REES AND MILLS BEAT WRC TEAM IN DEVON
A tough and demanding Exmouth Memorial provided a first win for Matt Rees and Jamie Mills in their Ford Escort.
They had been the class of the field throughout the 200mile event, and they finished well clear of Richard Millener and Michael Gilbey. A section using the lanes between Dawlish and Haldon Forest proved decisive as the Ford WRC team members lost five minutes, while the winners cleaned it.
It was a tough event, made trickier by large amounts of standing water and only 20 of the 43 starters made the finish.
Rhys Jones/Llyr Lewis emerged from a tight battle to take victory on the Rali Goffa James Trenholme, Harlech MC’s novice-oriented event. The Subaru Impreza crew had been one second behind Iwan Jones and Iwan Roberts at the halfway point but pulled away to win by almost a minute.
A day-long battle on the Solway Coast Targa ended with Mark McCulloch/Mairi Riddick beating Ali Procter/Lynsey Procter by a single second. Interestingly, McCulloch had been the original builder of Procter’s 205 in 2006.
There was also a close fight with multiple lead swaps on the Knutsford Targa, with Neil Jones/Phil Sant taking the win over Christian Parker/Molly Livermore. The event was the final round of the BTRDA Championship. Ethan Davies needed to gain a top score to take the series, but retired with a broken driveshaft, which gave the title to his father John.
Results
Exmouth Memorial Rally
Organiser: Exmouth Motor Club When: November 26-27 Where: Devon Championships: ASWMC Route: 200 miles Starters: 43. 1 Matt Rees/Jamie Mills (Ford Escort) 23m49s; 2 Richard Millener/Michael Gilbey (Peugeot 206 GTi) +1m29s; 3 Adrian Beer/Nathan Coles (MG ZR); 4 Pat Thomas/James Aldridge (Ford Escort); 5 Simon Heywood/Rhys Williams (Honda Civic); 6 Ashley Rice/Trevor Disney (Mini Cooper); 7 Dave Webb/Jacob Williams (Daihatsu Sirion); 8 Elliott Dale/Charlotte Ryall (Ford Escort); 9 Harvey Steele/ Martin Pitt (MG ZR); 10 Roger Holder/ Mark Robinson (Subaru Impreza). Class winners: Heywood/Williams; Patrick Blight/Poppy Blight (Peugeot 206).
Rali Goffa James Trenholme Organiser: Harlech & District Motor
Club When: November 26-27 Where: Llyn Peninsula Route: 70 miles
Starters: 57.
1 Rhys Jones/Llyr Lewis (Subaru Impreza) 2m16s; 2 Iwan Jones/Iwan Roberts (Ford Ka) +51s; 3 Deio Hughes/Will Hughes (Ford Fiesta); 4 Jamie Ollerenshaw/Rhys Willis (Peugeot 206); 5 Mark Parry/Aron Gough (Talbot Sunbeam); 6 Peredur Davies/Dylan Sion Richards (Nissan Micra); 7 Chris Hedley/Carwyn Roberts (Ford Fiesta ST150); 8 Sera Glyn Jones/ Gwennan Haf Jones (Peugeot 205 GTi); 9 Tomos Lloyd Jones/Robat William Griffith (Nissan Micra); 10 Raymond Thomas/Nia Thomas (Toyota Corolla). Class winners: Jones/Roberts; Jones/Griffith.
Solway Coast Targa Organiser: Solway Car Club
When: November 27 Where: Kirkcudbrightshire Championships: NESCRO Tests: 16 Starters: 34.
1 Mark McCulloch/Mairi Riddick (Mazda MX-5) 31m29s; 2 Ali Procter/Lynsey Procter (Peugeot 205 GTi) +1s; 3 Rob Cotton/Chris Williams (Subaru Impreza); 4 Harry Marchbank/Liam Harkness (Mazda MX-5); 5 Scott Gourlay/Greg Alcorn (Ford Fiesta); 6 Rab Henderson/Peter Game (Subaru Impreza); 7 Josh Davison/Hannah Davison (Proton Satria); 8 Chris Adams/ Harry Adams (Mazda MX-5); 9 Simon Jennings/Colin Fish (Peugeot 106); 10 Owen Paterson/Robert Proudlock (Mazda MX-5). Class winners: Procter/Procter; Jennings/Fish; Gourley/Alcorn; Marchbank/Harkness.
Knutsford Targa Rally
Organiser: Knutsford & District Motor Club When: November 27 Where: Three Sisters Circuit Championships: BTRDA & ANWCC Tests: 13 Starters: 60.
1 Neil Jones/Phil Sant (Mazda MX-5) 25m15s; 2 Christian Parker/Molly Livermore (Subaru Impreza) +26s; 3 Mark Brotherhood/Liam Brotherhood (BMW 318Ti); 4 Robert Milligan/Ben Amos (Austin Mini); 5 Jamie Yapp/John Fox (Renault Clio 172); 6 Neil Raven/Claire Raven (Mazda MX-5); 7 Elliott Stafford/Robbie Pugh (Mazda MX-5); 8 John Gornall/Martin Gornall (Peugeot 206 GTi); 9 Craig Burgess/ John Pickavance (BMW 316i); 10 Alun Evans/Clare Evans (Toyota Corolla).
Class winners: Evans/Evans; Brotherhood/Brotherhood.