Kris Meeke won Guanajuato Rally Mexico on Sunday despite almost throwing victory away when he crashed off the road into a spectator car park less than a kilometre from the finish. A fourth career win seemed assured when Meeke carried a near-40sec lead over Sébastien Ogier into the final gravel road speed test in the mountains near León. But just 750 metres from the end of the four-day … [Read more...]
Rallying
Tour of Epynt opens tarmac series this weekend
Port Talbot Motor Club opens the 2017 tarmacadam rally season on the Epynt Ranges on Sunday with the Melvyn Evans Motorsport Tour of Epynt. The challenging moorland roads will welcome competitors from all areas of the tarmacadam rallying world in what is a very different year, following the abrupt loss of the MSA National Tarmacadam Series. Despite that decision by the BTRDA in difficult … [Read more...]
Elfyn evens the score in snowy Sweden
Welshman Elfyn Evans put in another storming drive in WRC Sweden at the weekend, writes Gary Jones. But despite all his hard work with the M-Sport D-Mack Ford Fiesta he was dogged by some bad luck and ended 6th, the same position he opened with this season on the Monte Carlo Rally. It was a particularly snowy Rally Sweden and some very experienced drivers found themselves sliding off the … [Read more...]
Pirelli Welsh Championship 2017 begins saturday
Saturday sees reigning Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Champions Luke Francis and John H Roberts commence defence of their title on the Cambrian Rally, reports Peter Hughes. The Llandudno based event is the first of eight rounds in the 2017 series. Last year was a bumper one in terms of entries and the competitiveness of the title fight. With Pirelli back on board as title sponsors for … [Read more...]
Ravenol Welsh Challenge boost for grass-roots sport
Hard-charging clubmen will be better rewarded in this year's Ravenol Welsh Challenge, writes Peter Hughes. The series will run once again this season in conjunction with the Pirelli MSA Welsh Forest Rally Championship but distribution of the £3,000 prize fund has been changed. In a further move to support grass-roots rallying, the Championship organisers have announced that a free entry on the … [Read more...]
Fowden fight goes on
Welsh National Tarmacadam Champion 2016 Bob Fowden began the 2017 title battle where he left off last year – at the top, says Roger Gale. Fowden swept to another victory on the Rali Cwm Gwendraeth held over forty five miles on Sunday at Pembrey Circuit. The Welsh multi-champion was co-driven on home territory by his son Paul Fowden, regular co-driver Paul Wakely … [Read more...]
Elfyn stuns with WRC 2017 debut
Welshman Elfyn Evans stormed to a thrilling sixth place in the opening round of this year’s WRC above Monte Carlo at the weekend. He set fastest time on three stages with navigator Dan Barritt in their MSport Ford Fiesta using his trusted DMack tyres which he used so effectively last season. It was an incredible opening to the year and showed he can outpace the world’s top rally drivers in … [Read more...]
2017 WRC begins today
The build-up and fever pitch expectation is almost over as this week’s Rallye Monte-Carlo 19 - 22 January heralds the start of one of the most keenly-anticipated FIA World Rally Championship seasons in memory. Dynamic new-look World Rally Cars will echo through the mountains of the French Alps as four of the world’s biggest automotive manufacturers begin the fight for supremacy in motorsport’s … [Read more...]
Welsh clubmen’s rally voted best in British calendar
The Nicky Grist Stages has won the prestigious Bill Turner Trophy for the Best Event in the 2016 Ravenol BTRDA Rally Series. It’s the fourth time that the Quinton Motor Club-organised rally has won the award, having lifted the trophy in 2005, 2010 and 2012. It has also been nominated as one of the top three best organised BTRDA Rally Series events for the last six years in succession. Luke … [Read more...]
Rallylines 19 January
Specialist providers Dayinsure will continue to back Wales Rally GB for this year and next. The British round of the FIA World Rally Championship will be based in North Wales 26-29 October. The British Rally Championship 2017 has secured backing from Prestone. It supplies high performance coolant and anti-freeze as well as screenwash. … [Read more...]