Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship

HIRST SLIPS IN TO TAKE TITLE

Matt Hirst and Declan Dear took the 2019 Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship in style on Saturday (9^th November) by taking outright victory on the final round.

It was Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy who led the series going into the Winner Garage Wyedean Stages Rally, needing just a solid finish to take the title. When they retired on the very first stage of the rally, however, with mechanical problems that opened the door for Hirst and Dear in the similar Mitsubishi Evo 9.

It would be no easy task for 2018 Welsh Junior Champion Hirst and his co-driver with only an outright victory allowing them to claim the crown. With the heavy rain in the days leading up to the rally leaving conditions in the stages treacherously slippery, the slightest driving error could be heavily penalised. While those conditions suggested it would be a day to favour four-wheel drive machinery, at the finish eight out of the top 10 cars were Ford Escorts.

Lying third overall after the opening stage, Hirst and Dear moved up to second place on Stage 2 before taking a lead on the next stage which they retained all the way to the finish of the event in Mitcheldean.

That enabled them to snatch the title from the unfortunate Thompson and Murphy by just two points.

Following the event, Matt admitted they had written of their chances of winning the Championship three events ago. He sympathised with their rivals who lost out so narrowly following a great season-long battle, but he said the win was a great follow up for him and Declan to their victory in the RAVENOL Welsh Challenge last season.

Second place points from the event sealed third place overall for Tom Llewellin, the Historic specification Ford Escort driver adding this to his already settled Junior and Two-wheel drive victories. The young Pembrokeshire driver had to survive a first stage spin and a trip into a ditch on Stage 3 and described the achievement as a great finish to the year adding that the Welsh series is a great championship with great competition.

Third place on the rally went to Richard Ceen and Hamish Campbell. On only his second rally in the R5 Fiesta, Richard took a slightly cautious approach for the first run through the stages, upping his pace second time through.

Josh Taylor and Heather Merrison went into the event leading class B13 and were looking for a finish to take the Championship class honours. Electrical problems cost them four minutes on the opening stage but they bounced back to take seventh quickest time on Stage 2. Josh later described what happened on the very next stage, “We went a little fast into a slippery downhill square right. We avoided the tree but then ended up crashing into a rock face which almost sent us down into the River Wye which meant rally over. I guess after a year without an off we were due one.” Despite that they still take the Championship Class award ahead of Richard Hill and Keith Gapper.

Keith Gapper and Jordan Wilkinson tackled the first three stages without a heated screen leaving them with limited visibility. They then suffered a spin on stage 5 before completing the final stage without an intercom.

With Tom Llewellin having already secured the drivers’ category in the RAVENOL Welsh Challenge, co-driver honours went to Tom Murphy. A strong run by BMW pairing Andy Fox and Jaime-Lee Fox secured second place for them with third place amongst the drivers going to Josh Taylor while Simon Jones finished third amongst the co-driver.

Over 130 competitors registered for the 2019 Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship and it is reflection of the competitive nature of the series that after eight rallies and more than three hundred stage miles just two points separated the top two crews.

All the award winners will receive their trophies at the annual WAMC dinner which will take place at The Hotel Metropole in Llandrindod Wells on January 25 ^th.

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ISSUED 12^TH NOVEMBER 2019

NOTE TO EDITORS: Credit for the image Rallysportmedia.com.

Issued by Peter Hughes Media on behalf of the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship.

DEAN DECIDER

It’s showdown time this Saturday (9^th November) for competitors in the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship. The crews will head out from the start of the final Championship round, the Winner Garage Skoda Wyedean Stages Rally with the overall Welsh title, along with many class awards, still at stake.

The fight for overall honours is effectively a two-way battle between Russ Thompson/Andy Murphy and Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear with both crews in Mitsubishi Evo IXs.

Tom Llewellin has already clinched the RAVENOL Welsh Challenge for drivers but 2 ^nd and 3 ^rd places and the prize fund that go with them could go to any over four drivers. It’s Andy Fox who currently holds second place ahead of Josh Taylor but Hywel Davies and Perry Gardener remain in contention.

In the RAVENOL Welsh Challenge for co-drivers, it’s Tom Murphy who has sewn up top honours but any of the next eight co-drivers in the standings could end up in the top three.

Tom Llewellin has also claimed overall Two Wheel Drive honours but both front and rear wheel drive titles remain to be decided. Chris Powell, Andrew Fox, Hywel Davies and Andrew Davison could all still take the rear wheel drive crown, although Powell has opted to enter this event in a four-wheel drive Subaru Impreza. In front wheel drive the battle is between Perry Gardener, Callum Black, Tony Simpson, Steve Black and Dan Evans.

