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Swansea Bay Rally - 23 Jul 05

Posted: August 3, 2005 9:14 AM - 6132 Hits

Round 5 - 2005 ANCRO MSA National Rally Championship
Round 6 - 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge
Round 5 - 2005 206 Super Cup

  • COLIN BRITTON THIRD IN SWANSEA!
  • Peugeot 206 Super Cup | Round 5 Swansea Bay National Rally
  • Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Treble Top for Jones
  • JOHNSON HITS THE FRONT

Posted: August 3, 2005 9:14 AM

COLIN BRITTON THIRD IN SWANSEA!
The fifth round of the Special Tuning UK Peugeot 206 Super Cup saw Strabane’s Colin Britton secure an excellent third position at the Swansea Bay Rally!

After tasting champagne with third overall at March’s Border Counties Rally, Britton and co-driver Kenny Hull (Katesbridge) were determined to take another podium finish. Greeted by dry conditions at the Swansea based event, dust immediately became a problem for the A.B. Contracts and Logos Auto Graphics Peugeot. Visibility was poor, particularly under the trees, but the crew battled on and found themselves in third position after stage three.

“It was very slippy but I had plenty of confidence in the car,” Britton said. “After stage four, Jonnie Wigmore moved in front of Mike Faulkner by six seconds so we knew those two would be going hard over the 17 mile Rheola stage. So I decided to back off and preserve the car as we had a comfortable gap to fourth position.”

Colin was driving his Gerry McGarrity prepared car with his head and sure enough, one of the top two drivers hit problems on the long stage. Jonnie Wigmore burst his sump somehow managed to escape without losing any time! Britton held station and a safe run through the final stages saw the crew secure third in class!

“It was just a matter of getting home safely and getting a good points haul in the bag,” co-driver Hull said. “We’re now third in the championship - it will be difficult to move up any higher but you never know with rallying. We’ll certainly try our best!”

Round six takes crews to Builth Wells for the Mewla National Rally on the 27/28 August. Colin and Kenny will be aiming to maintain their championship position with another podium finish to add to their CV.

Peugeot 206 Super Cup | Round 5 Swansea Bay National Rally Jonnie Wigmore partnered by Robbie Durrant in the Banzai sponsored 206 tightened their grip on the 2005 Peugeot 206 Super Cup championship with another dominant win on the Swansea Bay National rally.

Nine mechanically identical Peugeot 206 Super cup cars made the start at County Hall in Swansea city centre and amazingly all bar one made it back to the finish despite the tricky conditions.

Wigmore/ Durrant took the initiative on the opening Tyle stage with a 1.2 second advantage over Mike Faulkner / Peter Foy with Colin Britton/ Kenny Hull a further second in arrears.

The situation had changed by the end of SS2 Resolven1 when a charging Faulkner stopped the clocks some 7 seconds quicker than Wigmore and claimed the lead. Richard Sykes / Simon Taylor lost over 2 minutes with a broken throttle cable and all the other crews complained about the dust hanging in the trees and affecting visibility.

Stage 3 Walters is used as a spectator venue on the WRC Rally GB and attracted good numbers of fans to the Swansea Bay. Faulkner struggled for grip on the loose gravel and lost time to both Wigmore and Britton losing the lead in the process, with a recovering Richard Sykes heading the second batch of 206 drivers.

For Stage 4 Rhondda the organisers took the brave decision to allow 2 minute gaps between the cars in order to allow the dust to settle. This allowed improved visibility but meant that the rally would run late by a couple of hours. Again Wigmore took the initiative and extended his lead to 5 seconds.

Rheola was the venue for stage 5 and proved to be dramatic, Faulkner reported a couple of two wheel moments on several hairpins, in addition he was having trouble selecting gears. However it was not all plain sailing for Wigmore, a cracked sump needed attention at service. The leading duo were now over a minute clear of the remaining Super Cup crews and pulling away.

