Round two of the 2025 Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship will be a prominent element of Saturday’s Plains Rally (May 17) as rallying makes a welcome return to the Welsh forests.
For the first forest rally in Wales since the end of October, due to the aftermath of Storm Darragh, the Bala-based Plains Rally has drawn a tremendous entry and no less than 50 of the competing crews will be chasing points in the second round of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship.
Absent from the entry list will be Russ Thompson and Stephen Link who took maximum points in Kielder as the Plains’ date clashes with Stephen’s stag weekend and so their attention will be elsewhere.
Instead, it is Liam Clark who will head the four-wheel-drive contenders away in his Ford Fiesta Rally2 and he will be strong in a bid to score maximum PWRC points. At the time of writing, his co-driver was yet to be confirmed.
Setting off in hot pursuit of Clark will be James Giddings/Aled Davies (Mitsubishi Lancer E9: Fordpad/Tandom/MetDem), Bob Morgan/Adrian Williams (Skoda Fabia R5: Winner Garage Skoda Cinderford), David Tomlin/Keith Ashley (Ford Fiesta R5: Axon Commercial Catering Equipment), Martyn Andrews/Steve Greenhill (Subaru Impreza)and Wug Utting/Bob Stokoe (Subaru Impreza: Utting Estates/Geoff Jones (Wales) Motorsport).
PWRC contenders pack out the four-wheel-drive element of the rally and 14 of the 24 four-wheel-drive cars will be chasing Welsh points.
The field is packed out by Colin Griffiths/Marc Morgan (Subaru Impreza: Cefnsuran Farm Self Catering Holidays), Peter Baylis/Paul Godden (Mitsubishi Lancer E9: Artificial Lawn Company), series newcomer Jonathan Jones with co-driver Osian Owen (Mitsubishi Lancer E10), Colin Minton/Jordan Joines (Ford Fiesta R5), Paul Lomas/Mark Leader (Ford Fiesta R5: Plant Speed Ltd), Rob Morris/Paul Spooner, Rob Aslett/Ashley Aslett (Subaru Impreza) and Geoff Cottrill/Nathan Crewe (Mitsubishi Lancer E9: Cottrill Transport).
The Plains features a strong historic field as a gaggle of historic contenders chase PWRC points. Top of the pack are George Lepley and Dafydd Evans (Mitsubishi Galant VR4: Jordan Road Surfacing/Workflow Services/Tyre Shop Ollerton/Kielder WT/Witham Motorsport).
Lepley will be chased by a horde of rapid Ford Escort Mk2s, including Dan Mennell/John Roberts (Mennell Motors/Pirelli/Speedline), Ben Friend/Cliffy Simmons (Allglass Anglia), Robert Gough/Jack Bowen, Rudi Lancaster/Guy Weaver and Gareth Bevan/Craig Nelson (Freemans Bodyshop).
