Tough, Hot Grist

Our competitors in the West Wales Rally Spares Stage Masters Challenge endured excruciatingly hot temperatures on the Quinton Motor Club Nicky Grist Stages with 33 degrees being reported. The heat had a negative effect on crews and cars with a number of mechanical retirements and drivers and co-drivers wilting inside their thick racing overalls in cars that were already roasting. On the bright side the rally had a nice route with stages in Gwibedog, Halfway, Crychan and Route 60 on the Epynt ranges which has not been used since 2018. These stages were all used twice interspersed with a visit to the Groe field on the banks of the river Wye in Builth Wells for service.

The first loop of stages went well for everyone except Ron Morgan who retired his BDA powered Ford Escort on Gwibedog, the very first stage. Leading driver was Baz Wheeler in his familiar Metric Services RS1800 with John Pickavance alongside again after missing Argyll. Leading co-driver though was Guy Weaver who was sat with unregistered Rudi Lancaster, also in a Ford Escort RS1800. Mike Simpson was next best with regular co-driver Dale Gibbons back alongside steadying the ship. Mike was out on a confidence building outing after a heavy shunt on the Manx in his rebuilt RS1800.

The D3 class for pinto Escorts was being led by the super cool Hywel Davies with David Peters and Dan Morefield next and last years Challenge winners Paul Holmes and Liz Beesley behind in third. Fighting personal battles were D4 entrants Graham Thatcher and Tim Samuel in the Sparkrite liveried Triumph TR7 V8, C3 entrant Jeremy Wells in his RS1600 and C2 entrants Freddy Camp and Stephen Spear in their Escort. All these crews reported a trouble free morning although there is evidence of Camp and Spear indulging in some over exuberance!

With everything settling down it was a case of holding station and cruising back to the finish but the gods had different ideas by the time stage 7, Halfway came along. Firstly Wheeler and Pickavance recorded a rare retirement with axle problems and Simpson and Gibbons also retired when the steering rack decided to work itself loose before the stage start. Despite their best efforts nothing could be done and they decided to save the car for another day.

The D3 class flourished however and none of the crews reported any issues apert from the blistering heat with Hywel Davies taking the top honours and Peter/Morefied, Holmes/Beesley following some way back. Thatcher and Samuel took maximum points in their class as did Camp/Spear and Wells.

There were in fact 44 retirements from the rally and it was an achievement to get to the finish. Tyre wear was an issue for the more powerful cars with rear tyre changes for many crews after the abrasive Halfway stage which added to the physical strain. 

The Exol oil award for this event goes to Guy Weaver for another great event guiding Rudi Lancaster to a highly respectable finish. Thanks also to all the Challenge supporters, Jondel Race Engines were in attendance and powered many good results on the day. Mintex are always in attendance and ready to support our crews and REIS are always available to quote should you need insurance.

With the sad cancellation of the Hills Ford Stages the Challenge will now reduce the number of scoring rounds with 8 available and 5 to count. Next round is the Woodpecker Stages which will start from Newtown once again this year. All 2 wheel drive cars will run first on the road in reverse order, a great opportunity to get a smooth run over great roads.