Following service a re-run of Walters saw Wigmore extend his lead by another 4 seconds. This set up a thrilling finale for the final stage Resolven 2. Faulkner clawed back 4 seconds but it was not enough and Wigmore took another fine victory. Faulkner finished in 2nd place from Colin Britton 3rd and Clive Wheeler 4th. Other 206 finishers were Declan Magee, William Mavitty, Owen Murphy and Jonathon Sparks.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Treble Top for Jones
  • Close finish sees Jones claim third win of the season
  • Champion finishes fourth and retains series lead

    Stuart Jones claimed his third Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge victory of the season this weekend, when he and co-driver Craig Parry finished just five seconds ahead of Phillip Morrow and Shelley Rogerson on Saturday’s round six, the Swansea Bay Rally.



    The event featured seven stages totalling nearly 70 miles of competition in the forests around the Neath and Rhondda Valleys, dry weather making the gravel roads extremely dusty.

    With four drivers: Ryan Champion, Nik Elsmore, Stuart Jones and Phillip Morrow, all in with a shout of the Evo Challenge title and the first prize of a Mitsubishi works drive in the 2006 British Rally Championship, the pace at the front of the field was destined to be fierce.

    Right from the start the dramas began, with Champion suffering a problem with a fuel pump switch and losing nearly a minute in the process. Fastest through the 5.6 mile Tyle stage was a back on form Kevin Stevens, setting a time five seconds ahead of Jones, Elsmore and Ed Stallard, with Morrow a surprising 24 seconds adrift.

    First Evo retirement was that of Neil McCance, a puncture which subsequently led to a damaged wiring loom, bringing the car to a standstill.

    Stage two, 11.35 miles through Resolven Forest, saw Morrow put the record straight, posting a time seven seconds quicker than his nearest rival, in this case Jones. For Elsmore, bad luck was about to prevail: When negotiating a hairpin five miles into the stage a shaft in the transmission snapped and it was all he could do to struggle back to the service halt after SS3.

    Elsmore’s drop in speed meant that Champion, who was next on the road, caught up and then could not get past in the dust, the upshot seeing the series leader lose a further 45 seconds to the Mitsubishi front runners.

    Now lying in an uncharacteristic 7th place, Champion went on a charge and was fastest Evo runner on SS3, the 3.4 mile run through Walters Arena, his speed quick enough to post the fourth fastest time overall! When cars entered the first service halt of the day, it was Stevens who led the Evo Challenge pack, now nine seconds ahead of Jones. Morrow was third, a further four seconds back and reporting strange noises from under his car, his service crew finding a broken cross member to be the culprit, which they duly welded together.

    For Elsmore, the service halt marked the end of the road and although his team repaired his car, organisers saw fit to reduce the amount of service time available due to delays earlier in the event. As such, the 15 minute maximum lateness limit was exceeded and Elsmore was out. It was the second retirement in as many events for the former series leader, a contrast to his run of consistent finishes earlier in the season.

    Champion continued his come back bid with another fastest Evo Challenge time on SS4, 14.2 two miles in Rhondda, the next three cars: Stevens, Jones and Morrow, locked in battle and now separated by just five seconds.

    Bad luck struck Connor McClosky once again, when a broken trackrod end half way through SS4 forced him into retirement.

    And then came the longest stage of the day, the 17.4 miles run through Rheola, where Jones made his move, going 14 seconds quicker than Morrow who collected puncture five miles from the finish. Stevens also slowed, concerned he had damaged a rear driveshaft after clipping a rock and consequently went 15 seconds slower than Jones.

    Ed Stallard dropped out of contention on this stage when a rear brake caliper broke following an emergency application of the handbrake!

    The final two stages, a repeat of Walters Arena and Resolven, saw Morrow put his head down and attack in an attempt to recover his 12 second deficit. But Jones was on his guard and although Morrow flew through the last stage seven seconds faster than any other Evo Challenge competitor, Jones held on to a five second advantage.

    “I’m delighted to take my third win of the year”’ said Jones. “After suffering a blown head gasket on the Jim Clark Rally a couple of weeks ago we fitted a new engine and I was concerned it didn’t have the power of the old one. Having retired last time out I needed this result to put my title hopes back on track.”

