What fine prospects! (From Penarth Times)

What fine prospects!

The Penarth crew of Graeme Jones and Richard Perry claimed their first class victory in the Prospect Red Dragon Rally.

For the crew, in their debut year, the rally was the fifth in the raceandrally.com 1400 championship and was based at Aberavon. The forest stages were the same as those that are used for the International Network Q and so it was with some apprehension and excitement that the boys set off on Saturday to tackle the legendary tracks of Margam, Rheola and Rhondda.

A week with heavy rain and the usual activity of forests - cutting and hauling timber - had made the fast stages very slippery and more than one crew did not emerge from the first 7.9 miles of Margam. However, the lads, determined to do well on what was for them the home event, completed the section in 9 minutes and 54 seconds losing just 5 seconds to Championship contenders Justin and Keith Griffiths in a similar Peugeot 106 but still sufficient to hold second in class.

Just over 7 miles of Rheola followed and the two crews were within 6 seconds of each other when they arrived at the first Service Point. The car had been well prepared at Pearson's Garage in Penarth and so all that was required was a quick wash while the crew needed long cool drinks.

Their next two stages, close together in Resolven forest, totalled over 14 miles. At the end of the first stage Jones and Perry had gained 10 seconds on Griffiths and Griffiths so they had taken the class lead by just 4 seconds. Hitting a deep puddle at high speed on the next stage almost brought disaster as water entered the clutch and caused it to slip. This lost just enough time for the rival crew to regain 4 seconds.

So the scene was set for the final mighty 15.3 mile stage of Rhondda. The crews were absolutely equal sharing the class lead. The gladiatorial challenge was on as the rain streaked horizontally across the Rhigos mountain. Conditions were treacherous as Mandy Roberts, another Peugeot driver and hot contender for the class, found out to her cost when she slid into a log pile and ended her rally.

Justin completed the stage in 17 minutes and 8 seconds. There was not long to wait before Graeme came through stopping the clock at 16 minutes and 45 seconds. With, what had undoubtedly been the best drive of rally career so far, Graeme had gained 23 seconds and so took his first class win. It also moved him up in the National Championship which, just over half way through the season, is still wide open and up for grabs.

The next rally in the series is based in Nottinghamshire and the cost of the logistics for the event could be prohibitive so the next challenge for Graeme and Richard will be the Quinton Stages, based in Mid-Wales on 27 July.

Thanks again to all the supporters from Penarth and beyond who stood out in the atrocious weather to cheer the lads on. Your efforts paid off and the lads did well.

Why not follow the teams progress for yourself on www.easyleftovercrest.co.uk