RESULTS

PEREZ FLIES TO WYEDEAN WIN!...

Steve Perez and Paul Spooner have won the Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally in their Kick Energy Ford Focus WRC. Leading the field throughout the day, this was Perez’ first victory on the Chepstow Racecourse-based event and one that he had been chasing for some years.

Runners-up, half-a-minute adrift after 45 miles of competition in the Forest of Dean, were 2007 winners Hugh Hunter/Andy Marchbank in another Focus, while Nik Elsmore, partnered by Nigel Gardner, was 3rd in his Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9. Having won the event in 2001 and 2009, the Coleford driver was hoping to emulate his father Graham who has three victories to his name. Never mind, there’s always next year!

A trio of Herefordshire drivers then rounded off the Top Six – a mere three seconds separated Roger Chilman (Subaru Impreza), Shaun Gardener (Mitsubishi EVO) and Damian Cole (Hyundai Accent WRC) respectively.

Former British Historic Rally Champions David Stokes/Guy Weaver brought their Ford Escort RS1600 to a popular win in the Historic section. The Dursley driver was equal fastest in his class on the opening stage in Mailscot with fellow Escort driver Dick Slaughter, but then moved ahead on the next to assume a lead he maintained for the rest of the day.

Irishmen Adrian Hetherington & Gary Nolan finished one place behind Stokes/Weaver in their Ford Escort MkII to take maximum points in the Silverstone Tyres BTRDA Silver Star Championship for two-wheel drive cars. Jon Ballinger/Jonny Evans (Opel Manta) were only a handful of seconds behind in second place.

The 1400cc category was won by Julian Wilkes and Will Rutherford in their Vauxhall Nova VXR190. However, the Westcountrymen did not have things all their own way and, for the first half of the event, had to give best to the Proton Satria of former 1400cc Champions Darren Pinchin and Karen Watts from Bream. After the rally’s one and only service halt and armed with some new front tyres, Wilkes put in a charge to reverse the deficit and take the win by half a minute, while Pinchin/Watts had to be content with maximum Millers Oils 1400 Championship points. North Walian Matt Edwards, partnered by Sam Collis, was three seconds behind Pinchin in his MG ZR to take 3rd place.   

The Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally attracted a superb entry of 163 cars and the traditionally tough challenge it presented resulted in 20% of the starters not making the finish. Retirements included five-times Wyedean winner Andy Burton, co-driven by his son Josh, who went out when his Peugeot Cosworth’s engine developed problems and 2009 Silverstone Tyres BTRDA Gold Star Champion David Wright whose defence of his title started badly after his Mitsubishi Lancer was forced out with an oil leak.