    Having headed the Evo Challenge attack for four of the seven stages, Stevens ended an impressive run in third, whilst Champion made the best of his frustrating start having climbed back to fourth.

    Another impressive performance came from Tim Pearcey, who recorded his best Evo Challenge result so far and finished fifth, with a returning Tony Thompson sixth. A solid drive by Martin Newcombe, who was quickly adapting to his car’s improved performance, came home in seventh, whilst Ed Stallard ended his day in eighth, a position which reflected his problems on SS5 rather than his times on the remaining six stages.

    The Evo Challenge and the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship, now take a seven week Summer break before the next round, the Newton Stewart based Park Systems Stages, which takes place on 10th September.

    The 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is supported by: Mitsubishi Motors UK, Ralliart, Walon UK, Pirelli Tyres, Shell Racing Fuels, Speedline Corse, PIAA UK and Mintex.

    Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Round 6 - Results
    1st Stuart Jones (Welshpool)/Craig Parry (Welshpool) 1:09:04.3
    2nd Phillip Morrow (Lisburn)/Shelley Rogerson (Morecambe) 1:09:09.3
    3rd Kevin Stevens (London)/Marc Jones (Billericay) 1:09:40.1
    4th Ryan Champion (Whitby)/Craig Thorley (York) 1:10:08.9
    5th Tim Pearcey (Harrogate/Cliff Simmons (Coleford) 1:10.34.3
    6th Tony Thompson (Darlington)/Jon Dunning (York) 1:12:56.1
    7th Martin Newcombe (Plymouth)/Peter Newcombe (Plymouth) 1:14:40.9
    8th Ed Stallard (Cheltenham)/Richard Edwards (Wolverhampton) 1:26:49.2

    PIAA Junior Award - Stuart Jones
    Walon Best Prepared Car - Stuart Jones

    Retirements

    SS1 Neil McCance (Newtownards)/Graham Hopewell (Worcester) - Puncture/Electrical
    SS3 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Nigel Gardner (New Tredegar) - Transmission
    SS4 Connor McCloskey (Kilrea)/Alun Cook (Caerphilly) - Steering


    JOHNSON HITS THE FRONT
    Julian Reynolds took overall victory on the Swansea Bay National Rally, round five of the 2005 MSA National Gravel Championship after an immense battle with Barry Johnson towards the end. Roger Duckworth secured third place ahead of Steve Perez, while series leader Paul Bird finished the event fifth overall.

    Dry conditions leading up to the weekend caused a serious problem with hanging dust over the opening loop of three stages, with most drivers complaining of poor visibility. Organisers took the decision to separate the cars by two-minute gaps for the remainder of the day.

    The first three stages saw the retirement of Marcus Dodd, Andrew Burton and Craig Middleton. Dodd, winner of round four, ended his rally in a lake on stage one, Burton retired on stage two when residual oil from a leak caught fire and forced him into retirement while Craig Middleton, who had led the event after the opening test, retired on stage three with a broken steering rack. Last year’s winner Mark Perrott also fell foul to the stages when he lost a wheel on stage five.

    Perrott led the event overall from stage two and he had a three second lead over Barry Johnson before his demise moved Johnson up to the top spot and he had a seven second advantage over Julian Reynolds going into the final stage. However, Johnson lost his brakes and Reynolds was nine seconds quicker through the eleven mile Resolven test and this ensured him the win by a mere two seconds.

    Third placed Roger Duckworth and co driver Aled Davies had gear selection problems over the first three stages, and lost approximately thirty seconds on stage four when they overshot a junction and stalled the Impreza WRC. Two fastest times over the final two stages guaranteed them their third position.

    Steve Perez had suffered badly from the dust on the first three stages but he had a clean run over the remainder of the event. Perez and co driver Neil Dashfield finished forty seconds behind Duckworth and nine seconds ahead of Paul Bird. Bird also struggled with the dust and had to resort to manual gearshift and the car also kept cutting out through stage four. The problem was diagnosed and repaired in service but he had already dropped a lot of time. Bird maintained a steady pace over the remaining three stages to finish fifth.

