ATROCIOUS CONDITIONS FAIL TO DAMPEN SELF AND DAVIS’S CHARGE FOR VICTORY
Organiser: Forresters Car Club When: September 28 Where: Caerwent MOD Training Area, nr Chepstow Championships: Cotswold Motor Sports Group, ASWMC Stage Rally, AWMMC Heart of England, WAMC Welsh Historic, Classic Mini Challenge Stages: 6 Starters: 91.
Ford Fiesta R5 pairing James Self and Ian Davis had to make full use of their fourwheel-drive machine’s grip and power to take their inaugural Patriot Stages victory.
As the weather changed drastically from mid-rally downpour to lateday bright sunshine, they survived a 100mph lock-up on a rain-soaked track and set four out of six fastest times to beat Josh Payton/jamie Vaughan (Ford Escort Mk2) by 59 seconds.
Self took the lead on SS2 when top seeds Dave Willett/john Davies (Escort Mk2) retired with engine woes. From then on, the Fiesta pilot drove hard through difficult conditions, surviving a terrifying moment on SS3. “We hit standing water as we braked from full speed,” he said. “The car got quicker as we slid, but somehow we missed hitting anything.
Recovering from the scare and on a drying track, Self went fastest on the final two tests to clinch victory.
Second-placed Payton ran neckand-neck with Mark Jasper/don Whyatt (Escort Mk2) throughout the morning. As the roads dried, Jasper pulled out a 19s advantage but his car expired on SS4.
Despite suffering excess tyre wear in the closing miles, Payton held off Carl O’grady/dylan Fowler-bishop’s Nissan Sunny F2 by 1m 48s.
O’grady admitted to rustiness as he had done only four rallies since a major engine rebuild. He used intermediate tyres throughout and with the Nissan running perfectly he mounted a late charge to overhaul Martin/huw Evans’s Honda-powered Escort Mk2 on the penultimate test to claim third by nine seconds.
Evans in fourth used wet tyres all day but his excellent run was blighted by a lack of outright power as speeds lifted in the sunshine.
Results
1 James Self/ian Davis (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h16m51s; 2 Josh Payton/jamie Vaughan (Ford Escort Mk2) +59s; 3 Carl O’grady/ Dylan Fowler-bishop (Nissan Sunny F2); 4 Martin Evans/huw Evans (Escort Mk2); 5 Brandon Smith/simon May (Darrian T90 GTR); 6 Richard Merriman/ Kathryn Curzon (T90); 7 Ian Sutton/karen Phelps (T90); 8 Thomas Cooper/ Simon Anthony (Ford Fiesta R2); 9 Christian Prynne/tudor Jenkins (Peugeot 205 GTI); 10 Wyn Owens/jenny Evans (Escort Mk2).
Class winners: Tom Bishop/ Cal Mcelhinney (Vauxhall Nova); Christian Howells/dan Evans (Nova), Payton/ Vaughan; Prynne/jenkins; Smith/ May; Self/ Davis; Owens/evans; Mike Simpson/dale Gibbons (Escort Mk1 RS).