JUKES SPLASHES TO DOMINANT WIN AT A SODDEN JAFFA STAGES CLASH
On an extremely wet day at Pembrey in late December last year, it was Jamie Jukes and James Morgan who mastered the conditions best to take victory on the Jaffa Stages.
Driving his Skoda Fabia R5 for only the second time, Jukes was 19 seconds faster than his nearest rival on SS1 and, despite spins on the third and fifth tests, he never looked back as he completed a comfortable win.
Behind Jukes, Paul and
Mathias Fowden found the set-up on their Subaru Impreza WRC to be too stiff for the conditions and when softened for the later stages their times improved. They set a couple of fastest times, but it was too late to threaten the winners.
Luckily for Nigel Gibbard/ Sion Jones, an early off on the go kart track only dislodged some bodywork on their Darrian T90 GTR and they went on to a classwinning third overall. They were one place ahead of Thomas Cooper/Paul Williams, who endured a day-long misfire in their Mitsubishi Lancer.
On their first outing in new Ford Escort Mk2, Rhodri Evans/Bedwyr Harries took an excellent class-winning fifth position ahead of the Escort RS1800 of Phil Rogers/Stephen Weston. Ian and Oliver Hucklebridge were slowed by a lack of wipers on their Ford Escort, while a stage-two off prevented Martin and Jason Davies finishing higher, and road-rally class winners Huw Jones/Darren Williams rounded off the top 10 in their Peugeot.
With Huw Thomas making his competition debut alongside him, William Mains took his customary 1400cc class win in his Vauxhall Nova.
Results
Organiser: Carmarthen Motor Club When: December 28, 2022 Where: Welsh Motorsport Centre, Pembrey Stages: Starters: 70 1 Jamie Jukes/James Morgan (Skoda Fabia
R5) 42m40s; 2 Paul Fowden/Mathias Fowden (Subaru Impreza S11 WRC) +24s; 3 Nigel Gibbard/Sion Jones (Darrian T90 GTR); 4 Thomas Cooper/Paul Williams (Mitsubishi Lancer E9); 5 Rhodri Evans/Bedwyr Harries (Ford Escort Mk2); 6 Phil Rogers/Stephen Weston (Ford Escort RS1800); 7 Ian Hucklebridge/Oliver Hucklebridge (Ford Escort Mk2); 8 Martin Davies/Jason Davies (Ford Escort Mk2);
9 Steve Knibbs/Gerwyn Barry (Subaru Impreza); 10 Huw Jones/Darren Williams (Peugeot 206 Cup Car).Class winners: William Mains/
Huw Thomas (Vauxhall Nova); Steven Knott/ Andrew Thomas (Peugeot 206); Simon Summers/Nathan Summers (Ford Escort Mk2); Evans/Harries; Gibbard/Jones; Fowden/ Fowden; Jones/Williams.