Fifth for Fagg at Cambrian Rally

A late call-up brought a much needed result for Manx Sports Aid Foundation supported co-driver Rob Fagg in the Cambrian Rally at the weekend.

Partnering Betham driver Dave Wright for the first time in a Giles Phillips Motorsport prepared and run Mitsubishi Evo 9, the pair finished fifth overall and second in class after contesting 45 miles over some of the classic Welsh forest stages.

With snow having fallen in the week prior to the event, the stages were expected to be wet and slippery and this was certainly the case as Wright and Fagg attacked from the start.

Stage one saw the crew get caught out in the conditions and on exiting a quick right hander the back end of the GPM Evo began to slide and despite the best efforts of Wright he was unable to prevent the car spinning and nosing into a bank.

This spin would cost them around 20 seconds as Wright tried to engage reverse gear through the sequential system leaving them down in 19th place after the opening test.

They managed to claw their way back through the field to sixth with some quick times on stages two, three, four and five.

But the final stage would be a different affair.

Although posting the fifth quickest time, they would be 20 seconds down on that of the quickest crew.

Unfortunately for Wright and Fagg they caught the limping Subaru of BTRDA title contenders Will Nicholls and Nick Broom in the worst possible section of the stage and were unable to pass, causing further time loss.

Despite the obvious frustration of the last stage both Dave and C Tarleton Hodgson scholarship recipient Rob were pleased with the days result.

“The event has gone well and we both felt that Stage 5 showed what we were capable of today.” commented Rob at the finish.

“Without the spin on the opening stage and catching the car on the last we could have been a lot closer to the cars in front but it has been a good run and time in the car for Dave ahead of his outing on the Grizedale Stages later this month.”