Williams tops Asphalt BHRC contenders on Epynt

Neil Williams and Peter James made a triumphant return to the FUCHS LUBRICANTS MSA British Historic Rally Championship to take maximum points on round five, the Harry Flatters Rally on Epynt (Sunday 29 July).

The Ford Escort Mk2 crew used all their experience of the daunting asphalt stages over the Epynt ranges in Wales as testing weather conditions added to the challenge. Paul Barrett, co-driven by Dai Roberts, strengthened his place at the top of the championship with an excellent second place despite limited prior Epynt knowledge. Category victories went to Simon Tysoe/Paul Morris (Ford Escort Mk1) and Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911).

As well as being the fifth of eight BHRC rounds, the Harry Flatters Rally was also the fifth round of the new BHRC2, supported by Sherwood Engines. The Harry Flatters Rally was organised by Brecon Motor Club.

Williams mastered ever-changing conditions to underline both his asphalt pace and his mastery of Epynt to head the Rally and Competition Equipment Category 3 after a fine performance. Barrett, despite having only limited knowledge of the Epynt roads, was well on the pace and took points for second to strengthen his grip on the championship.

Out early with fuel problem went Nick Elliott and Dave Price, while Steve Bennett/Osian Owen retired with a broken halfshaft on the driver’s first asphalt rally for many years. It was Simon Webster and Jez Rogers who took third in Category D/K but only narrowly from the Hillman Avenger of Ieuan Rowlands/Emyr Hall after a rare foray onto asphalt for Rowlands.

Class D3, for the Pinto-engined Escort Mk2s featured a monster battle as Stuart Egglestone and Brian Hodgson beat Josh Browne/Max Freeman by just two seconds as Browne shrugged of a run of problems to take a great result. Brothers Malcolm and Ronald Mounsey survived to take class D2 in their Talbot Sunbeam Ti.

A strong Skipton Ford Category 2 entry was convincingly topped by Simon Tysoe/Paul Morris (Ford Escort Mk1) after a tremendous performance that put them third overall among the BHRC contenders. They finished well clear of the similar car of Andrew Stokes/Adrian McNally. The other class winners in Category 2 were local crew Mike Simpson/Dale Gibbons (C3 Escort Mk1), despite a rapid gearbox change at service, and leading C2 crew Ken Graham/Rory McCann in their Hillman Avenger.

BHRC2 supported by Sherwood Engines

BHRC2, supported by Sherwood Engines, has been created to turn the spotlight on the Category 1 (pre-1968) and up to 1600cc cars in the championship.

Topping the excellent REIS Category 1 field was the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride who turned in a tremendous performance in tough conditions to win the category by over a minute from the hard-charging Ford Anglia of Malcolm Rich/Arwel Blainey.

Graham/McCann took third in BHRC2 while, despite some problems, Rikki Proffitt/Graham Wild (Porsche 911) salvaged third in the category from the class B2 winning Mini Cooper of Phil Harris/Richard Jones. Out of luck with a visit to a ditch were Bob Bean and Miles Cartwright (Lotus Cortina).

More details are at the event website: www.breconmotorclub.co.uk

Results are at: https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/45790-harry-flatters-historic-rally-2018/?sct=453