Unless otherwise clearly indicated, results on this site have been declared final and are therefore not subject to query or protest
Clerk of the Course: Eryl Rees & Aneurin James
Route: 110 Miles
Maps: 135 & 146
Starters: 75
Winners: Steve Wood/Aled Richards (Vauxhall Astra)
Steve Wood/Aled Richards took a clear victory on Aberyswyth MC’s Night Owl Rally. They finished the event over a minute clear of their only real challengers of the night, John Davies/Steve Herbert.
The 110 mile rally was the fourth round of the Welsh Championship and attracted a capacity 75 car entry.
The first half consisted of a single regularity section, which had eleven timing points. It started with a run around virtually every lane in the Ystumtuen area. From there it used the rough track to drop down into and then across the Rheidol Valley. It reached its most southern point at the tracks at Llanafan Forest, before finishing on the B-road just outside Devils Bridge.
Petrol was taken at Ponterwyd. The second half opened with the tight lanes of Pendam. A short non-competitive through Penrhyncoch moved the action back to a long run through Taliesin Forest. The fourth and final test was a short standard section to the south of Borth.
John Davies/Steve Herbert (Vauxhall Astra GTE) were the fastest crew to ITC2. Top seeds Howard Price/Dorian Evans were competing in the car that Huw Evans had taken to victory on the two previous Night Owls, and were two seconds behind. Their event began to go wrong at ITC4, where they booked in 35 seconds early. They then bent a wheel and the clutch started to slip; this latter problem, plus a bent stub axle, caused their retirement in the second half.
Dai John/Paul Bevan (Toyota Corolla) were third fastest to ITC2, five seconds behind Davies/Herbert. Kevin Morgan/Deian Rees (Subaru Legacy) were fourth at this stage. These two crews had swapped positions by ITC5, and, although closely matched throughout the night, Morgan/Rees held on to take third place at the Finish, with John/Bevan in fourth.
Already in trouble early on were Kevin Jones/Dilwyn John (Ford Sierra), Hefin George/Daniel Thomas (Nissan Sunny GTR) and Mark Price/Roger Evans (Ford Escort), who all picked up a fail for a wrong approach to the time control at ITC3. None made it to the Finish. Jones/John picked up more punctures than they had spare tyres, while an off put George/Thomas out.
Also out at an early stage were Martyn O'Connor/Peter Collins, whose Vauxhall Astra GTE suffered a ignition problems.
Steve Wood/Aled Richards (Vauxhall Astra GTE) had been sixth fastest to ITC2, but were the quickest crew to ITC4, this moved them up to second place, two seconds behind Davies/Herbert. By the time that competitors had reached the Rheidol Valley, Wood/Richards had taken the lead.
At Petrol Wood/Richards were on 1m 32s, while Davies/Herbert had penalties of 1m 56s. Morgan/Rees were almost a minute further back in third place on 2m 45s.
Wayne Morris/Paul Middleton (Ford Escort) were in fourth at the halfway halt on 3m 26s. However they were destined to finish in thirteenth place after losing time with punctures in the second half.
Welsh Champions, Gerwyn Jones/Ceri Davies (Ford Escort), lost over three minutes searching for a PC located on a small loop near Ystumtuen. They finished in 16th place.
Davies/Herbert grabbed a second back on the leaders over the Pendam section, then, at the start of the third section, which used the track through Penycefn in SQ 6585, they retook the lead. They were on time at ITC18, while Wood/Richards dropped 44 seconds.
However Wood/Richards were over a minute faster to ITC22, near Furnace, and then took another 29 seconds off Davies/Herbert at the next control above Tre'rddoll. With the last section being easily cleanable, this performance took them to a convincing win.
Their was a notable performance from the top Semi-Expert crew, Tomas Davies/Huw Jones (Ford Escort), who finished in fifth place. Gareth Morgan/Ceredig Morgan (Vauxhall Nova) were the leading Novices, they finished three minutes ahead of their nearest class rivals.
With his second place, John Davies led the Welsh Championship after the Night Owl, but Steve Wood had now joined a number of others amongst his main challengers. Andy Oakes, who navigated Gary Jones to sixth on the Night Owl, led the Navigators' table, but numerous others were still in the running for the title at the series's halfway point.
