Jordan Hone and Sion Williams used the road conditions to take an overall win. (Image: Connor Taylor)
Words by James Downie, videography by Nikolay Nedelchev for Rally Media UK. Images supplied courtesy of Connor Taylor/CDT Rally Photography and Henry Kontautas.
This year’s Nicky Grist Stages took place on Saturday 11th July. As usual it was based in Builth Wells and featured two loops of 4 gravel stages in its heartland in and around the Epynt military ranges. With the Malcolm Wilson cancelled, it was round 4 of 7 of the BTRDA Rally Championship and Round 4 of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship.
Elliott Payne and Patrick Walsh arrived at the Grist having completed a clean sweep of Gold Star victories in the first three rounds but all was not well with Eliott. He’d had bout of food poisoning in the build up and was still feeling ill as the rally got underway. Reigning Champion Matthew Hirst was still well down the order in spite of a good performance on the Plains but with Declan Dear in the co-drivers seat, he was in with an excellent chance of striking a blow back on the Grist. Daniel Sigurdarson, Russ Thompson and Dan O’Brien were all present and coming into the Grist in the top 5 of the championship standings.
Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear took their first BTRDA Gold Star win of the season. (Image: Henry Kontautas)
As usual the Grist had a couple of high quality guest entries. The MEM Castrol Toyota are based nearby and they again sent Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss in a Rally2 Yaris. They were in fact registered for Welsh Championship points but did not do the Plains. Ireland’s Jordan Hone with Welshman Sion Williams alongside would also be quick in a Alan Causey prepped Fabia Rally 2.
133 Starters left Builth at 8.31am on Saturday morning and headed for the first stage at Monument, on the western edge on the Military Ranges. This year it ran North to South with a slightly altered route in the middle section to take out the big jump, but it still provided it’s usual epic views, climbs, drops and hairpins in it’s 3.18 miles. It had been hot and dry for a long time and the temperatures looked set to be in excess of 30 degrees again. The absence of any recent rain would ensure that the surfaces were dry and dusty with a very loose top layer. Evans started as car number 1 and would be first into the stages, but any advantage he might have had with the lack of hanging dust would be most likely negated by having to sweep the loose surface.
Running 7th car, Hone made the most of having ideal road conditions and won the opening stage by 2 seconds from Hirst, with Evans struggling for grip as expected, and only 3rd quickest, ahead of the unwell Payne. Russ Thompson and Steve Link had been third in the championship after the Plains but the Blue Fiesta Proto was out on SS1 of the Grist.
SS2 was in Crychan but called Bowlsey in respect of its former stage commander. It was the longest stage of the rally at almost 7 and a half miles and a twisty affair but much less open than the other stages. The tree cover offered protection from the hot sun but would make the stage more susceptible to hanging dust. Evans struggled again as road sweeper, whilst Hone again rammed home his favourable road position to win the stage by over 6 seconds from Hirst and lead by 8.2 seconds from the Yorkshireman. In spite of his issues, Evans held 3rd ahead of Payne. Those four were already well clear of Niall Devine in 5th.
Halfway was up next and the route had changed a lot from last year, and didn't use the long open section around the quarry. Hirst beat Hone by a second over the 6 miles. Evans remained 3rd but Payne was now 12 seconds behind Hirst in the BTRDA Gold Star battle. He could afford to take it easy and conserve energy though with those three wins in the bank. Daniel Sigurdarson had now moved up to 5th after Devine hit trouble but was 30 seconds behind 4th placed Payne at 48 seconds behind the leader in just 3 stages.
Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss struggled with road sweeping early on but recovered to take Maximum Welsh Championship points. (Image: Henry Kontautas)
Route 60 was changed and shortened this year. It started in the south and then went due West to the finish. 3.82 miles later. Hone was again untouchable and set his third fastest time to extend his lead to 12.4 seconds back at service. Hirst was 2nd and not really needing to battle for the overall win with Hone not registered for the BTRDA, but even so, had a big moment on this stage when the Fabia kicked on a compression and put a wheel into a ditch. Luck was on his side this time though and no serious time was lost. Despite focussing on the BRC, Evans is Hirst’s main challenger for the Welsh Championship, and was just 5 seconds behind in 3rd. Elliott Payne was a lonely 4th and not feeling up doing anything about those in front and just needed to drive easily through the rest of the rally to ensure a good points finish. It was the same for Sigurdarson in 5th. He was too far behind Payne to catch him but was also 34 seconds ahead of the next BTRDA registered crew, which was Ireland’s James Wilson and Paul Mulholland in another Fabia. Max Utting’s Fiesta led the Silver Star contenders from Boyd Kershaw at the mid point. In the Bronze Star, Dylan Fowler-Bishop, partnered in the Micra by Emma Clarke for the led Will and Kaz Jenkins in the Green Nova but they were starting to experience gremlins with the car cutting out after the flying finish. The crew rectified the fault but unfortunately forgot to put the bonnet pins back in, causing it to snap open and smash the windscreen on the next road section.
