Mid-Wales Stages - 1 Mar 15

Crook and Standen star in WWRS R.A.C. Rally Championship

Posted: December 23, 2015 4:35 AM

Simon and Alister Crook and Grahame Standen/Jane Edgington were the major victors on the second round of the West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship, the Viking Motorsport/Links Electrical Mid Wales Stages (Sunday 1 March).

The Crook brothers were highest R.A.C. finishers in their Open Category Opel Manta, while Standen turned in a superb performance to finishing leading historic runner in his 1600cc Ford Escort Mk2.

The Mid Wales Stages was the second round of the R.A.C. Championship season and attracted a number of crews making their 2015 debut. Great credit is due to all the marshals and officials out on the stages for keeping the event running smoothly in challenging weather conditions.

On a day when slippery stages and the occasional blizzard delivered a real challenge for the crews, the Crooks moved ahead in the Open Category when the Escort Mk2 of Phil Burton/Mal Capstick slid off in Hafren and got beached. Burton had set a mighty pace among the Open cars to take a big lead after two stages despite this being his first experience of these stages. However, in the 16-mile Hafren stage, he slid off the road and the car was beached so any chance of a good result was gone. Burton eventually got going again with the help of some other crews and made it to the finish.

While the Crooks moved ahead in the category, there was misfortune for Barry Stevenson-Wheeler and John Pickavance (Ford Escort Mk2). They lost over four minutes off the road in the Hafren stage and then had to finish the final stage with a puncture.

Standen, meanwhile, was one of the stars of the rally with his pace in the 1600cc car and he finished ahead of the more powerful Category 3 Escort Mk2s of James Potter/Bob Duck and Leigh Armstrong/Chris Armstrong. Once again, Standen?s self-prepared car ran faultlessly. Potter, meanwhile, was pleased to get his rebuilt car to the finish on its first run after a major accident on the Trackrod Rally last September.

In Category 4 Will Midgley and Jonathan Driver (Toyota Corolla) were on top after a very good run but had a scare when the alternator failed on the run to the first service halt.

Other RAC category winners were Gwilym Roberts/Don James (Lotus Cortina) in Category 1 and Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson (Ford Escort Mk1) in Category 2. Bean made a late change of car after his Lotus Cortina was sidelined by gearbox failure on the previous weekend?s Riponian Rally. Roberts, meanwhile, had a big early drama when the wheel nuts sheared and his Cortina lost a wheel. Fortunately, while a spectator retrieved the wheel from a river, the driver found some spare wheel nuts.

Elliott flies to BHRC victory on Mid Wales Stages

Posted: December 23, 2015 4:30 AM

Nick Elliott and Dave Price were the big winners on round two of the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Viking Motorsport/Links Electrical Mid Wales Stages (Sunday 1 March). Despite some truly demanding conditions on some classic gravel stages, the Ford Escort Mk2 crew made it five wins from six in the historic section of the event.

On a day when strong winds, heavy rain, sleet and snow made conditions very tough, Elliott drove a faultless rally to finish 28s ahead of Matthew Robinson/Sam Collis and impressive championship newcomers Joe Price and Chris Brooks.

Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke (Ford Escort Mk2) took fourth overall and Category K to retain their early championship lead, while David Stokes/Guy Weaver (Ford Escort Mk1) and Rikki Proffitt/James Whitaker (Porsche 911) also won their respective categories.

This was the second event of the BHRC?s new five-year term under the management of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club. Once again a fine entry assembled in Newtown with a total field of 82 cars covering 14 marques and 19 models. The outstanding effort and commitment of the organisers and marshals ensured a safe day?s rallying despite the dreadful conditions.

Four superb stages made up the route, including a mighty 16-mile stage that started in Sweet Lamb and then ran in to Hafren forest. The rally opened with the fabulous climb up the Pikes Peak stage followed by the second stage in Myherin and after those two stages Elliott had built a slender lead over Price with Pritchard and Matthew Robinson/Sam Collis packing out the top positions.

A big attack on the 16-mile Hafren stage set the seal on Elliott?s victory as rain, wind, sleet, snow, thunder and lightning made conditions very tough. However, Meirion Evans and Steffan Evans ran Elliott close and were only two seconds behind after more than 17 minutes of rallying to move into second place with one stage remaining.

The rally finished in spectacular style on the descent of Pikes Peak and Elliott made sure of victory with a strong final stage. However, Evans hit trouble when he picked up a puncture with six miles of the stage still to run. He battled on, but the time lost cost him second place and dropped him to fifth. "Brilliant!" said Elliott as he arrived back in Newtown. "We just seem to go well on these stages." He also claimed the RSR Historic Engineering Category 3 spoils.

Robinson took second place, but only just. Price started the last stage four seconds behind and the gap was down to four-tenths of a second by the finish.
"We?re pleased to be up there on pace," said Price of his impressive BHRC debut. Only four seconds adrift of Price in fourth was Pritchard who won the Holton Homes Category K for cars running to Appendix K specification from Evans, who finished the rally understandably disappointed with fifth.

Youngsters Ben Llewellin and Ross Whittock went well in the tough conditions to take sixth, despite dropping a chunk on time in Hafren with a misted screen. Equally impressive in seventh overall and dominant winner of class D3 was the Pinto-powered Escort Mk2 of Paul Barrett and Dai Roberts. After a nightmare ferry trip trying to get to the Red Kite, this was just reward for Northern Irish driver.

