Wright battles back to claim Wyedean finish

Bentham’s David Wright endured a difficult Wyedean Forest rally last weekend (7th February) suffering a couple spins on his way to 16th overall and 4th in class in a GPM prepared Mitsubishi Evo 9.

The Chepstow based event kicked off with the Sallowvallets stage in the Forest of Dean. Conditions in the stage were bad with plenty of snow and ice waiting to catch out the crews. Wright completed the stage in 35th place after a few scares on the slippery tracks.

A better time on the second stage, Serridge, saw Wright and co-driver Rob Fagg move up to 17th place before a top ten time on the third stage moved them up to 11th overall despite slightly damaging the rear of the car in a collision with a post. This position was retained as the crews headed to the main service halt of the event in Chepstow.

“We struggled on the first stage, the conditions were very difficult and I was pleased to get out of the stage in one piece,” said Wright.

“Our times on the other three morning stages were better and to arrive back at service in 11th was fairly satisfying”

There were two more stages to go to complete the event, Chepstow Park and another Serridge stage. Wright and Fagg suffered a big spin in Chepstow Park which resulted in them blocking the road and stalling the engine. Fortunately the car was restarted before the next competitor arrived but the spin caused around a minute of time loss, dropping the Evo crew down to 21st overall.

Serridge saw another spin which scattered the spectators but despite this Wright and Fagg moved up to 16th overall at the rally finish.

“It was disappointing to lose time with spins in the last two stage, they cost us any chance of going for a top ten placing. However, I’m pleased to have made it to the finish and we’ve got a few championship points in the bag. We’ll hopefully be out in a new Evo for the next round of the championship so I’ll be looking to get a good result there. I’d like to thank Kumho Tyres and Grove Hill Garage for their support”.

The result puts Wright in 11th place in the BTRDA championship. The next round is the Malcolm Wilson rally in March.

By Songasport

Success for Gemma on snowy Wyedean rally

Albourne’s Gemma Wheeler successfully battled against treacherous conditions on last Saturday’s Wyedean Forest rally to take fourth place in the Rally First class in a rallyschool.co.uk Peugeot 106.

After the organisers made a decision to go ahead with the event the rally started from a cold Chepstow racecourse with the crews heading for the first loop of stages, three in the forests and one at the racecourse itself.

The smaller engined two wheel drive cars, such as Gemma’s, run first on the road on these events which is usually an advantage but on the Wyedean it meant that they faced the toughest conditions with the forest stages covered in snow and ice. Gemma and co-driver Will Rogers managed to keep the car on the road and arrived back in Chepstow for the main service halt of the event in an excellent second in class.

“The organisers made a good decision to go ahead to run the event, the opening stages were extremely slippery but very enjoyable,” said Gemma.

“I was delighted to complete the first loop of stages in second in class”.

Following the cancellation of the Mailscot stage due to dangerous conditions the crews faced a further two stages after service. With the snow and ice thawing the faster cars were able to get the power down and Gemma dropped to fourth in class in the 106 but she was still very pleased with the result.

“The event was awesome, it was my second time driving on snow - the first time was this event two years ago. I didn’t enjoy it so much then but this time was fantastic. The car was brilliant, I did not get a chance to drive it before the event but I was pleased to get to grips with it quickly - thanks to rallyschool.co.uk for preparing it and to Will for stepping in to co-drive for me. Everything was a bit last minute but the end result was worth it!”

The Rally First championship moves on to the Minehead based Somerset Stages rally in April and Gemma will be looking to build on the experience she gained when she contested the 2008 event in a Ford Focus.

Please visit www.gemmawheeler.com to keep up to date with Gemma’s rallying.

By Songasport

Shelley aims for positive start on Wyedean rally

Lancaster’s Shelley Rogerson will return to the rally stages next weekend (7th February) when she contests the Wyedean Forest Rally with Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth.

After a run of bad luck in the second half of 2008 which saw two rally retirements, one through an accident and one through a fire, followed by a broken foot, Shelley is keen to get a good result on the Chepstow based event.

“I’m hoping to put the disappointments of last year behind me. It would be great if we could repeat the victory we took on last year’s event,” said Shelley.

“There are some quick crews doing the event though so I think it’s going to be very tight at the top of the leaderboard.”

The rally is the opening round of the BTRDA rally championship and it will take place over seven special stages which are based largely in the Forest of Dean.

“We’re registering for the BTRDA championship again this year and we will hopefully contest most of the rounds. We need a good haul of points from the Wyedean to get the championship off to a good start. I’d like to thank my sponsors Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Gilletts Spar, Nicky Grist and Songasport for their support.” commented Shelley.

The action kicks off from Chepstow racecourse on Saturday morning.

Please visit http://www.shelleyrally.com for all the latest news and photos.

By Songasport

Wright to kick off rally season in Chepstow

Bentham based rally driver David Wright will kick off his 2009 rally season next weekend (7th February) on the Chepstow based Wyedean Forest rally.

Wright, who will be co-driven by Rob Fagg, is hoping to be out on the stages more frequently this year after limited appearances in recent years.

“I’m aiming to contest a few of the BTRDA championship rounds this year, it’s going to be good to get a few more events in,” said Wright, who is backed by Kumho Tyres and Grove Hill Garage.

“I’ve had some decent results in the last couple of years including finishing 5th overall on last year’s Cambrian rally and 2nd overall on the Grizedale Stages. I’m aiming to get a good finish on the Wyedean too although it’s going to be pretty tough with the standard of the opposition.”

Wright and Fagg will be using a GPM prepared Mitsubishi Evo 9 on the event, the same car that was used on the Cambrian and Grizedale events. It is hoped to have a new Evo ready for the Malcolm Wilson rally in March.

The Wyedean is the first round of the 2009 BTRDA rally championship and it starts from Chepstow racecourse on Saturday morning before heading out into the Forest of Dean for the bulk of the competitive mileage. For more information please visit http://www.wyedeanrally.com.

By Songasport

Gemma revs up for rally return

Albourne’s Gemma Wheeler will make her comeback to the rally stages next weekend (7th February) when she competes in the Wyedean Forest Stages rally. Gemma has been out of action since last April’s Somerset Stages where she finished 62nd overall.

For 2009 Gemma hopes to contest the Rally First championship which comprises seven forest rallies across England and Wales. The championship is designed to be a cost-effective route to rallying and is only open to two wheel drive production cars with engines of up to 1400cc.

“I’m aiming to do as best as I possibly can and to get a respectable championship result at the end of the year to give me something concrete to build on for the 2010 season,” said Gemma.

“I contested the Wyedean rally in 2007 and managed to battle through the treacherous snowy conditions to get a finish, I’m hoping that conditions will not be as bad this year.”

Gemma will be co-driven by Will Rogers on the event and will use a Peugeot 106 for the first time having used a Nissan Micra in 2006 and 2007 and a Ford Focus in 2008.

“I’ve not driven the car before, it’ll be a steep learning curve but I’m confident that I’ll be competitive.”

The rally starts on Saturday morning from Chepstow with most of the event mileage on the gravel tracks of the Forest of Dean.

By Songasport