Wales Rally GB

Wales Rally GB 2017 will be remembered for the maiden WRC victory of Elfyn Evans & Daniel Barritt (Fiesta WRC). A total of 9 fastest stages out of the 21 stages run, crucially the first 5 stages of Saturday, saw Evans take almost a minutes lead in to the final day. With the next 6 places covered by half a minute, any slip up could prove costly but a measured drive, on the final day, saw the winning margin trimmed to 37.3s. Thierry Neuville & Nicolas Gilsoul (i20 Coupe WRC) took 2nd spot and maximum points on the power stage but it was not enough to prevent Sébastien Ogier & Julien Ingrassia (Fiesta WRC) from wrapping up WRC title number 5, with 3rd overall.

Mercian Sporting Trial

Another packed weekend saw us take in our first sporting trial at Long Compton. It did not disappoint as a 36 car field took to the start across the 8 hills. The championship regulars were out as every point counts towards the BTRDA Championship Finals in January. The well drained slopes actually saw one crew clear all 8 tests on both morning runs, so some route alterations and the drizzle showers livened up the afternoon run. All in all another great day out, which is always the way whenever out on a sporting trial.

Historic Sports Car Club – Championship Finals

Our 2nd year in a row at the HSCC Championship Finals saw the threat of rain and strong wins ready to influence the season finale. The showers were light but they did play their part with two memorable highlights from the day. The penultimate qualifying session for the Historic Touring Cars ended with drizzle and whilst many took to the pit lane with no chance of improving their times, a brave few stayed out and decided to make the most of the conditions. Watching a Sunbeam Imp and then Ford Anglia drifting round Luffield will stay in the memory for some time. The final race of the day was decided on tyre strategy and when that went wrong Frank Lyons took his pole sitting Gurney Eagle from 4thoverall, after two laps, in to the pits. He emerged a lap down but the remainder of the 20 minute race proved to be a master class as he unlapped himself and then set about catching the leaders again. It was tight and a last lap pass around the outside, at Luffield saw Lyons emerge victorious after a scintillating race.

Jersey Rally

Our first visit to the Channel Islands saw us take in the 35th running of the Jersey Rally. The weather could not have been better and with a whole host of local aces on show it proved to be a superb rally to go and watch. Steve Leonard & Sion Humphries (Escort MkII) took an excellent victory where they blitzed the Friday night stages, taking almost 2 minutes out of the next fastest crew in that leg alone. They went on to win by well over 3 minutes after measuring their pace through the Saturday stages. Darryl Morris & Steve Gully (Escort MkII) were 2nd overall and set most of the fastest stage times on Saturday afternoon, with Dave Oliveira & Kevin Irving (Escort MkII) completing the podium.