Lewis Morgan and Marc Hughes powering their way to victory on the Barcud (Joseph John Gilbertson)

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Lampeter and district motor club members with many events running. First off was a night in the local lanes with the Barcud road rally, organised by Barcud Motor club, which would take place on the weekend of the 11th and 12th of July. Being so close to home as well as the sixth round of the welsh road rally championship it was of no surprise to see a handful of club entrants on the entry list. Running at car 1 for the first time were last year’s winners Arwyn Jones and Mathew Pryce in their Mk2 Ford escort. They would be among the favorites again this year. At 4 would be the regular pairing of George Williams and Cadog Davies in their now familiar Mk2 Ford escort, with many of the lanes local to Cadog’s upbringing they would no doubt be somewhere near the top come the results. Another crew to look out for were in car 7, the escort of Lewis Morgan and Marc Hughes, Lewis being a former winner of the event with Marc on board they would no doubt be pushing hard again here. Dafydd Evans was making another rare outing in the lanes, here he would be occupying the passenger seat of Gareth Edwards Mk2 Ford escort, both crew members with a wealth of experience in the lanes they would no doubt be setting some impressive times. They would be given number 9.

At 13 would be Chris Palmer in his Mk1 Ford escort, once again with Deian Rees they would no doubt put in a good performance in the local lanes. A trio of club members would follow at 20, 21 and 22. First up would be Wayne “tar” Jones who would have Llyr Davies with him for this event. They would be in Wayne’s Peugeot 206 GTI. Right behind him would be Wayne’s brother Malcolm, who would also be piloting a Peugeot 206 GTI, Malcolm’s being a 180 model. He would have fellow club member Rhys Jones on the maps. Behind them would be Huw Rowcliffe and Andrew Gaunt in Huw’s Toyota corolla, these three would no doubt have an excellent battle over the course of the night, all three very capable crews.

Phillip and Lewis Jenkins would be given number 32 in their familiar Mk2 escort, they would no doubt be another crew climbing well up the leaderboard. Rhodri Lewis would be giving his Citroen saxo another outing at number 33, here he would have Richard James sitting with him. At 40 would be the Subaru impreza of Arfon Jones, who had regular navigator Chris Hill on the maps, they would no doubt improve on their seeding in the night. Dafydd “daffy” Hughes would take number 48 in his Mk2 Ford escort, he would have Irfon Richards with him for this event. At 55 would be Lee Evans and Carwyn Thomas in Lee’s Peugeot 206 GTI. 66 would go to Kevin Regan and Jason Thomas, with Liam off on holiday his father Kevin would drive on his first rally in a number of years, they would be hoping to keep the cars hundred percent finishing record. 67 would go to Arthur Jones and Gregory Harrand in Arthur’s Ford Fiesta ST, after a third in class on the night owl earlier in the year they were hoping for a similar result here. 68 would go to Owen Rowcliffe and Ollie Jones, Owen swapping seats and debuting his recently built Peugeot 206 GTI, Ollie taking part in only his second night event they would be out for a finish here. Last out at number 77 would be Morgan Bending who would be navigating for Sam Coldman in Sam’s Citroen saxo.

Once again the rally HQ would be at Tregaron rugby club, with competitors using the carp park at the mart. The weather would be perfect for a night's rallying, with the sun shining well past 9 o’clock at night and the temperature remaining warm for the duration of the event. Come 10 o’clock at night the competitors would begin to leave the car park, with route plotting being carried out at Pen y bont farm just up the road from Tregaron.

With routes all plotted competitors would head out for the first section of the night. A route of some 80 miles in length, featuring sections on OS map 135 and 146 would greet the crews. There would be no halfway refuel on the event, with a simple time recovery section taking place at Cwm-march halfway through the event. Code boards would prove to be a challenge on this event, with overgrown hedges doing a good job of hiding them, a number of crews would suffer penalties due to failing to note them on their passage cards.

