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Posted: February 8, 2014 6:27 PM
Mud and Fog Makes Way for Heat and Dust on Welsh Rally Championship
Posted: February 8, 2014 6:24 PM
Rhuddlan rally driver Luke Francis endured the heat and dust of Saturday’s (July 13) Nicky Grist Stages to retain his lead in the Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Championship but with a reduced points advantage over his closest rival.
With temperatures hovering around 30 Celsius as competitors left the Builth Wells start, competitors could expect a hot and dusty day while the dry abrasive forest tracks would take their toll on tyres.
Leading the field away was Dinas Mawddwy’s Elfyn Evans, giving Ford’s new Fiesta R5 its UK competition debut before taking it to Finland for its first appearance in the World Rally Championship.
Not surprisingly, he quickly set the pace in the event and was comfortably ahead of the rest of the field when, on the fourth of the seven stages, a warning light appeared on the dash and he withdrew from the event rather than risk serious damage to the new car’s engine.
That promoted Scotsman Euan Thorburn into the lead in his Ford Focus World Rally Car while the leading Welsh championship contender would have been Ireland’s Connor McCloskey if he had not crashed his Subaru Impreza heavily on the same stage. While the car was heavily damaged, McCloskey and co-driver Francis Regan escaped without serious injury.
That left Stalybridge driver Alex Allingham and Luke Francis to battle it out both for overall Welsh championship honours and for the Group N category for near showroom specification cars.
When the cars returned to the Royal Welsh Showground and the event finish, it was the Impreza of Allingham and co-driver Chris Williams that had taken maximum championship points moving them from fourth to second in the championship standings, behind Francis and his co-driver, Colwyn Bay’s John H Roberts. Meanwhile Llangefni’s Keith Parry and co-driver Eryl Evans from Llanon remain in third place in their Impreza while McCloskey and Regan slip to fourth.
An Impressive performance by St Albans driver Dan O’Brien and co-driver Mark Glennerster from Swindon saw them take the World Rally Car class in their Ford Focus, with Dan the top under 25 driver.
David L Roberts from Corwen continues to lead the two wheel drive category in his Mark 2 Ford Escort but Leigh’s Rob Dennis has moved his similar car to within a single point in the championship standings.
While Luke Francis continues to lead the under 25 category, James Watkins from Welshpool moved ahead of absent Haverfordwest driver Ben Lewellin into second position.
With two rounds of the championship remaining just 13 points stands between the top two in the championship with 25 points up for grabs for an event win, while there are still plenty of battles to be resolved in the various classes.
The next round of the Championship is the Woodpecker Rally. Based at Ludlow the event takes place on 31st August.
Elfyn Evans runs latest Fiesta rally car on Builth Wells based Nicky Grist Stages
Posted: July 9, 2013 12:04 PM
Rising Welsh rally star Elfyn Evans will give his home rally fans their first opportunity to see Ford’s latest motorsport machine in competitive action this weekend (July 13th) as he tackles the forests of Mid Wales in the spectacular Fiesta R5, competing on the Nicky Grist Stages.
The four wheel drive car, built by Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport operation in Cumbria, is powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged engine and is based on the widely acclaimed Fiesta ST road car, using many standard parts in an effort to keep costs down.
It is scheduled to make its World Rally Championship debut on next month’s rally Finland, running in the WRC2 class and the roads used on the Nicky Grist Stages, which have also been used on Wales Rally GB in recent years, should provide an ideal test in readiness for the car’s first appearance on the World stage.
Dolgellau based Elfyn, son of former British Rally Champion Gwyndaf Evans, has been making rallying headlines himself recently following a stunning debut at the top level of the World Rally Championship. Stepping in at short notice to drive a Ford Fiesta World Rally Car on the Rally d’Italia in Sardinia, a mature performance saw him land a remarkable sixth place overall.
While some rallies have seen entries drop in the current economic climate the Nicky Grist Stages looks set to start close to a capacity entry, highlighting its popularity with competitors. The event forms a part of no fewer than 10 championships including the REIS-Get Connected Gold Star Championship and the Pirelli MSA Welsh Stage Rally Championship. Elfyn’s presence on the rally should provide a valuable benchmark against which other competitors will be able to measure their own performance.
That is something welcomed by the man whose name the event bears. Former World Rally Championship co-driver Nicky Grist says,
“Our aim with the rally is to raise the bar as far as event organisation is concerned but also to encourage and support the efforts of competitors, both drivers and co-drivers, to improve their own performances.”
Intriguingly, he adds, “That is why we will be using the 2013 event to announce an exciting new initiative for British rallying.”