OVERALL RESULTS
Pos | Driver | Navigator | Car | Penalty | |
1 | Steve Wood | Aled Richards | Vauxhall Astra GTE | 6m 31s | |
2 | John Davies | Steve Herbert | Vauxhall Nova GTE | 7m 49s | |
3 | Kevin Morgan | Deian Rees | Subaru Legacy | 9m 19s | |
4 | Dai John | Paul Bevan | Toyota Corolla | 10m 10s | |
5 | Tomas Davies | Huw Jones | Ford Escort | 10m 16s | |
6 | Jason Hardy | Alan Jôs | VW Golf | 10m 35s | |
7 | Gary Jones | Andy Oakes | Toyota Corolla | 11m 22s | |
8 | Marc James | Anthony Davies | Subaru Impreza | 11m 47s | |
9 | Owen Edwards | Mark Lloyd | Vauxhall Astra | 13m 16s | |
10 | Aled Jones | Andrew Phillips | Vauxhall Astra | 13m 32s | |
11 | Huw Myfyr | Gwawr Hughes | VW Golf GTi | 13m 35s | |
12 | Dennis Quinn | Paul Holmberg | Ford Sierra 4x4 | 13m 49s | |
13 | Wayne Morris | Paul Middleton | Ford Escort | 13m 59s | |
14 | Timothy Evans | Alun Probert | Nissan Micra | 14m 51s | |
15 | Dafydd Lewis | Dalis Ifans | Ford Escort | 15m 58s | |
16 | Gerwyn Jones | Ceri Davies | Ford Escort | 17m 41s | |
17 | Robert Pardoe | Delyth Brown | Toyota Corolla | 18m 00s | |
18 | Wayne James | Jenny James | Peugeot 205 | 18m 28s | |
19 | Simon Chandler | Dave Manning | Ford Exscort | 19m 07s | |
20 | Gareth Harries | Carwyn Jones | Honda Civic | 20m 42s | |
21 | Mike James | Richard Evans | Vauxhall Astra GTE | 20m 46s | |
22 | Paul Jenkins | Brian Thomas | Ford Escort | 21m 09s | |
23 | Mark Daniel | HYwel Ifans | Ford Escort | 21m 49s | |
24 | Jason Jaer | Eurig Davies | Ford Escort | 22m 58s | |
25 | Richard James | Chris Wheeler | Vauxhall Astra | 25m 44s | |
26 | Gary Brown | Geraint Wright | Peugeot 205 GTi | 29m 01s | |
27 | Alan Hands | Melanie Hands | Vauxhall Chevette | 30m 32s | |
28 | Alan James | Rhydian George | Vauxhall Astra | 34m 39s | |
29 | Gareth Morgan | Ceredig Morgan | Vauxhall Nova | 35m 29s | |
30 | John Gilbey | Michael Gilbey | Ford Escort | 38m 20s | |
31 | Simon Bevan | Alex Crowley | Ford Escort | 39m 00s | |
32 | Gavin Roberts | Gareth Edwards | Vauxhall Astra | 1F 26m 53s | |
33 | Kevin Regan | Irfon Richards | VW Golf | 1F 31m 23s | |
34 | Max Jones | Geraint Mayes | Ford Sierra | 1F 37m 22s | |
35 | John Williams | Jack Fowler | Vauxhall Astra | 1F 56m 51s | |
36 | Gavin Lloyd | Gavin Perry | Ford Escort | 1F 57m 48s | |
37 | Rob Chell | Clive Phillips | VW Golf | 2F 34m 01s | |
38 | Matthew Griffiths | Tom Henderson | Peugeot 205 GTi | 3F 38m 35s | |
39 | Mark Andrews | Edwin Venville | Peugeot 205 GTi | 4F 13m 48s | |
40 | Keith Daniels | David Roberts | Vauxhall Nova | 4F 20m 05s | |
41 | Arwel Davies | Llinos Jones | Ford Escort | 4F 49m 43s | |
42 | Rhys Jeremiah | Leyton Perry | Vauxhall Astra | 5F 49m 14s | |
43 | Huw Morris | Laura Morris | Proton Compact | 6F 48m 57s | |
44 | Wedros Jones | Emyr Evans | Ford Sierra | 7F 54m 36s | |
45 | David Howells | James Morgan | Peugeot 309 GTi | 15F 30m 58s |