There would be a long run out through Pontrhydfendigaid and Ystradmeurig before arriving at the first time control of the night to begin the section. There would be three time controls in the first section, including the section finish. The section began with competitors heading West towards Lledrod, before slotting right. Time control 2 was cleaned by pretty much everyone, but a few, including Arfon and Chris, Kevin and Jason, and Arhtur and Greg would drop a minute at the following time control after queuing at the control. 

The section would end with a dropper, and included a very tricky not as map section on the arrival to Passage control 6, which would see competitors enter a field through a gate, before immediately turning a sharp left and exiting through the next gate. This would catch a few out and many would lose a handful of seconds as they negotiated this tight section. The section finish would be located in a field which competitors would use just before arriving at the A485. Lewis and Marc would be the pair setting the standard as they would drop 47 seconds here, with Gerorge and Cadog not too far behind on 58 seconds. Gareth and Dafydd would have 1 minute exactly, and Huw and Andrew would manage 1 minute 3 seconds. Phillip and Lewis would have 1 minute 12 seconds, and then it would be Malcolm and Rhys with 1 minute 27 seconds. Arwyn and Mathew with 1 minute 31. Chris and Deian would have 1 minute 34 seconds, and right behind them on 1 minute 35 would be Arfon and Chris with 1 minute 35. Wayne and Llyr would manage 1 minute 40, and Rhodri and Richard would have 1 minute 42. Dafydd and Irfon would have 1 minute 54, and Arthur and Greg would have 2 minutes 8 seconds. Kevin and Jason would manage 2 minutes 26, and Lee and Carwyn would have 2 minutes 50. Sam and Morgan would have 4 minutes 48. Sadly it would be a short night for Owen and Ollie who would retire after the first section with issues with their Peugeot’s brake pads.

The second section of the event would begin in the lanes to the West of Bronant, before heading North, briefly joining the A485 and then slotting left, passing through Trefenter where there would be another dropper, and then circling Bontnewydd. There would be a tie at the top with both Lewis and Marc, and Gareth and Dafydd dropping just 11 seconds. George and Cadog weren't far behind with 23 seconds dropped, and they would be followed by Wayne and Llyr who had 24 seconds. At Trefenter it would be Lewis and Marc who would do best with only 8 seconds dropped. They would have Gareth and Dafydd in hot pursuit behind them with 16 seconds, and then it would be George and Cadog with 21 seconds. 

The final section of the half would take place by Penuwch. It would be a short section in the twisty lanes at the South of the village before joining the B4576, and then using the farmyard on the right, just before finishing the section on the B road. George and Cadog would clean this section, and Gareth and Dafydd would only have 2 seconds. Lewis and Marc would have 4 seconds. It was becoming a real battle between these three competitors. Dafydd and Irfon were going very well over this section, they would drop 11 seconds here. Malcolm and Rhys also had a good run on this section and dropped 13 seconds, Arwyn and Mathew would be right behind them on 14 seconds. Chris and Deian would have 21 seconds, and there would be a tie behind them, both Wayne and Llyr and Huw and Andrew managing 27 seconds. Lee and Carwyn would have a very respectable 32 seconds, and they were followed by Phillip and Lewis with 42 seconds. Arthur and Greg would manage 44 seconds and Kevin and Jason would have 1 minute, Kevin really getting back into after his time away setting some very respectable times over the course of the event. Rhodri and Richard would manage 1 minute 12 seconds, and Sam and Morgan would have 1 minute 16 seconds, Arfon and Chris would 1 minute 22 seconds, they would lose some time over the first half as they would catch competitors in front of them.

