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Sponsored by mobile phone company Get Connected, and organised by Three Counties Car Club, the Neath Valley Stages rally took place on Saturday, 15th of August. The start, Rally HQ and main service area were all in the Walters Arena complex in Rheola forest, South Wales.
Ludlow Castle Motor Club had 3 members taking part, including one half of the Voodoo Escort team, Joe Price and Chris Brookes.
This is a very young rally, only starting in 2007, but it still attracted some top UK drivers.
The competitive action was based around the Walters Arena, thus cutting down on the competitor road mileage between stages and keeping costs down, but still offering good spectator viewing in the Walters Arena complex.
Walters Arena is a purpose built area mid way through Rheola forest which is also used on the Wales GB rally.
This part of Rheola forest is very good as it offers 3 big jumps, 90 degree corners and fast sections that entertain the spectators for over a minute, before the rally cars exit back into the last part of the forest.
It was a wet and windy start to the day, but the stages were in perfect, smooth condition.
Competitors started Stage1 in Walters at 10.38am.
The first Ludlow Castle Motor Club (L.C.M.C.) crew into the stage was Joe Price (Joe Price Supplies Ludlow) and Chris Brooks in their Voodoo Escort, followed by Jon Scott who was navigating for Jamie Anderson in their Mitsubishi EVO 8.
Price had a good run through Walters finishing the Stage 3rd overall, just 15 seconds down on leader Damian Cole (event sponsor) in his Hyundai WRC car.
By Stage 2 in Rhondda Price was up to 2nd overall, a position he held going into service after the third stage.
Price was experiencing problems with the car. In service the rear axle was checked, and also adjustments made to the engine as the car was cutting out due to a fuel problem.
The weather was becoming a bit of an issue for Price as the car was set up for dry gravel and the team was limited to tyres suited for those conditions.
Also, this was Price’s first wet rally for 2 years, so he was a bit out of practice. Never the less he was still doing well.
Price dropped time on Stage 5, and although he was pushing hard on some of the stages leading to a couple of small knocks to the car he was not happy. The car wasn’t at its best and nor was Price, plus he probably had thoughts in his mind about preserving the car for the Woodpecker rally just 3 weeks away. This is his home rally where he should do very well.
Price / Brooks eventually finished 7th overall and first in class.
Jon Scott (LCMC) navigated for Jamie Anderson in a Mitsubishi EVO 8. This was the pair’s second time in the car, and a partnership which I feel is going to work well, with some good results to come next year.
Stage 1 was not a good stage for them, the car was set in the normal gravel mode but would not handle the prevailing conditions. It was very slippery in Walters Arena and the car would not stop or turn in fast enough, causing the car to slide on and be very hard to control.
When the car was put into snow mode it worked a lot better, and in Stage 2 the pair had the second fastest time. Going into service after Stage 3, they were 4th overall.
Most four wheel drive rally cars have adjustable diffs. which are controlled and adjusted inside the car. When these cars are driven on public roads they are set into road mode, and on competitive stages they have various settings for the different conditions. Anderson forgot to set the diff back to the stage mode, and as a result they went off the road losing a lot of time. Luckily there was no major damage and the pair were able to continue.
Stage 5, the second run through Rhondda, was a lot better for them, the diffs were set back into snow mode and the pair were going well, but they weren’t sure how much they had to push to make up time.
The Stages were now soft and very wet and starting to get very rough but Stage 5 turned out to be very good for Scott and Anderson. They had the second fastest time putting them 3rd overall with just one stage to go.
Stage 6, Pelenna, was also rough now, but the EVO 8 went well and Anderson got the fastest time in the stage, holding on to his 3rd position and 2nd in class.
Overall winners of the rally were James Belton/Eurig Evans in a Subaru Impreza WRC car, second was Steve Holder/Steve McPhee in a group N Subaru Impreza just 9 seconds ahead of Anderson/Scott.
Photo’s and report Russell Kenhard (kentonphotografix)
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