DOWN THE PUB

WITH

He first rallied a Skoda “I rallied in the late 1980s and did the Skoda Challenge. I did the Welsh International twice, but didn’t finish either time. I then had 20 years off but always wanted to have another go. It’s quite a complicated thing to get it all together.”

He got an MG Midget “It took six years to build this car. We started in 2004 and the ultimate aim was to do the Roger Albert Clark Rally. Each year I spectated and always wanted to do it, but it has been financial constraints and issues like harnesses and seats. We had everything new and unused, but still had to scrap them and start again. Next season we’ve got to change our helmets.”

He’s done selected BHRC rounds “For the last three years we’ve done the rounds of the British Historic Rally Championship that we can afford. We’ve done the Severn Valley a couple of times, the Sunseeker and the Trackrod. But running at the back of the field following the changes to the running order knocks seven bells out of the car.”

He’s switched to asphalt “I was very, very disappointed with the changes to the seeding system. On the Severn Valley we were the last car on the road and we had spectators walking on the stage in front of us. So we’ve now switched to the R.A.C. Historic Championship. We did Bovington and we’ll do the Harry Flatters and the Isle of Man.”

Simon Hannam is co-driving “The first rally we did in the Midget was in 2013 and we’ve been limited by money. I put an advert out for a co-driver and a friend who worked at Sunseeker put it on their notice board. Simon Hannam worked there and wanted to get into the sport, so he got in touch.”

He wants to do the R.A.C. “The car is from 1967 and started as an absolute basket case. I spent around 3000 hours on the rebuild. The aim was always to do the Roger Albert Clark Rally and if it returns in 2017, I’ll go back into the forests and do that one event. I’m still aiming for that.”