Rally of the Midlands - 19-20 Jun 09

BTRDA ASPHALT RALLY SERIES - WELCH WINS AT LAST!..

Posted: June 22, 2009 3:07 PM

Having finished runners-up on the 2008 Trinity Hyundai Rally of the Midlands, MARK WELCH and co-driver ANDY WYNN went one better this time to take outright victory on the third round of the Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series. However, it was a close-fought battle and the pair will be delighted with the outcome.

With nineteen special stages spread over two days, the Rally of the Midlands presented a very stern challenge for all those taking part and Welch’s Ford Escort Cosworth did not have things all its own way. Erstwhile Series leader CHRIS JONES topped the timesheets overnight and into Saturday morning until his Ford Focus STI cried enough on the third visit to Mallory Park, not only pushing the Welshman off the top of the points table, but also bringing to an end the car’s 100% finishing record in recent times.

GARY LE COADOU/PAUL HOLLINGHAM were also in the wars – lying second overall after the first couple of stages on Friday evening, their Toyota Celica GT4’s carbon-fibre propshaft broke on the start line of the first run through Mallory Park, and that was that!

Following the unfortunate loss of Millbrook, contenders for the BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series had not met since the Tour of Caerwent at the end of March and, amongst others, PAUL BOXALL/TERESA BUTLER who failed to finish that event, were eagerly awaiting the restart. Their patience was rewarded with 5th overall in their Peugeot 205, a result which puts them back into the lead of their class at the expense of GRAHAM WATKINS/MARK POWELL whose Ford Escort MkII was on its way home before the conclusion of the event after its back axle failed.

One person who has particular reason to feel pleased with himself at the weekend is PAUL PRICE. 12th overall, and a class win, in his 1600cc Peugeot 106 puts him in the overall lead of the BTRDA Series at the halfway stage. Maintaining a 100% finishing record, the Wolverhampton driver has also built up a healthy buffer in his class, although there is still plenty of time for the others to come back at him!

Series sponsors RICHARD & PAT EGGER have had a torrid time of late with engine problems afflicting their Vauxhall Nova. However on this occasion, while son Andrew as left steaming (literally!) at the side of the road on Friday evening, dad and mum continued through to take a Top 20 finish. After 95 miles of competition, Weston-Super-Mare’s STUART BLISS/RICHARD MARSH were just five seconds adrift in their Honda Civic which keeps them in touch with Paul Price in the Series class.

TIM DALTRY/PAUL OHREN-BIRD made it two finishes from two starts in their Peugeot 205, while CHRIS GRAVESTOCK/MARK HARMER will have been glad to have got round in their 106. The first outing of the season, at Caerwent, ended very abruptly – and violently – with a barrel-roll and, consequently, this was a much calmer way of opening their account in the Series points!

The Vauxhall Astra GSI of PAUL HAREWOOD/BOB JONES took some good points in the up-to-2 litre class, while CHRIS DAYKIN/STEPHEN LLOYD (Vauxhall Nova) and ALISON LOCK (Mini) finished 1st & 2nd respectively in the up to 1400cc section.

One other non-finisher to report was the Audi Quattro of RAY READ/STUART ANDERSON-PETERS who were on their way home almost before they had started. Not that it makes it any easier to swallow, but the car was one of two that failed to make the end of the opening stage…

The next round of the Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series is the Eventsigns Mewla National Rally on Sunday 30th August. This ever-popular event takes contenders back to the Epynt Military Ranges, in the Brecon Beacons, for their second visit of the season and, rain or shine, another tough test of man (woman!) and machine is in prospect.

Full Results

Posted: June 22, 2009 2:17 PM

Full Results and Times - Main Field

Full Results and Times - Historics

Live Results North East Rally Services

Entry Lists

Posted: June 13, 2009 11:56 PM

• Rally of the Midlands

BTRDA ASPHALT RALLY SERIES- NORMAL SERVICE RESUMED!...

Posted: June 10, 2009 4:03 PM

The unfortunate cancellation of the Millbrook National Rally in May has given rise to an unplanned lengthy break in the Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series calendar. However, that is all set to change with the running of the Hinckley-based Trinity Hyundai Rally of the Midlands on 19/20th June and, with everyone raring to go once more, the series is responsible for almost 20% of the entry.

