Lloyd after the first three stages, having gone10s clear of Reynolds and McRae overnight.
Unfortunately, their fine run ended on the first stage on Sunday morning in Hafren South when the car clipped a bank and rolled. Damage was not too bad, and they later drove the Escort out of the forest.
Now it was a straight fight between McRae and Reynolds, with both drivers pushing to the limit on the superb flowing stages. Eventually, it was McRae's slightly better pace on the longest stage through the Sweet Lamb complex that decided the result. However, Reynolds had shown outstanding pace in his first event with the car. "I very much enjoyed that," he said.
It could easily have been a three-way fight for victory involving Irish crew Martin McCormack/Liam Moynihan. But they dropped almost a minute in the Sweet Lamb ford on stage three when water got onto the electrics. "That was our first water splash and I hope it's our last," said McCormack. They took three fastest times on Sunday to win back some time, but with McRae and Reynolds flying along the final result was Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Fourth was a fine result for Terry Brown/Den Golding. "Not bad for two old men," said Golding, while the leading English crews were Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing and Rob Archer/Peter Field, who both had strong runs to take top six finishes in the category.

The competition in D3 was superb, and it was David Lloyd Roberts/Dei Jones (Ford Escort Mk2) who took the class by just one second from Richard Lane/Frank Richer. Mark and Brett Clifford were not far away in third and also headed Simon Hawthorn/Lorna Hill by a single second as less than half a minute covered the top four cars after over 70 minutes of rallying.

Newtown And District Automobile Club (The Mid Wales Stages)

• 2007 Armajaro MSA British Historic Rally Championship

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PRE EVENT NEWS

• BHRC preview
• Entry Lists available
• Regulations Available
• Good value on Mid Wales Historic Stages

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20/06/07
BHRC preview
The fourth round of the 2007 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will take crews back to Wales for the Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages (23/24 June 2007). Heading to Wales, David Stokes and Guy Weaver top the BHRC points' table and will be aiming to consolidate their lead. With clashing events keeping several pace-setting crews away from this event, Stokes is eager to take full advantage as he chases the coveted British title.

Category 1
It has been a mixed season for defending BHRC champions Patrick Watts and Elgan Davies in their Sunbeam Tiger and they have yet to have a really clear run this season. However, the Tiger is certainly the car to beat and they will be looking for another victory to add to their success on the Pirelli Historic Rally. Winners last time out were Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride, and their Porsche 911 will lead the Porsche challenge to the Tiger. Dave Foster/Terry March, Phil Smith/Barbara Smith and Steve Troman/Martin Brady make up the rest of the Porsche contingent, but it is Nutt/McBride who will really take the fight to Watts. However, the best of the Lotus Cortina pack will never be far away from the leading Porsche and the battle for class B4 will be as competitive as ever. Philip Atkinson/Simon Coates, Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson and Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson are all right on the pace, while Graham Waite/Gill Cotton will be as spectacular as ever in the Volvo Amazon as Waite works to keep up with the Cortinas. Currently, Nick Pinkett/Alex Lucking have class B3 to themselves in their Saab 96 V4. Among the Minis, Clive King/tba should set the pace, but Terry Cree/Richard Shores and Mike Barratt/Jody Watson will take the fight to King in class B2, while the two-stroke Saab 96 of John Parker/Robert Harrison heads class B1.

Category 2
Stokes/Weaver will start as favourites for victory in category 2 and have pledged to continue at the measured pace that has brought them the championship lead. However, with Richard Tuthill and Steven Smith both missing this event, Stokes looks to have an easier task ahead of him this time around. Leading the chase of the ebullient Gloucestershire driver will be the similar Ford Escort Mk1s of Ian Rix/tba, Graham Samuel/Tony Phillips and Neil Parsons/Chris Parsons, while Tim Mason/Graham Wild lead an unusually thin Porsche 911 contingent in category 2. Lined up against the Porsche will be the Datsun 240Z of husband and wife crew Hugh and Debby Myers. With class leader Russell Morgan missing this event, class C3 should be headed by Welsh crew Neal James/Kevin James in their Escort Mk1, while C2 will feature a continuation of the mighty battle between the Escorts of John Worthing/Bill Robertson and Vince Bristow/Dean Mitchell.

Category 3
The line-up in category 3 is just as strong as ever, with eleven Ford Escort Mk2s packing in at the head of the field. The contest for overall victory is likely to be a three-way fight, covering three tremendous competitors. Leading the field away will be Jimmy McRae/Andy Richardson in the Stobart-liveried car, but the former British champion will be chased very hard by young pretender Martin McCormack and defending champion Gareth Lloyd. McCormack and Liam Moynihan are having a fantastic season in their first year of BHRC competition and will, as ever, be competing on stages they have never seen before. In contrast, Lloyd and Ryland James have rather more experience of the Mid Wales stages and it promises to be another epic battle. Leading the chase of the top three will be a clutch of very quick Escorts in the hands of Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, Phil Squires/Mick Squires and Terry Brown/Den Golding. However, a real darkhorse could be Julian Reynolds, who will be co-driven by Ian Oakey for his first historic event. Class D3 has four potential winners, all in Escort Mk2s. Chris White/Chris Dewsnap, Simon Hawthorn/Lorna Hill, Mark Clifford/Brett Clifford and Richard Lane/Frank Richer are all contenders for victory. Hawthorn and Lane have both had one D3 win to date this season.

The Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages is organised by Newtown and District Automobile Club Ltd.
The historic rally starts from Newtown at 4pm on Saturday, 23 June and resumes at 8am on Sunday morning.

Entry list and further details on the Club website below:

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29/05/07
Regulations Available

Newtown And District Automobile Club (The Mid Wales Stages)

• 2007 Armajaro MSA British Historic Rally Championship

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20/04/07
Good value on Mid Wales Historic Stages
Early details have been announced for the Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages, round four of the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship over the weekend of 23/24 June.

With 62 stage miles for an entry fee of £440 and a guarantee of a full refund to entrants in the very unlikely event that the rally is cancelled, the popular event is set to attract a big entry of BHRC contenders.

With a number of championships running on the Newtown and DAC event, it is expected to attract a very full entry and BHRC crews are being urged to enter early once the regulations are published at the beginning of May.

"If a competitor has to cancel their entry, then the organisers will only retain £20 to cover administration costs," says clerk of the course, Richard Edwards. "There is no late entry surcharge, although we would urge competitors to get their entry in early, as the event has been over-subscribed for the past three years."

The rally will follow its established format of three stages on Saturday afternoon and six on Sunday, in the classic Mid Wales stages of Hafren, Tarenig, Myherin and Sweet Lamb.

More details will be available from

Newtown And District Automobile Club (The Mid Wales Stages)

• 2007 Armajaro MSA British Historic Rally Championship