Seeded Entry List
Posted: July 7, 2013 10:40 AM
No Driver/Co-Driver (Make Model) [Class]
1 Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta R5) [WR1]
2 Connor McCloskey/Francis Regan (Subaru S9 S9) [WR1]
3 Euan Thorburn /Paul Beaton (Ford Focus WRC) [WR1]
4 Charlie Payne/Carl Williamson (Ford Focus WRC06) [WR1]
5 Stephen Petch/Ian Windress (Ford Focus WRC08) [WR1]
6 Daniel O'Brien/Mark Glennerster (Ford Focus WRC) [WR1]
7 Sebastian Ling/Aled Rees (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [N4]
8 Alex Allingham/Chris Williams (Subaru Impreza N10) [N4]
9 Jamie Anderson/Ella Flynn (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [N4]
10 Tom Naughton/Horace Saville (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [N4]
11 Luke Francis/John H Roberts (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [N4]
12 Kevin Rowledge/Andrew Bargery (Subaru WRC S10) [WR1]
14 Oliver Mellors/Craig Parry (Proton Satria Neo S2000) [WR1]
15 Rob Smith /Ross Weir (Subaru Impreza) [WR1]
16 Peter Elkins/Andrew Joll (Ford Focus WRC) [WR1]
17 Paul Davy/Roger Allan (Subaru Impreza) [N4]
18 Jim McNeil/Jon Riley (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
19 Wayne Sisson/Dave Robson (Mitsubishi ) [WR1]
20 Simon Rogers/Andrew Sankey (Mitsubishi Evo 6) [B13]
21 Keith Parry/Eryl Evans (Subaru Imprezza) [B13]
23 Paul Walker/Vern Brown (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
24 Wug Utting/Max Utting (Subaru Impreza N12b) [N4]
25 Craig McMiken/Craig Wallace (Mitsubishi 9) [B13]
26 Matthew Robinson/Nigel Hutchinson (Ford Escort Mk2) [B12]
27 Peter Egerton/Alun Cook (Hyundai Accent) [WR1]
28 Tony MacWhirter/Steve Green (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [B13]
29 Keith Wilde/Phil Clarke (Subaru Impreza ST1) [N4]
30 Scott Faulkner/Dom Adams (Mitsibishi Evo 9) [N4]
31 Peter Baylis/Anthony Blyth (Subaru Impreza) [B13]
32 Terry Brown/Tomos Whittle (Ford Escort RS1800) [H3]
33 Rob Dennis/Andrew Boswell (Ford Escort) [B11]
34 Rory Hall/Elliott Edmondson (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [N4]
35 Peter Smith/Patrick Walsh (Ford Escort Mk1) [H3]
36 Gareth 'Gog' Jones/Peter James (Ford Escort MK6) [B11]
37 Roger Matthews/Paul Morris (Ford Escort) [H3]
38 Wyn Hughes/David Davies (Ford Escort Mk2) [H3]
39 Toni Carannante/Martin Auskerin (Subaru Impreza Sti) [N4]
40 Simon Tysoe/Cliffy Simmons (Ford Escort RS1800) [H3]
41 David Lloyd Roberts/Dei Jones (Ford Escort Mk2) [H2]
42 Adrian Young/Gwynfor Jones (Ford Escort Mk2) [H2]
43 Neil Matthews/Claire Williams (Vauxhall Nova) [B10]
44 Tony Williams/Karen Phelps (Ford Escort RS) [B11]
45 Barry Jordan/James Gratton-Smith (Ford Escort) [B12]
46 Cameron Davies/Michael Gilbey (Ford Fiesta St) [N3]
47 Colin Webb/Matt Rogers (BMW E30 325) [B12]
48 Simon Tuckman/Shaun Hughes (Ford Escort) [B11]
49 Sean Bannister/Paul Williams (Citroen C2) [B10]
50 John O'Gorman/Scott Dance (BMW E30 325i) [B12]
51 Geoff Cottrill/Nathan Crewe (MG Metro 6R4) [WR1]
52 Rex Ireland/Adrian Scadding (Ford Escort Mk2) [H2]
53 Damian Elliot Thomas/David Phillip Ruck (Peugeot 206 Cup Car) [B10]
54 Thomas Lloyd/Craig Maggs (Peugeot 205) [B10]
55 David Poyser/John Orme (Honda Civic) [N3]
56 Ben Friend/Jonathan Jackson (Ford Escort) [H2]
57 Tim Phelps/Elwyn Manuel (Ford Escort mk1 RS2000) [H2]
58 Layton Waters/Kevin Bowcott (Toyota Starlet) [B11]
59 Robert Smith/Jonathan Boucard (Ford Escort Mk2) [B10]
60 Jeremy Wells/Ken Bowman (Ford Escort Mk 1) [H3]
61 John Taylor/Tim Clarke (Ford Escort) [B10]
62 Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (BMW 325i) [B12]
