Spencer ECA

The outcome was made even more satisfying when the team saw they were swapping stage times with competitors in four-wheel-drive cars.

Following the character building nature of the past three events, when the team was unable to finish due to a variety of reasons, this weekend’s result is just what was needed and an endorsement of the pace that can be achieved with the Oil4Wales, Braces Bakery, Reeds Construction & Engineering, Spencer ECA and Rugbi Industrial Supplies sponsored Suzuki Swift.

The Red Dragon Rally was based at Walters Arena, a venue that’s well known for hosting rallies and has regularly featured as a major spectator point for the Wales Rally GB. Saturday’s event represented the sixth round of the Welsh Clubmans’ Forest Championship and featured five stages in the Resolven and Rheola Forest complex that surrounds Walters Arena.

The recent spell of dry weather meant that dust was to be an issue throughout the day, especially when Jamie and James began to catch cars in front of them. However, this didn’t stop them from being the fastest two-wheel-drive car on the first stage, in a time that put them in fourth place overall.

Happy with their pace and feeling confident with the car’s handling, stages two and three also went well and the team consolidated its class and overall position. It was only on stage four when a warning light appeared on the dashboard that concerns were raised, as the engine temperatures became a little hotter than they should have been. Even so, this didn’t break Jamie and James’ stride and, if it wasn’t for a spin on the fifth and final stage, third place overall may well have been attainable.

“I’m really pleased with the way things went today”, said Jamie at the finish. “This result is just what we needed after the frustrations of the past few rallies. The car felt great and I enjoyed driving it. Today has shown that if we get a good run we can be on the pace of the frontrunners and I think there’s even more to come!”

There’s now just one more event left in the Welsh Clubmans’ Forest Championship calendar, the Llandudno based Cambrian Rally on 18th October, when the team hopes to continue its current form and finish the season at the top end of the championship tables.