PRITCHARD AND CLARKE BEAT THE COLES ON EPYNT
Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke limbered up for this weekend’s Rali Ceredigion with a well-earned victory on Sunday’s Mewla Rally.
Back in their familiar Ford Focus WRC for the first time since an aborted trip to the Isle of Man in May, Pritchard and Clarke fought a day-long battle with father and daughter Damien and Charly Cole and there was just four seconds in it after a day of fine competition on the challenging roads of the Epynt ranges in mid-Wales.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Pritchard and Clarke in their regular VW Polo R5, so they wheeled out the faithful Focus WRC for the day to get some more seat time ahead of the BRC Ceredigion event.
They immediately went fastest on an opening stage that started at Piccadilly and ran past German Village and down to Four Ways before finishing just beyond the Llandeilo’r
Fan triangle. Pritchard was 6s up on Cole and it was the Darrian T90 GTR of Wayne and Gwynfor Jones that nipped into an early second from Melvyn Evans. Finally taking the chance to compete in one of his Polo R5s, Evans took the talents of Dai Roberts along for the ride and they quickly slotted into third place.
Stages two and four featured the long fast run up from the airstrip and this was Darrian country as Jones took over the lead and sat eight seconds clear after four of the day’s 10 short, sharp stages using only the western end of the ranges. But after second service, the WRC and R5 cars were able to really take the fight to the Darrian and as Pritchard eased ahead, Jones was pushed back to third.
By the end of the penultimate stage, Pritchard held a 7s lead and that proved enough, even though Cole pegged it back to just four at the finish. Jones was 11s further back but still clear of Evans while Dave Willett was his usual hard-charging self as he took his Ford Escort Mk2 to fifth, six seconds up on the Fabia R5 of Roger Moran and Den Golding.
Results
Organiser: Epynt Motor Club When: August 28 Where: Epynt Championships: Welsh Tarmac, Welsh Historic, King of Epynt Stages: 10 Starters: 75.
1 Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke (Ford Focus WRC) 39m11s; 2 Damien Cole/Charly Cole (Skoda Fabia R5) +4s; 3 Wayne Jones/Gwynfor Jones (Darrian T90 GTR); 4 Melvyn Evans/ Dai Roberts (VW Polo R5); 5 Dave Willett/John Davies (Ford Escort Mk2); 6 Roger Moran/Den Golding (Skoda Fabia R5); 7 Jeremy Straker/Ian Meakin (Darrian T90 GTR); 8 Philip Hopkins/Aled Edwards (Mitsubishi Lancer E6); 9 Richard Fishleigh/Jason McCullough (Ford Escort Mk2); 10 Roger Hicks/Terry Martin (Ford Escort Mk2). Class winners: William Mains/Claire Williams (Vauxhall Nova); Sam Davies/William Lloyd (Vauxhall Nova); Ioan Lloyd/ Sion Williams (Peugeot 208 Rally 4); Paul Jenkins/Cliff Simmons (Ford Escort Mk2); Jones/Jones; Hopkins/ Edwards; Martin Curzon/Daniel Jones (Ford Escort Mk1); Myf Owen/Baz Green (Hillman Avenger); Stuart Anderson/Kenny Owen (Vauxhall Chevette HSR).