Day one’s third regularity section was a brief but intense three miles and finished close to the lunch halt at the splendidly restored Soughton Hall. Once a favourite with Lord Byron, today the eighteenth century hall has a new life as a wedding venue. While the Three Castles visited, the car park reminded us what a ‘broad church’ classic rallying is.
After lunch, the road led to another test, the sixth of the day, this time at Hartsheath, an eighteenth century house, extensively rebuilt and extended in the nineteenth century for the Welsh Iron and Coal Mining Company. The cost of the works spiralled, forcing the company into liquidation when the current owner’s family purchased the house and parkland. The fourth regularity section was map based, making it a different kind of challenge for navigators over the distance of eight miles., looping up and around Nercwys Mountain. After that it was back to tulip diagrams delivering cars to the fifth regularity which wound through farmland and forest, heading west and north for more than sixteen miles, followed by a road section linking to regularity six, the road book offering only written descriptions without tulip diagrams to help crews navigate some more narrow roads.
The final control at Bodnant Welsh foods made for a relaxed stop on the first day’s one hundred and fifty mile journey.
The day one cocktail of tests and regularities claimed a number of casualties of varying severity. Close encounters with the boundaries of Wales’ narrow roads had beset several competitors but most did not result in more than some easily removed mud splattered or lodged where it was not helpful. Toby and Alison Sleeman were not so lucky after their blameless encounter with local traffic. The damage was thankfully cosmetic and the Fiat 124 Spider, continues in the rally. Regrettably there were a number of problems that could not be readily resolved. In addition to the back axle problems of the day before,Mike Harrison’s Cortina GT (47) surrendered to engine failure while Paul Crosby and Pete Johnson’s Mini (11) had a driveshaft failure likely to lead to retirement. Car 46, the blue Volvo of Martin and Michele Andrew was also obliged to retire after a wayward oil filler cap allegedly became the catalyst for some severe mechanical damage. Other casualties included the Hall's Austin Healy (29) with brake issues and reportedly the spectacular Ford Thunderbird has withdrawn with the same malady. Paul O Kane and Iain Tullie's Toyota MR2 (22) suffered a head gasket failure but they plan to return with a VW Gold for the rest of the event
With the last cars arriving back in Llandudno, the crews anticipating a relaxing evening to offset their day, the provisional results showed Graham Walker and Sean Toohey (Lotus Elan), holding the lead, pursued by Mark Godfrey and Ryan Pickering (Ford Escort). Peter and Louise Myles (Porsche 911) were running third, the first of the leaders outside the expert class, with Ken and Sarah Binstead (Austin Healey) in fourth,
Day two beckons.