Report: Keith Oswin - Photography: Maurice Selden
AudiSport International Rally
Shell Oils British Rally Championship
David Llewellin is the 1989 Shell Oils British Rally Champion, his title clinched in dramatic style with yet another split second finish to the Audi Sport International Rally. Only Russell Brookes could stop the Welshman but, despite an incredible start, the slippery conditions were enough to give Llewellin the crown and leave his rival floundering.
“I don’t know Dyfnant especially well,” admitted Russell Brookes, “But I know that there is nothing to catch you out in there. You can really go for it...”
And go for it he did, the Andrews-Sykes Sierra an incredible 9 seconds quicker than Llewellin on the opening stage, just the light side of dawn on Saturday. The Midlander knew that the title race was not entirely in his control, but a win would be his best way of turning the wheel of fortune his way. Let me explain...
Brookes and Llewellin were the only two men capable of winning this year’s Shell Open Championship. Brookes led going into the event but, as one of only two drivers with scores from every round (Don Bailey was, and still is, the other), he would have to drop points in the final reckoning. If Llewellin finished first or second in Wales, the title would go to the Toyota man, whatever Brookes achieved. Even if Brookes won - which he set out to do - Llewellin could still rob him of a third crown, so a little help would still be needed. Llewellin had more options to topple Brookes but, should the Toyota not finish the event, Brookes had it in the bag.
Llewellin had done well in Dyfnant, a second clear of Graham Middleton (borrowing Llewellin’s old GT-Four for the occasion) and five up on Finnish visitor, Timo Salonen in the Mazda. But Brookes had done even better, so much so that observers rushed to double check the time card from the already battle scarred Sierra. There was no error, Brookes held that lead, a second per mile advantage despite having only half the traction of the Toyota. But there were worried faces. Llewellin’s engine had run hot on the stage and there was an even longer stage in Dyfi to come before service at Machynlleth.
It was tense from the start of Wolverhampton & South Staffs CC’s first international event. Formerly the Castrol, Pace and now Audi national event, the rally had been promoted last January to full status and a different championship. Happily, it retained its one-day sprint format, the only event of its kind in the Open Championship. The regular championship drivers were assured of starting and both Mazda Team Europe (with Salonen) and Ford (with Gianfranco Cunico) made pre-RAC Rally entries.
Salonen knew what he was about, but Cunico was having a baptism of fire in the Q8 Team Ford. “It is fantastic to drive on these roads,” reflected the British forest debutant, “But it is very difficult. Good fun though!” He drove a steady rally, learning his craft, but perhaps inevitably succumbed to the conditions when caught out halfway through the event, the car flipping into a ditch from where it was rescued some time after the rally had gone.
Summer is officially over. You did not need the weatherman to point this out at the weekend as wind and rain lashed the Telford base and the forests where the action would take place. Saturday was better, but there was still plenty of falling water, mixing with the slush underfoot. Jimmy McRae tried some wide Pirelli tyres on his Sierra (seeded at number 117 as demands for programme entry lists superseded the closing date for those entries) but was happy to change them for narrower ones after skating through the first two stages. By then he was seventh, three places behind son, Colin, who was off to a great start in the sister car. The other front-running Sierra of Gwyndaf Evans had spun off once already and until a new diff could be fitted, the handling was definitely out of sorts.
Pentti Airikkala was on course for yet another Group N victory in the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4, even if he emerged from the first stage ‘tacking' from side to side. The brakes were so hot they had almost stopped working. Steve Hill blew a turbo but his mechanics changed it and he was able to complete the day in second place to the Finn and just a handful of seconds clear of Ewan Brewis in the Mazda.
Llewellin, Brookes and Salonen were sharing the fastest times throughout the opening stages, Brookes hanging onto his lead despite the worsening conditions. At times, the event was almost running in darkness as the clouds hung low over Wales, but Brookes still led, the gap increasing to 13 seconds, dropping to 10. Llewellin was still in that title-winning position, but the engine continued to give cause for concern. The management system was changed, the boost was turned down, but the temperature refused to budge significantly.
However, the Astra looked to have the edge over the first few stages, even if the gear cluster needed changing at least once. Wilson managed to spin his version into a ditch briefly and Metcalfe’s Nova was merrily rejecting second gear.
Eriksson's Peugeot also needed attention in this area after getting stuck in fifth near the end of Dyfi.