    Stuart Jones took the overall honours on the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge whilst Jonnie Wigmore took overall victory in the Special Tuning (UK) 206 Super Cup.

    In the ANCRO Clubmans Championship, Allan McDowall ended up with his third successive win and as a result increased his lead at the head of the Championship, and now leads by ten points from Simon Hawthorn.

    The fact that Julian Reynolds is not registered for points in the Championship means that Barry Johnson and co driver Stewart Merry scored maximum points. Johnson now leads the overall Championship on 101 points, one point ahead of Paul Bird.

    The next round of the Championship is the Park Systems Furniture Rally in Scotland on 10th September.

    Swansea Bay National Rally – Results
    1 Julian Reynolds/Paul Spooner Ford Focus WRC 1:07:05.9
    2 Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry Subaru Impreza WRC 1:07:08.2
    3 Roger Duckworth/Aled Davies Subaru Impreza WRC 1:07:11.4
    4 Steve Perez/Neil Dashfield Ford Focus WRC 1:07:50.4
    5 Paul Bird/Ian Windress Ford Focus WRC 1:07:59.1
    6 Stuart Jones/Craig Parry Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 1:09:04.3
    7 Phillip Morrow/Shelley Rogerson Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 1:09:09.3
    8 Kevin Stevens/Marc Jones Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 1:09:40.1
    9 Conrad Rautenbach/Ieuan Thomas Subaru Impreza 1:09:59.4
    10 Nigel Griffiths/Andrew Owens Subaru Impreza 1:10:00.8
    PRE EVENT NEWS
    • Owen Murphy Goes to Swansea.
    • New Ambitions for Charles Clot!
    • Crealey Bows Out of 2005 Series
    • Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - WHO WILL CLAIM VICTORY IN THE VALLEYS?
    • ALL TO PLAY FOR….ANCRO Swansea Bay Rally Preview
    • List of Entries to date available
    • Regulations available
    • Event Details
    22/07/05
    Owen Murphy Goes to Swansea.
    After the problems with the car on the last round Gerry McGarrity said to Owen and the team it might be no harm to try an Irish Forestry event in the car ,it was decided that Monaghan fitted the bill perfectly during a quiet time in the 206 Cup which is Owens priority this year.

    The event was well run and had some great stages but the challenge was expected to come from 2004 Billy Coleman award winner Eamon McElvaney in his 106 and fellow Monaghan man and former Billy Coleman award winner Dessie Keenan in his 206.

    Owen felt that Dessie would be the bench mark for his times Dessie has always been quick in any car and is the current Gp N Tarmac Champion.

    The battle which ensued between Eoin and Dessie was one of the talking points of the whole rally there were only seconds between the lads all day Owen being quickest on stages 1,4,5,6 so with just the last stage remaining Owen had a buffer of 11 seconds and going into the final stage a drive shaft let go and it was heart break for the young Cork man once again so close and yet so far.

    Owen said I am a bit sick but we came here today drove in the middle of the road and Anto was spot on with the notes I was on the pace and it was a great battle with Dessie hopefully we can do it again sometime.

    Now my focus must change to the next round of the UK 206 Supercup the Port Talbot Motor Club run Swansea Bay Rally 2005

    The event runs as the fifth round of the 2005 MSA National Gravel Championship, a qualifying round of the Ancro Clubmans Gravel Rally Championship, the Mitsubishi UK Evolution challenge and the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, the OSG Motorsport and Dutton Tyres Welsh National Championship, the Peugeot 205 EuroRally Cup, MG Championship, and it is also a round of the ANWCC Championships.

    The event will use the classic forests in the vale of Neath, brought to international fame by use in the British round if the FIA World Rally Championship.

    I Would like to wish all the best to my friends in the Cork Motor Club who are running the Tadhg O'Conaill Heating & Plumbing Ltd Cork Forest Rally 2005 wish I could be there but sure we cant be everywhere.

