rally results service
Unless otherwise clearly indicated, results on this site have been declared final and are therefore not subject to query or protest
Malky Road Rally 1996
Sponsored by Brace's Bakery
Blackwood & District Motor Club
25th/26th October 1997
Clerk of the Course: Byron Jones & Karl Hancocks
Route: 140 Miles
Maps: 160 161 & 171
Starters: 44
Winners: Gareth Jones/Iestyn ap Daffydd (Toyota Corolla)
Having taken their maiden victory on the previous month's Rali Mynydd Ddu, Gareth Jones/Iestyn ap Daffydd made it two out of two by winning their home club's Malky Rally.
Only 19 of the 45 starters made it to the finish of the 140 mile route which used the tight lanes of Gwent and southern Powys.
Top seeds Bob Gibbons/Alun Cook withdrew at the end of the second section after two seperate offs had damaged their Escort's exhaust. Also out at an early stage were Peter Zjalic/Richard Preece (Toyota Corolla), they ended in a ditch on the British section.
The lead at the petrol halt, which was taken at Clyro, was held by Chris Evans/Kath Curzon (Ford Ecort RS); they were almost a minute and a half ahead of Jones/ap Dafydd. However the Escort suffered mechanical problems later on and they had to cut to the Finish, eventually being classified in 18th place.
Chasing west Midland Championship points, Pete Cotton/Dave Pitchford (Ford Escort) were in third place at Petrol, just nine seconds behind the eventual winners, but they were another crew who failed to make the Finish; their Escort suffering clutch failure.
Jones/ap Daffydd emerged as victors of a tight three way battle in the second half. At the end they were less than a minute clear of Toby Adam/Neil Spiers, who in turn were just 40 seconds ahead of Damian Cole/Ian Cooke. Adam/Spiers had been a minute behind Cole/Cooke at the halfway halt, but were two minutes faster over the remainder of the route to take the runner up position for the second year running.
Dennis Quinn/Andrew Thomson would have been amongst them but for picking up a ten minute penalty for missing a code board; however they did finish fourth and this result put them in a strong championship position with just two rounds remaining. The only other leading West Midlands' crew to finish well were Chris Wilson/Roger Fildes (Vauxhall Astra), who were sixth.
There were only three starters in the Semi-Expert class, the category fell to the Escort of Gareth Liles/Martin Powell, who were 13th overall. Meanwhile tenth overall and first novices were Simon Mackay/Tim Jones (Ford Escort). The Standard Production Award went to the Opel Manta of Gareth Mills/Ian Mills, the driver tackling his first road rally for twelve years.
OVERALL RESULTS
| Pos | Driver | Navigator | Car | Penalty | |
| 1 | Gareth Jones | Iestyn ap Dafydd | Toyota Corolla | 17m 28s | |
| 2 | Toby Adams | Neil Spiers | Ford Escort | 18m 26s | |
| 3 | Damian Cole | Ian Cooke | Toyota Corolla | 19m 04s | |
| 4 | Dennis Quinn | Andrew Thomson | Ford Escort | 27m 53s | |
| 5 | Carl O'Grady | Gwyn Williams | VW Golf GTi | 31m 02s | |
| 6 | Chris Wilson | Roger Fildes | Vauxhall Astra GTE | 32m 16s | |
| 7 | Mike Morgan | Dave Howells | Ford Escort | 34m 17s | |
| 8 | Gareth Mills | Ian Mills | Opel Manta | 40m 46s | |
| 9 | Brian Davies | Jon Griffiths | Ford Escort | 1F 66m 16s | |
| 10 | Simon Mackay | Tim Jones | Ford Escort | 1F 76m 04s | |
| 11 | Robert Jones | Adrian Webb | Vauxhall Chevette | 4F 166m 42s | |
| 12 | Simon Wall | Graham Morgan | Range Rover | 5F 152m 21s | |
| 13 | Gareth Liles | Martin Powell | Ford Fiesta | 5F 172m 11s | |
| 14 | Richard Roberts | Steven Roberts | Ford Escort | 7F 172m 28s | |
| 15 | Nathan Watkins | Martyn Boucher | MG Maestro | 7F 261m 16s | |
| 16 | Phil Stroud | Steve Durbin | Ford Escort RS | 8F 136m 39s | |
| 17 | Paul Tod | James West | Ford Escort | 8F 188m 31s | |
| 18 | Chris Evans | Kath Curzon | Ford Escort RS | 9F 186m 11s | |
| 19 | Nick Broadway | Andy Oakes | Ford Sierra | 10F 186m 39s |