Ready for the off! Event winners Arwel Hughes Jones and Dylan John Williams on their way to the lanes
The weekend of the 7th/8th of March would be that time of year again where Lampeter and district motor club would host their own event in the rallying calendar, with the running of the Bro Caron road rally, which once again was sponsored by Windy Corner coaches. This year would see Marc Hughes returning to Clerk of the course duties, having ran the rally for three years just before the Covid pandemic, and with Dafydd Evans as chief marshal, they and their dedicated team would hold a 93 mile route, mostly concentrating on the lanes to the South of Lampeter, on OS maps 146 and 159, that would make up the second round of the Welsh road rally championship, as well as the opening round of the clubs on road rally championship.
Entries opened a month before the event and once again they filled quickly, with over 100 crews entered there would once again be a reserve list full of hopefuls that would have their fingers crossed on a run becoming available.
The club benefits from having a lot of local support, with HQ this year being moved to Ysgol Bro Pedr, in the club’s hometown, and as tradition, the Rookery start car park would be where competitors would gather. As well as this scrutineering was once again at Protyre, and noise being carried out at DPW on the industrial estate, and the trailer park once again being at Gwili Jones, and the rugby club providing the finish venue, all of whom enable the event to run smoothly the club is incredibly grateful for their hospitality.
The seeded entry list was published a handful of days before the event, and taking the number 1 slot this year would be current welsh champions Arwel Hughes Jones and Dylan John Williams, who would be in Arwel’s familiar Mk2 Ford escort, they would no doubt be among the favourites, having come very close to victory on the event on a couple of occasions, they would be a crew to keep an eye on. At 2 were Cambrian winners Stefan “DR” Davies and Kieran Pryce in Stefan’s regular Mk2 Ford escort, they would also be a crew to keep an eye on, Stefan being a former winner of the event back in 2015. 3 would go to George Williams and Cadog Davies, who would be in George’s Mk2 Ford escort. This would be the first time in a decade that Cadog has competed on his home event, and he and George would be another pair to keep an eye on, having many victories together. 4 would go to Richard Jerman and Alan James, also in a Mk2 Ford escort, this would be another painting to keep an eye on, especially with the route heading south towards Carmarthenshire.
At 5 would be Cilwendeg winners Gethin Dafis and Dion Lewis in another Mk2 Ford escort, and they would be followed by Kevin Kerr and Dylan Jenkins in their Mk2 Ford escort Arwyn Jones and Mathew Pryce would take the number 8 slot in their Mk2 Ford escort, they would no doubt be right up there after some excellent recent results. At 9 were reserve runners Malcolm Jones and Gary Thomas who would be competing in their Nissan Almera GTI, and behind them at 10 would be Mathew Davies and Lee Taylor, who were another crew in the ever popular Mk2 Ford escort. There would be plenty of talent outside of the top ten, with Osian Jones and Llyr Davies running at 11 in their Nissan micra, they are a crew becoming known for their giant killing performances. Owain Rowlands and Owen Rowcliffe would start at 14 in a mazda mx5, and they would be another one to keep an eye on
In the expert class it would be Phillip and Lewis Jenkins who would be first off at number 24, they would have been getting some excellent results and are surely on course for an outright victory soon, they were another crew using a Mk2 Ford escort. Huw Rowcliffe and Andrew Gaunt would follow them at 25, Huw having a wealth of experience in the lanes you can guarantee that he would be involved in the battle for class honours, they would be in his familiar Toyota corolla. Sam Woodcock and Mark Rodway were at 31 in their Subaru impreza, and behind them at 32 was Alan Gaunt who had Rhys Jones navigating for him, Alan being the winner of the auction for a guaranteed entry that was held a couple of months previous.
The Peugeot 206 of Arwel “Cilgwyn” Thomas and Megan Wyn Williams would be first off in the semi expert class at number 45, they would be among the favourites for class honours. Following them were Craig Harries and Jamie Clifford Jones in a Mazda mx5, they were another in contention for an excellent finish.
