RallyRoots Rally Results Service - Skoda Trophy Road Rally 2002

Skoda Trophy Road Rally 2002

Sponsored by Clarks of Wrexham

Broughton & Bretton Car Club

11th/12th May 2002

Clerk of the Course: Gareth Price

Route: 120 Miles

Maps: 116

Starters: 75

Winners: Jason Stone/Paul Holmberg (Peugeot 205 GTi)

Broughton & Bretton MC ran their first road rally for some years and gained backing from their local Skoda dealers, Clarks of Wrexham, for the event.

Winners: Jason Stone/Paul Holmberg (Peugeot 205 GTi)

They laid on a 120 mile route using many of the classic lanes on Map 116. Sixty crews started the event, which was a counter towards the North Western Rally Championship. with thirty-eight making the finish at the Pondarosa Restaurant at the head of the Horseshoe Pass.

The clear winners were Jason Stone/Paul Holmberg in their Peugeot 205, the car having had a new gearbox fitted after its retirement on the Night Owl. The pair came home two minutes clear of the field, a result that increased Holmberg's lead in the ANWCC series.

Second place had to be decided by reference to the tie-breaker clock timed to the second with Gary Jones/Dave Pitchford beating Ian Lloyd/Paul Dolby to the runner up spot, both crews were competing in Toyota Corollas. Fourth was taken by the VW Golf of Phil Turner/Nigel Roberts, who had to survive without spotlights for much of the rally.

A few crews had short events with Carl Hawkins/Iain Tullie failing to even make the Start, their Nova dropping a valve as they left scrutineering. Among the crews who retired on the opening section were; Brynli Thomas/Roger Evans (broken gearbox), Chris Rowlands/Jon Madoc Jones (sick engine), John Bossen/Scott Layton (power steering fluid leak leading to a fire) and Steve Prince/Dave Reed (clutch). Steve Massey/Steve Coupland retired later in the event when the fuel pump failed on their Peugeot 205.

Winners: Merfyn Williams/Derwyn Roberts (Vauxhall Astra)

A number of crews who had been expected to do well picked up fails, largely due to missed signatures. Mal Acott/Dave Bates would have finished second but booked in a minute early in the first half, the unnecessary two minutes penalty would have dropped them to fourth at the finish but two code board that weren't signed for added two fails to their score and they were finally classified twenty-eighth. Richard Roe/Chris Ware and Dave Jones/Baz Green also picked up fails, the latter for boards on the very last section.

The Semi-Expert Class was won by the Astra of Merfyn Williams/Derwyn Roberts who finished tenth overall. Roger Powley, who famously campaigned a Porsche in the Seventies, was competing on his first rally in twenty years and, partnered by John Smith, took the runner up spot in the Semi-Expert category.

The Novice class was won by Steve Price/Tim Gill in a Corolla, they finished five minutes clear of their nearest class rivals, who were Stan Williams/Andrew Jones. The Standard Production Award was won by the Maestro of Paul Edwards/Cyril Jones.

OVERALL RESULTS