Tough luck for rally star (From Free Press Series)

Tough luck for rally star

The Wyedean Rally is an event that Nik Elsmore is trying very hard to forget about.

As one of the crews in with a chance of winning the event, Nik Elsmore and Cliff Simmons were fired up for maximum attack on the rally.

A problem trying to get their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6 through the noise check meant that the crew started after car 137 and not at their original start number, 16.

This meant that the stage conditions had deteriorated by the time they arrived and there was a real chance of catching slower cars and being held up. The organisers compensated for this by delaying Elsmore's start time on some stages to allow cars to clear.

With a fastest time on the first stage, Piercefield Park, Nik and Cliff were determined to give the event their best shot.

On stage 2 they set fourth fastest time and were fourth overall at the end of stage 3.

On stage 5, which had already been delayed for 15 minutes after a car had gone off, Nik and Cliff clipped a bank at the end of a long straight. The speed at the time was estimated as being in three figures and the car rolled.

Retiring on the spot, the car was a write-off, with Nik breaking his arm. It is not certain how long he will be out of action.

Other Foresters fared quite well with the best result achieved by Dave Jenkins and Graham Cox in a Ford Escort WRC. Although just having bought the car and this was the first serious event in it, they came 11th overall and 10th in class.

Bob Morgan and Adrian Williams were 20th overall and 5th in class in their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO4. John Reed and Pauline Nash were 77th overall and 2nd in class in their Ford Escort.

In the Silkolene 1400cc Class, Gary Standen and Nick Thornton were third and 90th overall in their Peugeot 206. Colin Webb and Paul Willetts finished 104th overall and 11th in class with their Peugeot 106.

Not so lucky were Paul Standen and Paul Loveridge, who retired their Subaru Impreza with electrical problems on the fourth stage.

The event was won for the fourth time in its 29-year history by Andy Burton, in the Peugeot Cosworth. Roger Duckworth was second in a Subaru Impreza while Graham Middleton was third in his Hyundai Accent WRC.

The event received great praise from competitors with stages in prime condition, and the weather good.