Any of the top three rear wheel drive co-drivers could still take that category with the battle similarly open among the front wheel drive co-drivers.

In class 4 for cars up to 1400cc, the fight is between the top 4 drivers and co-drivers while in Class 4, Martin Walters and Steve Deeley are battling it out for the title with the top 4 co-drivers in contention.

Hywel Davies and Simon Jones have secured the titles in Class 5 but Escort driver Ron Morgan or Volvo man Ken Davies, whose company KGD Industrial Services is supporting the Wyedean could still finish as second placed driver.

Class 6 is the most open class in the Championship with any of the top 7 drivers and the top 9 co-drivers while in Class 7 the fight is between the top 8 drivers and top 7 co-drivers.

In Class 13, matters are complicated by the destination of the overall title. Josh Taylor leads the way, but he is just a single point clear of Matthew Hirst but if Hirst takes the overall drivers’ title he will not be eligible for a class award. Keith Gapper, meanwhile, in his second season in the Championship could secure a second trip to the end of season awards evening.

Declan Dear appears favourite to secure class 13 co-drivers’ honours but could still be pipped at the post by Heather Merrison.

Finally, in class N4, Russ Thompson and Wug Utting are tied on points and, with drivers counting only their six best scores from the season’s eight championship rounds the mathematical permutations are many and varied.

As competitors face up to six classic Forest of Dean stages, therefore, there is still plenty to play for. Spectator information about the event, organised by Forest of Dean Motor Club, can be found on the official event web site, wyedeanstages.co.uk. More information on the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship can be found at wnrc.wamc.org.uk, on the Championship Facebook page and on Twitter @WnRC.

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ISSUED 4^TH NOVEMBER 2019

NOTE TO EDITORS: Credit for the image below of Russ Thompson/Andy Murphy should be given to paulmitchellphotography@gmail.com

Credit for the image of Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear should be given to rallysportmedia.com.

WOODPECKER STAGES SET UP THREE-WAY FIGHT FOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE

The Eventsigns Woodpecker Stages saw the battle for maximum Championship points in the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship go right down to the final stage. The outcome also means that the overall drivers’ title, along with many of the other Championship awards, will not be decided until November and the final round of the series, the Wyedean Stages Rally.

With competitors heading out from Ludlow Racecourse to tackle five special stages, it was a short-lived event for Championship contenders Matt Hirst and Declan Dear, their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX succumbing to engine problems on the opening stage.

As the cars emerged from that opening stage it was Scott Faulkner and Gareth Parry who led the way ahead of Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy, with Richard Hill and Steffan Evans third among the Championship runners.

When the cars returned to service after two stages, Thompson and Murphy had moved ahead of fellow Evo IX runners Faulkner and Parry with Hill and Evans still third in their Subaru Impreza. Faulkner and Parry were quickest on stage three by a single second, but Thompson and Murphy retained their lead.

Another quick run through stage four saw Faulkner and Parry head into the final test in Radnor Forest with a three second advantage. A spin for them on that stage, however, meant that when the cars returned to the finish at the Racecourse it was Thompson and Murphy who took the win by 13 seconds, Hill and Evans finishing in third place behind Faulkner and Parry.

The overall Championship points table for drivers still shows Tom Llewellin with the highest points tally in his Mark II Ford Escort but, with competitors only allowed to count their top six scores from the eight Championship rounds, the amended totals show Thompson with a fifteen point lead over Llewellin while Hirst and Faulkner third and fourth respectively. As a result of this, Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy win the free entry on Wales Rally GB National Rally, provided by Motorsport UK as part of their Road to Wales initiative.

While Tom Llewellin cannot now catch Thompson, both Hirst and Faulkner can still do so depending on the outcome of the Wyedean Rally.

Tom Llewellin may have lost the opportunity to take the outright title but there was no small consolation for the youngster as he secured the overall two wheel drive title, sponsored by lightninghouse.co.uk to add to the junior title, backed by onthepacenote.co.uk and the RAVENOL Welsh Challenge for drivers, which he had already claimed. With his two-wheel drive victory comes a made-to-measure HRX Tutor race suit provided by lightninghouse.co.uk.

The overall co-drivers’ title is now a three-way fight between Andy Murphy, Declan Dear and Gareth Parry while in Group N, the drivers’ title is a straight two-way fight between the current points leader Wug Utting in his Subaru Impreza and second placed Russ Thomson with their respective co-drivers, Bob Stokoe and Andy Murphy

While Tom Llewellin has secured the overall two-wheel drive award, the separate awards for front and rear wheel drive have still to be resolved. Among the co-drivers in two-wheel drive cars, just six points separate Tom Murphy and Jim Lewis with the destination of the HRX race suit that comes with that title still to be settled.

