Rally Archive
Border 100 Road Rally
Sponsored by Border View Tiles
Welsh Border Car Club
29th/30th March 2025
Winners: Gareth Jones/Ryan Griffiths (Ford Escort)
Photograph: © David Hales Photography
Organiser: Welsh Border Car Club
Date: 29th/30th March 2025
Clerk of the Course: Ian 'Dude' Roberts
Route: 110 Miles (Maps 125 & 126)
Base: Llanfyllin
Starters: 71
There was a strong representation from Motor Sport UK at the start of the Border 100. Three senior managers of MS UK attended the Llanfyllin start after recent disquiet in the organisation about the running of road events in Wales.
Seventy-two cars signed on for the 110 mile legendary event, which, as ever, was superbly organised. Competitors faced a compact and intricate route on Map 125, with numerous three metre controls.
The first section was planned to start at Coedoerle and loop to the south of Llanfyllin, before moving northwards to Penygarnedd, and finishing at Rhos-y-birthdir. However, as the course cars ran through it became clear that there was a major problem - there were spectators everywhere, parked on and at points standing across the intended route. This was caused by incorrect map references in the Spectator Information. A solution was quickly agreed, with the central part being abandoned, but the first and final TCs remaining.
Most crews were clean at TC1A, but almost all lost time at SF1, although with spectators still trying to work out where they should be going, there was some disruption.
Moonbeam winners, Gareth Jones/Ryan Griffiths (Ford Escort) and Rob Stephens/Robbie Pugh (Ford Escort) were the two cars that arrived at SF1 on time, while, from a start number of 28, Roger Lovatt/Ashley Issac (Mazda MX5) were just one second late. The first two cars on the road were delayed by spectators, Iwan Jones/Dafydd-Sion Lloyd (Ford Escort) lost over two minutes, while George Williams/Cadog Davies (Ford Escort) were over a minute late.
Top seeds Jones/Lloyd weren't to get much further as at the start of the second section their car caught the pillar of a barn in the farmyard at Cefn Isaf; the damage was too great for them to continue.
The second section was the northernmost of the event, starting and finishing at either side of Pentrefelin, it would its way aound Mynydd Mawr. There were six timing points, plus the finish clock.
Penalties at TC2A had to be cancelled after a car rolled and blocked the route for the second half of the field.
This meant that the leading crews only dropped time at SF2. Jones/Griffiths were fastest to that control, arriving 17 seconds late. Remarkably, this was to be the only time that they dropped during the night.
At this point Robi Wood/Daniel Jones (Ford Escort) held second place, but had Glyn Price/Dylan Jenkins (Ford Escort) one second behind. Williams/Davies began their recovery from the SF1 hold up and moved into the top ten for the first time.
Rob Stephens/Robbie Pugh (Ford Escort) lost their clean sheet when they were three minutes late at TC2D, in the middle of the section, after picking up a puncture. They were to later pick up further punctures and had to withdraw soon after Petrol.
Richard Jerman/Alan James (Ford Escort) were forced out when their car broke a driveshaft. Also on the retirement list at this stage was the Honda Civic of Ryan Swain/Jamie Miils, which broke its exhaust.
Two short sections took crews to Petrol which was at Groeslwyd. The first of these was a eight minuter near Llanfechain, and the second was a two miler from Llanfechain to Cefnllyfnog.
Jones/Griffiths cleaned both, but so did Williams/Davies and this pushed the latter pair up to fourth place, one second behind Dewi Williams/Moi Williams (Toyota Corolla). Wood/Jones were 30 seconds ahead of these two in second place, but they were already over a minute off the lead.
Huw Rhys Manion/Deio Rhys Jones (Ford Fiesta ST) were well inside the top ten when, on Section3, the gearbox mount broke, this caused the flexi exhaust to snap and then the drive shaft.
The route moved westward after the halt, with a five minute section from Maesmawr Hall to Cyfronydd. Once again Jones/Griffiths cleaned it, as did Wood/Jones. Williams/Davies dropped 28 seconds, but this was six seconds better than Williams/Williams, and so the Welsh Champions moved into third place.
Everyone, including Jones/Griffiths, were late at TC6B, which was near Glascoed, however penalties here had to be cancelled from the final results after a car went off and blocked the route for the latter half of the field.
This was immaterial to Gary Roberts/Wyn Roberts (Peugeot 205), they had been in sixth place at Petrol, but a broken exhaust put them out of the rally at the start of Section Six.
At the end of the section, Jones/Griffiths were once again the only crew to be on time, while Williams/Davies were second best on six seconds, but were still over a minute behind second placed Wood/Jones.
This battle was decided on the penultimate section where the clutch on the Escort of Wood/Jones failed and they were left stranded. Williams/Davies were promoted to second place, but were more than two minutes behind Jones/Griffiths.
The final section was a mammoth, it was almost half an hour long, but only had one intermediate timing point, this was after 20 minutes. While Jones/Griffiths cleaned it, Williams/Davies dropped 49 seconds at the final time control, to finish the event exactly three minutes off the lead.
It had been a dominant performance from the winners, who had been fastest on every single section and never looked in danger of being denied their second win of the year.
Price/Jenkins came through to take third place on the final section; they were clean at TC8A, while Williams/Williams were over a minute late there.
Gareth Price/Sam Spencer (BMW 318Ti) had been in sixth place at the start of the final section, but then slid off the road and were unable to regain the tarmac. They joined the retirement list.
The Semi-Expert Class was led for most of the night by Sam Keemble/Harvey Roberts (Mazda MX5), who finished in fifteenth place overall, over three minutes ahead of their nearest class rival. Aron Jones/Heledd Pughe (Nissan Micra) finished in twentieth place, one place, but two and a half minutes ahead of second placed Jamie Haynes/Megan Wyn Williams (Vauxhall Corsa).
The Les Roberts Memorial Trophy, awarded to the highest placed non-local crew, went, for the second year running, to George Williams/Cadog Davies.
The MS UK managers left the event with a better understanding of what it takes to run a road rally and the pressures that an organising team can be under to make quick decisions under considerable time pressure. A favourable report is expected.
RESULTS
- Overall Positions
- Award Winners
- Class Positions
- Time Penalty Details
- Fail Penalties
- Overall Positions at SF1
- Overall Positions at Petrol
- Non-Finishers
- List of Starters