Arwyn Jones and Marc Hughes battle through the fog on their way to ninth overall on the Llyn (Jospeh John Gilbertson)
On the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of March a group of club members would venture North to take part in the Harlech and District motor club organised Rali Llyn, which would start and finish at the Plas Heli, in Pwllheli. This rally would make up the third round of the Welsh road rally championship as well as the second round of the club’s own championship. The event would be approximately 110 miles in length, all of which would be on the peninsula, on OS map 123.
Taking the number 1 position on the entry list would be 2025 winners George Williams and Cadog Davies, out in George’s familiar Mk2 Ford escort, they would be hoping for a strong result here, both having done many an event on the peninsula. At 11 would be Arwyn Jones and Marc Hughes in Arwyn’s Honda powered Mk2 Ford escort, with Mathew away on lambing duties he would have Marc step in on map duties, this being their first attempt on the event. Navigating in car 12, the Mk2 Ford escort of Hywel Davies, would be Llion “tractor” Williams, another crew with a wealth of experience and knowledge of the Northern lanes. Llyr Davies would be out navigating in a Peugeot 205 belonging to Dafydd Davies, they would start at 24. Phillip and Lewis Jenkins would start at 31 in their usual Mk2 Ford escort, they would be another crew with the potential for a strong result. Arfon Jones had Chris Hill with him once again in the Subaru impreza, they would start at 38. At 81 were Arthur Jones and Gregory Harrand in Arthur’s Ford Fiesta ST, they would be hoping for better luck than their last attempt, and rounding club members off at 89 were Liam Regan and Jason Thomas in Liam’s Nissan micra.
Everyone would collect their route cards 2 hours before their due time, the organisers giving ample time to plot the 78 passage controls, 30 time controls plus the give ways and cautions. The route would see a number of the lanes of the peninsula being used, going as far West as Aberdaron, and also going as North as Penygroes. The action would soon begin with cars leaving the start car park just before midnight, with the first section beginning a short drive away from Pwllheli, in the lanes just to the North of Llanbedrog. The first section would have two Time controls including the section finish, as well as a couple of whites for good measure. George and Cadog would sadly immediately run into trouble as they would put their escort into a bank, freeing the car cost them 9 minutes, dropping them down the order. Fog would be a big issue in the first couple of sections, slowing many to a crawl. Doing best at the first time control, TC2, would be Arwyn and Marc who would have 1 minute 20 seconds, they would be followed by Hywel and Llion who had 1 minute 49, and then it would be Phillip and Lewis who would have 2 minutes 18 seconds. Arfon and Chris would manage 2 minutes 25 and Liam and Jason managed 2 minutes 37 seconds, Arthur and Greg would have 3 minutes 21 seconds. Unfortunately it would be a short night for Dafydd and Llyr who would retire early on in the event. The section finish would be timed to the minute, and Arwyn and Marc would do best through it, dropping 1 minute, George and Cadog, Phillip and Lewis, and Arfon and Chris would have 2 minutes, Hywel and Llion and Arthur and Greg would get 3 minutes, and Liam and Jason would have 4 minutes.
The second section would be a short one, starting off the A497 and using a white at Hendre before finishing at Ceidio, just before the village of Edern. There would be five not as map triangles included in this section. George and Cadog would do best on it, with 55 seconds dropped, they were now on a mission to claw back time. Next best were Arwyn and Marc with 1 minute 13 seconds dropped, and then it was Phillip and Lewis who were ten seconds further back on 1 minute 23. Arfon and Chris managed 1 minute 33 seconds, and Hywel and Llion would have 2 minutes 14 seconds. Liam and Jason did well with 2 minutes 22 seconds, and Arthur and Greg would have 3 minutes 6 seconds, after having lost some time on the last of the not as map sections.
Following on from here would be a longer section, starting by Tudweiliog and following the coast road all the way down to Aberdaron. There would be five timing points in this section, with only time control 8 in the middle of it being where everyone would go clean, the rest would see crews drop. The first of these would be at time control 7, located at Ty-mawr farm. Here it would be George and Cadog that would do best again, with 40 seconds dropped, Arwyn and Marc would be close behind them on 50 seconds, and then it would be Phillip and Lewis with 55 seconds.
Time control 9 would be the next dropper, and here Arwyn and Marc would drop down the order as they would be delayed by a competitor that had rolled on this section before them, costing them some three minutes and a top 5 finish. Arthur and Greg would head the wrong way out of the via so they would drop 1 minute 47 seconds, most competitors managing under a minute. Time control 10 would be cleaned by Arwyn and Marc, they would have Hywel and llion close behind on 2 seconds, and then it would be Phillip and Lewis on 3 seconds. The section finish at Aberdaron is where Arthur and Greg’s rally would come to an end, with their Fiesta’s gear linkage breaking at the final passage control of the section, they managed to limp it to the section finish but would go no further.
