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Moonbeam Rally 1997
Sponsored by Telford Motor Auctions
Telford Auto Club
8th/9th March 1997
Clerk of the Course: Maurice Leach
Route: 130 Miles
Maps: 126 127 & 137
Starters: 75
Winners: Kevin IKin/Martin Saunders (Ford Escort)
Kevin Ikin and Martin Saunders took a close fought victory on Telford AC's Moonbeam Rally, thus giving Ikin his second win on the event, he'd won as a navigator in 1991. Only 14 seconds behind the winners were Dennis Quinn/Andrew Thomson, they had led at halfway but dropped over a minute in the second half after searching for a slot that was initially hidden by a parked car.
Crews faced a 130 mile route in the classic Moonbeam territory south of Shrewsbury. The whole route was issued at the start control and competitors were given a generous amount of time on the long run out to plot it. There were to be nine sections, many had Intermediate Time Controls of which 18 were timed to the second.
The rally opened with a run through Eastridge Wood, south of Pontesbury, before heading further south on to Map 137 and the Long Mynd-Linley Wood area. After five sections Petrol was taken at Craven Arms. The route then took crews to the east of Church Stretton and back north on to Map 126 to finish on the outskirts of Telford itself. As ever on the Moonbeam a large number of whites and muddy farmyards were used.
One crew immediately in trouble were Clive Wakeley/Byron Jones whose Escort broke it's battery lead on a white losing the car all its power and lights; in the ensuing panic the car came to a halt across the track wedged between two banks. The road was blocked for the following cars before sufficient people arrived to lift the Escort clear. Worst affected were Graham Evans/Ian Mills and Phil Harding/Paul Middleton; Harding being particularly disappointed as the incident occurred on his own land. Pete Cotton/Dave Pitchford continued their miserable season as they retired early on when their Escort lost oil pressure.
By Petrol the lead was held by Quinn/Thomson, but they were to lose it for good just after the start of the hour long seventh section when they came to a junction and looked for a track which should have been opposite, they were unable to see it and ventured up the road in a further search. Retracing their steps they discovered the slot where they had first looked and realised that previously it had been hidden by a parked car. They had lost a minute and any chance of victory. Cyril Crook/Chris Ware were close behind the two leaders at the halfway halt but lost time in the second half with two incidents of confusion at seperate three metre controls; they eventually ended up third but three minutes adrift of the lead.
Ikin/Saunders found no problems in the second half and duly collected the win, however the toughness of the event was witnessed by the fact that they dropped time at nine controls and had penalties of almost nine minutes at the end.
Fourth went to the driver who Ikin had navigated to victory in 1991, Adrian Hodgson, his mount was the unlikely Renault Fuego which he shared with Sean Caddick. It hadn't been a good night for the top runners; Wyn Jones/Deian Rees had a difficult time on their first outing together and ended up 21st, while Geraint Davies/Phil Pugh finished 12th place after Pugh found he was rusty after not having competed on a full event since the Holrus in December.
OVERALL RESULTS
| Pos | Driver | Navigator | Car | Penalty | |
| 1 | Kevin Ikin | Martin Saunders | Ford Escort | 8m 53s | |
| 2 | Dennis Quinn | Andrew Thomson | Ford Escort | 9m 07s | |
