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REGULATIONS AND REGISTRATIONS OPEN
Regulations and Registrations are now open for the 2023 Championship.
Please click on the link below and follow the instructions.
REGISTRATION FORM
Worlds Greatest Gravel Forest Stages to Host Seven Round Championship
Press release: 12 December 2022
Many of the world's greatest gravel forest stages - like Myherin, Sweet Lamb,
Dyfnant, Hafren and Crychan - will come together to form the 2023 Motorsport UK
Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship, with an exciting seven-round calendar
planned for next year.
Organised by the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs, the 2023 series will offer
competitors a good geographical spread and a good date balance, with the first
round taking place at the end of March, the final round at the end of October and
only one event taking place over the months of June, July and August, providing
plenty of time for mid-season car refurbishments in the summer break.
Each event will have an ultra-compact one-day format, with around 45 stage miles
and minimal road mileage.
Thanks to the outstanding work of Rally 4 Wales, the Welsh forest stages are always
in excellent condition. These super smooth world-class road conditions have seen
the Historic and smaller capacity car entries grow and the very successful
introduction of a Road Rally class, whilst it has also attracted top-class competition
from Ireland, Scotland, England the Isle of Man, and of course the home nation of
Wales.
The 2023 season will start with the Get Jerky Rally North Wales on Saturday 25
March. Organised by Wolverhampton & South Staffs Car Club, the event will move
from its traditional base in Dolgellau to Welshpool, which is home to the event's new
title sponsor. An exciting new route is being planned, featuring some classic forest
stages.
Round 2 will be the Rallynuts Stages Rally on Saturday 15 April. Organised by
Midland Manor Motor Club, the event is based at the Royal Welsh Showground in
Llanelwedd and has stages in the nearby mid-Wales forests.
The Plains Rally, which successfully moved to its new home of Bala this year, hosts
Round 3. The Knutsford & District Motor Club event will take place on Saturday 20
May, with another tight and compact route like the one which was so well received
by competitors in 2022.
Round 4 will be the Nicky Grist Stages on Saturday 8 July. Based in Builth Wells,
with the start, finish and service area all located in the town centre, the Quinton
Motor Club event will contain super-smooth stages in the classic mid-Wales forests
in and around the Epynt military range.
The Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Stages Rally is another hugely popular event
that traditionally features some fantastic challenging stages and very low road
mileage. The Sixty and Worcestershire Motor Club organised event will be based at
Ludlow Racecourse and hosts Round 5 on Saturday 9 September.
The stunning Wales/England border is also the setting for the sixth and penultimate
round of the 2023 Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship, the Wyedean Rally.
Organised by Forest of Dean Motor Club, the event will take place on Saturday 14
October.
The seventh and final round will be the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally, which takes
place on Saturday 28 October. The North Wales Car Club organised event will be
based in Llandudno and incorporates some of the most classic former Wales Rally
GB stages in the north of the principality.
Following on from the success of recent years, each round of the 2023 Pirelli
Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship will be filmed and live-streamed online, with
expert commentary, driver interviews and much more.
Dave Evison, Pirelli Ravenol Welsh National Rally Championship, said: "Firstly I
have to say a massive thank you to all the individual event organisers. Recently the
pandemic held back their thinking, and now with it behind us they are looking to do
things differently. What you might ask? Well, you will have to come and join us to
find out! We have tweaked the class structure and the calendar with seven events,
with the best five scores to count, and we will also use Sportity so that all the
championship information is easily accessible and in one place. The main
ingredients remain - friendly competition on the best stages in the world!"