The fight for runners up spot among the junior drivers is a close one with just a single point separating Zak Hughes and Gethin Price. Tom Murphy holds a fourteen point lead in the junior co-drivers’ standings but three others still hold at least a mathematical chance of taking the title.

Andy Fox or Josh Taylor could still claim the runner up spot in the RAVENOL Welsh Challenge and while the Woodpecker saw Tom Murphy clinch the RAVENOL Welsh Challenge for co-drivers there are six other co-drivers who could yet finish as runner-up to him.

The final round of the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship is the Wyedean Stages Rally on November 9^th. There is more information about that event of the official web site, wyedeanstages.co.uk and about the Championship on wnrc.wamc.org.uk, on the Championship Facebook page and on Twitter, @WnRC.

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Issued by Peter Hughes Media on behalf of the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship

PLENTY TO PLAY FOR AS CHAMPIONSHIP ENTERS ITS CLOSING STAGES

Tom Llewellin image: Rallysportmedia.com

Competitors in the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship come to the penultimate round of the series, the Eventsigns Woodpecker Stages, this weekend with most of the overall and class awards still to be settled.

The overall driver standings are headed by Tom Llewellin but the top six in the table all retain at least a mathematical chance of taking the title. Tom had put in consistently strong performances throughout the season in his Historic specification Mark II Ford Escort. With competitors only counting their best six results from the eight Championship rounds, however, he faces a stiff battle if he is to claim the title.

Matthew Hirst image: Rallysportmedia.com

Second placed Matthew Hirst has won one round of the series so far this season as well as claiming a runner up spot. He has a non-finish on the opening round, the Cambrian Rally to drop as well as a low score on round 5, the Red Kite Stages, and must be viewed as a strong contender in his Mitsubishi Evo IX.

Russ Thompson image: paulmitchellphotography@gmail.com

Fellow Evo IX driver Russ Thompson may be in third place in the standings but he has taken two victories and two second places but has also had a non-finish along with a non-start so two good results in the remaining rounds could see him take the title while Scott Faulkner has only finished three rounds of the Championship, missing two events altogether in his Group N Evo IX and he retains an outside chance of overall honours.

So too does Group N Subaru Impreza driver Wug Utting and Talbot Sunbeam driver Chris Powell who is competing on home ground this weekend.

There are no fewer than eight co-drivers with a theoretical chance of taking the overall title in the category with co-driver to Matthew Hirst, Declan Dear leading the way. He holds a 14-point advantage over Andy Murphy, partner to Russ Thompson. A further 11 points back is Jim Lewis.

Wug Utting is leading Group N driver, 14 points clear of Ross Thompson with Scott Faulkner a further 30 points back. The standings in the co-driver category are mirrored by the respective co-driver, Bob Stokoe, Andy Murphy and Gareth Parry.

In the two-wheel drive category, sponsored by lightninghouse.co.uk, Tom Llewellin tops the driver standings, 25 points ahead of Chris Powell while Perry Gardener is third. The two-wheel drive category remains wide open with Jim Lewis heading the way from Tom Murphy and Keaton Williams.

One title that has already been decided is the Junior driver title, sponsored by onethepacenote.co.uk, with Tom Llewellin’s impressive season long performance clinching that honour for him but just two points separate Gethin Price and Zak Hughes as they fight it our for the runner-up spot.

Tom Murphy is 10 points clear of Rhys Stoneman in the fight for the Junior co-driver title with Keaton Williams a further nine points back in third place.

Tom Llewellin has also clinched the RAVENOL Welsh Challenge for drivers, but second placed Josh Taylor is only three points ahead of Andy Fox in third with several more drivers still able to snatch the runner-up spot.

The RAVENOL Welsh Challenge for co-drivers sees leader Tom Murphy 21 points ahead of Simon Jones. Jones has just a single point advantage over Keaton Williams with Jessica Hockly only three points further back.

The Ludlow based rally, organised by 60 & Worcs Motor Club, could see a number of questions answered as far as the Championship is concerned, but the likelihood is that many more will not be resolved until the final round, the Wyedean Stages in November.

More information about the Eventsigns Woodpecker Stages can be found on the official web page, woodpecker-rally.co.uk and about the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship on the Championship web page, wnrc.wamc.org.uk, the Championship Facebook page and on Twitter @WnRC.

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Issued 28th August 2019

Issued by Peter Hughes Media on behalf of the Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship