GREAT BUSTARD ROAD RALLY

Martin Clark and Bob Rutherford of Tavern MC won this year’s Great Bustard Rally in their Rover 200 by a close margin of 15 seconds from Richard Mclachlan and Eddie Clough (Chelmsford MC) in a Rover 214. The Salisbury and Shaftesbury Car Club had as usual put on a tough event for the opening round of the Sportway Tyres Endurance Road Rally Championship. 38 enduro cars started the rally at Frome Cattle Market at 1pm on Saturday 10 April. The first selectif was a short test on tarmac where Claire Abrey, the only woman driver on the rally, posted fastest time on both runs. The rally then moved into Wiltshire where crews tackled the long concrete runs of Keevil Airfield with Jamie Turner and Dan Harrison (csma) posting the fastest time of 17 minutes 46 seconds in their Rover 200. The rest of the afternoon was spent moving between Wiltshire and Somerset visiting many farms, on gravel roads and woodland tracks. The longest selectif of the rally was at Worthy Farm, more famous as the Glastonbury Festival Site, where Jamie and Dan again posted the fastest time of 25 minutes 8 seconds.

However, as the cars started the 100 mile night section it was Richard Mclachlan and Eddie Clough who were leading the field. Two regularities, where cars had to travel at an average speed of 28 mph proved difficult for many crews. The rally went back to the gravel roads and woodland tracks and visited Worthy Farm again which was particularly challenging in the dark. Claire Abrey and Matt Fowle (Chelmsford MC) got the fewest penalties in their Rover 214 on the night section but it was not enough to take the lead. At 3.30 am on Sunday morning Martin Clark and Bob Rutherford came in third for the night section to gain the overall lead of the rally. Jamie Turner and Dan Harrison finished seventh to take third place overall. 22 cars finished, the full results can be seen on the club’s web site at www.sandscc.co.uk The rally raised over £500 for the Somerset & Dorset Air Ambulance Appeal.

TH

11.04.10