Further details on the 2023 Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship
can be found online at: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
2023 Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship
25 March.......Get Jerky Rally North Wales
15 April.......Rallynuts Stages Rally
20 May.......Plains Rally
8 July.......Nicky Grist Stages
9 September.......Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Stages
14 October.......Wyedean Rally
28 October.......Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally
For more information, please contact:
Dave Evison
Secretary, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship
Paul Evans
Press Officer, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship
Picture captions
Bob Ceen/Shaun Layland (Ford Fiesta R5)
Paul Walker/Geraint Thomas (Subaru Impreza)
Andrew Fox/Jaime-Lee Fox (BMW 325)
Ashley Davies/Sam Fordham (Ford Escort Mk2)
Jonathan Brace/Paul Spooner (Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600)
Pictures by Paul Mitchell. Please credit 'Paul Mitchell Photography' if used.
paulmitchellphotography@gmail.
David Lloyd Roberts and Declan Casey Scoop David Stokes Historic Challenge and Guy Weaver Awards
David Lloyd Roberts, pictured above, and Declan Casey, pictured below, are the very worthy recipients of two very
special Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship awards - the David
Stokes Historic Challenge for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers.
Both awards were open to all drivers and co-drivers registered for the Historic
classes, with the names of the competitors who finished in the top three of class W6,
W7 and W8 going into the final selection process.
The judging panel (made up of representatives from the Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally
Championship, the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs, members of the Stokes family
and Guy Weaver) then debated and decided on who the two winners should be -
considering (but not limited to) criteria such as sportsmanship, unflappable
determination, performance improvement and how they promote motorsport in a
positive and safe manner.
David Lloyd Roberts (from Corwen in Denbighshire) contested all seven rounds of
the 2022 Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship in his Ford Escort Mk2, winning
class W7 four times and clinching the title with victory on the final round of the series,
the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally.
Declan Casey co-drove for Michael McDaid, above, in their rapid McDaid Pharmacy Escort
RS1800 Mk2 - with the Cork navigator winning the class W8 title, thanks to three
magnificent class victories in the last four rounds.
As well as ably demonstrating their speed, Roberts and Casey also impressed the
judges with their excellent demeanour towards championship personnel, event
officials and marshals, the high standard of car preparation and being great
ambassadors to rallying - qualities that the late David Stokes always insisted upon
and which Guy Weaver continues today.
David Lloyd Roberts said: "I'm very surprised, honoured and grateful to receive this
award. I've always been a fan of David Stokes, so to have my name on this trophy is
one of my rallying career highlights. I had a mixed season, with some highs and a
couple of lows, but we had a great class battle with Neal James and it all came good
in the end."
Declan Casey said: "Myself and Michael [McDaid] had a fantastic season in the
Welsh forests coming away with the W8 class title. This award for me is the icing on
the cake on a very successful 2022 campaign. I have recently got to know Guy
[Weaver] and it's an absolute honour to accept this award bearing his name. I'd like
to thank all our service crew, our families and our friends, without whom we could not
have achieved this success."
Andrew Stokes said: "I'd like to congratulate both winners. David [Lloyd Roberts] has
shown devotion to the Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship and a great driving
style befitting the David Stokes Historic Challenge award, while Declan Casey's
efforts over the season have been brilliant and he's a very worthy winner of the Guy
Weaver award. It's been a good first year and we look forward to developing,
expanding and highlighting the initiative in 2023."
Guy Weaver said: "I would like the award winners to be proud of these awards and
the efforts that they have put in during the 2022 season. I hope that their success will
inspire more to come and do the Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship and
experience the fabulous stages that Wales has to offer."
Dave Evison, Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship Secretary,
said: "A huge thanks to all the competitors who rose to the challenge. There were so
many stand-out performances during the year, which really bodes well for the future.
Following the success of the David Stokes Historic Challenge and Guy Weaver
awards, the initiative will be opened up to even more competitors in 2023. The
success of the challenge is down to the working relationship built up with members
of the Stokes family together with Guy Weaver, whose understanding of the sport
played its part in the inaugural success of this new initiative. Our thanks and
appreciation goes to them, and many congratulations to the 2022 winners, David
Lloyd Roberts and Declan Casey."
