News

Press release: 2 September 2024

 
James Giddings aims to extend his lead at the top of the Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship points standings when he contests this weekend's Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Stages (Saturday 7 September) in his Fordpad/Enva/Sar Metals Mitsubishi Evo 9.
 
Co-driven by Aled Davies, the Swansea driver's consistently high scoring run of third, fourth and second-place finishes on the first three rounds has given him a 10-point lead as he heads into Round 4. James didn't contest the Woodpecker last year and he hasn't finished the event since 2021 (when he finished second in class in a Fiesta R2) - but a new route this year will lessen that disadvantage as he aims for another podium finish. 
 
Matthew Hirst is still on course for a record-breaking fourth Pirelli Welsh title, thanks to victories on the opening two rounds. Retirement on the recent Nicky Grist Stages will merely go down as one of his two dropped scores as he and co-driver Declan Dear aim to slay their Woodpecker demons in their Delta Salvage/Witham Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5. 

2001 Woodpecker winners Perry Gardener/Jack Bowen return in their TNT Tyres Fiesta R5, as do Russ Thompson/Stephen Link who claimed maximum Pirelli Welsh points on this year's Nicky Grist Stages in their Dunnow Plant Mitsubishi Evo 9.

Peter Baylis/Paul Godden are having a great season and arrive at the Woodpecker lying fourth in the standings. The overheating problems that hampered them in 2023 seem to have finally gone and they'll be aiming to beat their season best fifth Pirelli Welsh finish in their Artificial Lawn Company Mitsubishi Evo 9.
 
David Tomlin is also having a great season. The Worcester driver finished a season best fifth on the Nicky Grist Stages and he and co-driver Keith Ashley will be aiming for their first podium finish of 2024 - having missed out on third after a time-consuming off on the opening Get Jerky Rally North Wales.

 

 
Bob Morgan/Ade Williams flew to a fourth-placed Pirelli Welsh points finish in their Winner Garage Å koda Fabia R5 on the Nicky Grist Stages and will be aiming for a podium this time out - having collected third-placed Pirelli Welsh points on the Woodpecker last year, while Steve Hollis/Tim Currie are looking for their first finish of the season in their V6 Jaguar-engined Volkswagen Golf V R32 and hope to avoid rolling out of the Woodpecker like they did last year.

 
Daniel Moss/Hannah McKillop will also be hoping for better luck in their Hurst Haylage Mitsubishi Evo 10 and like Colin Minton/Adam Westerby (Ignition Motorsport-prepared Tutts Clump Fiesta R5) will be aiming for their strongest performance of the season.
 

Having finished runner-up in the overall drivers' category last year, Simon Rogers hasn't had the best of seasons in his MacWhirter Motorsport Mitsubishi Evo 6, with just a seventh-placed Pirelli Welsh points finish on the opening round to shout about. Partnered by James How, the Radlett driver will be hoping to be back battling for maximum points this time.

 

 
Others aiming to make their mark in smart 4WD machinery include Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe (Geoff Jones Motorsport-prepared Subaru Impreza N12b), Paul Lomas/Mark Leader (Plant Speed Subaru Impreza STi), 

 

Rob and Ashley Aslett (Rigfone Electric Contractors Subaru Impreza)

and Geoff Cottrill/Nathan Crewe (Arnside Motorsport Mitsubishi Evo 9).

After two wins from two starts, Lewis Hooper (co-driven by Rhys Edwards) has a great chance to increase his lead in the OnThePaceNote / Restruct Welsh Junior category as he contests the event in his Hooper Sport Fiesta R2.

 

 

He'll have tough U25 opposition from the likes of Sam Mason (co-driven by James Seymour) in his SM Autocare Ford Fiesta,

 

 

Luke Watts/Matt Rogers (Ian Watts & Son/NJ Auto Repairs MG ZR) and Dylan Fowler Bishop/Dan Evans (Restruct Nissan Micra).

