Welsh crews dominated top results in the opening Scottish round of the Preston MSA British Rally Championship.
Fredrik Ahlin and co-driver Torstein Eriksen won the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally, the curtain-raising round of the Championship last weekend.
The Swedish/Norwegian pairing came out on top after nine hard-fought stages to open Britain’s premier rallying series.
The 2017 Prestone MSA British Rally Championship has been one of the most eagerly-anticipated seasons in recent memory, with a star-studded entry list descending on the Scottish border town of Jedburgh for the first round. Nine speed tests and more than 55 slippery miles awaited for the 33 registered crews, all of whom were ready to fight for supremacy on the gravel stages of southern Scotland.
But it was the outstanding performances of two Welsh crews which resounded through the stages.
An incredible drive saw Tom Cave’s Ford Fiesta R5 take second place.
“We started brilliantly on the opening night. The second day was good as well, but we dropped a little bit of time on the first stage. We had to do some road sweeping as we ran first on the road when David [Bogie] went out, which really helped Fredrik.
“I am disappointed to have lost the time that I did, but we kept on pushing in some really tricky conditions when others made mistakes. We have an exciting new car for the next round when we bring the Hyundai i20 to the championship – so I am really looking forward to getting into that and get back to fighting Fredrik and enjoying another good battle next time out.”
Third overall was Osian Pryce, Ford Fiesta R5.
“It was a really difficult weekend for us. It has been a long road to get us here and I sadly didn’t get enough time to test beforehand,” he said afterwards.
“The opening night was okay; we were gutted to get a puncture but were determined to keep spirits high and fight on and keep learning. We managed to set a fastest stage time which was great, and to get a podium was a real bonus.
“If you had said a podium was on offer this weekend, I would have taken it with both hands. The team have done a tremendous job and everybody who got me here is over the moon – as am I.”