Behind Barrett in class D3 were Ben Friend and Sean Kennedy, one of several crews to be held up when another car slid off in Hafren. Close behind were Ian Jones and Iestyn Williams in their Pinto-powered Escort Mk2.

Stokes/Weaver made it two out of two this season in the Capital Construction Category 2 despite having to change a gearbox at the first service. Stokes had half a minute in hand over a mighty Escort Mk1 contest for second in class C5 and it was Rupert Lomax and Rich Jones who took the position from John Perrott/Keaton Williams and Ernie Graham/Will Graham.

Robin Shuttleworth and Ronnie Roughead (Ford Escort Mk1) turned in a storming performance to win class C2 and beat a gaggle of more powerful cars in the process. They headed Baz Jordan/James Gratton-Smith (Hillman Avenger), while Terry Cree/Richard Shores (BMW 2002Ti) made a winning return in class C3 after a day-long battle with Phil Jobson/Arwel Jenkins (Ford Escort Mk1). Cree really won it on the Hafren stage on his return to competition after rolling the BMW on the Neath Valley Stages last August.

In the Walker Diecastings Category 1, Proffitt/Whitaker had to contend with a misfire after the Sweet Lamb water splash and then slush on the high ground in stage four as they ran first on the road. But it was still an accomplished performance that gave Proffitt his second Category 1 win of the season.

However, it was never easy for Proffitt as Bob and Dale Gibbons (Ford Cortina Mk2 GT) flew through Hafren to take a seven-second lead into the final stage. Trying just too hard to hold his advantage, Gibbons slid off the road and lost five minutes before spectators got them going again. Meanwhile, as well as winning class B4, Ian Beveridge/Paul Price (Volvo PV544) gave spirited chase to the winning Porsche and were only 18s down at the finish.

The Gibbons father and son pairing still won class B3 as Philip Harris/Alan Walker (Mini Cooper) took B2 despite spending several minutes off in Hafren. Luckily, four burly chaps were there to manhandle the Mini back on to the road.

Finally, Trevor Hancock/Jody Watson (MG Metro) scored a personal victory for the driver by winning the Jondel Engines Category 4 on Hancock?s return to competition after a stroke.

The 2015 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship continues with round three, the Pirelli Rally on Saturday 25 April.

Results

Posted: December 23, 2015 4:27 AM

Mid-Wales Stages - 1 Mar 15 - RESULTS (Historic)
Mid-Wales Stages - 1 Mar 15 - RESULTS (Modern)

Seeded Entry List

Posted: February 26, 2015 2:51 PM

Mid-Wales Stages - 1 Mar 15 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Mid Wales next for West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Championship

Posted: February 26, 2015 2:25 PM

The West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship will continue with round two, the Viking Motorsport/Links Electrical Mid Wales Stages (Sunday 1 March).

The championship, organised by the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club, runs in parallel to the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship and is aimed at clubmen historic crews as well as those running in the Open Category. With containing costs for clubmen as a prime aim, the championship runs to a six-tyre rule on all events.

The Mid Wales is always one of the most popular events on the calendar, offering crews the chance to tackle superb stages in the Pikes Peak, Myherin and Hafren forest complexes.

Heading the R.A.C. contenders after the opening round are Phil Burton and Mal Capstick after a fine run on the Red Kite Stages in their Ford Escort Mk2. They don’t have much prior knowledge of these stages, but will surely be very quick once more as they contest the championship’s Open Category. Ranged against Burton in the Open ranks will be two more very quick crews: Simon and Alister Crook in their Opel Manta 400 and Barry Stevenson-Wheeler/John Pickavance (Ford Escort Mk2).

Several crews in historic cars will make their seasonal debut on the Mid Wales and should be prominent championship contenders. James Potter and Bob Dick are back in their re-shelled Escort Mk2 following a roll on the Trackrod Rally last September and they will go up against brothers Leigh and Chris Armstrong (Escort Mk2) and Gary Cooper/Graham Riley (Sunbeam Lotus) in the Category 3 ranks. Among the lower powered Category 3 cars are Grahame Standen/Jane Edgington (1600cc Ford Escort Mk2) and David Hopkins/Tony Vart (Talbot Sunbeam).

Category 2 historic cars chasing R.A.C. points will be led by the Porsche 911 of Tim Mason/Graham Wild and the Escort Mk1 of Graham Samuel/Val Thompson. In the 1600cc class are the Ford Escorts of Malcolm Bayliss/Siobhan Pugh and Stuart Cariss/Linda Cariss.

In Category 1, the battle is likely to be between the Lotus Cortinas of Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson and Gwilym Roberts/Don James, with Bean currently ahead on points after the Red Kite. Finally, running in Category 4 is the Toyota Corolla of Will Midgley/Jonathan Davies.

The rally will be based in Newtown with Rally HQ at The Hafren and the central service area will be at Sweet Lamb. The first car will start at 9am on Sunday and return to the finish just after 3pm.

Entries Received

Posted: February 13, 2015 3:35 PM

www.rallies.info/webentry/2015/midwales45/

Regulations / Website / Details

Posted: January 13, 2015 12:19 PM

Mid Wales Stages

Newtown And District Automobile Club