Defending champions, and maximum points scorers on both the opening two rounds of the BTRDA Series, Chris Jones/Richard Williams are giving this one a miss and, consequently, there are a number of crews hoping to take advantage of their absence. Most notable of these will be Mark Welch/Andy Wynn who finished runners-up on the event last year in their Ford Escort Cosworth. They missed the opening round of the 2009 season and could do with a hefty points haul as they bid to make up the lost ground.

Gary Le Coadou/Paul Hollingham were 3rd in their Toyota Celica GT4 in 2007 and, after one of ‘those’ events last year, still managed a Top Six finish. Their experience of the stages will hold them in good stead and they can reasonably expect to improve on that this time. As they arrive in Hinckley, they occupy 2nd place in the points table and, without wishing to tempt fate, could have just moved up that all-important one place before they return home!…

2007 BTRDA Series winners Adrian Spencer/Mark Hewitt (Subaru Impreza) were 5th in the Midlands on their way to the title and, having scored well on both rounds so far, are also in a position to challenge for the top spot.

Southampton milkman Ray Read and co-driver Stuart Anderson-Peters are in the only other registered 4WD car – their fearsome Audi Quattro. Their first finish of the season came on the Tour of Caerwent and a similar run would do their overall and class positions a power of good!

Fourth-placed Graham Watkins/Mark Powell lead the 2WD contingent in the overall classification in their Ford Escort MkII after a class win on Caerwent. However, the Peugeot 205 of Paul Boxall/Teresa Butler got the better of them over Epynt before failing to finish last time. MSA Asphalt Championship regular Paul Harewood has opted for a season of BTRDA Series events in his Vauxhall Astra GSI and Tim Daltry/Paul Ohren-Bird (Peugeot 205) are also in the same class. With four events – including Rally of the Midlands – still to run, no-one can afford to relax…

After an inauspicious start to the season on Epynt, series sponsors Richard & Pat Egger return with their Vauxhall Nova and, having only to make the short journey from Leicester, will be hoping for a change of fortune on their ‘home’ event.

In the up to 1600 class, Paul Price (Peugeot 106) will be looking to maintain his 100% finishing record and to put behind him the disappointment of running as high as 5th overall on last year’s Midlands co-driving in John Harland’s Darrian T90 before power-steering failure put them out. Price’s nearest rivals are Stuart Bliss/Richard Marsh in a Honda Civic, while Chris Gravestock/Mark Harmer will be hoping for a less eventful run in their new Peugeot 106. Having joined the series for the Tour of Caerwent, their event came to a very violent end on the opening stage when steering failure launched them into a barrel-roll and instant retirement. Fortunately, both crew members escaped unscathed, which is more than can be said for the car!... Much midnight oil has been burned in the interim whilst the replacement has been completed and it will make its debut at the weekend.

Having had the small-engined class all to itself so far, Alison Lock’s Austin Mini Cooper is about to be joined by the Vauxhall Nova of Chris Daykin/ Stephen Lloyd, but good healthy competition is what the BTRDA Asphalt Series is all about.

The first car leaves the start of Rally of the Midlands at 6.00pm on Friday 19th June for the special stage through Nuneaton town centre and then, following an overnight halt, competition resumes at 8.05am on Saturday. Cars then begin arriving at the finish in Hinckley town centre from 4.30pm that afternoon.

Final call for entries for the Mid Wales Stages Rally

Posted: June 10, 2009 3:59 PM

With 100 entries already in, the organisers of the Rally Marketing Mid Wales Stages have issued a final call for entries for the Newtown and District Automobile Club rally on Sunday 21 June.

The event offers national and club competitors a rare chance to tackle the classic stages in the Hafren and Myherin complexes and clerk of the course Chris Tomley reports that the stages are in prime condition. "They have all been rolled and graded and are in perfect trim," said Tomley. Some sections of the stage in Myherin have never before been used by a national event.

Entries will be accepted right up until Thursday 18 June, so any crews competing on this weekend's Golden Jubilee Dukeries Rally can still enter the Mid Wales after the weekend. In addition, any crews competing on next Saturday's Rally of the Midlands can be accommodated by Sunday morning signing-on and scrutineering (by prior arrangement).

The Rally Marketing Mid-Wales Historic Stages is round four of the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, round six of the Brian Dennis Motorsport Welsh Historic Rally Championship and a round of the ANWCC Historic Stage Rally Championship.

