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Harry Flatters Rally

Sponsored by Stephens & George Printing

Brecon Motor Club

27th July 2014



Clerk of the Course: Martin Leonard & James Chappelle

Stages: 13 Stages (75 Stage Miles)

Location: Epynt Ranges

Starters: Nat A: 27, Nat B: 81


NATIONAL A HISTORIC RALLY

Tomos Davies/Mark Crisp took a clear victory on the Harry Flatters Historic Rally; they ended the day over a minute clear of the field. Davies was fastest on the first four tests of the day but was being chased hard by Kevin Davies/Dale Bowen. After eight stages the latter crew were just five second behind the leaders, however on SS9 a rotor arm broke on Kevin’s Escort and they were out of the rally. This left Tomos to consolidate his advantage and, despite complaining of persistent understeer, claim the win.

David Stokes finished in second place and secured the Category 2 win to aid his HRCR Championship quest – the Flatters was the fourth round of the series. The West Country driver said that in his entire rallying career he had never driven so quickly on Epynt– “I held the car in fifth gear all the way from the end of Conrod Straight all the way down to the chicane before Davrian Bridge; I’ve never done that before”.

Simon Tysoe/Cliffy Simmonds completed the top three having had a trouble free run although puzzled at times by the varying amount of grip provide by their tyres. Irishman Stanley Orr took fourth despite a lack of Epynt experience. Jimmy McRae has plenty of Epynt experience but was still desperately trying to remember the bad bits. He and Kath Curzon put their SMT livered Firenza into fifth at the Finish, having lost time with a puncture on SS8. McRae finished just nine seconds behind Orr.

Top seeds Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke had a miserable day. They struggled throughout the event with an engine that seemed to lack pulling power. They were holding fifth place with one stage to go but had to pull off the final test at Four Ways Bridge when their Escort’s clutch gave in.

Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride won Category 1, having led the group all day. Rikki Proffitt and Bob Gibbons had been engaged in a close fight for the second spot but both retired - Proffitt due to electrical problems and Gibbons after a fire in the engine bay of his Cortina.

Results


NATIONAL B RALLY

Damian Cole/Jack Morton in his Ford Focus WRC secured a narrow victory over the Darrian of Mark Straker/Neil Harrison on the Harry Flatters Rally.

Warm dry weather made it ideal conditions for tarmac rallying and this, combined with the German Village being off limits due to army exercises, meant that the top crews beat the Bogey Time on seven of the event’s thirteen stages.

On actual time taken Straker would have won by 20 seconds, however on the six stages that counted Cole had the upper hand and finished the rally with a two second victory margin.

Cole had been fastest by four seconds on SS1. The two crews tied on time on SS2 and they both beat the Bogey on SS3. The second loop, a repeat of the first three, saw Straker gain back three seconds, leaving him one second in arrears. On the third loop, two of the three tests saw the rivals beat the Bogey, and on the third Cole got a second back. That was the way it stayed, three of the remaining tests were cleanable and on the fourth Cole and Straker took the same time. This gave Cole the win and Straker the runner up spot; an exact reversal of last year’s result.

Mark Worley had entered the rally in his Fiesta R5+ but was unable to start after becoming ill following a business trip to India. He therefore asked Melvyn Evans, who prepares the car, to give it a run. Despite not having competed in a LHD car for a decade, Evans finished a clear third, catching his minute man on SS9 and beating the Bogey on the final stage.

In the first half of the rally Peter Lloyd was the only driver within spitting distance of the two leaders. He was under the bogey time on the first two long stages of the day – SS3 and SS6. Unfortunately he had to withdraw after SS9 when he became unwell; at that point he was 19 seconds off the lead.

Bob Fowden/Ashley Trimble took fourth, a class win and valuable Welsh Championship points, this despite the driver admitting that he was trying a little bit too hard at times. Osian Pryce/Dale Furniss tackled the Flatters for some tarmac practice but ended their day off the road near Llandeilo Fan.

Huw James had the shortest event of the day, the diff on his Escort broke as he warmed the tyres prior to going to the MC1 start control.

Much attention was paid to the course car which was the fearsome looking Tuthill Porsche 979 GT3, this was being given a tarmac test in preparation for some German rallying later in the Summer.

Results