Rally Archive
Night Owl Rally
Sponsored by Tomos Lewis Body Repairs
Aberystwyth & District Motor Club
26th/27th April 2025
Winners: Arwel Hughes Jones/Dylan John Williams (Ford Escort)
Photograph: © Anthony Shadrach, Asportsphoto
Organiser: Abersytwyth & District Motor Club
Date: 26th/27th April 2025
Clerk of the Course: Irfon Richards & Reian Jones
Route: 90 Miles (Maps 135 & 146)
Base: Aberystwyth
Starters: 89
The Night Owl had an unconventional format in that there were just two competitive sections, split by a Neutral at the halfway halt.
Starting from the National Library of Wales in the organising club's home town, competitors faced a 90 mile route to the south of the rally's base. Once again in 2025, there was no maximum 90 car start list, only 89 cars signed on for the event.
There was a 30 minute run out, which took crews to the start of the competition near Llannon. There was then no respite for almost two hours as standard section followed standard section. There were 14 time controls, ten of them timed to the second. From TC1N the route wound its way back northwards, brushing Trefenter and Llanilar, before heading back to the south, again going through Trefenter, and finally finishing near Blaenpennal.
This grand plan was almost immediately broken when Car 1, Gareth Edwards/Moi Williams, rolled their Escort only a few miles in and blocked the road for the following cars. The decision was made to cancel the first two standard sections and start the event at TC3M.
Most of the field cleaned the first two TCs after the restart, both timed to the second, but then on the 'Joppa White' Richard Jerman/Alan James had a stub axle break on their Escort, further delaying the cars behind - the worst affected were Stefan 'DR' Davies/Owen Rowcliffe (Ford Escort), who were 13 minutes late at TC6S. This led to penalties at that control being cancelled as well.
Already out by this stage were the Escorts of Hywel Davies/Nick Bloxham and Mark Lennox/Ian Beamond; both cars suffering broken hoses leading to a loss of coolant. Meanwhile Danny Cowell/Paul Holmberg were forced to retire when they picked up their third puncture of the night.
Everyone was late at TC8S, which used the 'Wooden Bridge'. George Williams/Cadog Davies (Escort) were fastest here, two seconds ahead of Ieuan Evans/Marc Hughes (Escort) and Davies/Rowcliffe.
Arwel Hughes Jones/Dylan John Williams (Escort) found that they had chosen the wrong tyres for the event; expecting lots of off road sections, they had fitted gravel tyres, unfortunately for them the route was largely tarmac and, by their standards, they were struggling. They were 20 seconds off fastest at TC8S and, crucially, had dropped more than a minute. This meant that at TC9M they required the same minute as the car behind them, Williams/Davies.
This demonstrated the possible problems with long sections where cars can't drop back in a Neutral. There were two code boards that had to be signed for during the run to TC10S and having to wait for Hughes Jones/Williams to be processed by the marshals caused Williams/Davies to be late at the following time control; they were 20 seconds late, while all of their rivals were on time. They lost their lead to Evans/Hughes, who moved into clear first position, as Davies/Rowcliffe dropped a minute.
Other than Hughes Jones/Williams dropping a second at TC12S, all the leading runners cleaned the remainder of the first half. This meant that at Petrol, which was taken at Stags Head, Evans/Hughes held a ten second advantage over second placed Kevin Kerr/Huw Manion (Escort), while Owain Evans/Jamie Mills (Escort) were just two seconds further back in third. Williams/Davies were now in fourth, 18 seconds off the lead and had Hughes Jones/Williams just three seconds behind.
Chris Richmond Hand/Michael Gilbey (Escort) had been expected to go well, but were only in tenth place after they had been held up behind a non-competing vehicle on the run to TC8S; the incident cost them over two minutes and probably meant that at the Finish they lost out on the runner up spot.
The second half, and indeed second section, started just south of Bronnant and ran northwards via Trawscoed to finish at the Cwm Rheidol Dam. It was a section with a target of a mere 35 minutes. It was a series of TCs, with alternate controls being timed to the second and then minute.
The leading crews were clean until TC19S, which was at Trawscoed. Here Hughes Jones/Williams and Davies/Rowcliffe were the only top crews to make their time. Kerr/Manion dropped a second, but they were nine seconds quicker than Evans/Hughes and so, on time, were just a second off the lead. However, it wasn't that straighforward - due to a marshal not turning up, PC41 was replaced by a board. Evans/Hughes noted down the board, but then didn't get it countersigned at the following control; the resultant fail put them out of the running and consigned them to 44th place at the Finish.
This meant that Kerr/Manion now held a lead of ten seconds over Hughes Jones/Williams, who were happier having changed their tyres at the halfway halt.
The next two controls were cleaned by those battling for the lead, but things were to be shaken up on the section through the 'Pen-y-Wern White'. Both Kerr/Manion and Williams/Davies picked up punctures on the track and had to stop to change them. The two crews lost two minutes at the following timing point, TC22M, and were well into their third minute when they left the TC, this saw them dropping more time at the final control of the night. In fact, Williams/Davies picked up a second puncture and ran on it to the last TC, dropping further time.
In contrast, Hughes Jones/Williams cleaned the whole of the second half and came home to claim their second Night Owl win in three years. They ended the event with a victory margin of almost two minutes, with Evans/Mills securing the runner up spot, putting an end to the navigator's seemingly endless run of non-finishes.
Kerr/Manion took the final podium place, over a minute off second place, while Richmond Hand/Gilbey recovered from their earlier problems to take fourth.
Osian Jones/Llyr Davies (Nissan Micra) were the leading Expert crew in sixth place, coming through to take the class win at the final control, beating Gethin Dafis/Dion Lewis (Escort) by 15 seconds. Similarly, Ben Ruff/Llyr Davies (Escort) overtook Dafydd Jones/Gareth Parry (Peugeot 106) in the final stages to take the Semi-Expert Class win.
Twenty-six Novice crews started the event and half made it to the Finish, with Tomos Sion Lloyd Jones/Nia Jones winning the category by over a minute.
RESULTS
- Overall Positions
- Award Winners
- Class Positions
- Time Penalty Details
- Fail Penalties
- Overall Positions at Petrol
- Non-Finishers
- List of Starters