Date confirmed for 2012 Cambrian Rally
The North Wales Car Club is pleased to confirm the date for the 2012 Cambrian Rally is Saturday 20th October.
Review of the 2011 Cambrian Rally
The 56th running of the North Wales Car Club (NWCC) Cambrian Rally attracted over 120 crews from throughout Britain along with French rally driver Laurent Fouques.
Heavy rain throughout the week leading up to the rally and on the day of the event meant muddy and slippery conditions in the classic forestry stages of Penmachno, Clocaenog and Alwen. Of the cars that started, over a quarter never reached the finishing line at Llandudno and those that did had enduring tales of adventure to tell.
Rally favourite and 2011 BTRDA Gold Star Champion Andrew Burton blew the engine of his hybrid Peugeot Cosworth on SS2 and retired from the event along with the 2010 Cambrian winner, Steve Perez when his Lancia Stratos suffered with gearbox failure on SS1, the Penmachno stages claiming some big scalps. Ludlow based Shaun Gardener, co-driven by Ben Innes in the TNT Tyres (Ludlow) Ltd Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5/9 won the event by just 9 seconds after a titanic battle with Aberdyfi based Tom Cave in a World Rally Car, the Mitsubishi Lancer WRC, the pair setting the same times on several stages or at worst being only within a handful of seconds of each other.
A puncture on the first stage in Penmachno and then catching a car on the Orme stage cost 19 year old Cave valuable seconds, the youngster having to settle for 2nd place honours overall, but taking the WRC class win on the event.
27 year old Llandudno based Millers Oils Rising Star driver, Matt Edwards co-driven by Sam Collis of Chesterfield took Neville Jones’ Vulcan Industrial Fasteners Ltd Subaru Impreza to a commanding 4th place overall and 2nd in class following a late hire deal organised through Geoff Jones Motorsport. Back behind the wheel of a four-wheel drive rally car for only the third time since 2008, Edwards said “The hatch back version of the car takes a bit of getting used to and we took a while to find our feet. The conditions out there were the slipperiest I’ve seen on this rally and the twist of changing to tarmac from gravel for the last two stages was a real challenge as we don’t have the budget or team support to do a full swap in the last service from gravel to tarmac spec, relying instead on just changing the tyres.” Despite this,
Edwards set 5th fastest times on both stages on the Orme. In the forest, he set the 3rd fastest time on the Alwen stage, just 7 seconds behind rally winner Gardener with Edwards saying “I set a target of a top five finish which we achieved.”
Ffestiniog driver Ieuan Rowlands beat sibling John Rowlands, the latter retiring from the rally with a failed suspension in Clocaenog Forest. Ieuan, co-driven by and Cerrigydrudion’s Emyr Hall in his Volvo engine Ford Escort MK2 finished a stunning 7th position overall and first two-wheel drive car, despite a minor coming together with the scenery in Penmachno and a puncture in Alwen, putting many of the four-wheel drive crews to shame.
Rhuddlan based driver Luke Francis co-driven by John Roberts of Colwyn Bay in the Bob Francis Crane Hire backed Mitsubishi Evo put on a show of great maturity to finish a very credible 8th overall and 3rd in class despite two dramas on the first stage in Penmachno which saw him join several other crews with a puncture and then having a massive high speed moment.
Francis said “The puncture cost me over 20 seconds and in this game, you can only look to pick up a few seconds here and there on the others unless they have major dramas.”
Anglesey driver Keith Parry and co-driver Eryl Evans of Aberystwyth were challenging for 2nd place in the Welsh Forestry Championships, but from being 13th going into the afternoon running of Penmachno North, the car left the road and got stuck in the trees. Despite valiant efforts to free the car, the crew lost over 10 minutes and along with it the 2nd place in the Championship. Parry did however take the Class win in the Championship.
One car that made history on the event was the 1275cc mini of Rob Jones which has taken part in the Cambrian Rally for the last 24 years. Jones of Mochdre was co-driven by Pete Buckley, the North Wales Car Club crew managing to finish the event in 75th place despite a few problems with the car.
Ruthin’s Hugh Hunter and regular co-driver Andy Marchbank of Little Sutton were pushing hard in the newly acquired Ford Focus WRC, taking 4th and 3rd places in the two opening stages in Penmachno and winning the Clocaenog stage. However Hunter retired on SS4, Alwen after colliding with a gate post.
The Great Orme stage was not without its dramas and provided spectators with close-up action and maybe a taste of things to come when the Orme will be used as the opening stages on the WRC Wales Rally GB.
David Howells ploughed his Subaru Impreza into the stone wall leaving him out of the rally and Nigel Seabold contacting heavily with the raised kerbing in his Subaru Impreza, heavily damaging his wheel and losing precious time in the process.
Article by John Evans
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