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Woodpecker Stages Rally Top 10 - Report
Pearson takes Championship lead after victory on Woodpecker Stages
Garry Pearson has taken the lead in the 2021 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship after scoring a stunning victory on the Eventsigns Woodpecker Rally in his Asset Alliance Å koda Fabia R5.
Despite having never contested the event before, he and co-driver Niall Burns led from start to finish, taking a six second lead after the open stage and building it into a 58 second winning margin after all five stages and 44 stage miles through the ultra-fast Radnor forest complex had been completed. It was a near perfect performance in their Dylan Davies Rally car - a spin on SS2 and an overshoot at a junction on SS4 their only minor dramas.
"It's my first time at the Woodpecker Rally and I couldn't ask for much better to be fair. It didn't feel like we were going very well in the morning, but the times were there," said Garry."We upped our pace in the afternoon and made a couple of small mistakes, but we managed to reach the end and get the result we wanted."
George Lepley moves up to third in the Pirelli Welsh overall drivers' standings and extends his lead in the Pirelli Welsh Junior category after an incredible drive to second on the Woodpecker in his WD-40 Mitsubishi Evo X. The AMS-tuned car had new brakes fitted for the event, which took some bedding in on the opening loop of two stages, and from then on his confidence and speed grew as he and co-driver Tom Woodburn flew to a truly wonderful result.
Ian Bainbridge/Will Atkins had expected more grip in Radnor and had gambled with harder suspension on their Gypsum Group Å koda Fabia R5. The result was that the car was impossible to stop on the slippery opening two stages, with overshoots galore putting them down in fourth, over a minute behind Pearson, after two stages. The car was "chalk and cheese" after softer springs had been fitted, and from SS3 on they were able to push hard and finished third - after surviving a very big moment on a jump on SS5. Ian is now second in the Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship overall drivers' standings, just one point behind Garry and tied on points with George.
Perry Gardener's first ever event in an R5 car was nothing short of sensational, as he finished fifth overall (4th Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship) in his Ford Fiesta R5. He had a slight scare on SS4 when the oil pressure light came on and he had to stop the car to reset the system, but he pressed on hard and, co-driven by Jack Bowen, never eased off and even gained a position on the final stage.
Richard Hill/Pat Cooper lost almost a minute on SS4 when their RH Motors Mitsubishi Evo IX picked up a puncture. In only their fourth event in the car, they finished a magnificent ninth overall (5th Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship), despite a late engine misfire. The result moves Richard up to fourth in the overall drivers' standings.
Callum Black arrived at the Woodpecker leading the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, following his victory on the opening Nicky Grist Stages. His Pallas Connections-backed Ford Fiesta R5+ was only geared for 106mph, and the 586 Sports team driver was losing time as the car bounced off the rev limiter in the many flat-out sections. He and co-driver Jack Morton were still second, until they clipped a log and broke the steering arm on SS4. The retirement drops Callum down to seventh in the overall drivers' standings.
All hopes Russ Thompson/Stephen Link had of victory vanished when their Dunnow Plant Mitsubishi Evo IX picked up a puncture on SS2, costing them three minutes. They fought back well to finish 15th.
The 2019 Pirelli Welsh Rally champions Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear were early retirements - a broken gearbox in their Delta Mitsubishi Evo IX ending their run after SS1.
Paul Barrett/Gordon Noble finished an incredible 10th overall (6th Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship) to make it two maximum points scores out of two rounds in the Pirelli Welsh Historic Cup.
They finished 43 seconds ahead of Ben Friend/Cliff Simmons who had chased them very hard all day in their similar Allglass-backed Escort Mk2.
Robert Gough/Aled Edwards finished third in the Pirelli Welsh Historic Cup in their Escort Mk2. They overtook the car ahead of them on SS2, despite taking too harder compound tyres for the first loop, and then spun and picked up a puncture while running in the dust of another car on SS4 - yet a fine run gives them their first significant points score of the season.
Paul Street remains second in the Pirelli Welsh Historic Cup drivers' points table after a strong run in his Escort RS1800 Mk2. Co-driven by Ian Jones, it was only Paul's third event in the car, and he was understandably a lot quicker through the afternoon stages.
Jonathan Brace/Paul Spooner had a good run, the rapid Escort Mk2 duo getting their first finish of the season with fifth in the Pirelli Welsh Historic Cup section in their Brace's Bakery-backed car.