There would be two more sections in the half, the first of which began with a loop around Brynycroes before heading South to finish by Rhiw. Time control 13 was the first dropper of the section, where everyone added to their penalty count. George and Cadog would continue to climb up the leaderboard with 1 minute 13 seconds dropped, Phillip and Lewis being their newest rivals on 1 minute 35 seconds. Time control 14 followed, and would be approached by going through a further three not as map triangles. Arwyn and Marc had an excellent run through here and stopped to clock on 24 seconds, they would be three seconds ahead of Hywel and Llion who had 27 seconds. George and Cadog would have 1 minute 3 seconds, and Phillip and Lewis would be right behind them on 1 minute 4. Arfon and Chris managed 1 minute 16 and Liam and Jason would have 2 minutes 49 seconds. The route went further South, and included passing through the car park at Mynydd Rhiw. Competitors would also pass through the white at Treheli farm as they approached the section finish. George and Cadog once again set the standard with 1 minute 5 seconds dropped, sadly this would be as far as they would go, the escort breaking a shaft in the next section, forcing their retirement. Hywel and Llion did well here and managed 1 minute 9 seconds, and then it would be Phillip and Lewis with 1 minute 34 seconds. Arfon and Chris managed 1 minute 38 seconds, and Liam and Jason would have 2 minutes 28 seconds. Arwyn and Marc would have 2 minutes 41 seconds. The final section of the half would be a clockwise loop around the North of Botwnnog, and would contain seven passage controls as well as a via. Here it would be Arwyn and Marc that did best with 1 minute 34 seconds dropped.
The petrol halt would be located at Y Ffor and as it stood It was Phillip and Lewis that were doing best among club entrants as they held a very respectable twelfth overall with 14 minutes 21 seconds. Arwyn and Marc would be behind them in thirteenth with 14 minutes 29 seconds, great going by them. Arfon and Chris were sixteenth with 15 minutes 18 seconds, Hywel and Llion would be seventeenth overall on a penalty of 15 minutes 46 seconds, and Liam and Jason would be in a very respectable forty fifth in the micra with a penalty count of 26 minutes 36 seconds.
The second half would be as intense as the first with many more droppers still to run. The opening section of the half would begin in a white to the South of Chwilog before heading North towrds Llangybi. Time control 19 would be located in this part of the route, and it would be Phillip and Lewis that would do best over it with 1 minute dropped, everyone else would have 2. Sadly we would lose another member as the escort of Hywel and Llion would retire after getting stuck on a white. Time control 20 would be the next dropper, and it would be Arfon and Chris that would do best over it with 53 seconds dropped. There would be a tie for next best with both Arwyn and Marc and Phillip and Lewis both managing 1 minute 42 seconds here, and then it would be Liam and Jason with 2 minutes 33 seconds. The fog would make a return in the second half, with many heavy patches littering the route. Section finish 21, located to the West of Llanystumdwy would also see competitors drop, and here it would be Arwyn and Marc that would do best here with 53 seconds dropped, Phillip and Lewis would be close behind with 57 seconds dropped. Arfon and Chris managing 1 minute 7 seconds, and Liam and Jason would have 1 minute 52 seconds.
The route would now head North, with a short drive up the A487 up to the next section which would run on the lanes parallel to the A487 before heading right and then passing through Nebo. Once in the village competitors would take a very narrow slot 9 left before crossing the A487 into another white. Competitors would then cross over the main road again over a bridge, before slotting left into another white, where section finish 24 would be. Arwyn and Marc would do best here with 56 seconds dropped, they would be the only ones to go under a minute. Phillip and Lewis would do well over it with 1 minute 5 seconds dropped, and then it would be Arfon and Chris with 1 minute 10 seconds. Liam and Jason would have 1 minute 57 seconds.
The route would now be at its most Northern point with the next section taking place on the lanes to the East of Pontllyfni, before heading South to end by Pant Glas. It would once again be Arwyn and Marc that did best with 58 seconds dropped. Phillip and Lewis would again follow with 1 minute 3 seconds, and then it would be Liam and Jason with 2 minutes 20 seconds. Arfon and Chris would have 3 minutes 37 seconds. Arfon’s impreza now showing signs of contact with the scenery on one of the front wings. The drive down to the section finish would be straight forward and no one would collect penalties on the way down.
The final section of the night began at Bryncir, the final white of the night. There would be three not as map triangles before competitors would arrive at time control 29. Arwyn and Marc once again the pace setters as they would drop 1 minute 13 at this clock. Arfon and Chris would be close behind with 1 minute 17 seconds, and they would be followed by Phillip and Lewis who had 1 minute 20 seconds. Liam and Jason were still going very well with 2 minutes 23 seconds dropped here.
The section finish would sadly a couple of our club members gain fails, as in the event regs, arriving at a time control early, no matter by how much, resulted in a fail. Unfortunately both Phillip and Lewis and Arfon and Chris would be victims of this, both booking in a couple of seconds early at the final clock, a great shame as Phillip and Lewis would have been seventh and Arfon and Chris were holding twelfth. Arwyn and Marc would have 40 seconds at this clock, and rounding off another successful night for them, Liam and Jason would have 43 seconds.
Back at Plas Helli for a well earned breakfast it would be Arwyn and Marc that would do best among club entrants as they would finish in a very respectable ninth overall and fifth masters with a total penalty of 22 minutes 51 seconds. Liam and Jason would finish thirty fourth overall and eighth in novice class in their micra. They had a total penalty of 40 minutes 24 seconds. They are now three from three on Liam’s first year of rallying, an excellent achievement. Phillip and Lewis Jenkins ended their rally in thirty sixth after collecting a fail, they had a total penalty of 21 minutes 28 seconds. Arfon and Chris would end up thirty eighth, again after collecting a fail, they had a penalty count of 25 minutes 22 seconds.
It had been a very enjoyable challenge and many would leave Pwllheli already planning their visit next year.
Many thanks must go to Joseph John Gilbertson for the use of his image in this report.