Fowdens hold off Preston and Williamson to win
Bob Shaw Memorial Stages
Organiser: Pembrokeshire Motor Club When: July 7 Where: Brawdy Airfield, Pembrokeshire Championships: HRCR Stage Masters Rally Challenge; HRCR Mini Sport Cup; ASWMC Stage Rally; Junior 1000 Stages: 6 Starters: 80.
Subaru Impreza driver Paul Fowden used his knowledge of Brawdy Airfield’s stages to dominate the timecharts and score a 32-second win over Thomas Preston/
Carl Williamson’s Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
Together with co-driver Mathias Fowden, the Impreza S11 WRC 05 pairing stamped their authority on proceedings from the first stage. They opened a 9s gap over Preston, with Jamie Jukes/ellie
Williams’s Mitsubishi Mirage R5 right behind. They, in turn, were disputing third place with Rhys Wyn Davies/
Dafydd Evans (Darrian T90) and Gethin Davies/ben Ruff ’s Darrian T9.
With his lead established, Fowden made his Impreza’s power advantage count from then on. The car ran perfectly as he set three further fastest stage times to pull away from his pursuers. With a 38s lead after five tests, he backed off on the final stage to take his second win at the venue.
Preston and Jukes scrapped hard all day for second spot. Jukes lost time early on after catching a slower car but fought back to overhaul his rival on SS3. Preston then set fastest time on SS4 to reclaim the position but, with all to play for on the final test, Jukes punctured after hitting a sunken airfield landing light and retired. This handed a well-deserved third to Wyn Davies, who drove consistently throughout.
Josh Payton/jamie Vaughan took fourth on their first visit to Brawdy. The Ford Escort Mk2 crew spun and stalled on SS1, dropping to 10th, but battled back up the leaderboard and overhauled Davies.
Further back, Clive King/anton Bird won the latest round of the HRCR Mini Sport Cup. The Austin Cooper S crew overcame boiling brake fluid and a cracked calliper to beat Peter Ellerby/colin Tombs.
Rob Wilson/martin Haggett took full advantage of snatching an early lead to win the Junior rally. The Citroen C1 pilot held off tremendous pressure from Ioan Lloyd/jonathan Jackson. Matthew Jones/christopher Brierley completed an all-citroen C1 top three.
Results
1 Paul Fowden/mathias Fowden (Subaru Impreza) 52m12s; 2 Thomas Preston/carl Williamson (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +32s; 3 Rhys Wyn Davies/dafydd Evans (Darrian T90); 4 Josh Payton/jamie Vaughan
(Ford Escort Mk2); 5 Gethin Davies/ Ben Ruff (Darrian T9); 6 Thomas Cooper/alun Griffiths (Mitsubishi Lancer E9); 7 Mike Jewell/paul Williams (Impreza); 8 Roger Thomas/dilwyn John (BMW M3 E30);
9 Carl O’grady/ Dylan Fowler-bishop (Nissan Sunny F2); 10 Marcus Pagett/rhys Stoneman (Nissan Micra Kit Car).
Class winners: William Mains/alex Edwards (Vauxhall Nova); Davies/ Ruff; Wyn-davies/evans; Preston/williamson; Tom Curtis/andrew Rees (Peugeot 205 GTI); Graham/steven Hicks (Escort Mk2); Thomas/dilwyn; Stuart Hart/catherine Farrell (Morris Mini 1275GT); Paul Kendrick/luke Green (Escort RS1600 Mk1); Paul Robins/jordan Wilkinson (Escort RS1800 Mk2); Gareth Lloyd/wayne Ball (M3 E30); Rob Wilson/martin Haggett (Citroen C1).