Rob Dennis/Andrew Boswell had a good return to the forests in their Denwell Coach Hire Escort RS1800 and picked up points for sixth Historic car home. They finished ahead of Tom Coughtrie/Ian Fraser who overshoot a hairpin on SS2 and picked up a puncture on SS4 in their Mitsubishi Galant VR-4.
Andrew Stokes/James Hedges had a good run in their Escort RS1600 Mk1 - Andrew moving up to fifth on the Pirelli Welsh Historic Cup points table. They finished ahead of Michael McDaid/Declan Casey in their Escort RS1800 Mk2.
Ron Morgan enjoyed a magnificent run in his new Wales Motorsport-built Escort. Co-driven by Marc Clatworthy, the immaculate Restruct-sponsored car was a sight to behold, and the Bridgend driver described it as the best Mk2 he'd even driven.
Charles Hopkinson/Alan Jones enjoyed a great run in their Escort RS1800 Mk2 to score another good finish.
There was disappointment for former Pirelli Welsh National Rally champions Pete Littler/Andy Marchbank, who were forced out with a broken driveshaft in their Escort Mk2, while Gary Smith/Clive Jones were leading the H1/2 class on the event by 36 seconds when they retired their Escort Mk1 with a puncture.
It is also two maximum scores from two start for David Crossen in the Restruct-sponsored Two-Wheel Drive category. Partnered by Darren Curren, the Comber driver picked up a number of punctures during the day - the most costly of which saw him do almost all of SS2 with a flat. Yet he finished 18th overall in his Escort Mk2 on what was a sensational first attempt at the Woodpecker. The result also gives David the lead in the RAVENOL UK Welsh Challenge.
Owen McMackin/Lee Taylor move up to second in the Two-Wheel Drive standings, despite having to wait until the final stage to enjoy their first clean run of the day after brake, confidence and dust issues on the previous four stages in their Escort Mk2.
Ashley Davies/Sam Fordham were having a fantastic run until they misjudged a hairpin on SS4 and put their Escort Mk2 into a ditch for 35 seconds.
Ricky Crone has taken the lead of the Pirelli Welsh Road Rally class after an incredibly close battle. Partnered by Daniel James, the Escort Mk2 driver finished just 14 seconds ahead of Mark Lennox/Rhodri Evans - despite getting held up in dust on SS4, when the car ahead was slowed with a puncture. Mark recovered magnificently well after a costly first loop, when he lost over a minute with brake and handbrake failure on his Lennox Escort Mk2.
Robi Wood had arrived at the Woodpecker leading the Road Rally class, but he and co-driver Osian Davies lost three minutes on SS4 when they stopped their NiBS Escort Mk2 to change a puncture. They still finished third in class, after Graham Thatcher/Tim Samuel had a very difficult run in their Peugeot 205 GTi. The day began by breaking a rear shock absorber on SS2, which they had to run with for the rest of the event. The resulting rough ride contributed to the fuel filler neck coming loose on the second loop, filling the car with fumes, and they finally got blasted with dust after catching a car on the final stage!
Maxx Bradshaw/Liam Whiteley were mightily impressive in their Renvo8/DB Autos & Sons Mitsubishi Evo III. The Isle of Man crew reached the finish despite a difficult last two stages, when firstly the turbo boost pipe came off just a mile into SS4 (which cost them 28 seconds) and then they lost all the brakes on SS5. They have moved up to second in the Pirelli Welsh Junior class and are 11 points behind George Lepley (who has scored two maximums).
Dan Jones/Cyril Jones have taken the lead of class W10 in their Vauxhall Nova. They lost a lot of time when the gear linkage broke on the second corner of the first stage, leaving them in third gear for SS1 and 2. They punctured a tyre halfway through SS4, but still made it to the finish.
Alan Desbois was driving his RWD Peugeot 306 for the first time in two years. Partnered by Peter Littlefield, he overshot a hairpin on the morning loop but otherwise enjoyed a great day.
Ioan Lloyd/Sion Williams had a fantastic run in their West Wales Rally Spares Peugeot 208 R2 - winning the R2 class on the day, finishing 22nd overall and scoring two wins out of two in the Pirelli Welsh W4 class.
Jonathan Jones won the award for getting the most amount of dust into a car and maintains his second place in class W4 after a good run (co-driven by Alan Walker) in his Ford Fiesta R2.
Adrian and Matthew Walk won class W2 after a trouble-free run in their PartBOX Ford Ka. James Dunkley (co-driven by Dan Sayce) finished second after a fine drive in his JD Auto Services Vauxhall Corsa and leads the W2 drivers' standings by two points.
