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Welsh outlaws join Robin Hood band

publication date: Mar 12, 2008
 | 
author/source: Gary Jones
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Hundreds of spectators turned out for the opening round of the 2008 British Historic Rally Championship.

The Nottinghamshire based Robin Hood Forest Stages Rally again proved to be as popular as ever and with former World Champions Stig Blomqvist in an Escort and Bjorn Waldegard in a Lancia Stratos competing. 
The main rally was separated into two sections the historic and the post historic cars and in the historic section it was to be a Carmarthenshire co-driver who took the honours when Elgan Davies from Llansawel took victory with former touring car champion Patrick Watts in a Sunbeam Tiger (above).

Watts / Davies threw down the challenge on the opening three stages on the Saturday night and possibly with Davies’s former expertise navigating on night rallying the duo took a substantial lead over Dessie Nutt driving a Porsche 911 and extended it even further on the Sunday forest stages to win by 1 minute and 21 seconds.

Also leading in the post historic section after the three opening stages on the Saturday night was Julian Reynolds from Llanddewi Velfrey in his Reynolds fencing supplies backed Escort Mk2. But disaster was to hit Reynolds on the Sunday morning when the gearbox stuck in reverse forcing him to retire and leaving Richard Hill to take the win.

Other locals to fare well in the event were Andrew Haddon with Mark Crisp from Ammanford co-driving in a Porsche 911 they finished 9th overall and 2nd in class.

Tim Jones / Don James finished 1st in class and 19th overall in an Escort.
The two Arwel’s in an Escort Mk2 Arwel Evans from Pumpsaint and Arwel Jenkins from Nantgaredig finished 20th overall and 2nd in class (right).
Neal James / Kevin Jones in a Escort Mk1 finished 32nd overall and 3rd in class.
 
Retirements included top seed Mark Solloway / Den Golding in a Escort Mk1 RS 1600 when a half shaft broke on the final stage of the event. Frank Cunningham / Ryland James were excluded from the event in their Escort RS 1800.

In the modern rally Michael O’Brien / Paul Willets won the event overall in a Ford Focus WRC. Peter Eggerton / Paul Spooner finished as runners up in a Hyundai Accent WRC.
Llanpumsaint co-driver Dai Roberts finished 3rd overall with David Meredith behind the wheel of their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9 (left).

©Gary Jones

  www.garyjonesrallypics.co.uk

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