Motorsport: Matt Edwards is top local in Cambrian Rally

Oct 13 2011

FOURTH-PLACED Matt Edwards was the top local performer in Saturday’s Cambrian Rally.

Fans of the sport were treated to a spectacular final round of the BTRDA and Hankook MSA Welsh Championships at Llandudno.

The rally, now in its 56th year and organised by North Wales Car Club, attracted over 120 crews from throughout the UK plus FrenchmanLaurent

Fouques, all competing over eight special stages totalling nearly 44 miles of high speed forestry gravel and the legendary Great Orme asphalt.

The race is widely renowned for its classic North Wales forestry stages of Penmachno, Alwen and Clocaenog with the final two stages run on the Orme, also the venue for the opening two stages of the British-based World Rally Championship, the Wales Rally GB which will start from Llandudno in November. 

In atrocious conditions 31 crews retired from the Cambrian through either mechanical failure or going off the road.

Llandudno-based Edwards, co-driven by Sam Collis in a hired Subaru Impreza, finished a very credible fourth overall and second in class.

This was only Edwards’ third outing in a four-wheel drive machine since 2008 and his second this year, the rest of the year having been contested in the Swift Group, Holton Homes and Vulcan Fasteners 1400 cc MG ZR. 

Edwards was very pleased with the result, saying: “We took a bit of time getting used to the car as we haven’t really had the opportunity to do any significant testing, but Sam and I got into the groove by stage four in Alwen and we set the third fastest time overall in that stage, just seven seconds slower than Shaun Gardener who then went on to win the event.”

In the afternoon, the Millers Oils Rising Star driver was fourth fastest on the two stages in the notorious Penmachno Forest leaving him third overall and second in class on the completion of the forestry section.

Heading into the Great Orme stages, conditions had worsened with heavy rain and Edwards admitted: “We sat on the start line and I was very apprehensive.  We had changed the tyres to asphalt specification after the forestry stages, but essentially the transmission and suspension were still set up for the gravel stages.”

Edwards’ concern did not show in his results with him taking fifth fastest stage times on each of the two runs. 

He added: “We battled hard all day, the car never missed a beat and we achieved a top five finish which was the goal we set ourselves.”

The Cambrian was won by Ludlow’s Shaun Gardener and Ben Innes in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5/9.

Ffestiniog-based Ieuan Rowlands,  co-driven by Emyr Hall of Cerrigydrudion in the Volvo-engined MK2 Ford Escort, put in a dazzling performance finishing seventh overall to beat many four-wheel drive cars. 

Unfortunately, Ieuan’s brother John retired his MK2 Ford Escort in Clocaenog Forest with a failed rear suspension.

Luke Francis, co-driven by very experienced John Roberts of Colwyn Bay did well to finish eighth overall and third in Group N (production cars) in the Bob Francis Crane Hire backed Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.

Rob Jones from Mochdre and Pete Buckley in the Colwyn Bay Printers backed 1275cc British Leyland Mini had a few problems during the day but managed to finish in Jones’ 24th entry on this event, all in this same car.

For  a full set of results, visit http://www.btrdarally.com/results/2011_8/