JAMES SEALS PODIUM SPOT IN OPENER
CARMARTHENSHIRE rally driver James Williams claimed third overall on last weekend’s Corbeau Seats Rally Tendring & Clacton, the opening round of the 2022 Motorsport UK British Rally Championship.
Driving for the Hyundai Power Products Rally Team, Williams and experienced co-driver Dai Roberts achieved their first overall podium BRC together in their Hyundai i20 R5.
The Essex-based event signalled the start of the first full season for Williams in the top-flight four-wheeldrive category, and the 23-year-old instantly mixed it with championship regulars with years of experience.
Huge crowds lined the Clacton seafront for the opening two spectator stages on Saturday evening. With the backdrop of the famous pier and arcade, Williams earned a prize of his own with his first overall BRC fastest stage time on the second test of the evening, putting him in second overall, just six-tenths off the rally leader.
Williams is no stranger to the BRC as he has competed in the junior feeder series previously, notching up three wins and a further six podiums in that series.
Into the second day the Newcastle Emlyn-based star continued his fine form in the morning loop of stages with several top-four stage times, including
a second fastest on the longest stage of the event – Alcon Brakes 1 at 10.5km in length.
However, through the morning and midday loop of stages, brake problems came to the fore, denying Williams the full confidence to attack the lanes, dropping him to third overall.
With the problem in an improved state after the final service of the weekend, Williams was only 10 seconds off the leader with over 25km of stages remaining.
Third fastest and second fastest on the first two stages of the loop kept the Carmarthenshire pairing in touch, but a turbo boost gremlin had worked its way into the Hyundai, intermittently dropping the power of the i20 by up to a third in several sections.
With a comfortable gap behind, it was a case of bringing the car to the finish in the centre of Clacton.
After 14 stages, the Carmarthenshire pair held a strong third overall and with it a maiden podium finish in the BRC.
Having tasted success in the junior formula previously, the sun-kissed event saw the Welsh pair spraying the champagne on the main rostrum together for the very first time.
“It was a pretty mad weekend to be honest,” said Williams. “We came
here wanting to get a really good result and get the championship off to a good start. I felt on the whole comfortable with the car and the prep, despite the niggly little problems we had. Without those, you just don’t know what could have happened.
“The Hyundai was incredible to drive and the team worked so hard all weekend and without all of them and my backers I couldn’t show the pace I have on the event.
“We are only just getting started, and I think we can be in the mix for the rest of the year. To come away with third, we are really chuffed and to show the pace against some of the best drivers in the country, I am absolutely chuffed.”
Osian Pryce from Machynlleth secured a thrilling victory in Clacton, overhauling four-time BRC champion Keith Cronin in the final miles of the event
The next round of the British Rally Championship is the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland on May 27-28.
Williams thanked his team of partners: Hyundai Power Products, Rally Cover, Performance 1st Coaching, West Wales Lubricants, Palletline, Craftric Technology, Speedline Corse UK, Hide Away Wales, West Coast Finance, Ceir Castle Motors, VP Racing Fuels, Michelin and the Gareth Roberts Memorial Fund.