Leading off novice class would be Arthur Jones and Jac Jones who would be out in Arthur’s Ford fiesta ST, he would be hoping for better luck than his last attempt at the Bro caron. At 74 were Christian Coleman and Rhodri Williams in Christian’s Subaru impreza, and at were Liam Regan and Jason Thomas, who had managed a very respectable finish on the Cambrian, they were hoping for the same here Leigh and Charlie Storr would follow them off at 81 in their Peugeot 309, and last off at 90 would be Mark Stainton and Luke Davies in a Peugeot 206 GTI.
The day of the event soon arrived, and a large crowd soon gathered in the car park as competitors signed themselves on. The burger van made a roaring trade as everyone got their fill for the night, and the rumours and stories flew as anticipation for the night's activities grew. Dafydd Evans gave the pre-event speech, welcoming everybody to the event, and then one by one competitors would arrive at the first control of the night for their route cards.
It would be a relatively warm night, and the rain would stay away until the very early hours of the morning, with only patches of fog present on some of the later sections, giving ideal conditions for the night’s sport. Spectator information sold well at HQ as hundreds of enthusiasts who were all keen to capture the night’s action planned their night, with a couple of points given by the organisers for them to be able to watch safely.
With all controls and give ways plotted one by one competitors would pass through the Black Lion arch, another tradition of the event, before heading off for the first section of the night, Parc-y-Rhos, located just a short drive away from the start venue. The section would run as an anti clockwise loop, between the two main roads, with a couple of cautions included it would be the first dropper of the night. It would be Arwel and Dylan that would get off to the best start as they would drop 36 seconds. Hot on their heels would be Arwyn and Mathew with 37 seconds, and they tied with Osian and Llyr who would also have 37 seconds. Thomas “forge” Jones and Emyr Evans who were running at 47 in their Peugeot 206 cup car would do best among the semi experts, with 1 minute 3 seconds dropped, and in the novice class it would be Meredith Roberts and Daniel Thomas, seeded at 76 in their Ford fiesta, that would do best with 1 minute 11 seconds dropped. It would unfortunately be a very short night for one of the event favourites, as Stefan and Kieran’s escort would suffer with a broken halfshaft at the first passage control, ending their night.
The following section would involve passing through more classic Bro Caron territory as the route passed through the village of Cellan, before travelling down the Sarn Helen roman road. From here they would use the impossible hairpin as a give way junction, and then go through the fords at the tarmac white before the section came to an end just outside of Ffarmers. There would be two droppers in this section, the first at the village, and then another at the section finish. It would be the micra of Osian and Llyr that would do best at this clock, dropping only 31 seconds, this would give them the overall lead of the rally. Phillip and Lewis Jenkins followed with 36 seconds, they would be second overall now. There was a tie for next best with Arwyn and Mathew, plus Rhodri Evans and Gerwyn Barry, who were running at 17 in their Vauxhall powered Mk2 Ford escort, who both had 39 seconds. Sadly semi expert class runners Rhodri Lewis and Richard James’ rally came to an end in this section as they would roll their Citroen saxo, both crew members unhurt but they would not go any further. The following few cars would be given a notional time of a minute 33 seconds as this was the last time on this section before they passed through. There would also be drama for George and Cadog, whose escort understeered coming into a tight section, they would manage to correct it but sadly did make contact with a bank, damaging their suspension slightly, whilst they were able to continue this would see them lose time throughout the night, they would eventually finish in eleventh overall.
At the section finish it would be Owain and Owen that would do best, dropping one minute 5 seconds. They would be 2 seconds ahead of Arwel and Dylan who had 1 minute 7 seconds. Sadly we would lose more competitors as Osian and Llyr would retire with damaged wheel studs which would see them lose a wheel, and the escort of Gethin and Dion would develop a misfire which they were unable to cure so they too would be out.
