IAN ‘DUDE’ ROBERTS
Road Rally champion Age: 47 Lives: Mid Wales Welsh Road Rally champion three years in a row.
He started in Escorts “I started out in Escorts and Sunbeams. I couldn’t get them prepared properly and I wasn’t making it reliable. I retired for three or four years. Someone offered me a Golf, and I developed it into a rally car; 18 years later she is fantastic. I can see why Ogier won the World Rally Championship! Last year I did 47 rallies in a row and it didn’t break down once. The car has made me.”
His co-driver, Gwawr Hughes, is key “When she got in with me six years ago she was looking for a seat. I’d been fortunate enough to have some of the best navs in the car. She was a few steps behind when we started, but she was willing to learn and now look at her. I reckon we’ve made around 100yds worth of wrong slots over the past three years. She’s the best I’ve ever had in the car.”
He could win more titles this year “Three years ago we won four or five championships in one year and it looks like we could do the same this year. If I had to pick a single event as my favourite it would be my first win. It was my home event, the Border 100, in 2003. There’s a lot of local heroes on that, so to win that was nice.”
He likes a mixed event “In a good event, I like a mixture. Not a flat out road race, but a few tracks, tricky navigating. Nice Tarmac. Organisers that know how to plan an event and how to plot. And rallies that local knowledge doesn’t play as big a part in. Out of the current events, the Night Owl in Aberystwyth is a good one.”
The Welsh is the one “The level in the Welsh championship has been brilliant. If it wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t be worth winning. To win it is fantastic, it’s such a relief. Over three years it’s 40-odd rallies so it’s a big commitment and to win it is a massive buzz. “
The season isn’t over “We’ve got an event left, either the Cilwendeg or the Farrington. They’re on the same night. I know I’m good but I can’t see a way around that! The Cilwendeg is in the Welsh Championship, which we’ve won, but Gwawr hasn’t won the Farrington yet. Because of that we’re looking to do the Farrington.”
Awards stacking up “We haven’t won the AWMMC (Association of West Midlands Motor Clubs) championship after the Peaks Revs this weekend, we finished fourth. So far this year we’ve won the Welsh, ANWCC, North Wales Road Rally Challenge and the Welsh Border Car Club Championship.”