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Somerset Exmoor Targa Rally

Burnham-on-Sea MC + Tavern MC + Minehead MC + Taunton MC

26th October 2024


Somerset Exmoor Targa Rally 2024
Winners: Chris Woolley/Jamie Woolley (BMW E30)
Photograph: © M&H Photography

Organiser: Burnham-on-Sea MC + Tavern MC + Minehead MC + Taunton MC

Date: 26th October 2024

Clerk of the Course: Jason Hayes

Tests: 10 (41¾ Test Miles)

Base: Wheddon Cross

Starters: 64


The Exmoor Targa was under new management for 2024, with Burnham on Sea Motor Club taking the lead of the four club organising team. However, the basic format for the event remained the same, with a Wheddon Cross base and tests in the nearby 'Somerset Stages' forests, plus the Porlock Toll Road.

There were ten tests, five before the lunch halt and five, with minor alterations to the morning lay outs, in the afternoon. The first two were in Croydon Forest, while the third saw a return, after a few year's PR issue break, for Knowle. The legs ended with two runs up Porlock, extended this year to include the upper, faster, part of the road.

Sixty-four cars took the start, a significant increase on the 2023 number. They were led away by Ethan Davies/Aled Jones, but theirs was to be a short event, their Puma suffering a broken gear selector on the opening test.

The first test was Croydon 1, an almost seven mile run through Croydon Forest, with two splits to keep navigators on their toes. Chris Woolley/Jamie Woolley (BMW E30) indicated that they would be the team to beat as they set a time 16 seconds faster than any other crew on Croydon 1. However, this advantage was pegged back by ten seconds as they were penalised for a line fault. Trevor Disney/Aaron Toms (Ford Fiesta ST150) had been second quickest, but they also received a line penalty, so it was the fault free Tom Brooks/Tony Brooks (Toyota MR2) who were in second place after the test.

Test 2 was on the western side of Croydon; it was one mile in length and was called Timberscombe. Once again, Woolley/Woolley were fastest, but they were only one second quicker than Pat Thomas/Brendan Wellman (Ford Escort), Will Jefferis/Toby Sweetland (Nissan Micra) and Mike Raymond/Gemma Raymond (Ford Escort), who all shared the runner up honours for the test.

This left Woolley/Woolley with a lead of 19 seconds, with Brooks/Brooks still second, two seconds ahead of Disney/Toms, who held the same advantage over Thomas/Wellman.

As well as Car 1, a number of others failed to make the end of the opening set of tests, these included James Durkin/Phil Sant (Ford Fiesta ST150 - Gearbox), Ari Sibley/James Walters (Citroen C2 - Broken Gearbox Mounting) and Jon Burnell/Ian Hobman (Mazda MX5 - Mechanical).

The popular Knowle Forest was the venue for the six mile Test 3; there was one split and merge. It was to provide the major controversy of the event. The leaders were adjudged to have missed out a manoeuvre, this carried a two minute penalty, an addition that would have dropped Woolley/Woolley down the order and, at the Finish, would have left them in second place. However, it was found that the marshal who observed the error wasn't included in the Judge of Fact list posted at the Start. The penalty was therefore scrapped and the BMW pair duly posted the fastest time for the test, despite having been penalised for two further line faults.

Very few crews escaped from the test without at least one fault of one type or another. Zak Linham/Sam Treleavan (MG ZR) weren't amongst them and this saw them take second fastest time and moved them up to fifth in the overall standings. At the front, Woolley/Woolley now held a lead of 34 seconds over Brooks/Brooks, who, in turn, were 14 seconds ahead of Thomas/Wellman.

The two runs up the Porlock Toll Road completed the first half of the rally. The first run saw Woolley/Woolley beaten for the first time during the day, when Lewis Clarke/Oliver Luxton (Ford Fiesta) were fastest, four seconds ahead of the BMW pair. On the second run three crews beat the bogey. Woolley/Woolley stopped the clock 16 seconds under bogey, with Clarke/Luxton one second behind. Brooks/Brooks were the third crew to beat the target. All, of course, were awarded the bogey time for the test.

Somerset Targa Targa Rally 2024

This meant that at the halfway halt, Woolley/Woolley held a lead of 44 seconds, while Brooks/Brooks were in a lonely second place, 49 seconds ahead of Thomas/Wellman, who had a problematic Test 5, where they picked up two line faults and one cone fault. They were now in a close battle for third, with Linham/Treleavan two seconds behind, while Clarke/Luxton had moved up to fifth, but were only four seconds off third.

Eight crews were now on the retired list, these included Joshua Martin/David Motterham, whose Mazda MX5 had lost all its brake fluid through a leak. Simon Ayris/Ben Williams made it to the halt, but only after spending an hour on Test 5 after the car's fuel pump had failed; they went no further.

The afternoon forest tests were a repeat of the five morning ones, with minor alterations having been made to the layout of the Croydon test (Test 6).

Woolley/Woolley continued their domination over the final five tests, only being beaten on Test 7, where Thomas/Wellman were fastest. This meant that they finished with a winning margin of almost two minutes.

None of the fifty finishers escaped without picking up at least one test fault, most with numerous transgressions. Brooks/Brooks were one of the few who only got one fault, a line penalty on Test 3. This helped them to maintain their runner up spot; they finished 15 seconds ahead of Clarke/Luxton, who were third. The latter crew pulled clear of the battle for third during the afternoon and finished 50 seconds ahead of Linham/Treleavan, who were the best Under 1400cc car on the event.

Woolley/Woolley and Linham/Treleavan beat the bogey on the third visit to Porlock and then eight cars were under the target on the final test; Woolley/Woolley beating the bogey by 25 seconds.

Fifty cars started the second half of the rally and fifty made it to the Finish.



RESULTS