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Gremlin Rally 1999

Sponsored by Old Forge Garage

Brecon Motor Club

6th/7th March 1999



Clerk of the Course: Denis Cardell & Ken Owen

Route: 220 Miles

Maps: 146 147 159 & 160

Starters: 51

Winners: Bob Gibbons/Mark Appleton (Ford Cortina)




The Gremlin Rally organisers encouraged crews with histroric cars to enter their Welsh Championship road rally and it was one of these crews, Bob Gibbons/Mark Appleton, in a Ford Cortina, who took victory.

Gremlin Rally 1999

The 220 mile Brecon-based event consisted of a Jogularity section, traditional road rally sections and three circuits of Epynt and Cyrchan Forest. It proved a tough test as only 25 of the 51 starters made it to the finish.

Early pace setters Peter and Michael Valentine crashed their Mini Cooper in Crychan, while Elgan Jones/Byron Jones were another crew going well before their Astra met a ditch in the forest.

Confusion was caused whan a marshal set up his time control at the wrong entrance to Crychan; one earlier than the one where he should have been located. Gibbons/Appleton booked in but quickly realised that there was a problem. They retraced their steps and took the correct route. Most other crews didn't. The penalties at the control, not that there were many, were eventually scrubbed, but those at the following control weren't, even though this was where the effect of the error was mostly felt.

Even withou this problem, Gibbons/Appleton were clearly the class of the field and brought their Mark 2 Cortina home eight minutes clear of the Mark 1 Escort of Toby Adam/Pat Gadsby - Adam having prepared both cars. To complete a Blackwood MC clean sweep of the top places, Steve Griffiths/Ian Cooke came third. Nick Broadway/Andy Oakes, repeated last year's good result, with fourth place in their Sierra.

The 1998 winners and top seeds Neil Griffiths/Car Williamson had a troubled run, not helped by the misplaced marshal, and only managed to finish in ninth place; they were one of a number of crews who got stuck in Crychan. Huw Evans/Patrick Walsh had an even worse time getting to grips with the format of the event and ended up fifteenth.

Adam/Gadsby's second place, combined with the poor performances from their rivals, meant that after three rounds they took the lead of the Welsh Road Rally Championship. Among the other leading contenders, Dennis Quinn/Andrew Thomson looked potential winners until they lost 24 minutes after becoming stuck in Crychan and finished fifth, while Geraint Davies/Sarah Gluyas had to withdraw after the navigator became ill.

Steve Rodgers/Paul Jones took tenth place overall and the Semi Expert class win in their Mini, while Deano Delaney/Dominic Delaney were the only finishers in the Novice class, bringing their Toyota Corolla into seventeenth place.



TOP TEN RESULTS

Pos Driver Navigator Car Penalty
1 Bob Gibbons Mark Appleton Ford Cortina 12m 52s
2 Toby Adam Mark Robinson Ford Escort 20m 38s
3 Steve Griffiths Ian Cooke Ford Escort 25m 36s
4 Nick Broadway Andy Oakes Ford Sierra 30m 26s
5 Dennis Quinn Andrew Thomson Ford Escort 32m 14s
6 Ian Elias Phil Roach Ford Escort 33m 36s
7 Gary Jones Andrew Card Toyota Corolla 34m 01s
8 Andrew Davies Ieuan Thomas Toyota Corolla 37m 59s
9 Neil Griffiths Carl Williamson Ford Escort 41m 47s
10 Steve Rodgers Paul Jones Rover Mini 44m 28s