Further details on the 2023 Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship
can be found online at: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
For more information, please contact:
Dave Evison
Secretary, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship
Paul Evans
Press Officer, Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh National Rally Championship
Images Paul Mitchell
Rob Wilson wins Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship Junior and Challenge titles after Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally thriller
Rob Wilson scooped a stack of major Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship titles after a stunning display on the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally saw the youngster collect the OnThePaceNote.co.uk supported Welsh Junior title, the Ravenol Welsh Challenge title, the class W13 crown and finished runner-up in the overall drivers' standings - having started the final round in fifth.
It marks a remarkable turnaround for the 19-year old Herefordshire driver, whose entire rally season was put in jeopardy when he rolled his Ravenol-backed Mitsubishi Evo 7 in pre-event testing.
The finale to the season was almost as dramatic, as Wilson had a worrying noise coming from his car's gearbox right from the start of the Llandudno-based event. Despite this distraction, he and co-driver Richard Crozier were fourth in the Pirelli Ravenol Welsh standings at half distance - and moved up to second after a brilliant run through the repeat of Clocaenog, Brenig, Alwen and Penmachno forest stages.
There was no stopping Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear, who had already been crowned the overall 2022 Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally champions, from winning once again in their Pirelli-shod Delta Salvage Ford Fiesta R5+ (although they did bounce off a tree, surviving with minor damage) - but this time the applause went to Wilson/Crozier on their truly outstanding season, which saw them win the Welsh Junior section five times from five starts.
"After an amazing debut season in a four-wheel drive car it all came down to this - and an incredible final result," said Wilson.
"The Cambrian was not easy as we were hampered by a gearbox issue and we seriously did not think we would make it through the day. Thank you to Richard [Crozier] for an incredible season, as well as dad and Sam for all their efforts on and off events.
"We knew it was possible to win the Welsh Junior, Ravenol Welsh Challenge and the class W13 titles, as well as finish runner-up in the overall points standings, and we pulled it off. A big thanks to everyone that was involved in the season!"
Liam Griffiths had led the Junior category for much of the year in his Discover Parks Ford Fiesta ST. He and co-driver Daniel James didn't have the best of days, as the car's engine cut out mid-way through the Alwen stage. He knew stopping Wilson was going to be a tall order, yet finishing runner-up was a great end of season result.
William Lewis won the Welsh Junior co-drivers' title, having guided Callum Griffiths to third in the Welsh Junior standings in their Presteigne Tyre Services Ford Fiesta ST all season.
Dai Lloyd Roberts/Gerallt Davies won the Welsh Historic class W7 in their Ford Escort Mk2 on the day, and in doing so clinched the title on the final round. Neal James/Kevin Jones finished runner-up in their Cwm Engineering Ford Escort Mk2, while Ben and Steven Smith take third in the series, despite retiring their Amigos Ford Escort RS2000 Mk1 mid-way through the Cambrian.
Michael McDaid/Declan Casey took the lead of the Historic class W8 on the penultimate round and secured the title with another win on the Cambrian in their McDaid Pharmacy Escort RS1800 Mk2. In what had been a thrilling battle all season, the Northern Irishman finished 26 points ahead of Nick Elliott.
Gary Smith/Phil Clarke had a slight off in Clocaenog but ended their year with a season-best second place finish in their Ford Escort Mk2.
Those who finish in the top three of each Historic class (W6, W7 and W8) will now be put forward for the David Stokes Historic Challenge award for drivers and the Guy Weaver award for co-drivers.
Russ Thompson took home third placed Pirelli Ravenol Welsh points in another great performance in his GPM/PD Extinguishers Mitsubishi Evo 9. Co-driven by Stephen Link, it was his second podium finish of the year and despite only contesting three rounds the 2019 series runner-up finished 10th in the final points standings.
James Giddings/Aled Davies hit a straw bale on the opening loop of stages but survived to score fourth placed championship points in their Fordpad Mitsubishi Evo 9. It also secured the Carmarthen driver fifth in the overall points rankings.
