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Moonbeam Rally 2003

Sponsored by Telford Motor Auctions

Telford Auto Club

15th/16th March 2003



Clerk of the Course: Chris Wilson & Dave Cox

Route: 140 Miles

Maps: 126 127 & 137

Starters: 61

Winners: Wayne Morris/Paul Middleton (Ford Escort)




At the halfway point of the Moonbeam Road Rally Wayne Morris/Paul Middleton looked on course for a comfortable win, however problems in the latter stages of the Telford AC event meant that they just scrapped home for victory at the Finish.

Moonbeam Rally 2003
Winners: Wayne Morris/Paul Middleton (Ford Escort)
Photograph: M&H Photography

A charge on the opening sections in their local lanes near Bishops Castle, put Morris/Middleton almost two minutes clear at Petrol, however a puncture and drowning out in a ford saw them finish just fourteen seconds in front of the Corolla of Gary Jones/Dave Pitchford.

A mix up over a time control that was incorrectly sited cost Brynli Thomas/Roger Evans a minute and possible victory as they finished in third. They lost the time at TC25 having retraced their steps to TC24, after having realising that they hadn't been given a time there. It transpired that the TC had been altered to a passage control.

Andy Sheppard/Justin Brooks took fourth, while the first Semi-Expert crew, Trevor Pritchard/Paul Hughes were fifth, they were thirteen minutes clear of their nearest class rival. Chris Thompson/Justin Talboys-Cotton were clear winners in the Novice category.

Howard Price/Owen Dodd had a very short rally, their Astra breaking a drive shaft just five miles into the first competitive section. This was the second rally in succession that Price's new Astra had broken a shaft.

They weren’t the first casualty of the night however as Delwyn Price/Steve Price covered just three miles before the engine in their Escort went sick.

Carl Hawkins/Iain Tullie and Steven Roberts/Darren Garrod both lost time changing punctures on the first white. The track ran through SQ 4093, running down from the Long Mynd. Both crews estimated that they had lost 12 minutes changing their wheel. The white also claimed the Escort XR3i of Arwel Williams/Tomos Edwards, who had a stone puncture the petrol tank.

Moonbeam Rally 2003

Mal Acott/Nigel Roberts, Ian Lloyd/Adrian Smart and Martin Lloyd/Steve Herbert all sustained damage to their cars after hitting a wall in a very slippery farmyard. Lloyd/Smart hit the wall and lost a minute sorting out the tangle. Acott/Roberts sustained damage to their Escort's near side wing, while Lloyd/Herbert damaged the driver's wing on their Escort.

Later Lloyd/Herbert lost time with a wrong slot in Colsty Woods, but came home in 11th place.

The owner of the slippery farm yard, Andy Moss, was navigating for Ian 'Dude' Roberts in a VW Golf GTi. They were in second place at the petrol halt, but had to slow down in the second half as the car broke an engine mount. They limped in to take seventh place at the Finish.

'Deggy'/Phil Clarke, winners of the 1992 Moonbeam, retired at Petrol having struggled through the first half with electrical problems on the VW Golf GTi that caused the engine to keep cutting out. Owen Turner/Andrew Dadswell were also on the retirement list after suffering a blown diff on their Hillman Imp.

Late entrants Ben Innes/Richard Preece had to withdraw after breaking a wheel on their VW Golf. Chris Davies/Matthew Maidment also failed to make the Finish after their Peugeot 205 drowned out in a ford, just four miles from the end.



OVERALL RESULTS

Pos Driver Navigator Car Penalty
1 Wayne Morris Paul Middleton Ford Escort 2m 47s
2 Gary Jones Dave Pitchford Toyota Corolla 3m 01s
3 Brynli Thomas Roger Evans Peugeot 205 GTi 3m 43s
4 Andy Sheppard Mike Hart Vauxhall Astra 3m 51s
5 Trevor Pritchard Paul Hughes MG Maestro 5m 10s
6 Russell Carson-Brown Andy Oakes Ford Escort 5m 12s
7 Ian 'Dude' Roberts Andy Moss VW Golf GTi 5m 25s
8 Glyn Price Huw Jones Ford Escort RS2000 7m 02s
9 Dave Rowbottom Adrian Gladwin Toyota Corolla 7m 22s
10 Baron Glaze Pete Davies Ford Escort 7m 45s
11 Martin Lloyd Steve Herbert Ford Escort 8m 20s
12 Steve Price Cyril Jones Toyota Corolla 9m 21s
13 Adrian Hadgson Chris Lightburn Renault 18 9m 38s
14 Michael Pedley David Pedley Ford Escort DB4 11m 05s
15 Jamie Turner Graham Raeburn Rover Metro GTi 11m 10s
16 Grant Parker Nigel Nelson Toyota Corolla 16m 56s
17 Martin Leonard Kevin Chaffey VW Golf GTi 14m 01s
18 Mal Acott Nigel Roberts Ford Escort 16m 56s
19 Carl Hawkins Iain Tullie Vauxhall Nova 17m 52s
20 John Morris Vicki Price Peugeot 309 GTi 18m 02s
21 Mick Jones Jez Harris Peugeot 205 19m 39s
22 Stew Dale James Savage Ford Sierra 4x4 19m 52s
23 Steven Roberts Darren Garrod Toyota Corolla 20m 27s
24 Ian Lloyd Adrian Smart Toyota Corolla 21m 19s
25 Chris Thompson Justin Talboys-Cotton VW Golf 23m 46s
26 Tony Watkins Medwyn Evans Vauxhall Nova 49m 05s
27 Ian Furniss Russell Roberts Peugeot 205 GTi 24m 01s
28 Neil Nicholas Martin Phasey MG Maestro 26m 54s
29 Keith Groom Carl Darby Toyota Corolla 28m 23s
30 Brian Spurr Steve Bishop Ford Escort 31m 09s
31 Frank Evans TBA Toyota Corolla 31m 20s
32 Bob Ward Jonty Bloxham Ford Escort 34m 02s
33 Simon Bentley Ian Jarman Austin Mini 34m 50s
34 Bob Tansley Neil Smallman Peugeot 205 46m 06s
35 Frank Burton Steve Ball Ford Escort 54m 19s
36 Tony Watkins Medwyn Evans Vauxhall Nova 58m 52s
37 Alastair Hunter Andrew Morley Peugeot 205 1F 68m 16s
38 Chris Green Andrew Lawrence Ford Escort 2F 18m 08s
39 David Fox Paul Price Vauxhall Nova 2F 20m 39s
40 Garry Stevenson Garry Thomas VW Golf GTi 3F 34m 01s
41 Ryan Davies Dean Flowers Lada Riva 3F 43m 39s
42 Terry Bennett Richard Evans Vauxhall Astra SR 7F 33m 33s
43 Alan Bradbury Geoff Evanson Ford Escort 9F 43m 41s
44 Ian Williams Edwyn Hughes Vauxhall Astra 14F 56m 00s
45 Simon Jones Ian Billings Ford Escort 20F 20m 28s