Independent Paint Supplies Rally Challenge

IPS Paint Rally Challenge 2023 Final Results

Congratulations to our 2023 Award Winners, especially to our Overall Champions, Ernie Graham and Dan Evans.

For the full list of Award Winners please click here.

Details of the 2023 Rally Challenge Awards Presentation Evening here.

For details of the 2024 Rally Challenge click here.

Challenge contenders are reminded that as registration includes membership of Maesteg and District Motor Club, you are entitled to enter events run by any Club affiliated to the following Associations as long as you state Maesteg DMC on your entry form:

https://www.wamc.org.uk/

https://www.aswmc.org.uk/

https://www.awmmc.org.uk/

Discounts for Rally Challenge Contenders.

IPS and our sponsors who support the Club are increasing their commitment to our sport by offering registered contenders and Maesteg DMC Members a 10% discount on their products and services.

For full details, click here.

Photographs

Images from events that our photographer attends are free of charge to registered contenders. For media use please credit Mike Frayne.

Contact Mike at mikefrayne1@outlook.com

For some photographs of contenders click here.

Points After Round 12 – Wydean Stages Rally

Click here for the points following the Wydean Stages Rally.

Points After Round 11 – Visity Conwy Cambrian Stages

Golden Graham’s

There was an international flavour amongst the top IPS crews with three finishing in the Top 10, headed by Icelands Daniel Siguroarson and Asta Sigurdardottir at 4th, and Ireland’s Adrian Heatherington / Ronan O’Neill, 6th. At 7th were the Maesteg DMC crew of Martyn Andrews and Steve Greenhill in their Subaru Impreza, bringing them into the Top Six. Ernie Graham has again taken the lead following Class victory with wife Karen, who is currently third. In the Junior Drivers category, Dylan Fowler Bishop needs to finish the last round to secure the title, with Coleford’s Luke Watts in the MG ZR, still in with a chance. Just one point separates Dylans co-driver, top placed Dan Evans and Colin Jenkins who both having scored on seven rounds, will need to drop their lowest score. Her Cambrian result puts the Isle of Man’s Bonnie Papper in the current leading Junior Co-Driver spot after finishing in the Top 20 with current 5th placed driver, Colin Minton from Swindon.

For current scores following Round 11 click here.

Cambrian Rally Preview

Toyota Harlech Stages

Pictured: Richard Merriman / Kath Curzon

Photo by Mike Frayne

Merriman and Jenkins Clinch the Current Lead

See full story here.

Click here for current stores.

Woodpecker Class Victory for the Grahams

The Surrey based crew of Irishman Ernie Graham and wife Karen took another convincing Class win to top the current Rally Challenge standings. With two gravel rounds to go, Ernie is odds on favourite just ahead of Darrian driver Richard Merriman who is entered on the final sealed surface round, the Toyota Harlech Stages. The co-drivers category is being hotly contested with Coleford’s Colin Jenkins, the main threat to Karen’s title bid but having competed on six rounds already, he can only score on one more rally before dropping his worst score/s.

Pictured: Ernie Graham / Karen Graham

Photo by Stanislav Kucera

Click here for Current Scores.

Good Timing

IPS Paint Supplies employees Phil Edwards and Jake Thomas accompanied Rally Challenge Organisers to the Dafen HQ of Wales Air Ambulance recently, arriving just as one of the fleet was returning from a mission. The crew were very generous with their time, discussing the role played by the charity, answering questions and showing the guests around the helicopter and Llanelli Headquarters. The visit was arranged to present a cheque for donations made by Maesteg and District Motor Club, competitors, spectators and rally officials from the 2022 season. This year’s Championship has attracted 140 contenders and the Club are confident that over £16.000 will have been raised since the inception of the Rally Challenge, by the New Year. Community fundraiser, Hannah Bartlett commented, “It is generous donations such as this that enable us to keep our fleet, which also includes land based fast response vehicles, in operation.” ” A single helicopter mission can now cost as much as £2000.”