    206 Supercup runners seedings are as follows
    39. Johnny Wigmore
    40. Mike Faulkner
    41. Richard Sykes
    42. Owen Murphy
    43. Colin Britton

    20/07/05
    New “Rendezvous” in Great Britain for frenchmen Charles Clot and Gaetan Houssin and the Mazda 323 GTR.

    The 22nd & 23rd July, It’s in Swansea, on the same tracks that the WRC actors will compete next September that the Jurassian Driver is braving the local WRC cars drivers or the Mitsubishi Challenge drivers.

    In 2004, this rally was a totally unknown. The crew reached the finish at the 21st rank. It is a good performance when we know it was the 1st rally together between Charles and Gaetan, their 1st participation to this rally and with the notes given by the organisation they translated into French the night before at their hotel. Another particularity of the Gravel British championship in opposition of the French one is that there is no recce before the start of the 1st stage.

    Back again this year in Wales, the morale and the ambition is increased to set better objectives on the tracks near Resolven, Rheola, Rhondda and the famous Walters Arena.

    Gaetan: “Charles and myself are really motivated. We competed in February at the Sunseeker Rally South England where we did some good performance and good times in the middle of the WRC cars. It is a good omen. We came here last year; the organisation sent us a DVD with the stages, so now Charles will drive having his own notes.”

    They nearly failed to take part of this round, since on the same weekend in France, the rally Terre de Langres takes place. This rally counts for the “Volant 206” and Gaetan Houssin was due to compete with Shaun Gallagher, but the Irish driver withdrawn in this round.

    19/07/05
    Leading National Rally Championship driver, Brendan Crealey, has this week announced that he will curtail his 2005 National Gravel Rally Championship campaign and will therefore not be taking part in this Saturday's round five, the Swansea Bay Rally.

    Having won the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge in 2003, Crealey, from Portadown, together with his regular co-driver, Steve Harris, from Sheffield, was awarded the Mitsubishi UK works drive in 2004 and went on to win the National Production Class title.

    Looking to build on his former success, the highly regarded Ulsterman purchased a Ford Focus WRC car in order to challenge for the overall Championship crown in 2005.

    Although having achieved some promising results and posted a number of fastest overall stage times, the season has not gone completely according to plan and it is clear that the opportunity to claim the title is now out of reach.

    "It's a great shame to withdraw from the Championship half way through the season", said Crealey. "I'm a person who like to see things through, but my aim was to win the National title this year and that's now not going to happen."

    Budget and business commitments have also played their part, as Crealey explains:
    "WRC cars cost a lot to run and when I knew I couldn't achieve my goal I decided it would be better consolidating for another year. Added to this my business is demanding far more of my time than I had imagined, a factor which has distracted my attentions and stopped me from testing as much as I would have liked this season."

    As far as future plans are concerned, Crealey is still yet to decide:
    "The Focus is currently for sale. If it hasn't gone in a couple of months time I might do another event. Needless to say I still love rallying and I would like to be out again next year, but I won't be making any decisions for a few months yet.

    "I have to thank the team at VRS Motorsport and M-Sport who have supported me so well this year and to my sponsors Dunlop, Shell and Superdrive Motorsports Centre for their much valued contributions to my 2005 campaign."

    Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - WHO WILL CLAIM VICTORY IN THE VALLEYS?
    Round six of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge, the Swansea Bay Rally, takes place this Saturday (23rd July), just two weeks after round five, the Jim Clark Memorial Rally, where the outcome put a different complexion on the race for the 2005 title.



    Of the four leading drivers it was Ryan Champion that came away from the second of the series' two asphalt rounds with maximum points, the other three contenders: Nik Elsmore, Stuart Jones and Phillip Morrow all retiring with engine maladies.

    Jones and Elsmore's problems occurred early in the event, a head gasket and overheating engine causing their retirements. It was a similar story for Morrow, but his case was more frustrating, having had to stop with a blown head gasket just three stages form the finish - and whilst in the lead!

    However, luck was on Champion's side, when he managed to avoid retirement after his car's rear suspension was smashed following a heavy landing, fortunately just before a service halt.

