Motor sport: Norwegian victorious at Cambrian Rally

Oct 22 2009

Cambrian Rally

NORWEGIAN rising star Mads Ostberg stormed to victory on the Cambrian Rally at the weekend winning all five of the challenging stages in the Penmachno and Clocaenog forests to push last year’s winner Hugh Hunter from Ruthin into second place.

Ostberg, in a Subaru Impreza World Rally Car, used the event as preparation for this week’s world championship round Rally GB, and with co-driver Sweden’s Jonas Andersson gave a masterful display which thrilled the thousands of spectators who turned out to watch the North Wales Car Club organised event.

"I really enjoyed it and would like to thank everyone involved with organising the event for providing us with a really good day," he said.

Second placed Hunter, whose company Lewis and Hunter Contracting sponsored the showpiece, was pleased with his runner-up position behind world class opposition.

"Obviously I would have liked to win again, but Mads was hard to beat," he smiled.

There was disappointment, though, for Will Nicholls from the Isle of Wight who had hoped to clinch the British Trials and Rally Drivers’ Championship, of which the Cambrian is the final round, but an error of judgement let through Yorkshireman David Wright to take the title.

Spectators also had the treat of seeing current world championship leader Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen powering through the stages in a Ford Focus RS as he set target times for competitors.

A record entry of over 170 meant the event, which started and finished on Llandudno promenade, attracted the largest number of competitors for any European rally in 2009.

In addition to Ostberg and Hirvonen four other World Rally Championship contenders were involved, plus drivers from as far away as Australia.

"Feedback from competitors has been excellent and has made all the hard work involved worldwide. In addition to it being a very successful event it has also provided publicity for Llandudno and the Conwy Valley that would be impossible to buy. TV coverage will be shown worldwide," said clerk of the course, Alyn Edwards.

Winner of the award for the highest placed driver under-25 was Luke Francis from Rhyl in a Mitsubishi Evo who was navigated through the stages by Jon-Madoc Jones of Llysfaen.