Congratulations to our Heritage winners, Paul Dyas & Martin Taylor (Bentley Derby 4¼), who just led home Sue Shoosmith and Trina Harley’s well-driven Bentley in the Heritage category. These winning crews finished tenth and eleventh overall on scratch, right with the leading Classic cars, showing how well the event suits Heritage cars.
Overall and in the Classic category, experts Graham Walker and Sean Toohey (Lotus Elan) took the lead after a rare wrong test dropped 2023 winners and pre-event favourites Mark Godfrey and Ryan Pickering (Ford Escort) down the field on day 1. Their final winning margin of 80 seconds was the second largest recently. Congratulations to them on another fine anniversary performance - fittingly, their previous win on this event was in 2012, on the 10th ’Three Castles'.
Around 50th on Wednesday evening, the Godfrey/Pickering fightback was one of the features of the event, and fourth place was the eventual result. They would have been fighting for the win without that rare error. Ahead of them, Paul Crosby and Pete Johnson didn't quite manage to win this time but were still a strong second in their Mini Cooper S. However, the battle for that position went down to the last test, where Paul Bloxidge/Ian Canavan hit a single cone that was enough to drop them to third. Heart-breaking, after the crew had made a superb effort to keep their recalcitrant Golf GTi in the rally and thought they had captured second place as a reward, only to lose it.
Just 17 seconds separated the next three crews after three days and 500 miles of rallying. Narrowly pipped for fourth by the recovering Godfrey and Pickering, David and Sally Ward were fifth in their Lancia Fulvia HF1600, just four seconds adrift. The Index of Performance Trophy was their reward. Sixth overall and the leading Intermediate crew were Peter & Louise Myles in their Porsche 911, who had a faultless run and scooped a Vintage Tyres £500 voucher,
Martyn Taylor and Ryan Pickering won the Nigel Raeburn Trophies as the navigators with the least penalties on Regularities. Sue Shoosmith and Mark Godfrey won the Steering Wheel Trophies for the drivers with the least penalties on Tests. Stuart Macleod’s Porsche 911E was awarded the Elliott Trophy for the car best presented to the scrutineers, while Ed & Sabine Summers' unique Rolls Royce Phantom 1 took home the Grande Luxe award.
Overall, the Imperial Trophy for the winning car in the Concours D’Elegance went to Raoul San Giorgi for his beautiful Siata Diana. At the same time, Stephen Ward’s lovely Jaguar XK140 took the Imperial Classic Bowl. Paul Dyas’s immaculate Bentley Derby 4¼ won the Imperial Heritage Bowl. Most Original car was a delighted Robert Bloom’s Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, while the Judges' Choice of the car they would most like to take home was David Coxon's splendid Austin Healey 3000.
On the Penderyn Prologue, awards went to Graham Walker & Sean Toohey (Best on Scratch), Paul Dyas and Martyn Taylor (First Overall) and Robert and Timothy Carr (best Novices).
Rikki Proffitt became the first driver to complete a single running of the Three Castles in three different eligible cars and won the Spirit of the Rally award. His hilarious acceptance speech somehow turned into a plea for a new navigator next year, as his wife Helen wants a go and has commandeered Graham Wild. The cross-category Penderyn Team Award went to Team Chirk, and eleven teams got five cars to the finish.
Congratulations in the Novice category to David Wilson and Stewart Rust, whose Fiat 2300 Coupe finished 31st overall. They are Novices no more. An honourable mention here to Rupert & Carole Burne (MG A), who finished second in this group, right behind them.
Full results here.
Top Six Overall
1. Graham Walker/Sean Toohey - Lotus Elan 28:37
2. Paul Crosby/Pete Johnson - Austin Mini Cooper S 29:57
3. Paul Bloxidge/Ian Canavan - VW Golf GTi 30:02
4. Mark Godfrey/Ryan Pickering - Ford Escort 30:28
5. David Ward/Sally Ward - Lancia Fulvia HF 1600 30:32
6. Peter Myles/Louise Myles - Porsche 911 30:45
2. Paul Crosby/Pete Johnson - Austin Mini Cooper S 29:57
3. Paul Bloxidge/Ian Canavan - VW Golf GTi 30:02
4. Mark Godfrey/Ryan Pickering - Ford Escort 30:28
5. David Ward/Sally Ward - Lancia Fulvia HF 1600 30:32
6. Peter Myles/Louise Myles - Porsche 911 30:45