The halfway regroup taken at Cwm March followed. As things stood Lewis and Marc were holding the overall lead with 1 minute 10 seconds dropped. Gareth and Dafydd would be second overall with 1 minute 29 seconds. George and Cadog would be third with 1 minute 42 seconds. Arwyn and Mathew were lying in seventh with 3 minutes 4 seconds. Wayne and Llyr would be behind them in eighth with 3 minutes 9 seconds. Phillip and Lewis were currently in twelfth with 3 minutes 39 seconds, and behind them were Malcolm and Rhys on 3 minutes 44, they were tied with Chris and Deian who were also on 3 minutes 44. Huw and Andrew were holding sixteenth 3 minutes 58 seconds and Dafydd and Irfon were twenty first on 4 minutes 41 seconds. Rhodri and Richard were holding twenty-fifth with 5 minutes 15 seconds. Lee and Carwyn were thirtieth on 5 minutes 36 dropped. Arfon and Chris were in thirty-sixth having dropped 6 minutes 17, and Arthur and Greg were holding fortieth with 6 minutes 40. Kevin and Jason were currently in fiftieth with 7 minutes 29 seconds, and Sam and Morgan were holding fifty eighth with 13 minutes 38 seconds dropped.

There would be drama for Arthur and Greg going into the second half, as, at the halfway halt, Arthur would top up the fiesta’s engine oil, but in hurrying to get done, the filler cap was left off, this would see the engine throw oil out into the bay, they would have to stop just before the beginning of the next section to tighten the cap and clean up the oil. They would not push as hard in the second half for fear of running low on engine oil. Sadly they would not be the only ones that would have issues, as midway through the first section of the half, the alternator of Phillip and Lewis’ escort would fail, forcing their retirement. 

There would be a long section to start the half, beginning at Llundain Fach before passing through Abermeurig, and then onto Creuddyn Bridge. From there competitors would then pass through Maestir and Silian before finishing at Betws Beldrws. Much of this section would be home territory for many club members, something that the times would reflect. Time control 14 would be located at Abermeurig, the front runners would clean this clock but those further down would drop time, with a tricky not as map section at passage control 16 costing a few. Arthur and Greg would also lose a little time over it catching the cars in front whilst looking for code boards. 

Most competitors remained clean until Silian, which would be time control 19. It would be Dafydd and Irfon that would do best here with 16 seconds dropped. George and Cadog would be next with 34 seconds. Gareth and Dafydd would be next with 40 seconds, and they were followed by Arwyn and Mathew, who would drop 43 seconds. Lewis and Marc would have 46 seconds at this clock, and Chris and Deian would manage 55 seconds, and Lee and Carwyn would drop 1 minute 13. Arthur and Greg would have 1 minute 23 seconds, they were closely followed by Kevin and Jason with 1 minute 26 seconds. Arfon and Chris would have 1 minute 47 seconds, they would once again get stuck behind other competitors during the second half. Sam and Morgan would have 2 minutes 3 seconds. Sadly there would be more retirements over the half, with Wayne and Llyr, Malcolm and Rhys, Huw and Andrew, and Rhodri and Richard all retiring in the second half.

There would now be a short section between Llangybi and Olmarch. Here it would be George and Cadog that did best with only 10 seconds dropped. Lewis and Marc would be behind them with 20 seconds, and then there would be a between Arwyn and Mathew and Gareth and Dafydd who would both drop 27 seconds. Arfon and Chris would manage 29 seconds, and then it would be Dafydd and Irfon with 49 seconds. Kevin and Jason would do well with 1 minute 7 seconds dropped, and they would be followed by Sam and Morgan with 1 minute 18 seconds. Chris and Deian would be just behind with 1 minute 20 seconds. Lee and Carwyn would have 2 minutes 11 seconds, and Arthur and Greg would have 3 minutes 40 seconds after taking the wrong road. At this point of the event George and Cadog held a narrow lead but both Lewis and Marc and Gareth and Dafydd were very close behind.

The final section of the event would begin with a loop of Oxon hall, before heading down the Sarn helen road, and into the tarmac white, passing through the ford. From there competitors would turn left and head over the Cwm Twrch pass before finishing just outside of Llanddewi Brefi. Almost everyone would drop at Oxon Hall, although Arwyn and Mathew would clean this section. George and Cadog would be next best with 38 seconds, and then it would be Gareth and Dafydd with 48 seconds. Time control 25 would be located at tarmac white, with the front running competitors passing it without dropping any time, those running further down would have a handful of seconds over it. Arwyn and Mathew would unfortunately incur a fail at time control 26 as they would arrive ahead of rally schedule, having caught the course car over the section! This would sadly drop them down the leaderboard. 

