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Mercian Road Rally 2005
Sponsored by Historic Motorsport
Mercia Motor Sports
24th/25th September 2005
Clerk of the Course: Bob Budd & Nigel Evans
Route: 135 Miles
Maps: 140 141 151 & 152
Starters: 32
Winners: Ian Ainsworth/Paul Taylor (Proton Coupe)
Ian Ainsworth/Paul Taylor (Proton Coupe) dominated the Mercian Road Rally; they were the only crew to still be clear of penalties after three of the four time cards and finished three minutes ahead of the field.
The Mercian Motorsport Group event started at David Sutton's Historic Motorsport premises in Daventry. The first half used the little used lanes of Northamptonshire before the event moved North to more familiar roads in Leicestershire.
John Haden/Roger Hage (Subaru Impreza Estate) were looking to make it a hat-trick of wins on the Mercian, but they could only manage the runner up spot, just ahead of Adrian Green, who had 2002 winning navigator Paul Nelson on the maps. Bill Douglas/Steve Hancock (Volvo 240 GLT) finished fourth on their first attempt at the Mercian.
Craig Burgess/Lee Burgess (Peugeot 205 GTi), Guy Robinson/Charlie Wheeldon (Subaru Impreza) and Nick Toplis/Mick Fern (Vauxhall Nova) were all on the retirement list, the latter crew suffering a broken drive shaft when they were clean of penalties after two time cards. Alex Kirk-Willey/Craig Hardman (Vauxhall Corsa) were forced out because of transmission failure.
The Mercian Historic Rally, a round of the HRCR Nocturnal Challenge, ran over the same route and used the same navigation as the modern event, this rally was won comfortably by Wes Massam/Shon Gosling in their Volvo Amazon. Andy Lane/Paul Robinson (Ford Escort Mexico) finished third after losing four minutes when they drowned out in a ford.
OVERALL RESULTS
| Pos | Driver | Navigator | Car | Penalty | |
| 1 | Ian Ainsworth | Paul Taylor | Proton Coupe | 2m 52s | |
| 2 | John Haden | Roger Hage | Subaru Impreza Estate | 5m 56s | |
| 3 | Adrian Green | Paul Nelson | Seat Ibiza | 6m 07s | |
| 4 | Bill Douglas | Steve Hancock | Volvo 240 GLT | 6m 29s | |
| 5 | Geoff Henman | Sam Collis | Peugeot 205 GTi | 8m 37s | |
| 6 | Iain Freestone | John Pickavance | Peugeot 205 Rallye | 10m 24s | |
| 7 | Tim Daltry | Paul Fillis | Ford Escort RS | 13m 29s | |
| 8 | Ian Jones | David Jones | Vauxhall Corsa | 15m 36s | |
| 9 | John Wilkinson | Richard Hage | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo | 25m 34s | |
| 10 | Chris Pratt | Paul Stephens | Peugeot 205 GTi | 27m 42s | |
| 11 | Graham Reeson | Peter Reeson | Peugeot 309 GTi | 30m 29s | |
| 12 | Mike McKenna | Dave Wilkinson | Mazda 323 | 30m 36s | |
| 13 | Richard Chown | Mark Wagstaff | Peugeot 205 GTi | 32m 12s | |
| 14 | Chris Faulkner | Chris Thorley | Ford Sierra Sapphire | 36m 53s | |
| 15 | Adrian Ancliffe | John Chadwick | Ford Escort | 39m 17s | |
| 16 | Mick Smith | Rhiannon Blythe | Ford Escort Mk4 | 88m 27s | |
| 17 | Kevin Belcher | Anthony Walker | Rover 220 GTi | 111m 53s | |
| 18 | Chris Ladkin | Steve North | Vauxhall Nova Sport | 294m 30s | |
| 19 | Jonathan Byard | Glyn Byard | Peugeot 205 GTi | 388m 49s | |
| 20 | Graham Nunn | Richard Lumb | Peugeot 205 GTi | 628m 48s | |
| Mercian Historic Rally | |||||
| 1 | Wes Massam | Shon Gosling | Volvo Amazon | 7m 38s | |
| 2 | James Carter | Jonathan Stockdale | Ford Escort | 10m 01s | |
| 3 | Andy Lane | Paul Robinson | Ford Escort Mexico | 11m 23s | |
| 4 | Brian Cope | Paul Doe | Hillman Imp Super | 111m 02s | |
| 5 | Keith Colman | Tony Brooks | Volvo PV 544 | 147m 42s | |
| 6 | Keith Jenkins | Stan Appleton | Saab 96 v4 | 763m 00s | |