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Saw and Weld Novice Road Rally
Sponsored by Saw and Weld Ltd
Telford Auto Club
26th/27th September 1998
Clerk of the Course: Kevin Hutchings
Route: 98 Miles
Maps: 126 & 127
Starters: 45
Winners: Martin Bradley/Gordon Bradley (Ford Escort)
Martin Bradley/Gordon Bradley took victory in their Escort on Telford Auto Club's Saw & Weld Road Rally, this was after a close battle with the Peugoet 309 of Paul Harris/Paul Stocking.
Entries for the event were only accepted from novice crews. Despite this restriction the club did well to attract 45 crews to the rally, 16 of whom were Beginners - these being crews who had never previously completed a road rally.
Competitors were faced with a 98 mile route in North Shropshire. Competition started near Weston Park with a two mile selective, which was timed to the second. The first half used the lanes in the Newport area, before petrol was taken at Ternhill. The second half moved on to Map 126 and the Wixhill Maze, then skirted Sleap Airfield before ending at Bomere Heath.
The previous day's rain had left the maze of twisty lanes very slippery, and a number of crews retired after contact with the scenery, most notable among these were Mike Bishop/Jeremy Maddox who went out after colliding with a bank in the second half.
Top seeds Bradley/Bradley were on the pace from the start, however their victory seemed in doubt in the second half as they found the route at one point blocked by spectators. They dropped two minutes in the incident and it looked as if Harris/Stocking, who had only been a minute behind at the halfway halt, would take the win. Unfortunately for the latter pair they missed a code board and the subsequent fail dropped them to third, behind the Escort of Antony Ellis/Ian Jarman.
The Beginners class and fourth overall was taken by the London crew of Mike Philips/Dave Williams, who brought their Nova home seven minutes clear of the Astra of Dan Sharp/Allen Hart. Of the 45 starters, 30 made it to the Finish.
TOP TEN RESULTS
| Pos | Driver | Navigator | Car | Penalty | |
| 1 | Martin Bradley | Gordon Bardley | Ford Escort | 10m 57s | |
| 2 | Anthony Ellis | Ian Jarman | Ford Escort | 21m 48s | |
| 3 | Paul Harris | Paul Stocking | Peugeot 309 | 1F 9m 59s | |
| 4 | Mike Phillips | Dave Williams | Vauxhall Nova | 1F 22m 19s | |
| 5 | Ian Roberts | Doug Lomax | Talbot Sunbeam | 1F 28m 10s | |
| 6 | Dan Sharp | Allen Hart | Vauxhall Astra | 1F 29m 53s | |
| 7 | Mike Bradley | Gareth Hall | Peugeot 205 | 1F 38m 33s | |
| 8 | Peter Yapp | Richard Askew | Citroen AX | 1F 48m 44s | |
| 9 | Deb Manning | Paul Matthewman | Ford Fiesta | 1F 53m 30s | |
| 10 | Lee Bartlett | Richard Edwards | Ford Fiesta | 2F 21m 22s |