By Ian Crammond

What is it with Rugby Clubs? Suddenly all the rage. And quite right too, for Cirencester Rugby Club made an excellent venue once more for the near-capacity 71 cars headed by 45 Interclub competitors who started Tavern MC’s Cotswold Historic. Gavin and Suze Rogers gave competitors a tight 140 odd miles incorporating eight airfield tests at Kemble and South Cerney, six demanding regularities and most of the prettier Cotswold villages and views. Narrow and slow in places, it may have been, but it was a spectacular route on a very hot day.

John King/Mike Cochrane (Escort) starred on reg 1, but at coffee after two runs at Kemble, the in-form Lewis Ayris/Matt Outhwaite (Escort) had taken a one second lead, going on to contest it with King/Cochrane until lunch back at Crudwell Village Hall. Here, the battling pair were well clear of Peter Higton and Phil Savage (MX-5), who narrowly led Martin Payton and Miles Fieldhouse (PV544). The Navigators’ championship was changing shape as already out with a stub axle failure on the first test were Mick Valentine/Ryan Pickering (Escort) while on the Club rally, the James Holt/Alastair Leckie BMW had consumed its clutch. Two down.

John King and Mike Cochrane (Ford Escort) battled throughout the morning but were in 2nd place at lunch.  Photo by Harry Jaggard.

After a very well organised, lunch back at Crudwell Village Hall, three long regularities and four very difficult tests at South Cerney made for a long hot afternoon. Traffic of all kinds increased on the sunny day but given that this is a midsummer rally in a very heavily visited area, with the exception of Bibury you could argue most of us saw relatively little road traffic. In our case, it came the other way usually just after I had said something like “well at least there won’t be another car on this little lane…”. I should know better…. The PR had been done well, though, and the number of waving locals was a treat. To the folks on reg 6 who seemed to be offering us a glass of champagne, next time we’ll stop!

Best on regs four and five and easily fastest on the over-tight tests at South Cerney, Ayris/Outhwaite took a huge 40s lead into the final regularity, promptly dropped seven minutes (capped at two) on it, and lost all chance of a two in a row victory. They recovered a little at South Cerney but could still only manage fifth. Without doubt, though, this is the form crew of the moment.

Lewis Ayris and Matt Outhwaite (Ford Escort), leading at lunch but an error cost them the max two minute penalty.  Photo by Harry Jaggard.

Others in trouble with the green dots on reg 6 included Guy Woodcock and Pete Johnson, who briefly were fifth. Less troubled here but completely floored by South Cerney were Ian Crammond/Graham Raeburn in the SL, which left the top ten on the last two tests without ever having climbed beyond 8^th. Meanwhile Darell Staniforth and Henry Carr did nothing horribly wrong yet hovered in the middle of the top ten all day, finishing 7^th.

Darrel Staniforth and Henry Carr (Toyota Corolla) finished 7th overall.  Photo by Harry Jaggard.

On a hot day there were a few car failures, notably affecting the Dave Morris/Jac Wales MGB and Ian and Alastair Blakemore’s Mini, while we struggled with a late misfire too. Nothing, though, quite matched the fire that confronted James Griffiths and James Howell when the wooden block between sump and sump guard caught alight after the first pass at South Cerney after twenty years of minding its own business. Luckily, they were able to put it out without further damage and continued, slightly shaken but not stirred.

Fire, what fire! James’es Griffith and Howell (1275GT Mini) on there way to 8th overall despite a small conflagration and South Cerney.  Photo by Harry Jaggard.

In the end King/Cochrane beat Higton/Savage by a mere nine seconds. HRCR Champions John Haygarth/Martyn Taylor (Kadett) took third from Nick Bloxham/Gary Evans (Mexico). David Crooks and Emily Anderson (Nova GTE) led the Experts home in 12^th. Lee Davies and Richard White (Mini Clubman) led the Novices. Dick and Harry Baines (Cooper S) won the Club Rally in a triumph of consistency that saw them climb steadily through the order as others had issues with car or route. The Oliver Burton/Allan Pettit MGB was best of the rest and there were a few non-finishers in this group.

Quietly, Martin Payton and Miles Fieldhouse are going about their business with impressive consistency and they now lead the Drivers and Navigators tables at the halfway point in the HRCR/C&SC championship.

 

All photos by Harry Jaggard.