Russ Thompson and Stephen Link have kept the fight for the 2023 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship overall drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles well and truly alive after scoring maximum points on the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally (Saturday 28 October).
Their first Pirelli Welsh win since the 2019 Woodpecker Rally – the year in which they finished runner-up in the championship – ensures that the titles won’t be decided until the final round of the series, the Wyedean Stages Rally (Saturday 18 November).
The Clitheroe driver found himself in a big Pirelli Welsh lead on the Cambrian after Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear retired their Delta Salvage/Witham Group Ford Fiesta R5 at the end of the morning loop of stages.
The championship leaders had been 10.1 seconds quicker through the opening Elsi stage and extended that advantage to 24 seconds after SS2 (Craig). On paper they were leading by 23.2 seconds after SS3, but in reality their rally was over having brushed a bank in Brenig and damaging the radiator beyond repair.
Having scored maximum Pirelli Welsh points on the first four rounds of the series, this was the second retirement in a row and cuts the defending champion’s lead to just 10 points with only the final round remaining.
Having secured the Welsh Challenge title last time out, Martyn Andrews scored his best Pirelli Welsh overall result of the season with second place, and pick up the special 4WD Witham Group award.
Boyd Kershaw/Keegan Rees have jumped up to second in the 2WD category after an excellent run – the Flying Kiwi Ford Escort Mk2 driver saying that the final test in the now little used Clocaenog complex was “brilliant – the perfect Welsh rally stage.”
Two punctures in the opening two stages didn’t help Geoff Phelps/Colin Jenkins, especially as they also had to be extra careful in SS3 as the Hartpury Farms Escort Mk2 crew had no spare left. Despite finishing well down the order, leaving him unable to win the 2WD title, Geoff collected the special 2WD Witham Group award on the event.
It was mission accomplished for class W2 leader Dylan Fowler Bishop (co-driven by Dan Evans) who drove for a finish in his Restruct Nissan Micra to keep his Welsh Junior title hopes alive.