Photos : Mike Frayne / Hannah Bartlett

New Look Woodpecker

‘IPS’ Lads Head Overseas

Click here for pre-event report.

The Grahams Seize the Lead

Husband and wife crew Ernie and Karen Graham put in a faultless performance in their Mk.I Escort to take Class victory and top the current Rally Challenge standings. Quinton Motor Club, under the direction of Clerk of the Course Neil Cross yet again put on a polished event with a couple of delays on Stages 3 and 4 quickly dealt with. For the current points click here.

Merriman Takes the Lead

Richard and Emma collecting their Class Award

Pontypridd’s Richard Merriman has clinched the top spot in the Drivers category with sixth overall on Pembrokeshire M.C’s JD Competition Tyres Bob Shaw Memorial Stages. With regular Co-driver Kath Curzon unavailable, Emma Todd stepped in for the day. Richard’s Darrian was one of 10 examples of the Welsh built sports car that started the Rally. With three Class victories partnering Leighton Smith in his Peugeot 205 GTI, Karen Phelps is now the leading Co-Driver. For current points click here.

Points After Round 5 – The Abingdon Motorsport Car-nival Stages

Click here for total following round 5.

M.C’s Steffan Morris /Mark Ammonds fought with Cirencester M.C’s Matt Turner / Tom Bishop all day, the crews swapping times in an effort to bag a Class podium position. Stef tried a little too hard on the final stage, with a spin making them 9 seconds slower, the exact time difference in the final results. Colin Jenkins result in the Citreon C2 was enough to see him regain the lead in the co-driver standings from Karen Graham who took the Class victory on her optional nominated overseas round, the Vltava Rallye in the Czech Republic.

Maesteg DMC’s Scott Walton’s rallying debut was hampered by a fuel issue giving him a Stage One maximum but more importantly he got some experience under his belt with a finish. Leighton Escott’s new project isn’t quite complete so brought his Challenge Gravel Cup winning Vauxhall Corsa. After consuming oil with a suspected damaged piston ring, the car failed to start on the start line meaning an early bath.

Stefan Morris

Emma Clarke

Colin Jenkins

Emma Cooper

Points After Round 4 – Plains Rally

For points following the Plains Rally, please click here.

For more photographs, please click here.

For Supplementary Regulations and Registration form click here.

A Busy Year for Bonnie

Interest in the Rally Challenge from the Isle of Man has continued following Liam Whitley taking the 2022 title, with Douglas resident Bonnie Papper being the first Junior contender to sign up for 2023. Liam commented, ‘I have been spoken to Bonnie on a few events and her eagerness to learn as much as possible is admirable’.

With just seven rallies under her belt in the UK and the Isle of Man which include forestry, single venue, road and targa rallies, the twenty year old has already achieved a goal she set herself by taking to the hot seat of a Fiesta R5 with Colin Minton and Ignition Motorsport for the coming season.

Bonnie’s progress has been aided by RL360 International Finance Group Ltd. where she has the role of Customer Services Administrator. Bonnie added, ‘The company are very supportive and understand and encourage my dedication to Motor Sport. They have also helped by giving me some assistance with travel’.

Read full story here.

First Points Go to Scotland

The Scottish crew of Tom Coughtrie and Ian Fraser repeated their 2020 feat of being the first to get points on the leader board after again nominating the Mallorca Classico Rally as their optional overseas round.

Based in the opulent surroundings of Port Portals Marina just west of Palma, the event was scheduled to offer two Thursday evening stages before two full days of rallying on the tortuous mountain passes on the island. However, with recent snow and landslides, losing some stages was inevitable, with two visits to a go kart track replacing part of the planned mountainous route on the Friday. After sixteen days of the roads being closed, the organisers rightly opted not to cause more disruption by closing them for a further day.

Coughtrie / Fraser had no drama’s to report apart from a spin on the opening night which was enough to see them slip down a place to the German crew of Achim Kreim and Tino Hantsch in a Fiat 131A. The crew survived a heavy landing after a jump on the next day with no more than a chamfered sump guard and with no further time lost, went on to secure a Class podium position.