2018 Mid-Wales Stages - CANCELLED

Grooms Garage Mid Wales Stages – Announcement

Posted: May 7, 2018 3:16 PM

After an emergency meeting was called last night, the organisers of the 2018 Grooms Garage are deeply saddened to announce that the event, scheduled for Sunday 27th of May is cancelled.

Due to difficulty in finding people to fill all the officials and marshalling roles required and a very low number of paid entries, with only 1 entry being received in the last fortnight, the club decided that the event was not both safe or financially viable to run.

Clerk of the Course Wayne Jones is devastated by the announcement, but says the club had no option.

“The organisers came together last night (Sunday 6th May) and concluded that due to the number of officials and marshals still needed and that we have less than half the minimum number of entries to reach the break-even point, we were faced with a potential loss of over £15,000 to add to the £5,000 loss from having to postpone the event from the original 4th March date due to the weather conditions" he said.

“I feel very sorry for the hard work that the organising committee have put in to organise both the March and rescheduled May event and I would like to thank them all for their efforts. I would also like to thank the officials, marshals and competitors who had committed to the new May date. It is a shame that after all this work that there didn’t appear to be enough interest in what we thought was a reasonably priced, compact event. I’m not sure what else we could have done to attract more people to come along to the rally.”

Competitors will be contacted regarding refunds.

Issued by the organising committee of the 2018 Grooms Garage Mid Wales Stages.

Postponed Mid Wales Stages is re-launched

Posted: April 12, 2018 2:53 PM

Newtown and District Automobile Club have re-issued the regulations for the Grooms Garage Mid Wales Stages 2018 this week, after finding a new date of 27th May to run the event which was postponed due to the wintry weather front which covered the UK early last month.

Originally scheduled for the 4th March, the event was called off on the lead up to the Newtown based rally as organisers and set up crews could not access the stages thanks to several feet of snow and a large covering of ice in the region.

Having trawled the British rallying calendar, the organisers managed to find a new date which would fit with championships and volunteers and have worked hard to retain many of the key features of the event for crews to enjoy.

The one-day, 44 stage mile event will be based from The Hafren in Newtown and will utilise world-class forest tests in the Hafren Forest complex, as used on the World Rally Championship round, Wales Rally GB.

The event will also head into the Carno forest complex as used by the Forest Experience Rally School. This rarely used venue will provide a unique twist to the format which provides competitors with a compact, fun event across legendary forest tests.

Sadly the planned Sweet Lamb stage which was scheduled to be part of the route will not be available next month due to lambing season, but a small shift in format ensures crews will still enjoy a cost effective day’s motorsport.

Returning to the Mid Wales Stages despite its date change, will be the Pirelli MSA Welsh Stage Rally Championship, the Restruct Ltd & www.jelfmotorsport.com Welsh Mixed Surface Championship, the Brian Dennis Motorsport Welsh Historic Rally Championship, the West Wales Rally Spares HRCR Stage Masters Challenge, the ANWCC Forest Rally Championship and the FMP Rally Challenge.

Each competitor who had originally entered the March event have been contacted individually and had their entries automatically transferred to the new date if required, with over half taking up the option.

Clerk of the Course Wayne Jones is hoping to attract other crews who may not have been able to make the original date.

“We are indebted to the championships and landowners who have been extremely helpful; in sourcing a new date for the event to run and of course our competitors who have supported us in coming back again in May” he said.

“We hope that the new date will encourage other competitors and marshals to join us for a compact and enjoyable day’s rallying in stages which are in great condition thanks to being widely underused”.

More details and event regulations are now available

On Line Entry / Entries Received

Posted: April 12, 2018 2:53 PM

Available at:

www.rallies.info/webentry/2018/midwales/

Mid Wales Stages back in business with new date

Posted: March 14, 2018 6:04 PM

After postponing the 2018 Grooms Garage Mid Wales Stages due to an unprecedented covering of snow and ice in the region, organisers are delighted to announce that the Newtown and District Automobile Club event will be now run on the 27th May 2018.

Originally scheduled for the 4th March, the organising team took the painful decision in the lead up to the event to postpone due to the fact many of the stages planned to be used were inaccessible. As they could not guarantee the safety and welfare of officials, marshals, volunteers, spectators and competitors, they had no choice but to call the event off.

However, the dedicated team of organisers have worked hard over the past few weeks to find a new date suitable for the championships, landowners and volunteers. They have cited the 27th May as the best solution for all in an already packed British rallying calendar.

“We were of course disappointed to have to postpone the event originally but we truly had no choice, we couldn’t even get into the stage to use them” said Clerk of the Course Wayne Jones.

“Ever since then we have been in talks with our championships and landowners and we are delighted to announce the new date. We extend our thanks for the championship organisers for accommodating us.

We truly hope it will suit the competitors that had entered and of course we will welcome them back to to the rally with open arms. We would also be delighted to see anyone else that would like to sample classic Welsh forest stages in a compact format. We look forward to seeing everyone in Newtown on the 27th May”.