The next section would be a short one between Pumpsaint and Llansawel, and would contain three passage controls as well as the use of a farmyard by Froodvale, where lost in Wales would have a camera out capturing the action. It would be another dropper, and here again it would be very close, with little separating crews. Arwel and Dylan would be quickest through here, and would retake the event lead, as they would drop 12 seconds at this clock. Arwyn and Mathew would be next on 15 seconds, and they would be followed by Phillip and Lewis on 17 seconds. Best semi experts through it were car 50, Llion Williams and Conor Wilson who were in a Citroen saxo, managing a time of 31 seconds, a great effort there. Leading novice in this section were Meredith and Danile who were having an excellent run so far, they managed to stop the clock on 47 seconds.
The final section of the half would follow. Beginning to the South of Abergorlech it would contain four further time controls, with time controls 11 and 13 being timed to the second. The section began just to the South of the village, before heading down the tarmac white at Llwyn-celyn. Time control 11 was located after here, and again, everyone would drop time. It would be Rhodri and Gerwyn that would do best at this clock, being the only competitor to go under a minute with 52 seconds dropped. Following them were Arwel and Dylan who extended their lead with 1 minute dropped, and then it would be a three way tie between Richard and Alan, Kevin and Dylan, and Arfon and Mathew, who would both have 1 minute 3 seconds. This would see Richard and Alan climb into second place overall.
Another competitor doing very well but sadly not going much further would be the Subaru of Sam and Mark who were knocking on the door of a top five placing after having an excellent first half. Sadly they would be excluded at the petrol halt for missing their rear bumper, although their numberplate was still present. Also retiring would be the Toyota of Huw and Andrew who would have a brake caliper break off, causing their retirement. They had been going very well up to that point. This section would also see the end of Arwel “Cilgwyn” and Megan’s rally, as whilst in a battle for semi expert class honours, their Peugeot’s gearbox would break, putting an early end to their event.
The final dropper of the first half would be at time control 13, which would include the maze of lanes located by Soar, and to the North of the village of Salem. Here there would be a large crowd gathered, being the first spectator point of the night. Doing best at this clock, and extending their lead further, were Arwel and Dylan, who put in an incredible performance and were rewarded with a time of 42 seconds for their efforts. Mike Roberts and Shaun Richards were next best, with 1 minute 2 seconds dropped, and then it would be Richard and Alan with 1 minute 5 seconds. The route would then cross the B4302 before finishing at Cwmifor. This section was cleaned by the majority of the field.
The fuel halt at Manordeilo followed, and as it stood the top five read as:
1st. Arwel Hughes Jones / Dylan John Williams 4 minutes 17 seconds
2nd. Richard Jerman / Alan James 5 minutes 23 seconds
3rd. Phillip Jenkins / Lewis Jenkins 5 minutes 40 seconds
4th. Owain Rowlands / Owen Rowcliffe 5 minutes 42 seconds
5th. Arwyn Jones / Mathew Pryce 6 minutes 4 seconds.
Phillip and Lewis were the leaders in the expert class, in the semi expert class there would be a tie between Robert Clark and Gethin Jones who were seeded at 55 in their BMW compact, and Wyn Mathias and Llyr Mathias who were seeded at 61 in their Vauxhall Astra. Both crews were on a penalty count of 9 minutes 41 seconds, and would be holding twenty fourth overall. In novice class it would be number 70, Lee Evans and Carwyn Thomas in their Peugeot 206, who held a five second lead with 10 minutes 31 seconds dropped. That would be good enough for thirty third overall.
There were a number of club members still going strong, with Alan Gaunt and Rhys Jones comfortably in the top twenty as they currently lay thirteenth overall on a penalty count of 7 minutes 55 seconds. George and Cadog were behind them in fourteenth with 8 minutes dropped, still plagued by handling issues. Chris Palmer and Deian Rees managed to sneak into the top twenty as they lay nineteenth overall with 8 minutes 38 seconds dropped. Arfon Jones and Chris Hill were thirtieth with 10 minutes 22 seconds dropped, and Christian Coleman and Rhodri Williams were in forty ninth 12 minutes 8 seconds dropped.
