Epynt rally success despite the weather
PORT Talbot Motor Club, the club that began stage rallying up on the Epynt way back in 1965, brought the rallying year on the military roads of Mynydd Epynt to a close last Sunday with the Legend Fires Tour of Epynt.
The event retained the valued support of sponsor John Stone of Legend Fires, who had pledged his continued backing when the earlier hoped-for event date ran into military operational clashes.
The rally was battered by far from unusual Welsh mountain storms, with rain and wind seriously affecting the five 11-mile stages.
The Port Talbot club expressed its thanks to the brave marshals and other hardy volunteers without whose invaluable help the rally could not have run.
Despite the conditions, Garstang driver Neil Roskell in his Ford Fiesta R5 sliced through the torrents to take his first outright victory.
The Lancashire man was codriven by Ammanford MC’S Mark Crisp, the pair taking a trio of fastest times on three stages, and were on the pace of the top cars on the other two to finally take a winning margin of over half a minute from Huw James of Tregaron MC/ Dafydd Evans of Lampeter & District MC in a remarkably welldriven Ford Escort Mk2.
Sponsor John Stone, with PTMC’S Rhys Stoneman co-driving after retiring on the Cambrian Rally on Saturday, the gearbox failing in the Finlay Retson Fiesta R2, got to within a second of Roskell by stage two before a 130mph spin on SS3 took them backwards into the mire coming downhill to the Llandeilo’r Fan junction.
Unlucky, but lucky too as shortly afterward the Darrian T9V6 of Andy Fraser/alan Jones hurtled off the road to land right alongside the Volkswagen Polo Gti.
Bob Fowden, a definite prospect for the rally win, had to withdraw his Comline Impreza WRC after a Covid test result, and all competitors and event officials that know the Llanelli driver wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Another Epynt ace, Damian Cole, unusually finished fifth, a very wet Epynt perhaps not the best place to get used to the new Fiesta, though a class third was some consolation.
Other drama included a big roll on stage one for the Peugeot 106 of Tim Taylor/dylan Fowler Bishop, of Pembroke MC and Maesteg & District MC respectively.
They went off heavily on the deceptive right corner alongside the Burma Road forest plantation; the car was righted once the crew got out, helped by marshals and others there, and although they regained the road and carried on, it was but a brief return as the damage was too severe.
Brecon’s Craig Jones took a Class 5 second place in his Ford Fiesta, Ammanford’s Rob Tout a class 5 win in the Touts’ Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, and Richard Merriman and Kath Curzon a Class 3 second place with their Darrian T90 for Cwmbran-based Forresters
Car Club.
PTMC’S Phil Turner was unlucky to collect a five-minute penalty for a chicane mistake, effectively ending his rally prospects, so he withdrew his TCS Plant Skoda at service.
The Swansea driver didn’t dispute his error. “I realised my mistake and immediately slowed so as not to gain an unfair advantage, but the regulations decreed the five minutes, so that was that,” he said.
“The Fabia was handling much better thanks to Paul Fowden’s recent help with suspension settings, and the penalty was disappointing for myself and Kidwelly MC’S Paul Williams co-driving, but nothing to be done.”
His grandson Thomas Cooper and Simon Anthony, both of PTMC, were also out of luck, the Mitsubishi Evo 9 retired with fuelling trouble.
Welsh pairing Marcus Padgett and Ellie Williams also retired, the Nissan Micra Kit Car losing the clutch en route to stage three.
Swansea competitors Peter Jones and Graham Joseph, brother of the former PTMC clerk of the course Baryan who has now retired to Spain, retired their rumbling Triumph TR7 V8 after stage one.
Thirty-one crews finished the event, the long stages and treacherous conditions a stern test for both competitors and organises alike, but all in all a successful end to the rallying year on Epynt.
NEATH racer Ryan Ratcliffe’s hard work this season paid off with his win in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Pro-am Championship, confirmed at Brands Hatch the weekend before last, after 15 podium finishes.
He was supported by Groundhog and Porsche Centre Swindon, and run by Team Parker Racing in the 16-race season.
The Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit that undulates through the Kent woodland was the last time the current Porsches would race in the UK series, a 992-style Porsche coming in for 2022.
The Welsh driver’s title was settled in the televised first race, his second place deciding the 2021 Pro-am Championship crown, and he was able to go all out for the final race of the season, just missing out on the race win but in a strong second.
After a busy year of racing during which he also became a father for the first time, Ratcliffe can now enjoy some time off during the winter months to spend time with his family away from the racetrack and prepare for the new season as defending champion.
“We’ve been working hard for it all year,” he said. “I think I proved I’ve been the most consistent out of anyone on the grid this season and that’s what wins championships.
“Consistency is key. I’m really happy and I’m really happy for the team as well to get the Am championship and also for them to be so close to the Pro championship right at the end too.
“It just proves again that Team Parker Racing are the team to be with.”