The one-day, 44 stage mile event will be based from The Hafren, Newtown in Newtown and will utilise world-class forest tests in Hafren, as used on the World Rally Championship round, Wales Rally GB. The event will also head into the Carno forest complex as used by the Forest Experience Rally School. This rarely used venue will provide a unique twist to the format.

The event will be a qualifying round the Pirelli MSA Welsh Stage Rally Championship, the Restruct Ltd & www.jelfmotorsport.com Welsh Mixed Surface Championship, the Brian Dennis Motorsport Welsh Historic Rally Championship, the West Wales Rally Spares HRCR Stage Masters Challenge, the ANWCC Forest Rally Championship and the FMP Rally Challenge.

More details are available at www.midwalesstages.co.uk and event regulations for the re-dated event will be available in the near future.

Mid Wales Stages - POSTPONED

Posted: March 1, 2018 12:20 PM

After an emergency meeting was called today (1st March 2018), the organisers of the 2018 Grooms Garage are deeply saddened to announce that the event, scheduled for Sunday 4th of March is postponed.

We do hope to find a suitable date to run later in the year.

Due to the covering of snow and ice both on and off the stages in the region at this time, added to the fact that the forecast for the next 48 hours shows little sign of that abating, organisers have put the safety and welfare of our officials, marshals, volunteers, spectators and competitors above that of the rally.

The committee feel it would be irresponsible to put any of the rallying fraternity in a position of danger, potentially even just travelling to the event would have been a challenge and we sincerely hope that you will support our decision.

Clerk of the Course Wayne Jones is devastated by the announcement, but believes it was the right call to make.
“The organisers came together earlier today (Thursday 1st March) and concluded that postponing the event was the only safe choice for everyone.

We did consider waiting until tomorrow to see what conditions were like when the setup team went in, but looking at the forecast, we thought it would be dangerous for them to be in the forest with a predicted forecast of -9C temp with -20C wind chill and heavy snow.

We would like to reiterate that we do plan to run the event later in the year and extend our thanks to our sponsors Grooms Garage and our championships for their continued support.”

Competitors will be contacted regarding refunds.

Issued by the organising committee of the 2018 Grooms Garage Mid Wales Stages.

Mid Wales Stages gears up for rally return

Posted: February 28, 2018 10:32 AM

The Grooms Garage Mid Wales Stages returns to Newtown this weekend (4th March) as the Newtown and District Automobile Club organised event welcomes crews from across the country to the popular rally.

After a 12-month break, the gravel event will take around 60 crews across 44 competitive miles of forest action in the Hafren, Sweetlamb and Forest Experience Rally School complex. Based at The Hafren, Newtown, the rally has attracted a wide range of cars and crews from across the country and forms round two of the Pirelli MSA Welsh Stage Rally Championship.

The Restruct Ltd & www.jelfmotorsport.com Welsh Mixed Surface Championship, the Brian Dennis Motorsport Welsh Historic Rally Championship, the West Wales Rally Spares HRCR Stage Masters Challenge, the ANWCC Forest Rally Championship and the FMP Rally Challenge also head to the event this weekend.

Leading the crews away from Newtown on Sunday morning will be two-time event winner and British Rally Championship (BRC) contender Tom Cave with Dale Bowen returning to the co-driver’s seat in Cave’s own Subaru Impreza. After taking victory in 2011 and 2012, a podium position followed in 2016 when the event was a round of the BRC and the Aberdovey driver will be hard to beat on stages he knows well.

Welsh Rally Championship front-runner Dylan Davies and Llion Williams start the event as number two seed, hoping to improve on their fourth spot at the season opening Cambrian Rally a few weeks ago. Also hoping to improve on their Cambrian performance, Sacha Kakad and James Aldridge head away at three.

Not managing to make the start of the Cambrian after mechanical issues in their brand new Ford Fiesta R5, Kakad will be desperate for seat time as the BTRDA regular gets acclimatised to his new surroundings.

Martyn and Dawn England are at four with their similar Fiesta R5 and are looking for their first gravel win in the machine since the Red Dragon Rally in 2016. Andy Davies and Max Freeman bring their rapid GpN Subaru Impreza to Newtown and could be an outside bet to challenge for the top step and start the event at five.

British Historic Rally Championship runners-up Nick Elliott and Dave Price lead away the two-wheel drive contingent at car eight in their impressive Ford Escort MK2. They will be looking for extra seat time ahead of the opening round of the series in a few weeks’ time.

Llandrindod Wells driver Graham Middleton makes a rare appearance this weekend at the wheel of a unique Mitsubishi Mirage R5. Co-driven by Steve McPhee, Middleton has enjoyed multiple Mid Wales Stages wins over the years and could also be a dark horse for overall victory.

Looking further down the field, a very notable entry comes in the form of car 55, a Subaru Impreza driven by no other than pop star and chart topper John Newman. Famed for his 2013 number one single “Love me again”, Newman will make his debut in the sport thanks to support from The Forest Experience Rally School whose venue at Carno will be used as a stage on the event.

Spectators will be well catered for and can watch the action at two locations during the day. Crews will leave The Hafren in Newtown on Sunday morning at 09.00 before heading out to the first spectator stage of the day in Hafren forest. Used twice during the day, the first run takes place at around 09.47 and then for the fourth stage at 13:56.

