L LE WELL IN NAME BACK IN WELSH FORESTS
Tom makes senior stage rally de but
The famous Llewellin name will return to the forests of Crychan, Halfway and Route 60 on Saturday, when Tom Llewellin makes his forestry rally debut on the Nicky Grist Stages.
Tom, the 17-year-old son of double British Rally champion David Llewelin, has rallied for the past three years in the all-asphalt Junior 1000 Championship, winning the last two rallies he did.
He also won the MSA Junior Rallycross Championship title last year, and is driving a Peter Gwynne Motorsport Suzuki in this year’s Swift Sport Rallycross Championship. He will drive the same 1600cc car on the Nicky Grist.
Tom will be the third member of the Llewellin family to contest the Nicky Grist Stages – following in the footsteps of his father, who contested the event in the 1980s, and brother Ben – who is an Olympic shooter and won silver in the Men’s skeet at the 2018 Commonwealth Games – and contested the event in 2015 in a Ford Escort Mk2.
“The Nicky Grist Stages is going to be my first ever forestry rally and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Tom. “I did three years in the Junior Championship, but of course that’s all asphalt events.
“I did score two wins at the end of 2017 at Pembrey and Caerwent, which I was very pleased about, and now it’s time to get into the forests this year.
“I hope to have a small test before the Nicky Grist, but the Suzuki Swift I drive in the British Rallycross Championship is pretty similar to the car I’ll drive on the rally.
“After the Nicky Grist Stages we’re going to pick and choose what events to do for the rest of the year – go to the rallies we fancy doing and whatever doesn’t clash with the rallycross.
“I’ve got about four or five events in mind that I’d like to do, but we’ll see how the Nicky Grist goes first.”
Tom’s father David also drove a Swift for fun on Rally North Wales last season.