Rally Archive
Rali Bro Preseli
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Teifi Valley Motor Club
27th/28th April 2024
Winners: Tim Hand/Aled Jones (Ford Escort)
Photograph: © Brian Gilbert
Organiser: Teifi Valley Motor Club
Date: 27th/28th April 2024
Clerk of the Course: Aled Richards, Jason Davies & Richard Davies
Route: 90 Miles (Map 145)
Base: Crymych
Starters: 75
A full entry of 75 cars took the start of the Rali Bro Preseli, Teifi Valley MC's novice oriented annual night event. Expert crews were not eligible to enter, but this didn't prevent the fight for starting places being vastly oversubscribed.
The opening section started and finished either side of the rally's base at Crymych; it looped as far as Pontyglasier. There was a TC at the mid-point, which was cleaned by the majority of crews, but the second, two miles was tighter and no one cleaned the run to SF1.
Dafydd-Sion Lloyd/Chris Hill, two former Clerks of the Course for the Bro Preseli, were best here, 12 seconds ahead of Emyr Davies/Aled Johnson. Tim Hand/Aled Jones and Rhydian Jones/Griffin Tweedale tied for third, a further second back.
Lloyd/Hill extended their lead on the second section, which ran from Waun Cleddau and finished with a follow-the-arrows sector at Pen-yr-Allt Quarry. The leading pair were now 17 seconds ahead of Hand/Jones, but their rally was about to come to an end as the alternator failed on their Puma.
The third section was over 15 miles in length and included four TCs, as well as the finish control. It started north of Llangolman and finished near New Moat. Both Davies/Johnson and Jones/Tweedale fell down the order as they were the only leading crews to drop time at TC2, which was timed to the minute.
Those crews who would be in contention for the win became clear as only a small number cleaned all but the final control on the section. Hand/Jones established a 50 second lead by being quickest to SF3. Behind them it was Car 27, Joshua Johnson Davies/Ethan Davies, who led the chase. Eifion Thomas/Ioan Thomas were 11 seconds further back in third place.
A short, but tight, section followed, this ran to the south of Farthings Hook, to finish at Henry's Moat. Gwilym Davies/Calum Jones were best here and overtook Thomas/Thomas for third.
The first half was completed by a three mile section which looped around Mynydd Castlebythe. All the leading crew cleaned it. This meant that at Petrol, which was taken at Eglwyswrw, Hand/Jones led Davies/Davies by 41 seconds. While there was an Escort in the lead, Peugeot 206s filled the next three places.
The leading novice crew, Robert Clark/Craig Baker, were in eleventh place overall, while the Beginners to take the start, Gerran Griffiths/Alexander Boag, had survived the first half and went on to make the Finish to secure the class win.
Four of the top ten starters failed to make the halfway point; these were: John Rossiter/Iestyn Pynn, Martin Rossiter/Dan Petrie, Arwel Thomas/Conor Wilson and Huw Howells/Tom Bleackley, the latter having picked up a wrong approach at a three metre passage control on the second section.
Davies/Davies had been matching the leaders' pace over the last sections of the first half, however their challenge came to a halt after the restart as their 206 suffered a broken drive shaft and they were out.
There were just two sections left after the petrol halt, the first ran from Crosswell to Pontfaen, while the final sector ran along the coast to finish at St Dogmaels.
Hand/Jones were quickest over the sixth section to extend their lead to 1m 23s. Davies/James were one second better over the final sector, but Hand/Jones came home easily ahead to secure the victory.
The winning margin was 1m 22s and that was also the gap between second placed Davies/James and third placed Thomas/Thomas. Emyr Davies/Aled Johnson had a good second half, moving up from ninth at Petrol to fifth at the Finish.
From a start number of Car 75, Robert Clark/Craig Baker, came through to take the Novice Class award and finished in eleventh place overall, 29 seconds ahead of second in class, Joe Roscoe/Daniel Harris.
RESULTS
- Overall Positions
- Award Winners
- Class Positions
- Time Penalty Details
- Fail Penalties
- Overall Positions at Petrol
- Non-Finishers
- List of Starters