As always there will be a fierce battle for Hockly Motorsport 2WD honours, with Mike Brown Jnr/Nikola Brown (LB Passive Fire BMW Compact M3)


fresh from their class victory last time out and battling against the likes of




Kevin Metcalfe/Ian Jones (BMW E30), Wyn Hughes/David Davies (Escort M2), Dan Chester/Steven Davey (Dan's Action Vehicles BMW E30), Gareth Humphreys/Adam Burkill (BMW Mini Cooper S), David Jones/Glyn Price (Tanners Arms/GJ Price Transport BMW E30)



and defending W12 champions Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (Xwatch Safety Solutions BMW 325).

Iwan Roberts Jnr won the 2WD category on the Rallynuts but as that's his only big score of the season so far the Roberts of Ffestiniog Escort G3 driver is no longer in contention for the title. He has to rebuild his Ford's engine this week and hopes to put in a late entry for him and co-driver Daniel Jones.



Martin Walters/Marie Fletcher will be aiming for another class W10 Pirelli Welsh win in their Digger Parts Direct Honda Civic. Michael Jenkins/Jordan Joines, who have scored three podium finishes this year in their Tutts Clump Fiesta R2, will pose tough opposition,

as will Alan Desbois/Lucie Gutteridge, pictured above. The latter finished third in W10 on the Nicky Grist Stages - but they were leading the class when the front right tyre got knocked off the rim halfway through the final stage, losing 90 seconds. The Holcombe driver will be aiming for a class win redemption this time out in his Peugeot 306 RWD.

 

 
In the highly competitive Pirelli Welsh Historic classes, sprint and hillclimb driver Neville Breach (co-driven this time by Martin Corbett) arrives leading W5 in his 1600cc Avenger. 

 

 
Peter Hinton/Lewis Sim lead W7 in their Escort Mk2 and are set to continue their close battle with



Graham Thatcher/Tim Samuel in their Pembridge Vehicle Management TR7 V8, while Neal James (co-driven by Siobhan Pugh) returns in his Mosleys Rolling Road/Eagle Accountancy Escort Mk2.

 

 

 
Having won twice in two rounds, Jonathan Brace/Paul Spooner will be hoping to continue their rise up the W8 (and 57 Tyres Welsh Challenge) leaderboard in their Dave Jenkins Motorsport-prepared Brace's Bakery Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1,




although it's Gary Smith/Clive Jones who leads the class in their Escort RS1600 Mk1.

 

Rudi Lancaster/Guy Weaver arrive leading W9 after two wins and a second-place finish in their Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks Escort RS18000 Mk2.



They'll be pushed hard as always by defending class champions Lyn Davies/Aled Richards in their Jonesport-prepared 57 Tyres Escort RS1800 Mk2 and winners of the class last time out Robert Gough/Jez Rogers (Escort Mk2).

 

 
Peter Jones/Gareth Davies retired early on the Nicky Grist Stages so will be aiming for a better run in their Escort Mk2 this time. Steve Chaplin/Rich Suter, pictured, are never far away from a class win in their Escort Mk2, Jeremy Wells/Martin Saunders return in their Wells Masonry Solutions Escort, Charles Hopkinson/Alan Jones contest only their second event of the year in their RS1800 Escort Mk2, while Tom Llewellin/Sion Williams are more than capable of winning the class in their Escort Mk2.
 
The top three finishers in each Historic class at the end of the season will be put forward for the David Stokes Historic Challenge award for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers.
 
Organised by Sixty and Worcestershire MC, this year's Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Rally, which is again supported by Presteigne Tyres and Phil Price Rally School, has moved from its traditional base at Ludlow Racecourse to Newtown, with the service park based at Sweet Lamb. Competition will take place over two loops of stages in Ceri, Cwmbiga (Hafren) and Severn Way (Hafren) forests.
 
The Woodpecker will be live streamed on the free-to-view Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship's and Special Stage TV's Facebook pages during the event, plus the Special Stage YouTube channel featuring action from all the registered competitors.
 
During the 2024 season, the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship will be raising awareness of its official charity partner The Osborne Trust (theosbornetrust.com).
 
For details about the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship please visit: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.

 

For more information, please contact: 
Dave Evison
Secretary, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
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Paul Evans
Press Officer, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
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Pictures by Paul Mitchell. Please credit 'Paul Mitchell Photography' if used.
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