63 Dan Wakefield/Keegan Rees (Ford Fiesta) [N3]
64 Gareth Edwards/Caron Tomlinson (Ford Escort Mk2) [B11]
65 Ian Barnes/Melanie Holmes (Ford Escort Mk1 RS2000) [H2]
66 Brad Axon/Jonathan Shearing (Toyota Corolla) [B10]
67 John Baker/Mrs Seyyan John (Ford Escort mk2) [H2]
68 Shawn Baldwin/Jack Walby (Ford Escort Mk2) [B11]
69 Cactus Raazi/Rob Kershaw (Renault Clio 172) [RF1.0]
70 Simon Pickering/Colin Jenkins (Ford Escort Mk1) [H2]
71 Sacha Kakad/Andrew Price (Landrover M-sport Freelander) [B13]
72 Simon Dalton/Thomas Neathway (Ford Fiesta ST) [N3]
73 Jason Gardner/Graham Cox (Ford Escort Mk1) [H2]
74 David Fussell/Colin Armstrong (Subaru Impreza RA) [B13]
75 Peter Jones/Graham Joseph (Triumph TR7 V8) [H2]
76 Saleh Hijazi/Aggie Foster (Mitsubishi Evo 6) [B13]
77 John Cooke/Chris Jones (Nissan Almera ) [N3]
78 Jonathan Jones/Jeremy Rogers (Ford Fiesta St ) [N3]
79 Georgia Shiels /Chris Davies (Ford Fiesta ST) [N3]
80 Phil Morgan/Mike Wilding (Ford Escort Mk2) [B11]
81 Ken Davies/Alan Jones (Volvo Amazon) [H1]
82 Steven Adams/Martyn Adams (Peugeot 205 Gti) [B11]
83 Emlyn Evans/Bridie Hall (Peugeot 306) [B11]
84 Peter Adams/Tim Chapman (Peugeot 205GTI) [B10]
85 Darrell Hook/Sam Collier (Ford Capri) [B11]
86 Mark Wayne Campbell/David E Jones (Ford Escort Mk1) [B11]
87 Neal James/Kevin Jones (Ford Escort) [H2]
88 Blair Brown/Steven Clark (Peugeot 205 Gti) [N3]
201 Julian Wilkes/Pamela Hilton (Vauxhall Nova VXR190) [1400S]
202 Mat Smith/Giles Dykes (Ford Ka) [1400S]
203 Dave Bennett/Alistair McNeil (Vauxhall Corsa) [1400S]
204 Darren Pinchin/Karen Watts (Proton Satria) [1400S]
205 Arwyn Lloyd Davies/Mark Lewis (Vauxhall Nova) [1400S]
206 Harry Gardner/Elliot Graham (Peugeot 106) [1400S]
207 Steve Black/John Connor (Suzuki Swift S1400) [1400S]
208 Dan Evans/Tom Marrott (Vauxhall Nova) [1400S]
209 Clive Anstey/Tudor Jenkins (Proton Satria) [1400S]
210 Euros Evans/Dylan Lewis (Proton Satria) [1400S]
211 Leroy Mills/Simon John Rogers (Vauxhall Corsa) [1400S]
212 Martin Jones/Richard Christensen (Vauxhall Corsa) [1400S]
213 Martin Shaw/Ian Prout (Ford Escort RS1400) [1400S]
214 Joe Evett/Calvin Houldsworth (MG ZR) [RF1.4]
215 Chris Hellings/Glyn Thomas (MG ZR) [1400C]
216 James West/Steve Eggington (VW Lupo) [RF1.4]
217 Freddy Brick/David Brick (Vauxhall Nova) [1400C]
218 Lee Matthews/TBA (Ford Escort Mk2) [1400C]
219 Jayne Auden/David Auden (MG ZR) [1400S]
220 James Watkins/Richard Suter (Nissan Micra) [RF1.4]
221 Justin Fowler-Bishop/Tudur Rees (MG ZR) [RF1.4]
222 Matthew Jackson/Sasha Heriot (Nissan Micra) [1400C]
223 Jon Madoc-Jones/Peter Williams (Vauxhall Corsa) [1400C]
224 Rory Johnson Jones/Tom Hughes (MG ZR) [RF1.4]
225 Robert Evett/Michael Evett (Vauxhall Nova) [RF1.4]
226 Rob Hansford/James Young (MG ZR) [1400C]
227 James Weaver/Teresa Butler (MG ZR) [1400C]
228 Mick Smith/Paul Stringer (Nissan Micra) [RF1.0]
229 Rob Richards/Wendy Gibson (Peugeot 106 Rallye) [1400C]
230 Rachael Patterson/Jamie Foster (Peueot 106 Rallye) [1400C]
231 Niall Moroney/Elgan Davies (Nissan Micra) [RF1.0]
232 Carl Davies/Richard Jones (Nissan Micra) [RF1.4]
233 Tim Banner/Phill Banner (Peugeot 205 Rallye) [1400C]
234 Nick Carr/Joe Sturdy (Nissan Micra) [RF1.0]
235 Tim Sunderland/Andy Street (MG ZR) [1400C]
236 Rhys Price/Mike Jode (Nissan Micra) [RF1.0]
237 Bart Lang/Simon Cox (Nissan Micra) [RF1.0]
238 Andrew Andersz/Chris Spilsted (VW Lupo) [RF1.4]
239 Nigel Jenkins/Christopher Ridge (Vauxhall Nova) [1400S]
240 Geno Cook/Steve McPhee (Suzuki Ignis) [1400S]
Website / Regulations / Details / Entries Received
Posted: July 2, 2013 3:34 PM
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