Rali Bro Caron
Sponsored by Melvyn Evans Motorsport
Lampeter & District Motor Club
15th/16th February 2014
Clerk of the Course: George Eadon
Route: 100 Miles
Maps: 146
Starters: 89
Winners: John Davies/Nick Bloxham (Vauxhall Astra)
Top seeds John Davies/Nick Bloxham won the second round of the Welsh Championship, the Rali Bro Caron. Davies was driving the same borrowed Astra that he had used on the Rali Mike Darowen; on that event he had been unhappy with the driveability of the car, so in the intervening two weeks he had made a number of changes, a move crowned by success on the Bro Caron.
The organisers had put on an event in the classic Lampeter tradition; a compact intricate route which never strayed more than a few miles from the club’s hometown. The lanes were in a treacherous conditions following the storms of the preceding week and life was made more difficult by ice patches developing as temperatures fell during the night.
The lead was initially taken by Justin Jones/Nia Hughes. They arrived at the petrol halt 43 seconds ahead of the eventual winners. However things went sour for them in the second half as their Escort developed brakes and pedal box problems and they also picked up a puncture. As a result they slipped to twentieth place at the Finish; a poor reward for their efforts.
Arwel ‘Sbidi’ Hughes-Jones/Edryd Evans took the runner up spot, sixteen seconds behind the winners. They may have made more of a challenge but their Honda was struck by gearbox gremlins in the second half; initially they lost fifth gear and when that returned third disappeared. Understandably they slackened their pace to ensure a result.
Adrian Jones/Aled Richards rounded off the top three; the pair finding their pace after a slow start, which they put down to rustiness after the winter lay off.
There was notable police presence on the event, this was mostly targeted at errant spectators, although Stefan Davies/Dale Bowen withdrew after being stopped by the constabulary.
RESULTS
- Overall Positions
- Award Winners
- Time Penalty Details
- Fails and PC/RC Penalties
- Positions at Petrol
- List of Starters
- Non-Finishers