AVENGER READY TO TAKE ONE SCORTS

Brm- powered hill man can end thebhrc’ s ford stranglehold

Welsh ace Ieuan Rowlands believes the Brm-powered Hillman Avenger can be a match for the leading Ford Escort Mk2s in this year’s MSA British Historic Rally Championship.

Rowlands has been invited to drive the car owned and developed by Baz Jordan in a bid to show that the package can rival the all-conquering Escorts. Jordan is now having the 16-valve twin-cam engine built again to the period design of the engine first used in the mid-1970s.

Rowlands and co-driver Emyr Hall gave the Avenger its BHRC debut on Rally North Wales last month, but were sidelined on the second stage by a distributor problem. Now they will head to the unfamiliar Kielder stages for round two, the Pirelli Rally on April 28.

“I’ve always wanted to be in historics,” said Rowlands, who is noted for his outstanding pace in non-historic Escorts. “Baz has given us this chance and I’m confident that the car can be up there and compete with the Escorts. We did the Cambrian Rally at the start of the year as a test and the car is still evolving.”

Rowlands is not underestimating the task. “I know how quick people like Nick Elliott are,” he said. “We’re a bit under BDG power at the moment, but we hope to get there and it feels torquey. Big thanks are due to Baz Jordan and Jondel Engines, as well as to Jamie GrattonSmith, who runs the car.”

The plan is to contest a full BHRC season.