Pritchard produces BHRC masterclass on Epynt
Jason Pritchard secured his first Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship victory in five years at the weekend, after storming to a convincing win at the Nigel Ferguson Fabricators Tour of Epynt (Sunday 30 July).
After a slow start, Pritchard and co-driver Phil Clarke overhauled current championship leader Nick Elliott during the rain-soaked afternoon loop of stages, to take the win and give his newly built Ford Escort MKII its perfect maiden outing.
Despite being in command for much of the morning, Elliot and Dave Price had swapped their usual FIAT 131 for an Escort MKII for the weekend and would have to settle second place, whilst Richard Jordan and James Gratton Smith secured their best BHRC result in third.
The arduous Epynt Military ranges signalled the championship’s only asphalt round of the season and a small but competitive field set out to tackle almost 70 miles of challenging moorland tests.
The day would start dry and Elliott immediately took control, completing the first loop of two stages with a 12-second advantage over Pritchard who suffered an overshoot on the second test. Richard Tuthill and Stephane Prevot were a further 12 back in their Porsche 911 but were hampered from a lack of Epynt and sealed surface experience of late.
The repeat run began to see the weather change, but Elliott held Pritchard at arm’s length. However, Tuthill was the first casualty of the day, putting the Porsche off the road at a famous right-hander on Burmah Road. That promoted Jordan to third as the rain descended on the Welsh mountains.
In torrential conditions, Pritchard dug deep and called on all his previous experience of the ranges to go quicker by a staggering nineteen seconds on the sixth test; and repeated the feat on the final stage to emerge from the day as a worthy winner.
“To come away with the win in the BHRC in a brand-new car is the icing on the car,” he said.
“It’s always good to be competing on Epynt and especially in the stunning Escort Scott Williams Motorsport have built for me. The changing conditions just added to it, and I love the challenge.
“We always enjoy the British Historic Rally Championship, and we never rally just to make up the numbers. We got more valuable mileage in the car before the Roger Albert Clark Rally in November.”
Elliott was a delighted second, stating he “would have taken that [the result] at the start of the day” and his runner-up spot ensures that he strengthens his lead in the championship with just three rounds remaining in 2023.
Equally happy was Jordan who firms up his fourth in the standings with a sensational drive to third, just a small off-road excursion in the morning a blight on an otherwise perfect run.
Round one and two winners Roger Chilman and Patrick Walsh took fourth in their Escort and top Category 3 [cars between 1975-1981] spot in their MKII whilst Tom Walster and Glyn Thomas rounded out the top five in their similar machine.
Phil and Mick Squires had a smile on their faces all day long across the Epynt ranges and although having spent “99.9% of our careers on gravel", enjoyed their asphalt experience in their Escort.
David Dobson and Tudor Jenkins took seventh whilst Robin Shuttleworth and Malcolm Smithson bagged their first Category Two [cars between 1968-1975] win in the Escort MK1.
The championship now returns to the gravel at the Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Rally, taking crews back into the forests on both sides of the Welsh border in September.
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Provisional Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship points after Round 4 - Tour of Epynt
1. Nick Elliott 100
2. Tom Walster 91
3. Roger Chilman 90
4. Richard Jordan 84
5. Jason Pritchard 59