The concurrent Rally Marketing Mid-Wales Stages is a round of four championships: the LICO Welsh Clubmans Forest Rally Championship, the ANWCC Forest Rally Championship, the ANWCC Ladies Rally Championship and the ANWCC All Rounders Championship.

Central servicing will be located at the Sweet Lamb rally complex near Llangurig, with the rally again based at Coleg Powys in Newtown. The historic event will cover 55 miles in six stages, while the modern event will take in 45 miles in five stages.

More details are available from the event website :

• Rally of the Midlands

Mega value for spectators on the Mid Wales Stages Rally

Posted: June 10, 2009 3:57 PM

Some of the best value spectating on any rally in 2009 will be on offer of the Rally Marketing Mid Wales Stages on Sunday 21 June.

All spectating will be at the Sweet Lamb rally complex near Llangurig, where admission will be just £5 per car. For that modest fee, spectators will get to see three stages of the Mid-Wales Historic Stages and two stages of the Mid-Wales Stages, with virtually continuous action from 9am through to 4pm.

Some of the best value spectating on any rally in 2009 will be on offer of the Rally Marketing Mid Wales Stages on Sunday 21 June.

All spectating will be at the Sweet Lamb rally complex near Llangurig, where admission will be just £5 per car. For that modest fee, spectators will get to see three stages of the Mid-Wales Historic Stages and two stages of the Mid-Wales Stages, with virtually continuous action from 9am through to 4pm.

Even better news for the fans is that the running of those five stages does not overlap, so that anyone visiting Sweet Lamb can see all five stages in full, with only minimal breaks in between. In addition, there will be five service halts at Sweet Lamb, three for the historic crews and two for the modern runners.

"We've planned the route to make it very spectator friendly within Sweet Lamb," said clerk of the course Chris Tomley. "There is one double junction where spectators can see all five stages without moving!" The layout of the stages will also allow service crews to see their crew in action three times for the historics and twice for the moderns, which is another hugely popular element of the rally.

The first historic car will be in action on the Sweet Lamb stage at 8.51am, while the first modern car will start the stage at 12.13pm. Service will be from 9.14am for the historics and 12.33pm for the moderns and will be run in the top service area. The Sweet Lamb bowl and water splash will be used from 1.19pm for the historics and from 2.58pm for the moderns.

Spectator maps will be available upon entry to Sweet Lamb and catering facilities will be on hand adjacent to the top service area and spectator car park. Interim results will also be available.

Spectators should note that a one-way system will be in force all day, and that entrance to Sweet Lamb will be off the A44, but not at the main entrance. Spectators should enter the venue 100 yards along the A44, to the Llangurig (west) side of the main entrance. Please follow all signs.

More details are available from the event website at: MidWalesStages.co.uk from which Regulations and Entry form can also be downloaded

Even better news for the fans is that the running of those five stages does not overlap, so that anyone visiting Sweet Lamb can see all five stages in full, with only minimal breaks in between. In addition, there will be five service halts at Sweet Lamb, three for the historic crews and two for the modern runners. "We've planned the route to make it very spectator friendly within Sweet Lamb," said clerk of the course Chris Tomley. "There is one double junction where spectators can see all five stages without moving!" The layout of the stages will also allow service crews to see their crew in action three times for the historics and twice for the moderns, which is another hugely popular element of the rally. The first historic car will be in action on the Sweet Lamb stage at 8.51am, while the first modern car will start the stage at 12.13pm. Service will be from 9.14am for the historics and 12.33pm for the moderns and will be run in the top service area. The Sweet Lamb bowl and water splash will be used from 1.19pm for the historics and from 2.58pm for the moderns. Spectator maps will be available upon entry to Sweet Lamb and catering facilities will be on hand adjacent to the top service area and spectator car park. Interim results will also be available. Spectators should note that a one-way system will be in force all day, and that entrance to Sweet Lamb will be off the A44, but not at the main entrance. Spectators should enter the venue 100 yards along the A44, to the Llangurig (west) side of the main entrance. Please follow all signs. More details are available from the event website at below from which Regulations and Entry form can also be downloaded

Regulations / Entries to Date:

Posted: April 16, 2009 12:31 PM

• Rally of the Midlands

Event Website / Details

Posted: January 1, 2009 12:01 AM

• Rally of the Midlands