Solihull rally driver Faulkner takes Championship lead after Plains Rally showing - The Solihull Observer

Solihull rally driver Faulkner takes Championship lead after Plains Rally showing

Solihull Editorial 19th May, 2019   0

SOLIHULL rally driver Scott Faulkner took a podium place and added crucial points towards his BTRDA Gold Star, Group N and Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship campaigns at the Plains Rally on Saturday.

Joined in tow by Gareth Parry, the pair built on their recent victory at the RallyNuts event in April by finishing third at the 45-stage mile event in Oswestry.

The pair started brightly, setting a third fastest overall stage time during their opening run through Dyfnant, before navigating a tough second stage through Aberhirnant.

But they were only able to set a sixth-fastest time, dropping them back into fourth overall.




Thankfully, the challenging duo’s of Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy, and Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear, both picked up punctures during the stage, which gave Faulkner and Parry some breathing space.

Then, after lunch, the pair set off to repeat the first two stages, before finishing the event through Llangower.


Their second run through Dyfnant proved successful once more, extending the gap to their rivals by pushing hard through the stage – second a second fastest stage time.

It allowed them to safely navigate through the second Aberhirnant run without incident.

A final run through Llangower was also successful, meaning that Faulkner recorded his best ever result, taking an overall lead in the Pirelli Welsh Forest Rally Championship.

Faulkner was left delighted with the outcome, and said that their gameplan through the second run worked to perfection.

“This result is fantastic for the whole team,” he said.

“We knew we could push hard in Dyfnant, but Aberhirnant was rough and we had to play it safe in there on both runs.

“It paid off, we avoided the punctures and this is my best result in 13 years of rallying!

“If this is what we can achieve after only 12 months, who knows what we can achieve given more time.”

The team now gear themselves up for a visit to South Wales next month, where they will take on the Red Kite Stages.

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