Liam Regan and Jason Thomas had a good first half and were currently in fifty sixth with 13 minutes 21 seconds, they had been getting the most out of their 1 litre engine. Arthur Jones and Jac Jones were behind them on 14 minutes 2 seconds in fifty seventh. Bethan Eynon-Stobbs and Jon Stobbs were sixty first with 16 minutes 22 seconds, and Morgan Bending and Osian Jones were in sixty-fifth with 19 minutes 4 seconds. Rhydian Thomas and Rhodri Evans rounded off club members in sixty-sixth with 19 minutes 43 seconds dropped. Sadly there would be more joining the did not finish list with car 60, the Proton satria GTI of Andrew Davies and Dylan Bargate retiring in the first half with engine troubles and the Peugeot 309 of Leigh Storr and Charlie Storr retiring with the dreaded navigator sickness.
The second half would contain three more sections, with the first being just to the North of Llandeilo, and would include a couple of brief visits onto map 159. It would see competitors head North, passing through the village of Llanfynydd, before turning back South, crossing the very narrow bridge by Ynyswen, and then finishing at Felingwmisaf. This section would be another that would include a couple of droppers, with the first being at time control 17, which was located on the approach to Llanfynydd. Competitors would have to pass through three passage controls on the approach, with one of which being a not as map triangle, which would also be the second spectator point of the night, and just like the first, would see a large enthusiastic crowd gather. Rhodri and Gerwyn would do best at this clock, setting an excellent time of 29 seconds here Next best would be Richard and Alan who would have 34 seconds, and they were followed by Arwel and Dylan who were a second further back on 35. Another noteworthy performance would be novice class runners Alexander Boag and Ioan Thomas who were running at number 78 in a Citroen Saxo They managed a very respectable 48 seconds at this clock, matching many an expert in the process.
The section finish would give another dropper, and again it would be Rhodri and Gerwyn that would do best, climbing into the top five as they set another great time of 45 seconds. Arwel and Dylan were doing enough to stay out ahead, they managed 53 seconds here, pulling 20 seconds ahead of second placed Richard and Alan. Car 33, Eilir Williams and Hefin Jones, who were in a Mk2 Ford escort, were best expert class runners at this clock, dropping 1 minute 13 seconds. In the semi expert class it was Craig and Jamie that did best with 1 minute 12 seconds dropped, and best novices here were Tyrone Joule and Iestyn Jones who were running at 85 in a Ford puma, who managed 1 minute 46 seconds here.
The next section would go from Felingwmuchaf to Brechfa, and again would include a couple of droppers, the first being at time control 21, and then at section finish 23. The approach to time control 21 included a number of 90 degree bends along its length, giving a very twisty challenge for the competitors. Richard and Alan doing best over it with 28 seconds dropped They were followed by Arwel and Dylan, and Arwyn and Mathew who both had 32 seconds. The section finish would be located just before the village of Brechfa, and here it would be car 15, the Mk2 Ford escort of Jonathan Davies and Jamie Mills would do best over it, dropping 55 seconds. They would have a good run bar losing some time getting wedged on a give way early on in the event. The MX5 of Owain and Owen followed on 58 seconds, and then it would be Mathew and Lee with 1 minute 7 seconds. Sadly there would be more names joining the retirements sheet, as Arthur and Jac would retire with damaged wheel studs.
There would be one more section left of the event, starting to the North of Brechfa the route would head North passed the forest up to Llanybythr mountain, where there would be another dropper, with competitors visiting a couple of layby’s, as well as collection a couple of code boards. By now the fog had arrived, making these later sections of the event even more challenging. It would be Arwyn and Mathew that would do best in this section, as they would drop 36 seconds here. Arwel and Dylan would follow, with 50 seconds dropped, and then it would be Owain and Owen with 54 seconds
.