Spectators can also head to the fan-friendly Sweet Lamb Rally Complex, again for two passes at 10.16 and 14.25. At both venues, the charge is £10 per person.

The service area offers a chance to get close to the cars and crews at The Hafren and will be busy most of the day, ahead of the event finish at around 15:20.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: February 28, 2018 10:31 AM

Mid Wales Stages - 4 Mar 18 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Entries Received

Posted: January 15, 2018 10:46 AM

Available at:

www.rallies.info/webentry/2018/midwales/

Mid Wales Stages ready to rumble

Posted: January 6, 2018 4:13 PM

Newtown based rally releases event regulations as it returns to the British rally scene on 4th March 2018.

Popular stage rally, the Mid Wales Stages will return to the British rallying calendar this March as event organisers Newtown and District Automobile Club release the regulations for the Newtown based event, supported by new title sponsors, Grooms Garage.

After a 12-month sabbatical, the Grooms Garage Mid Wales Stages will take place on 4th March 2018 and is a qualifying round of a host of popular national and regional championships which will see crews tackle 44 miles of classic Welsh forests.

The one-day event will be based from The Hafren, Newtown in Newtown and will utilise world-class forest tests, such as Sweet Lamb and Hafren, as used on the World Rally Championship round, Wales Rally GB.

The event will also head into the Carno forest complex as used by the Forest Experience Rally School. This rarely used venue will provide a unique twist to the format which has been dubbed as a “back-to-basics” event by rally organisers.

The Mid Wales Stages last ran in 2016 as the opening round of the British Rally Championship but due to the financial uncertainty surrounding the use of forest roads at the end of the year, was canned in 2017. The dedication of the organising team and support from the Rally4Wales initiative has allowed Newtown and District Automobile Club to resurrect the event and will enable crews from across the UK to sample some of the best stages in the country with this compact format.

The event will be a qualifying round the Pirelli MSA Welsh Stage Rally Championship who return to the rally once again in 2018. Joining the series is the Restruct Ltd & www.jelfmotorsport.com Welsh Mixed Surface Championship, the Brian Dennis Motorsport Welsh Historic Rally Championship, the West Wales Rally Spares HRCR Stage Masters Challenge, the ANWCC Forest Rally Championship and the FMP Rally Challenge.

Clerk of the Course Wayne Jones is delighted to be able to resurrect the popular stage event and believes the organisers have the format just right this time around.

“It was great to be part of the British Rally Championship and hosting a two-day event with night stages was an experience, but we are really conscious that a basic, cost-effective stage rally with some world class stages is just what rallying in the UK needs right now and this was the right time for the Mid Wales Stages to convert to this format” he says.

“We have a great mix of stages which will challenge competitors of all skill levels and combines a route which many will know and love, with some new stages to keep everyone on their toes. It has all the ingredients for a classic event.

I would like to extend our thanks to our new title sponsors Grooms Garage and of course to the championships who will be joining us in March.”

Competitors are urged to enter the event early as due to time constraints, the maximum entry for the event is 110.

On Line Entry

Posted: January 6, 2018 4:11 PM

www.rallies.info/webentry/2018/midwales/

Mid Wales Stages returns in 2018

Posted: September 15, 2017 5:46 AM

Popular stage rally returns to the British rallying calendar on 4th March 2018

Despite not running in 2017, Newtown and District Automobile Club will organise the Grooms Garage Mid Wales Stages on 4th March 2018.

After being a round of the MSA British Rally Championship in 2016 which saw World Rally Championship ace Elfyn Evans take victory in his Ford Fiesta R5, organisers of the event were unable to ensure the financial stability of the rally in 2017 due to changes in the way roads were repaired after use.

Now, thanks to the commitment of Rally 4 Wales and continued dedication from the organising team, Newtown and District Automobile Club will run a single day gravel rally based from The Hafren in Newtown, Powys. The event will contain 45 stage miles of classic forest tests, mixed with new variants of familiar stages.

It will contain five tests and have an ultra-compact format, with Documentation, Scrutiny, Rally HQ and Event Service based in The Hafren to ensure costs are kept to a minimum for crews. Whilst this will limit entries to 110, the organisers of the event are looking forward to welcoming competitors back to the Mid Wales Stages once again in 2018.

“Of course it was a very hard decision not to run this year but there was much uncertainty surrounding the costs of the repair of roads in Wales and financial sustainability at the time,” said Clerk of the Course Wayne Jones.

“Coupled with a lower than usual number of entries at the start of the year, we simply had no choice not to run but we always said we would return again in 2018. This time, we have ensured that the event can appeal to everyone and will contain some fantastic stages which many will be familiar with, along with some that crews won’t be too. We are in talks with Championships for next season and more information will be released soon. We would like to extend our thanks to our sponsors Grooms Garage for their support and enthusiasm towards the event”.

More details will be released in the coming months.

Event & Club Websites

Posted: September 15, 2017 5:46 AM

Mid Wales Stages

Newtown And District Automobile Club