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Port Talbot event provides thrilling championship decider
publication date: Jul 20, 2009
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author/source: Roger Gale
| | | Kick Energy sponsored Ford Focus WRC driver Steve Perez took a sensational victory on Port Talbot Motor Clubs Pro Art Signs Swansea Bay Rally on saturday, but just failed to keep alive his hopes of landing the 2009 Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship.
The series victory went to Marcus Dodd and Andrew Bargery in their Flitewise Hyundai Accent WRC, their second place enough to make them uncatchable in the championship.
The Hyundai had been slowed over the first special stage of the day in Rheola Forest, losing around half a minute, though things were evened out to an extent as Perez collected a twenty second penalty later in the day, after work on his Ford Focus WRC to repair the suspension took longer than expected, making the Ford men late at a main control.
Along with Welsh co-driver Paul Spooner, the Ford Focus WRC driver had to overcome his fair share of problems on round six of the ANCRO series, thar ran through eight forest stages in the Neath and Afan Vales, but emerged victorious by less than nine seconds over chief rival Marcus Dodd, Steve happy to take his first maximum points haul of the season.
The Chesterfield ace picked up a twenty second penalty after being two minutes out of the first Service Halt in Walters Arena above Glyn-Neath, fixing suspension problems which dropped them to third place, but by third Service they were up to second place.
Trailing Dodd by just 1.9 seconds going into the final stage, Perez pushed hard and by the end of the second, 8.4 mile Rhondda stage which comprised the final test, the 2004 ANCRO champion had done enough to secure his first national championship victory since last September's Trackrod Rally Yorkshire.
Sadly for Steve, it wasn't enough to keep his championship bid in tact but was still pleased with the result, saying "We really pushed in the last four stages, it was the drive of my life, we went hard and fast. It's fantastic to win at Swansea as it's rallying territory that Marcus Dodd and Roger Duckworth know a lot better than me, so I was an outsider ! It feels great to take the win , I'm really pleased."
Dodd, who has now won the championship three years in a row, said at the finish "It has been great and brilliant to win the championship. It is just a shame we didn't win the event but it's good to win the championship here. We backed off a bit and took it steady because we knew we only needed second place. We have won three events this year and finished second in two, it's nearly been perfect."
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The Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship returns for round seven on the Woodpecker Rally on Saturday 4 September, further information on the championship available at www.gravelrally.co.uk.
| | Results | Pro Art Signs Swansea Bay Rally | | 1, Steve Perez/Paul Spooner | Ford Focus WRC | 0:49:02.0 | | 2, Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery | Hyundai Accent WRC | 0:49:10.6 | | 3, Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield | Subaru Impreza WRC | 0:49:32.4 | | 4, Daniel Barry/Martin Brady | Mitsubishi Lancer | 0:51:15.5 | | 5, Daniel Sigurdarson/Andrew Sankey | Mitsubishi EVO X | 0:51:16.6 | | 6, John Lloyd/Pauline Gullick | Ford Focus WRC | 0:52:27.6 | | 7, Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe | Subaru N12B | 0:54:02.1 | | 8, Harry Dodd/Alun Cook | Hyundai Accent WRC | 0:54:50.5 | | 9, Peter Egerton/Jamie Edwards | Hyundai Accent WRC | 0:54:51.3 | | 10, Trevor Martin/Ray Cleghorn | Subaru Impreza | 0:55:22.5
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Bitter sweet: Both cars and crews are pictured above |
© Image by VGPICS |
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