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Rali Bro Cader 1996

Sponsored by John Roberts (Ffestiniog) Ltd

Harlech & District Motor Club

7th/8th September 1996



Clerk of the Course: Alan Williams

Route: 140 Miles

Maps: 124 & 135

Starters: 71

Winners: Cyril Crook/Chris Ware (Talbot Sunbeam)




Cyril Crook and Chris Ware survived to be declared the winners of the eighth and arguably one of the toughest rounds of the Welsh Road Rally Championship of the year. Their Sunbeam led home only 39 of the original 71 starters; of these finishers only five were fail free.

The results of the Bro Cader remained provisional until six weeks after the event as the eligibility of two of the competing cars was under appeal and awaiting the outcome of an RAC MSA tribunal following their exclusion at Scrutineering on the Valley Services.

Rali Bro Cader 1996

Harlech & District MC had attracted sponsorship from John Roberts (Festiniog) Ltd, the family firm of one of the most famous rallying clans in Wales. The organisers had laid on a 140 mile route in southern Snowdonia.

It was originally intended to have been a completely plot and bash event with route handouts being issued at the start of each competitive section, however, when the Clerk of Course saw the penalties that had been accumulated by Petrol, he decided to give out all the remaining handouts at the start of the second half. As with the PK Memorial earlier in the summer crews were timed at controls at the point they passed the control board rather than at the point when they offered their time sheet for signing.

From the start at Dolgellau Cattle Market crews headed to the lanes to the east of Machynlleth and what was to be a tricky first half, not made any easier by the fact that arrows on some of the whites disappeared between the course car putting them out and the first competitors arriving.

The winner of the event for the three previous years, Ewen Davies, on this occasion partnered by Owen Dodd, started as top seed. However they were soon in trouble as they picked up a fail at PC3, this was a three metre control in the farmyard at 784987. They were not alone as Dennis Quinn/Nick Darkin suffered the same fate. The latter crew continued, but picked up a further two fails in the first half and decided to call it a night a the petrol halt. Davies/Dodd completed the event but ended in a lowly 17th place. They were more fortunate than Richard Lewis/Phil Pugh, one of the Corolla's running under protest, their car broke a drive shaft as they took away from PC2. Also out early on were Rob Roberts/Paul Middleton, the engine on their Escort going sick after just two miles.

By the time the competitor's reached the petrol halt back at Dolgellau there were already very few who were fail free. The clear leaders were Edward Pugh/Huw Lewis in their Escort, they had dropped just under four minutes, their nearest rivals were the winners of the Valley Services, Geraint Davies/Emyr Jones, who were on ten minutes penalties. Unfortunately neither of these crews were to feature in the leading positions at the end. Davies/Jones retired halfway through the second half when the exhaust on their Corolla failed, while Pugh/Lewis would have been comfortable winners by almost fifteen minutes if they hadn't booked in two minutes early at the very last control.

The second half used the roads in the Dolgellau and Coed-y-Brenin area and proved as tough a test as the first half. Crook/Ware emerged as winners despite losing eight minutes early on when they wrong slotted in the unarrowed section. Leading championship contenders Wyn Jones/Phil Clarke were second only a minutes behind, they had lost eight minutes when they picked up a puncture on the section immediately before Petrol; the car falling off the jack as they changed the tyre.

Michael and David Pedley were third and Paul Holmberg/Maurice Leach fourth. This result was enough for Holmberg to clinch the ANWCC Driver's title, giving him a remarkable hat trick as he won last year's drivers' crown and the navigator's in 1994. Unusually the Bro Cader ran four classes, those crews with top five finishes were Masters while any with other top ten results were placed in the Experts class. Fifth place overall and the Expert class win went to Lee and Gary Matthews' Maestro, they were the last crew to be fail free.

Peter Zjalic/Gerallt Davies finished sixth, they could have won with penalties of only 21.08 but like Pugh/Lewis booked in one minute early at the last control. Their finish was the cause of the results having to remain provisional as they were the second Corolla to be running under protest. Their tenure of that position is now dependent on the out come of the RAC tribunal.