As far as first rallies together go, it didn't start well for Ross Clements/Nick Wilkins when they rolled their MG ZR on SS2. They got going again and finished the event, with Ross scoring his first Pirelli Welsh points of the season.
Martyn Andrews/Steve Greenhill spent a minute in a ditch on SS2 but were impressive after that in their Subaru Impreza, setting a time 1min 36secs quicker through the same stage when it was repeated as SS4.
John Caine/Andrew Sankey enjoyed a good run. Their Subaru Impreza was fitted with a new clutch and they were quickly able to find a good rhythm - with the fast stages suiting both car and driver extremely well.
Ian Baumgart/Dave Robson went straight on at a hairpin on both the opening two stages and arrived at first service with bent suspension. They got that fixed and went well after that in their Subaru Impreza.
Simon Rogers/James How overshot a hairpin on SS2 in their MacWhirter Motorsport-tuned Mitsubishi Evo VI, but otherwise had a good run.
On only his fourth ever rally, Olly Hunt experienced his first mid-stage wheel change when he and co-driver Andy Falconer picked up a puncture on SS4. Olly is certainly learning very quickly, as his performance in his Subaru Impreza highlighted.
Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe were also going well in their Subaru Impreza STi N12, but lost time with a puncture on the final stage.
Bob Morgan/Adrian Williams had a frustrating outing in their Winner Garage Å koda Fabia, as the car kept stalling at every opportunity to begin with and once that was fixed and they were going well they were badly held up and delayed in a slower car's dust. They failed to reach the finish, reportedly stopping with gearbox problems.
There were no such dramas however for Dave Tomlin/Keith Ashley, who had a good run in only their second rally in their Axon Fiesta R5 to finish 32nd overall.
Martin Frazer/Dylan Bargate lost the brakes on their Slideways Mitsubishi Evo VI on SS1 and took a stage maximum on SS2. Their woes weren't over, as they had to stop and change a puncture on SS4, meaning that they finished the event running last car on the road.
The returning Nik Elsmore felt less confident on the super-fast Radnor stages and unfortunately he and co-driver Craig Drew were forced out when the fuel pump failed on their CDS Mitsubishi Evo IX on SS4.
Robert Morris/John Dilwyn were going well until the power steering pump caught fire and they were forced to retire their Subaru Impreza STi N14 on the final stage, while Steven Ormond-Smith/Lewis Griffiths reported rolled their Mitsubishi Evo IX near the end of SS4.
Steve Black/Paul Morris retired on SS1 with a broken oil cooler pipe on their 586 Sports Suzuki Swift 1400, while Dave and Toby Brick retired their Vauxhall Nova on the opening stage as well. Geoff Phelps/Daniel Petrie retired their Escort with gearbox problems.
Many drivers were full of praise for the magnificent efforts made by the event organisers, Sixty and Worcestershire Motor Club, who had been forced to relocate the service area to Badlands Farm. With very little road mileage, plenty of service time to repair cars and five very challenging stages in the nearby Radnor forest, it really was a fantastic day's rallying.
Sideways Media was there to capture all the action from all five stages, which will be put into a new multi-film edited highlights package featuring competitors from all the classes within the Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship. The programmes will be broadcast on the Championship's Facebook and YouTube channels this week.
Round 3 of the 2021 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship is the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally on Saturday 30 October.
Further details on the 2021 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship can be found online at: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
2021 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship
Provisional overall driver points after Round 2:
- Garry Pearson.......53pts
- Ian Bainbridge.......52pts
- George Lepley.......52pts
- Richard Hill.......45pts
- Paul Barrett.......40pts
- David Crossen.......38pt
- Callum Black.......35pts
- Owen McMackin.......29pts
- Ashley Davies.......27pts
- Ben Friend.......26pts
Preview of Round 2 Woodpecker Stages
Black heads Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship field as battle continues on the Eventsigns Woodpecker Stages
Callum Black will be aiming to extend his early lead at the top of the 2021 Motorsport UK
Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship when Round 2 of the series, the
Eventsigns Woodpecker Stages, takes plac on Saturday 4 September.
Black and co-driver Jack Morton won the opening round, the Nicky Grist Stages, in
their 586 Sports team-prepared Ford Fiesta R5. They go into the next round three
points ahead of Ian Bainbridge/Will Atkins, who will be out to turn the tables in their
Å koda Fabia R5.