Having been well swept by the first passage, the surface would not be the same issue when the stages were repeated in the afternoon. Instead, they had become a lot rougher and in the afternoon heat, tyre management would come into play. Evans now had a lot more grip, and able at last to put the Toyota’s power down, began a charge. It would be difficult to catch Hone but Hirst was definitely in his sights. Another slight error not far into Monument 2 allowed Evans, who won the stage, to draw nearer, and the Welshman snatched 2nd with another fastest time on Bowlsey 2. Evans was slowed slightly by overheating back at Halfway and was just pipped to fastest time by Hirst.
Elliott Payne was unwell at the Grist but drove sensibly to take 4th along with co-driver Patrick Walsh. (Image: Connor Taylor)
Hone had backed off and with a lesser advantage from road position on the afternoon stages, had allowed Evans to get the gap down to 10 seconds going into the final stage. Utting continued to lead the Silver Star from Kershaw but seismic actvity was happening in the Bronze Star. With a new windscreen fitted at service, Fowler-Bishop had managed to park the Micra on a bank for 6 minutes on Bowlsey 2, and he and Emma Clarke only managed to rejoin with the help of spectators. Nigel and Kaz Jenkins inherited the lead but it only last a single stage. At the arrival control of SS7 the Nova cut out and refused to restart, despite a change of starter pack the car only got a mile into the stage before cutting out again. It was eventually traced to alternator failure and they were out. The lead was then passed to Dale Glover and David Smalley in the lovely white Alfasud, 37 seconds clear of Luke Watts and Matt Rogers in the MG.
The final stage was back at Route 60 and there were no dramas. Evans was again fastest from Hirst and Payne but Hone was only 3 seconds slower and held on for a what in truth had been a comfortable victory. He’d taken full advantage of his road position in the morning to set up victory and then cruised through the afternoon stages. Evans took Maximum Welsh Championship points and Hirst, with 3rd overall took his first BTRDA Gold Star win of the season. With the unwell Payne second but consolidating his Championship lead with another healthy points haul, the win was probably more important for Hirst’s own confidence than for its impact on the Championship table. Other BTRDA crews to finish and score well were Daniel Sigurdarson with 5th overall (3rd Gold Star), Dan O’Brien, Daniel Hiorns and Pete Gorst/Mark Twiname but James Wilson had also retired in the afternoon.
Max Utting held on to win the Silver Star from and Dale Glover the Bronze Star, although Boyd Kershaw and Luke Watts maintained their leads in the respective catagories.
With the Woodpecker not part of the BTRDA series this year, there is now a 10 week break until the Trackrod, where Payne can wrap the Gold Star up early if things go his way.
Final Resuts:
1 Jordan Hone/Sion Williams (Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) 41m24.4s
2 Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss (Toyota Yaris Rally2) +7.7s (1st Pirelli Welsh Championship)
3 Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear (Skoda Fabia R5) +9.9s (1st BTRDA Gold Star Championship)
4 Elliot Payne/Patrick Walsh (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +34.2s
5 Daniel Sigurdarson/Asta Sigurdarson (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1m27.9s
6 Vivian Hamill/Paddy Robinson (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1m55s
7 Daniel O’Brien/Liam Regan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +2m46.1s
8 James McArville/Arthur Kierans (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3m07.6s
9 Daniel Hiorns/Michael Gilbey (Ford Fiesta S2000) +3m24.0s
10 Rob Morris/Daniel James (Citroen C3 Rally2) +3m53.4s
23 Max Utting/Huw Matthias (Ford Fiesta ST) +5m34.0s (1st BTRDA Silver Star Championship)
65 Dale Glover/David Smalley (Alfa Romeo Alfasud) +9m08s (1st BTRDA Bronze Star Championship)
BTRDA Gold Star Standings after Round 4:
1 Elliott Payne 118 Points
2 Daniel Sigurdarson 108
3 Matthew Hirst 87
4 Pete Gorst 84
5 Daniel O’Brien 83
Silver Star:
1 Boyd Kershaw 88
Bronze Star:
1 Luke Watts 109