Seventh was taken by the Escort 1.6 of Des Phasey/Steve Price, who were another crew to pick up a fail at PC3 but then had a clear run to the finish. Two of the crews who are in leading positions in the Welsh Championship had miserable outings - Mark Jukes/Jon Stobbs finished 14th, while Baron Glaze/Dave Pitchford collected 5 fails on their way to 20th. The Semi-Expert class was won by the Chevette of Rob Williams/Dai Howell and the only Novice finishers were Mark Webster/Dave Hensley in their Peugeot 205.

With the Valley Services now discounted, the results meant that there was a tie at the top of the drivers' section of the Welsh Championship. Baron Glaze and Paul Holmberg were tied and were the only drivers to have scored on all seven rounds. In the Navigators' table, Phil Clarke led Dave Pitchford by 19 points.



OVERALL RESULTS

Pos Driver Navigator Car Penalty
1 Cyril Crook Chris Ware Talbot Sunbeam 24m 22s
2 Wyn Jones Phil Clark Ford Escort 25m 18s
3 Michael Pedley David Pedley Hillman Avenger 34m 09s
4 Paul Holmberg Maurice Leach Ford Escort 36m 21s
5 Lee Matthews Gary Matthews MG Maestro EFi 39m 40s
6 Peter Zjalic Gerallt Davies Toyota Corolla 1F 21m 08s
7 Des Phasey Steve Price Ford Escort 1F 31m 44s
8 Kevin Roberts Keith Davies Ford Capri 1F 34m 05s
9 Tony Davies Ieuan Thomas VW Golf GTi 1F 34m 53s
10 Chris Painter Steve Quine Toyota Corolla 1F 35m 07s
11 Nigel Thomas Phil Stocking Ford Escort 1F 40m 28s
12 Darren Williams Mat Morgan Vauxhall Astra 1F 43m 33s
13 Edward Pugh Huw Lewis Ford Escort 2F 10m 42s
14 Mark Jukes Jon Stobbs Toyota Corolla 2F 33m 45s
15 Kevin Ikin Rob Jones Ford Escort 2F 33m 50s
16 John Evans Eurig Evans Hillman Avenger 3F 16m 23s
17 Ewen Davies Owen Dodd Opel Manta GTE 3F 25m 44s
18 Wyn Owens Hefin Owens Ford Escort 3F 32m 56s
19 David Jones Stephen Kerr Ford Escort 3F 41m 03s
20 Baron Glaze Dave Pitchford Ford Escort 5F 32m 01s
21 Dave James Sarah Preece Ford Escort 6F 25m 30s
22 John Jones Chris Rowlands Renault 11 Turbo 6F 30m 27s
23 Iain Scott Jez Harris Ford Escort 7F 36m 49s
24 Richard Roe Dave Sillars Talbot Sunbeam 7F 42m 05s
25 Rob Williams Dai Howell Vauxhall Chevette 7F 48m 42s
26 Neil Morgan Jason Dolman Ford Escort 8F 42m 33s
27 John Rees Dave Stocking Ford Escort 8F 44m 10s
28 Dave Jones Lee Ellis Talbot Sunbeam 12F 25m 37s
29 Tony Watkin Medwyn Evans Mini 1275GT 15F 61m 38s
30 Gavin Griffiths Aled Williams Ford Escort 17F 31m 20s
31 Ariel Jones Steve Jones Ford Escort 17F 32m 48s
32 Geraint Bowness Arwel Jones Peugeot 205 GTi 19F 18m 19s
33 Gareth Morgan Carl Williamson Skoda 120RS 26F 30m 57s
34 Malcolm Middleton Richard Preece Ford Fiesta XR2i 26F 36m 18s
35 Carl O'Grady Gwyn Williams VW Golf 27F 46m 51s
36 Kath Rumney Arfon Jones Ford Escort 27F 47m 11s
37 Sean Pinches Chris Jones Ford Escort 30F 41m 15s
38 Mark Skellern Steve Turner Ford Escort 36F 54m 43s
39 Mark Webster Dave Hensley Peugeot 205 GTi 39F 40m 36s