The final time control would be TC27. Lewis and Marc would push very hard over it and would be rewarded with a tie of 4 seconds for their efforts. Also having an excellent time over this section were Lee and Carwyn who would drop 13 seconds here, a great end to their event. George and Cadog would have 23 seconds in their escort over this section, Arwyn and Mathew would end their event with 47 seconds dropped. Arthur and Greg would manage 57 seconds here, and then it would be Gareth and Dafydd who would drop 1 minute 11 after having to loop around the last passage control in search of the final code board of the night. Kevin and Jason would have 1 minute 16, and they would be followed by Dafydd and Irfon would have 1 minute 19. Arfon and Chris would have 1 minute 23 seconds, and Chris and Deian would manage 1 minute 34 seconds. Sam and Morgan would manage 2 minutes 36 seconds.

With the night’s competition complete crews would head back to Tregaron for breakfast and the results. It would be Lewis and Marc that would take a well earned victory in their Mk2 Ford escort, winning with a total time penalty of 3 minutes 22 seconds. George and Cadog would follow them with 3 minutes 27 seconds dropped. It had been an incredibly close battle between them all night. Gareth and Dafydd would end their event in fourth overall having dropped 4 minutes 35 seconds, a great result for them. Chris and Deian would be seventh at the end, they had a total penalty count of 9 minutes 54 seconds. Arfon and Chris would break into the top ten with tenth overall, a great improvement on their seeding. Their total penalty count would be 11 minutes 44 seconds. Dafydd and Irfon would end their night in eighteenth overall with 14 minutes 26 seconds, a great event for Dafydd’s second event in the car. Kevin and Jason would finish their rally in twenty-first overall with 15 minutes 10 seconds, winning the novice class in the process. Lee and Carwyn would finish in twenty sixth overall with 17 minutes 25 seconds. Sam and Morgan would finish their event in thirty seventh with a penalty count of 25 minutes 39 seconds. Arthur and Greg would finish thirty eighth with 26 minutes 51 seconds dropped, they had gathered 10 minutes of penalties after missing a couple of code boards on the Sarn Helen road. Arwyn and Mathew ended their event in forty sixth with a fail gained, they would also have 5 minutes of penalty after missing a code board. Their time dropped would be 14 minutes 55 seconds. It had been an excellent night for club members with some great results achieved.

The 19th of July would see more club members in action with the running of the Fairfield Merlin stages, organised by Carmarthen motor club, taking place at the Pembrey motorsport complex. There would be a couple or club entrants on the entry list, with Ieuan Evans and Marc Hughes taking the number 10 slot in Ieuan’s new Mk2 Ford escort. At 13 would be Arwyn Jones, who for this event would be paired up with Jordan Burrow, they would be in Arwyn’s familiar Mk2 Ford escort. 

The rally would be made up of six stages in and around the racetrack, ranging from 5.5 to 8 miles in length. The opening stage would see Arwyn and Jordan set the fourteenth quickest time at 10 minutes 26 seconds, and Ieuan and Marc would be seventeenth at 10 minutes 28 seconds, a great start to the day for both of them. Ieuan and Marc would then feature in the top ten for the following pair of stages with sixth fastest time on both, and Arwyn and Jordan would constantly be in the top twenty. At halfway Ieuan and Marc would be in the top ten as they lay in ninth overall. Arwyn and Jordan would lay in thirteenth overall.

For the following loop of stages Ieuan and Marc would continue to set some excellent times, keeping themselves in the top ten all afternoon, it would be of no surprise to see them finish in a very respectable ninth overall, winning their class in the process. Arwyn and Jordan would also have a very successful outing. They would continue to set some excellent times which would see them end their event in thirteenth overall. They would also win their class in the process, a great result for both club crews.

Thanks must go to Joseph John Gilbertson for the use of his image in this report.