David Gilbert and Dave Wilson in a Mini Cooper S, paired as a crew for the first time, were winners of the penultimate round of the Azorie HRCR Historic Road Rally Championship, the Palladwr Rally on Sunday 5th November. They finished the event only 31 seconds ahead of Richard Hudson-Evans and Andy Berry in an Escort RS2000, with Pat & Paul Robinson's Mini Cooper S a minute and a half further back in third place.
With 20 tests at the Shepton Mallett showground and Zeals Airfield and 3 long regularity sections, the Palladwr promised a real challenge to the championship crews. However the appalling weather, local farmers' cattle movements and a cleverly placed regularity control conspired to produce completely unpredictable results. Only car 1 passed through the point on the first regularity section before a farmer blocked the road to move his herd, and consequently most of the next 20 crews, including all of the main championship contenders, each collected several minutes penalty at the following intermediate control.
The last regularity section instructions were issued as "plot & bash" from the start control and only 18 crews found the first intermediate control which was on a short yellow road made difficult to see on the map by a heavy county boundary line drawn over it. The first 4 cars on the road, including the Championship winners Geoff Twigg & Graham Carter all missed it and the subsequent 30 minute penalty split the overall results into those who found it and those who didn't. Hence some crews who were hoping to improve their championship score will now have to do well on the Ilfracombe Rally in Devon on 9/10 December.
Good results from Richard Hudson-Evans and Pat & Paul Robinson have confirmed them as Championship class winners, while Terry Scraider and Chas Davies have comfortably increased their lead over Laurence Burrage and Brian Mead in class A1.
The Newcomers Challenge excitement will go to the final round, as neither of the top crews, Brian Hodgkins & Steve Freeman and Terry & Sue Pickering, managed to improve on their lowest qualifying score on the Palladwr.
1 David Gilbert/Dave Wilson Mini Cooper S 29:45 2 Richard Hudson-Evans/Andy Berry Ford Escort RS200 30:16 3 Pat Robinson/Paul Robinson Mini Cooper S 31:44 4 Keith Wilson/Richard Dix Volvo PV544 35:53 5 Ali Green/Mick Briggs Mini Cooper 37:00 6 John Pascoe/Lee Vincent Volvo 122 37:16 7 Terry Schraider/Chas Davies Sunbeam Rapier S11 40:38 8 Ted Manktelow/John Evans Ford Escort Sport 41:06 9 David Roxburgh/David Galbraith Rover 2000 P6 43:06 10 Jack Curran/David Bardwell Mini Cooper S 46:51