    This result dropped Elsmore off the series' top spot into second place and rocketed Champion into the lead by a margin of six points. Jones and Morrow still share the same number of points and occupy third and forth places respectively. But with each driver having to drop scores from one round, it will still take a brave person to predict a winner at this stage of the season.

    Jones starts as the highest seeded Evo driver in Swansea and sees a change of co-driver, Craig Parry joining him for this event. Morrow starts second and switches back to his own Evo VI following his outing on the Jim Clark Rally in a hired Evo VIII. He also changes co-drivers, Shelley Rogerson his third co-driver in as many events. Champion is next up starting third with Elsmore fourth.

    Between these four title protagonists the battle is still well and truly on and each will be out to gain the advantage that could make all the difference as to who will win the top prize of a Mitsubishi UK works drive in 2006.

    Having finished second on the Jim Clark Rally, Colin Greer is still just in the title frame and another good result next weekend could well rekindle his hopes, although a lowly seeding will not help his chances. Connor McCloskey finished third in Scotland and is a late entry in Swansea, whilst fourth on that occasion was Noel Kelly and he continues his full season in the Evo Challenge aiming for another solid performance this weekend.

    Neil McCance will be hoping for better luck on the gravel following his retirement due to a broken differential on the tarmac of the Jim Clark Rally.

    Making his 2005 series debut is former Evo Challenge stalwart is Tony Thompson, whilst returning to the fold having missed the Jim Clark Rally are: Ed Stallard, Tim Pearcey, Kevin Stevens and Martin Newcombe.

    The Swansea Bay Rally will feature some of the stages destined to be used for the forthcoming Wales Rally GB, the route of 75 competitive miles taking crews into the forests surrounding the Neath and Rhondda Valleys.

    60 teams will start the Swansea Bay National Rally, of which 12 are Evolution Challenge competitors, a figure which represents 20% of the entry.

    The 2005 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is supported by: Mitsubishi Motors UK, Ralliart, Walon UK, Pirelli Tyres, Shell Racing Fuels, Speedline Corse, PIAA and Mintex.

    List of Swansea Bay Rally entered Evolution Challenge competitors in start number order (home towns in brackets)

    12 Stuart Jones (Welshpool)/Craig Parry (Welshpool)
    13 Phillip Morrow (Lisburn)/Shelley Rogerson (Morecambe)
    14 Ryan Champion (Whitby)/Craig Thorley (York)
    15 Nik Elsmore (Coleford)/Nigel Gardner (New Tredegar)
    21 Ed Stallard (Cheltenham)/Richard Edwards (Wolverhampton)
    22 Neil McCance (Newtownards)/Graham Hopewell (Worcester)
    24 Tim Pearcey (Harrogate)/Mick Johnson (Thirsk)
    25 Tony Thompson (Darlington)/Jon Dunning (York)
    26 Kevin Stevens (London)/Mark Jones (Billericay)
    27 Martin Newcombe (Plymouth)/Peter Newcombe (Plymouth)
    32 Noel Kelly (Crosby)/James Kelly (Crosby)
    62 Colin Greer (Beith)/Neil Ewing (Largs)
    TBC Connor McCloskey (Kilrea)/Crawford Henderson (Portrush)


    ALL TO PLAY FOR….ANCRO Swansea Bay Rally Preview
    The battle for the 2005 MSA National Gravel Rally Championship enters a crucial stage this weekend (July 23rd) when round five of the series will be played out on the Swansea Bay Rally.

    Just five points separate championship leader Paul Bird from arch rival Barry Johnson but winner last time out in Wales after success on last month’s Mutiny Rally, Marcus Dodd is also in with a shout once the mandatory dropped score is taken into account.

    Bird, from Penrith and Northallerton co driver Ian Windress have yet to sample the delights of victory in their Stobart Motorsport Ford Focus WRC but have found a consistency which has reaped dividends over the opening four rounds whilst Johnson, from Shildon, with Channel Islander Stewart Merry on the notes have encountered mechanical woes on two of the rounds in their Barrier Surveillance Subaru S9 otherwise they would have been closer to the British Superbike team boss.