A couple of stages later, however, and the class battle was more or less academic. In a strange accident, Hakan Eriksson blotted his previously faultless copybook on the Shell series. “I really don’t know what happened," he admitted. “It was before the corner and the car just slid sideways into a log that was sticking out. I could do nothing to stop it, but I don’t know why it happened the way it did.” Observers confirmed that there was no logic to having an accident at that point, but the resulting front suspension damage was enough to sideline the Swede. As Des O'Dell said afterwards, "That’s the first time I have had to drive Hakan back to the hotel this season. With Kalle Grundel, I reckon he did more miles in my car than in his!”
Brookes, at the front, also had a near miss with a log pile and completed Pantperthog with a puncture. But that lead was intact as the event headed northwards up the valley towards Dolgellau.
Salonen was third at this stage, Mazda’s team trying different tyre combinations and revised suspension for the RAC Rally next month. Young McRae was fourth and ‘dad’ fifth while Graham Middleton had dropped out of the running for the moment with several problems. A misfire had developed in the engine, the screen misted up every time he hit a pool of water (and there were many to hit) and the rear bumper caught fire when the valance got so hot and the heat transferred to the plastic trim.
The jungle drums had warned that Brookes was in trouble.
Gartheiniog claimed Cunico, and very nearly had Wilson as well. “The arrows were a bit misleading at one point, the road you wanted was not visible. So 1 went right and found a Range Rover blocking the road then we got stuck turning the car round... ”
Salonen’s car suffered front end cosmetic damage after a viscious bump caught the Finn unawares, Jimmy McRae emerged with the rear brakes not functioning and Pentti Airikkala broke the exhaust of the Mitsubishi. But down in the Toyota camp, there was great interest.
The jungle drums had warned that Brookes was in trouble and it seemed that Llewellin might be leading the rally. Where was the Sierra?
The answer came soon after as Brookes pulled into the service area, climbed from the car to face Barrie Hinchliffe’s cameras. “It wasn’t even a big accident, I just half spun and thought we had lost a few seconds. However, when I stuck it in gear, the wheels just spun. We sat there for 4 minutes until the spectators managed to get us out.
“I was pleased with the start, I had to push hard if I was going to get the title. But the risk was always that this would happen. I shall still go for it, the show isn’t over yet as David still has to finish.”
But Llewellin could relax a little. “We were surprised at Russell’s pace this morning and in these conditions it was difficult to judge our own pace. There’s deep mud off the edge of the road and it would be easy to get stuck in it, just like Russell.”
The engine was running better now, the mixture had been made richer while the boost was turned down again. Just two forest stages were left, plus a blast round Telford’s Town Park to close the series. There was still a long way to go for Llewellin.
Brookes’s team mate, Mark Lovell, was having a pretty awful day. He had Brookes’s team mate, Mark Lovell, was having a pretty awful day. He had been as baffled as any by Brookes’s pace at the start and, once the rally had settled down, simply could not get his Pirellis to work as well as the Dunlops. A puncture in the later stages slowed him further and then he plummeted to 43rd after plonking the Sierra off the road on the penultimate forest stage.
Unless Llewellin failed to stay the course, 11th placed Brookes was not going to win the series. Attention now turned to Llewellin’s chances of a clean sweep on the gravel rallies of the series. He had three under his belt already, the fourth would be a rather nice way to round off the series. He led with three stages to go, but took it a shade too easy in Dyfnant second time around. Salonen led by 2 seconds as the convoy returned to Telford for the superspecials in the park.
It looked as though Llewellin was happy to cruise home... until someone pointed out that it might be rather nice for Toyota to beat Mazda. “I decided to have a go at the first stage,” reflected Llewellin, because I know it well. From there, I would see what happened. If I was faster than Timo, I would have a go again. If not, then I'd settle for second.”
He took 4 seconds off Salonen to regain the lead on the first stage but a minor error on the second forced a tie on stage times. The rally had again produced one of the closest finishes possible, just 2 seconds separating first and second. And on the event that saw Llewellin take the National title in 1984, he claimed the British crown in 1989. It concluded a remarkable year, not only for the driver but also for the team, Phil Collins taking on a difficult task and making a success of it.
The event’s international debut had been a roaring success, enjoyed by all and a fitting climax to the year. “I hope that the organisers resist the temptation to expand the format,” considered Brookes. “There has been a lot of support from outside the sport for this style of event, and it stands up to it well.
The party went on well into Sunday morning as celebrations took place. As Phil Short remarked, “It might have been better to go home, you could die at the hands of this lot tonight!”