George Lepley/Tom Woodburn finished third on the opening round in their AMS-
tuned Mitsubishi Evo X and arrive at the Woodpecker also leading the Welsh Junior
Championship. With the top Junior driver end-of-season prize of a test in a PCRS
Rallysport-prepared Hyundai i20 R5, courtesy of OnThePaceNote, up for grabs,
Lepley will be keen to extend that advantage - although he will be chased hard by
the likes of Jason Black/Karl Egan (Toyota Starlet), Gethin Price/Matthew Baddeley
(Nissan Micra), Maxx Bradshaw/Liam Andrew Whiteley (Mitsubishi Evo III) and Aoife
Raftery/Dylan Doonan (Ford Fiesta).
Former Welsh Junior champion Tom Llewellin had a great run on the Nicky Grist
Stages to come home fourth on his rally debut in a four-wheel drive car. Co-driven by
Ross Whittock, he'll be keen to once again get maximum mileage in his Mitsubishi
Mirage.
There will also be a number of crews aiming to kick-start their title assaults after a
difficult start. These include the 2019 Pirelli Welsh National Rally champions
Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear, who finished 11th on the Nicky Grist after an engine
misfire and a broken driveshaft in their Mitsubishi Evo IX.
The 2019 championship runner-up Russ Thompson has already dropped a score
courtesy of snapping a pair of driveshafts on his Mitsubishi Evo IX. Partnered this
time by Stephen Link, good results from here on in are essential if he's to challenge
for the title this year.
Bob Morgan/Adrian Williams will be hoping that their Å koda Fabia's brake issue
which forced them to non-score last time out are fixed, while the 1990 Woodpecker
Rally winner Graham Middleton, co-driven by Steven McPhee, is set to make his first
appearance of the season in his Mitsubishi Mirage.
David Crossen will be aiming to extend his lead in the Restruct-sponsored Two-
Wheel Drive category, as well as closing in for the lead of the RAVENOL UK Welsh
Challenge category. This time the Comber driver will be partnered in his rapid Escort
Mk2 by Darren Curren.
Ron Morgan will also contest the event in his newly built Escort Mk2. He'll be co-
driven by Marc Clatworthy.
As always, there is a high calibre of Escorts on the entry list. Paul Barrett/Gordon
Noble lead the Historic class in their Escort Mk2, while Owen McMackin/Lee Taylor
and Ashley Davies/Sam Fordham will also be aiming to continue their good starts to
the season in their Escort Mk2s.
Having retired from the opening round when their Escort Mk2's engine cut out,
Jonathan Brace/Paul Spooner will be hoping for better luck on the Woodpecker.
Likewise, Ben Friend/Cliff Simmons will be aiming to bounce back in their Escort
Mk2, after a broken differential put them out of the Grist.
Also expected to go well are the likes of Paul Street/Ian Jones (Escort RS1800 Mk2)
former Pirelli Welsh National Rally champions Pete Littler/Andy Marchbank (Escort
Mk2), Ricky Crone/Daniel James (Escort Mk2) and Phil Clarke/Steve Pugh (Escort
Mk2).
Having blown the cobwebs off on the Nicky Grist by contesting his first event since
the 2015 Wyedean Stages Rally, expect Nik Elsmore to be back on the pace in his
Mitsubishi Evo IX. He had only done three rallies in the last 12 years but, together
with co-driver Craig Drew, was quickly into his stride - and will be one to keep an
eye on this time for sure.
Wug Utting is likely to be more up to speed too. He'd only had a replacement hip
operation a month before the Nicky Grist, so expect him to be back to his old self
when he and co-driver Bob Stokoe hit the Woodpecker stages in their Subaru
Impreza STi N12.
The Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship launched a new online video service
on the Nicky Grist Stages, with the first round of the series attracting 272,000 views.
In response to this fantastic audience figure, experienced motorsport broadcaster
Sideways Media will increase its ability to capture the very best of the action with five
cameras on the Woodpecker. It will edit this footage with onboard action and driver
interviews and expert analysis from Howard Davies and Eifion Jones for an exciting
new multi-film edited highlights package, dedicated to registered Championship
contenders in every class, to be broadcast on the Championship's Facebook and
YouTube channels in the week after the event.
Organised by Sixty and Worcestershire Motor Club, this year's non-spectator
Woodpecker Stages will take place entirely within the Radnor forest complex in
Powys, and contain 44 stage miles on roads which are in superb condition.
Further details on the 2021 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally
Championship, together with registration information, can be found online at:
wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Evans
07710 743167 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Images Chris Huish, RallySport Media'
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