    Dodd, from Poole and Manx born co driver Andrew Bargery retired their Flitewise Hyundai Accent WRC on the Roush Manx Rally and are now having to play catch up. The former champion will settle for another win in his beloved Welsh forests which would mean a grandstand finish come the final two rounds.

    Leominster’s Mark Perrott won the Port Talbot Motor Club Ltd organised event last year but is another driver to have suffered with more than his and co driver Patrick Walsh’s fair share of bad luck in their PBS Ford Escort WRC and another former champion hoping to make a late charge for the title is Roger Duckworth from Towcester and co driver Mark Broomfield in their Autosportif Impreza WRC.

    Defending champion Steve Perez (Clay Cross) and co driver Neil Dashfield still have an outside chance of retaining their title in their VK Ford Focus WRC03 whilst other ANCRO regulars who could spring a surprise in the Vale of Neath forests include Steve Petch/John Richardson (SGP Hyundai Accent WRC), Andy Burton/John Roberts (Dunlop Peugeot Cosworth) and Craig Middleton/Robin Hernaman (Matador Hyundai Accent WRC).

    One crew absent from proceedings in South Wales will be Ulsterman Brendan Crealey and co driver Steve Harris who have just announced their withdrawal from the 2005 series in their Ford Focus WRC due to budget and business commitments.

    There’s all still to play for in the supporting classes with North Yorkshireman Ryan Champion leading the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evo Challenge following a class victory on last weekend’s Jim Clark Rally with Bicester driver Jonnie Wigmore and co driver Robbie Durant well in charge of Peugeot 206 Super Cup standings as well as class honours in A6.

    Other selected class leaders include Nik Elsmore (Coleford) in the Production Cup, Stuart Jones (Welshpool) in Class ‘N’ and National Junior Driver and Shelley Taunt (Swindon) who heads the Ladies Cup.

    M-Sport Ford lead the Group ‘A’ Manufacturers championship ahead of Hyundai, Prodrive – Subaru and Mitsubishi, whilst Mitsubishi lead the Group ‘N’ standings and Jonnie Wigmore leads the Innovation Motorsports ‘Late Challenge Cup’.

    Supporting the main event will be the Swansea Bay Clubman’s Rally which forms round four of the ANCRO Clubman’s Championship and like its National counterpart, is a closely fought affair with just four points separating Tarbolton’s Allan McDowall and Kidderminster driver Simon Hawthorn.

    McDowall and co driver Gavin Heseltine (Gilberdyke) have won the past two events in their Opel Kadett with Hawthorne and co driver Martin Jones (Brecon) yet to register a win in their Ford Escort. Hollingbourne’s James Potter and Alistair Adams from Bewdley are still playing catch up following on from their shenanigans in the snow of the opening round and will be a major force this time around.

    Iain Shirlaw from Barnoldswick (Proton Satria Kit Car) heads the EuroRallye Cup.

    The event gets underway on Saturday morning with a ceremonial City centre start with the first car leaving at 08.30 before returning to the finish at around 17.30.

    07/07/05
    List of Entries to date available
    Unseeded list of Entries on event website:
    12/06/05
    Event Details
    The event uses the quality forestry stages in the Vale of Neath, that also provide the competitive mileage for the Wales Rally GB, the U.K. round of the F.I.A. World Rally Championship. The Port Talbot Motor Club rally effectively pioneered these special stages, over twenty years ago, and they have been used by International and National rallies ever since.

    The National event will run over seven stages (approx 70 miles), the Clubmans & the 205 Challenge divisions of the rally having five competitive stages (approx 45 miles)

    Walters Arena – the recently developed motorsporting centre that provides action for both competitor and spectator alike will be visited twice during the event by the National crews and once each for the Clubmans & 205 Challenge competitors.

    Spectator areas will be confirmed in due course but the main area is Walters Arena which is presently undergoing major road improvements, and other advantageous changes. The service area is also located at Walters Arena, which will also provide Corporate Hospitality, to required standards.

    • Topics: Swansea Bay 

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