Bulldog Rally report from Motorsport News of 27th October 1999

Top-dog Smith takes the Bull

Report by - David Evans

GARY Smith is enjoying an incredible run of form. This time last year the Ford Escort Cosworth driver was an also-ran. Now he's a leading force in British national rallying.

If not stealing, then certainly sharing the limelight was Gwyndaf Evans. He and Howard Davies were out testing a SEAT Cordoba WRC E2 ahead of the Network Q Rally Great Britain.

As expected the Welshmen dominated. Fastest on nine of the ten stages, only a problem with the car's transmission on SS7 stopped them taking the win.

Davies explained: "The car was stalling when we pulled the handbrake on. We don't know why, but when we came to a really tight hairpin we pulled the handbrake, the car stalled and refused to start.”

They were stuck in that stage for about 25 minutes.

With Evans falling off the leaderboard, the competition behind intensified. Suddenly, there was a win at stake.

One of the leading protagonists, Marcus Dodd was nowhere to be seen.

He had stopped the clocks an admirable 11s down on Evans through the opening eight-mile Dyfant stage. He would go no further than SS2, though, rolling his Ford Escort WR Car out of the event.

Now the event really was wide open. Roger Duckworth looked well placed. The Subaru Impreza driver had suffered a first stage puncture, but that was nothing compared to the problems he and Mark Broomfield would find on SS5.

The Impreza slid off the road and down a steep bank. "I thought we were never going to get back on the road," said Duckworth. "Mark cleared some logs out of the way, then we took a good run up at the bank and just about made it up. We’d lost three minutes by then though."

Where one Impreza fails, there is usually another not far away. This year Kenny McKinstry has been the king of the Mintex Impreza drivers. The Banbridge man might not have been behind the wheel last weekend, but people were certainly talking about the speed of his cars.

Norwegian novice Martin Stenshorne had hired one of McKinstry's 555s for the weekend. By then end of the Taliesin test he and Allan Harryman were leading the rally. Running at car 47 on the road, none of the front-runners were taking him into the equation - until the fifth stage.

This was Stenshorne’s first visit to Britain, but he was not showing ignorance. "The forests are nice here," he said. "I don't know too much about where I’m going, but everything is good."

The fairytale ending wasn't to come. Stenshorne led for another two stages before engine problems on the Sweet Lamb spectator stage ended his rally.

Behind the flying Scandinavian, Ludlow hotshot Smith had been gathering pace and getting himself up to speed with the organiser's route notes.

"The first stage was awful." he said. “I’m used to my co-driver Andy Wynn being on the maps and calling the odd corner. Now' he’s talking all the time, he won’t shut up! It's quite difficult to try and take it all in.”

After his steady approach to SS1, Smith decided to up the ante on the ensuing nine-miler in Gartheiniog.

“It was nearly a disaster,” he said. “We did a wall of death at about 90mph, we were well off the road. I scared the shit out of myself.”

Smith had suffered a similar lack of confidence with the organiser's notes on the Kerridge Rally, but he predicted that as his confidence grew, the times would come down. Prophetic words from the Conwy Honda Cambrian Rally winner.

From stage five onwards he was never out of the fastest five. When Stenshorne dropped out he found himself with a 14s lead, by the finish that had grown to 25s. Arriving at the finish, Smith was delighted with what he thought was second.

"We've won?” he said. "What about the foreign fella?” Discovering his new number one status left an already broad grin spreading further as he headed towards the finish ramp and yet more champagne.

Behind Smith there was a cracking squabble for second place.

Warren Philliskirk/Eurig Evans were once again pushing their MG Metro 6R4 as hard as it would go. A second-stage excursion had given them ail early fright, however.

“We went straight over a big pile of logs," said Warren. "We didn't lose much time- straight off then straight back on again.” The front of the Metro looked a little second-hand, but it didn't diminish the speed of the ageing machine. Philliskirk was more worried about the car’s healthy appetite for oil. He admitted that the car had “lost some of its zip,” and with Steve Petch/Peter Croft closing in, the last two stages were going to be tight.

Petch’s Ford Escort lowed by the loss of fuel pressure on SS7. He arrived at the end of the stage with Philliskirk right on his bumper. With two stages left Petch was 49s away from the runners-up spot. He grabbed 17s in a sodden Hafren. An even bigger push through the second run at Dyfhant saw him Philliskirk right on his bumper.

With two stages left Petch was 49s away from the runners-up spot. He grabbed 17s in a sodden Hafren. An even bigger push through the second run at Dyfnant saw him take a further 25s back. It wasn’t enough. Petch and co-driver John Richardson arrived back in Shrewsbury seven seconds shy of the Metro.

“Third is okay,” said Petch. “It’s disappointing to think that without that problem we could easily have won this event.”

Vince Wetton and Joff Haigh claimed fourth place, hoping that this would finally be their last outing in the ex-Brian Bell Mitsubishi Lancer E4. Wetton’s new ex-works E4 should he ready for Rally GB.

Wetton had been frustrated by a lack of power early in the event. He said: "I thought, ‘if this is as good as it’s going to get then I might as well give up? but then we found we had a cracked park plug. We changed that and we’ve had loads more power. This afternoon was more like it.”

Duckworth was another reflecting on what might have been in fifth place, while Greg Mills/Dylan Jones continued their excellent comeback in the Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4. Despite a down-on-power engine the pair still made the top six.

Local crew David Humphreys, Ian Pryce gave their new Lancer E6 the perfect debut, taking seventh overall and first in Gp N. No doubt they'd settle for a similar, trouble free result on their next event: the Rally GB.

Gary Midwinter/Phil Clarke overcame a few dodgy transmission readouts aboard their Escort WR Car to claim eighth, while Mark Perrott/Jayson Brown put their new Lancer E6 to good use to claim ninth place and Perrott’s second Allways Executive Travel Welsh title.

Wayne and Neill Sisson rounded off the top ten in their Lancer E4. Despite not having been out for two months the brothers were quickly up to speed.

Roger Davies/Richard wrapped up the Gp N championship with 11th in their Escort Cosworth, while Robin Bradbury/Peter Thomas (Ford Escort) were the first two-wheel-drive car home, just one place back.

Niall McShea/Mark Cassidy took F2 with an amazing performance in the Asquith-tuned Citroen Saxo kit car. The Ulstermen finished the car’s first-ever gravel event 14th overall.

Rory Galligan/Jonty Bolsover celebrated success in the Peugeot Super 106 Cup. while Dafydd Larcombe/Marc Jones were the masters of the Ford Rally Ka Championship.

At the front of the field. Gary Smith might well be needing to buy a bigger trophy cabinet. It’s just a shame that his current purple patch has come at the end of the season.