Rally Nuts Stages Rally 2022
'Food' for thought.
The popular RallyNuts stages Rally set in the stunning countryside near Bluith Wells in Wales was once again 'jam' packed with beautiful rally cars. The entry list of over 140 cars was a huge attraction. With a selction of outstanding classics to modern R5 cars the event was set to please all rallying fans.
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Howie arrived at Anthony's place and was met with a bacon and egg butty and mug of fancy coffee! Fuelled up the lads could now crack on with the 3 hour drive over to Rally HQ and service park in the Royal Welsh Showgound.
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Hafren Forest
After collecting media packs and hour or two chatting with crews in the service park the lads headed over to their Air BnB in Rhayader and quickly found a local watering hole and a rather tasty lasagne!
An early start but a short 45mins drive over to Hafren forest we met up with an old motorsport photographer and all round good egg Richard Armon. Entering from the Staylittle village we managed to park just a 100 yards from our chosen spot. The rally marshals cooking smokey bacon on a camping stove had us walking towards them like Shaun of the Dead zombies! But with no offer of a free breakfast from the female marshal, in fact I think she had a flag for keep away from the cooker! we soon realised we really do need to be better organised.
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Now followed the usual where to stand process, moving from one spot to another with the marshals busy munching we struggled to find the ideal spot due to bright sunshine one minute followed by snow the next. Time for a quick cuppa and first car was on stage.
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The afternoon stage.
With the stage route changing we moved location to a more open area of the forest, the weather was also now fabulous sunshine and broken clouds and ideal for even pentax users!
Meeting up with a few more rallying friends we also had the added bonus of standing close to rallylegend Howard Davies who incidentally had a basket of Braces Bread cakes!!
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Howie pulled out his workbench from the back of the van for the optimum camera angle. Don't recall that being mentioned on the risk assessment!! Anthony wondered up the stage a few 100 yards to capture cars and a fabulous lake view background.
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Chalk and Cheese
Overall rally winners came as no surprise with car 5 Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear taking the honours in the Delta Salvage R5 Fiesta. The 4WD power and suspension set up of these modern R5 rally cars just simply dominate on loose gravel stages, 2nd spot going to Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh in a Fiesta Rally2 and 3rd place was Dylan Davis and Mark Glennerster in a Skoda Fabia R5.
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Nevertheless, after the endless running of fabulous Ford MK1 and MKII Escorts came the joy of 2 Fiat Abarth 131's, a Porsche 911 and Ian Joel in his 1998 Escort Cosworth. At the tail end was Tony Jardine better known for his F1 career in a Hillman Avenger and a stunning Vauxhall Chevette HSR Gp4.
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