The final dropper of the night would be at the end of the section, taking place at another classic Bro Caron section, at the village of Esgair Dawe. Sadly Phillip and Lewis wouldn’t see this section, as they would have the clutch cylinder break on their escort, so they would limp it to the finish, cutting the last part of the route out. This would see them gain a handful of fails and finish way down the order, a great shame as they were involved in the battle for a podium placing. Once again both of the triangles would be used, with the first being approached on the road from Mynnydd Pencarreg. Then they would turn left at the give way junctions, before visiting the second, tighter triangle. From here the slot hairpin left at the church would follow, just before the section came to an end.
Arwyn and Mathew put in an excellent performance in this last section, dropping only 4 seconds. Rhodri and Gerwyn would also finish strong with 11 seconds dropped here, and then it would be Arfon and Chris with 14 seconds dropped. Car 55, the BMW compact of Robert Clark and Gethin Jones would be best semi experts, dropping 1 minute 5 seconds. Osian Savinelli and Iolo Clement, who were running at 68 in a Mk2 Ford escort, were the best novices here, dropping 1 minute 30 seconds.
With the competition done for the night everyone would head to the rugby club back in Lampeter for a well deserved breakfast and results. Everyone would swap tales of the night's activities over a cooked breakfast, and everyone had enjoyed the night, whether they had made it all the way round or not. With everyone back at the finish the results were declared as follows:
1st. Arwel Hughes Jones / Dylan John Williams 8 minutes 48 seconds
2nd. Richard Jerman / Alan James 10 minutes 30 seconds
3rd. Arwyn Jones / Mathew Pryce 10 minutes 50 seconds
4th. Rhodri Evans / Gerwyn Barry 11 minutes 22 seconds
5th. Owain Rowlands / Owen Rowcliffe 11 minutes 48 seconds.
Rhodri and Gerwyn were the expert class winners, after having an excellent second half. The semi expert class would go to Robert Clark and Gethin Jones who would bring their BMW compact home in a very respectable twenty first overall with a penalty count of 18 minutes 30 seconds. Osian Savinelli and Iolo Clement would take novice class and a very respectable twenty sixth overall, their penalty count would be 19 minutes 58 seconds.
Congratulations should go to Arwel Hughes Jones and Dylan John Williams for taking a well earned victory, having come close on a couple of occasions, they ended their night with a comfortable victory margin. Richard and Alan managed to hold their second place ahead of Arwyn and Mathew who had been charging on the last few time controls. Rhodri and Gerwyn put their knowledge of the Carmarthenshire lanes to excellent use to climb from eighth at the half way halt to fourth at the end. Owain Rowlands and Owen Rowcliffe had a great result in the end, claiming a top five position, they would also be the only non escort in the top eighteen finishes.
Many club members managed to make it around on their home event, George and Cadog would manage to nurse their escort around into eleventh overall, perhaps not the result Cadog would have been hoping for on his home event, but they would no doubt bounce back and have another go at it next year. Chris Palmer and Deian Rees had an excellent second half and climbed further into the top twenty to finish in fifteenth overall, they would be just ahead of Alan Gaunt and Rhys Jones who managed sixteenth. Lee and Carwyn managed second novice after a great run all night, and Arfon and Chris would manage a decent result too as they finished in thirty third.
Liam and Jason would break into the top fifty in forty ninth overall, they would now be two from two in Liam's rallying career, having also made it round on the Cambrian. Bethan Eynon-Stobbs and John Stobbs would end their event in fifty fifth, a great result for them. Rhydian and Rhodri would end their event in fifty ninth. Morgan Bending and Osian Jones would end their event in sixty first after collecting five fails, and Phillip and Lewis Jenkins would end up sixty second, after having to cut the route. The wooden spoon award would go to novice class runners Jade Phillips and Gwawr Evans after an eventful night, they had 31 fails.
It had been another very successful event and everyone left Lampeter already looking forward to next year's offering. The organisers would like to thank all of the venues and businesses that made hosting the rally possible, as well as all of the marshalls for standing out in the early hours of the morning. Thanks must also go to the householders on route for their cooperation and the support they give to the event.
Thanks must go to Aneurin James for the use of his images in this report.