Jordan crowned champion as Barrett storms to Woodpecker BHRC victory
Jordan’s season in the BHRC has been almost perfect, and with the new category-based points scoring system in play, the Mitsubishi Galant VR4 ace was able to enjoy the Welsh stages, with just a finish in Category 4 [cars registered between 1982 and 1990] enough to seal him and Jenkins the title with a round to spare.
The rally got underway in bright, dry conditions around Newtown, with crews facing the iconic Hafren test to open proceedings and it was the Ford Escort MKII crews of Paul Barrett/Arthur Kierans and Dan Mennell/John Roberts who set the tone immediately, blasting through the opener to set identical times, five second clear of Robert Rough/Jack Bowen and Matthew Stroud/Josh Carr who also tied on times.
Sadly, it would see the end of David Crossen's charge, a broken throttle cable on his Ford Escort MKII spelling the end of the Northern Irishman's bid for the title.
Mennell edged clear on the second, but Barrett responded on the remaining tests in the morning loop to head into the mid-point service halt with a slender eight-second advantage over his Category 3 [cars registered between 1975 and 1981] rival Mennell. Gough again ran strongly over the morning, while Ian Evans/Steve McPhee was on the hunt for third in a fine run over the opening four stages.
If the morning had been tense and thrilling, the afternoon loop changed the game entirely. As the field re-entered Hafren, heavy rain swept across the stages. This was where Barrett stamped his authority. On the repeat of Hafren he produced a storming time, outpacing Mennell by five seconds, Mennell fought hard, but the advantage had swung decisively.
By the time crews reached the repeat of Tarenig, conditions had deteriorated further, but Barrett was unstoppable, and with Arthur Kierans alongside, he clinched his first BHRC victory since 2018.
“It’s been great to be back in the championship and back on the pace”, said Barrett.
“Huge thanks to the boys who have helped us get here and to Arthur for stepping in. It’s been the perfect preparation for the Roger Albert Clark in November, but the championship is just as competitive as always. It's been a great day.
Dan Mennell delivered a superb drive to secure second, pushing Barrett harder than anyone might have expected and underlining his growing reputation as one of the championship’s true front-runners. Behind him, Robert Gough and Jack Bowen produced arguably their finest BHRC performance to date, rewarded with third place after a season dogged by frustration.
Paul Thompson and Josh Davison followed in fourth, their steady approach earning vital points to keep their Category 3 title challenge firmly alive heading into the Trackrod finale.
Rounding out the top five were Nick Elliott and Dave Price, whose rally was far from straightforward – several off-road excursions and a puncture slowed their progress – but still yielded a valuable finish on Elliott’s first outing of the year in the FIAT 131.
Barry Jordan began his day in a typically measured fashion. Knowing that a Category 4 win would be enough to secure the overall title, he kept the Mitsubishi Galant VR4 neat and tidy, comfortably heading the category over the Peugeot 205 GTi of newcomers Kurt Hodgeson/Sam Campbell.
“Of course, I’m really pleased to be the first to claim the BHRC title in a car like this, but I’d just like to dedicate the win to Pete Jones from Jondel Race Engines, who we lost a few weeks ago; this one is for him”, said Jordan at the finish.
The Skoda Favorit of Phil Hall/Nathalie Rutten clinched the Category 5 [cars registered from 1991] spoils whilst Tim Pearcy/Andrew Boswell handled the treacherous grip superbly to secure the Category 2 [cars registered 1968-1974] win.
The final round of the season takes crews to the north east for Trackrod Rally Yorkshire where all eyes will be on the battles for the remaining Category crowns.
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