Just one point separated Bob Morgan (Winner Garage Å koda Fabia R5+) and John Caine (Phil Price Rally School Subaru Impreza) coming into the final round. In a dramatic finale, Caine (partnered by Andrew Sankey) took home fifth place points, one place ahead of Morgan (guided by Ade Williams) - although when the scores to drop rule was taken into account, Morgan finished third in the overall drivers' standings (with Caine in fourth), while Caine finished second in the Ravenol Rally Challenge and Morgan third - and on both occasions they were still separated by just one point.
Paul Walker/Geraint Thomas enjoyed another good run in their Geoff Jones Motorsport-prepared Green Paw Subaru Impreza to take home eighth placed Pirelli Ravenol Welsh points, while Martyn Andrews/Stephen Greenhill took ninth in their Subaru Impreza.
David Tomlin/Keith Ashley lost time at the start of a stage when their launch system failed to engage, but they nonetheless had another good run in their Axon Ford Fiesta R5.
Tony Simpson had been the top 2WD driver at mid-distance, after a tremendous morning in his Seacon UK/Kielder Tools Ford Fiesta R2T. In what would have been his 50th rally with his late co-driver Ian Bevan, he continued the good run over the afternoon loop of stages - and despite driving the final three miles of Brenig on a puncture, he and Jamie Edwards won the R2 class by 33 seconds and completed the Pirelli Ravenol Welsh top 10 - which was a truly magnificent achievement.
Perry Gardener lost time when he spun his Ford Fiesta R5 at the very first corner. Worse was to follow, as he was forced out with engine problems after Brenig - denying navigator Jack Bowen the Welsh Junior co-driver's title.
Richard Ceen/Alun Hayward retired their Coedwigaeth Pencelyn-backed Ford Focus WRC05 on SS4, while Benj Ceen/Caron Tomlinson lost a wheel on their Ford Fiesta R5 on the eighth and final stage.
Matthew Honeyborne/James Curtis retired their BMW 328 Coupe before SS3, while Michael Sawyer/Peter Ward failed to complete the afternoon loop in their 2350cc Datsun 1600.
Adrian and Matthew Walk retired their PartBOX Ford Ka on SS6, but they still managed to secure the class W3 title. Meanwhile, the newly crowned Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Road Rally class champion Brynli Thomas (co-driven by Sion Rowlands) finished the season off in style with a good home in his Peugeot 306 Rallye.
The Cambrian was live-streamed and all the footage, with commentary from Howard Davies, remains online and can be viewed at: facebook.com/WELSHRALLYCHAMPIONSHIP.
Further details on the Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship can be found online at: wnrc.wamc.org.uk.
Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally - top 10 Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship finishers
1. Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear (Ford Fiesta R5+).......46mins 15.0secs
2. Robert Wilson/Richard Crozier (Mitsubishi Evo 7).......48mins 56.3secs
3. Russ Thompson/Stephen Link (Mitsubishi Evo 9).......49mins 05.1secs
4. James Giddings/Aled Davies (Mitsubishi Evo 9).......49mins 28.0secs
5. John Caine/Andrew Sankey (Subaru Impreza).......51mins 20.8secs
6. Bob Morgan/Ade Williams (Å koda Fabia R5+).......52mins 18.9secs
7. Michael McDaid/Declan Casey (Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2).......53mins 20.7secs
8. Paul Walker/Geraint Thomas (Subaru Impreza).......54mins 10.6secs
9. Martyn Andrews/Stephen Greenhill (Subaru Impreza).......54mins 18.9secs
10. Tony Simpson/Jamie Edwards (Ford Fiesta R2T).......54mins 26.6secs
2022 Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship
Overall drivers' points after Round 7
1. Matthew Hirst.......150pts
2. Robert Wilson.......122pts
3. Bob Morgan.......114pts
4. John Caine.......113pts
5. James Giddings.......103pts
6. Bob Ceen.......98pts
For more information please contact:
Dave Evison
Secretary, Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship
Paul Evans
Press Officer, Motorsport UK Pirelli Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship
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