| 3 | Cyril Crook | Chris Ware | Talbot Sunbeam | 12m 06s | |
| 4 | Adrian Hodgson | Sean Caddick | Renault Fuego | 12m 52s | |
| 5 | Michael Pedley | David Pedley | Hillman Avenger | 13m 05s | |
| 6 | Baron Glaze | Pete Davies | Ford Escort | 13m 07s | |
| 7 | Phil Harding | Paul Middleton | Vauxhall Chevette | 13m 22s | |
| 8 | Chris Wilson | Roger Fildes | Vauxhall Astra GTE | 13m 43s | |
| 9 | Paul Holmberg | Ian Vale | Ford Escort | 13m 59s | |
| 10 | Nigel Thomas | Phil Stocking | Ford Escort | 16m 17s | |
| 11 | Richard Howells | Phil Clarke | Ford Escort | 16m 28s | |
| 12 | Geraint Davies | Phil Pugh | Toyota Corolla | 16m 34s | |
| 13 | Graham Evans | Ian Mills | Opel Manta | 17m 12s | |
| 14 | Des Phasey | Steve Price | Ford Escort | 17m 12s | |
| 15 | Dave James | Shaun O'Gorman | Ford Escort | 17m 19s | |
| 16 | Stephen Edwards | Phill Harrison | Talbot Sunbeam | 17m 22s | |
| 17 | Huw Evans | Patrick Walsh | Ford Escort | 17m 28s | |
| 18 | Andrew Powell | Sarah Preece | Ford Escort | 17m 54s | |
| 19 | Gethin Lewis | Aled Jones | Ford Escort | 18m 22s | |
| 20 | Alwyn Jones | Aled Pennant | Ford Escort | 18m 53s | |
| 21 | John Jones | Chris Rowlands | Renault 11 | 18m 59s | |
| 22 | Will Morgan | Pat Gadsby | Toyota Corolla | 19m 01s | |
| 23 | Duncan Williams | Nick Bloxham | Peugeot 309 | 19m 29s | |
| 24 | Kev Nunns | Dave Evison | Toyota Corolla | 19m 57s | |
| 25 | Gareth Jones | Steve Durbin | Toyota Corolla | 21m 11s | |
| 26 | Michael Harrison | Andrew Rousell | Ford Escort | 22m 16s | |
| 27 | Dick Lee | Karl Ellis | Ford Escort | 23m 27s | |
| 28 | Geraint Bowness | Arwel Jones | Peugeot 205 | 23m 37s | |
| 29 | Dave Evans | Gareth Price | Peugeot 205 | 26m 35s | |
| 30 | Carl O'Grady | Gwyn Williams | VW Golf | 28m 01s | |
| 31 | Arwel Griffith | Carwyn Evans | Peugeot 205 | 29m 06s | |
| 32 | Wyn Jones | Deian Rees | Ford Escort | 30m 08s | |
| 33 | Alan Thompson | Neil Boyd | Toyota Corolla | 30m 43s | |
| 34 | Trevor Pritchard | Paul Hughes | MG Maestro | 31m 17s | |
| 35 | Brian Harrison | Cliff Washbrook | Ford Escort | 35m 09s | |
| 36 | Jamie Burton | Dave Dewson | Ford Escort | 38m 57s | |
| 37 | Tim Mannings | Matt Mannings | Ford Fiesta | 47m 29s | |
| 38 | Toby Adam | Mark Robinson | Ford Escort | 1F 15m 40s | |
| 39 | Stephen Bishop | Tim Kear | Ford Escort | 1F 25m 06s | |
| 40 | Paul Pritchard | Brian Jenkins | Ford Escort | 1F 27m 12s | |
| 41 | Graham Evans | Mark Hill | Ford Escort | 1F 29m 50s | |
| 42 | David Marston | Jane Powell | Toyota Corolla | 1F 33m 28s | |
| 43 | Dave Price | Deggy | Ford Escort | 1F 35m 34s | |
| 44 | Paul Davies | Dave Cartwright | Ford Escort | 1F 49m 50s | |
| 45 | Simon Tuckman | Richard Chalmers | Ford Escort | 2F 23m 33s | |
| 46 | David Painter | Peter Lewis | Opel Manta GTE | 3F 27m 41s | |
| 47 | Tony Watkins | Medwyn Evans | Mini | 5F 60m 11s | |
| 48 | Graeme Manton | Iain Holt | Peugeot 205 | 6F 48m 28s | |
| 49 | Stuart Hemming | Mark Freeman | Vauxhall Astra GTE | 9F 43m 28s | |
| 50 | Mark Coleman | Jon Yardley | Mitsubishi Lancer | 9F 48m 42s | |
| 51 | Sean Pinches | Chris Jones | Ford Escort | 9F 55m 47s | |
| 52 | Benjamin Corbett | Marcus Watmough | Talbot Sunbeam | 10F 47m 35s | |
| 53 | Alen Ridge | Simon Ridge | Opel Manta | 13F 42m 23s | |
| 54 | Neal Arden | Giles Corbett | Ford Escort | 16F 36m 39s | |
| 55 | Nick Broadway | Andy Oakes | Ford Sierra | 18F 26m 48s | |
| 56 | Gareth Davies | Andrew Davies | Vauxhall Chevette | 20F 49m 49s | |
| 57 | Derek Tracey | Anthea Kinsey | Mini | 25F 25m 34s | |
| 58 | Adrian Higman | Brian Jones | Talbot Sunbeam | 31F 9m 34s |