Backed by Swift Group, Holton Homes, Smart Trailers, Atech Seats, Racing-Lines, Ice-Drive Sweden, Beech Developments, EWP, North Wales Honda and Egniol Ltd, Edwards of Rhos on Sea was co-driven by Will Rogers of Gloucestershire on 5 stages totalling 46 miles on the classic Welsh rally stages of Dyfi, Dyfnant, Gartheiniog and Penllyn (Aberhirnant) forests.

The build-up to the event was a little frantic with Edwards changing the set-up of the car at the last minute. Mid-week testing saw him opt for softer springs, a new DMack tyre configuration, changes to the suspension and discovering that the centre differential had been out of action on the last two events, effectively making the car handle like a rear-wheel car.

North Wales Car Club member Edwards said “We had a slow start on the first couple of miles of the initial stage as I had to find the balance point for getting the car to slide into the corners due to the need to be a lot more aggressive with the car to take full advantage of the centre diff now working and overcome the additional grip we have found.”

Matt Edwards On The JMS Bulldog National Rally 2012

He added “It was a really hot sunny day and tyres were an important factor on the bone-dry stages. I opted to use the event to test the new DMack lightweight tyres and found them to produce a better feeling with the car and allow better turn in. We didn’t suffer any punctures like a lot of the crews and I think we are moving in the right direction.”

The gravel stages are fast and arduous, rewarding those with commitment and guts with 4 of the 32 cars that started the rally retiring.

Edwards seeded at car No. 31 due to a late entry was locked in battle with No. 1 seed and 2011 Welsh Forestry Rally Champion, Alex Allingham of Stalybridge in a Subaru Impreza and No. 3 seed, Tristan Bailey in a World Rally Car and Tom Naughton also in a Mitsubish Evo IX

Despite the slow start, Edwards took stage wins on 4 of the 5 stages, to finish the event by a decent margin of 27 seconds, showing just how committed Edwards was.

On the win, Edwards said “The pace out there was fast and everyone was pushing really hard, but it’s fantastic to be winning again. I drove within my limits and didn’t really take any risks, so it’s a great result.”

He added “I think there is more power to find in this car, the chassis is good and I’ve developed my confidence in the handling and braking, the midweek test and this event being a massive boost going into the next round of the BTRDA Championship in Somerset next month.”

Edwards won the event using EvoParts.org own Alcon brake upgrade kit, Ikeya Sequential Shifter System, Drenth Motorsport Gearkit and Millers Oils.

The win puts Edwards at the head of the Welsh Rally Championship table with a 6 point advantage.

You can follow Matt’s progress through the year at http://www.merallysport.co.uk and follow on twitter @MERallyspor

Image Credits  jms photographic

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The event started on Saturday evening with a stage in the dark. Despite the very testing wet and misty conditions Wright stormed through the stage faster than any other crew in his Kumho Tyres, Proflex, Drenth, York Brewery and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9.

“We went really well on the first stage, conditions were pretty tough but we knew that a good performance could give us a decent lead to take into the daylight stages,” said Wright. “I was very pleased to be 12 seconds faster than anyone else.”

The crews contested a further six stages on Sunday with the bulk of the action taking place in Grizedale forest. Wright continued his charge with fastest time on the first two stages of the day to extend his lead to 54 seconds.

Despite the good lead Wright pushed hard on the remaining four stages and was rewarded with second-fastest times on each of the tests, only beaten by a more powerful world rally class car. He arrived at the finish in Coniston with a lead of 1m 38 over the second-placed crew.

“Day two started with a fairly long stage and we wanted to be quick out of the blocks to drive home the advantage we had from stage one. Once we had built up a healthy lead it was tempting to back-off a bit but we decided to push as hard as we could while not taking any risks. I’m delighted with the win, we’ve had a mixed season this year so it’s brilliant to finish off with a victory.”

“Thanks to all my sponsors who made the win possible and also to GPM for the car. I can’t wait for the 2012 season to start!”

With his rally season finished Wright will now concentrate on building a new car which he hopes to use on some tarmac rallies next year. He will also contest selected forest events in his usual Evo 9.

Image Credit Songasport if published.

Bentham-based Wright narrowly missed out on winning his BTRDA class championship on his last event in North Wales so he is hoping for a successful run to finish off his year in his Kumho Tyres, Drenth, Proflex, Grove Hill Garage and York Brewery-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9.

“It was very disappointing to lose out on the class championship when we had a problem with the car on the previous rally,” commented Wright.

“We’ll be pushing hard to get a good result in Grizedale, it’s a forest I like competing in and we’ve set some good times in there before.”

The rally starts in Coniston and features a stage on Saturday night before six more stages on Sunday which will test the crews to the maximum.

“Grizedale forest is notoriously tough to compete in and running a stage in the dark is going to present a real challenge, I’m looking forward to it.”

Image Credit Songasport .

The Ludlow-based event kicked off with the High Vinnalls stages. Wright was going well in his Kumho Tyres, Drenth, Proflex and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9 but three miles from the end of the stage the engine started overheating forcing him to reduce his pace. Despite this he was still third fastest in the BTRDA B13 class.

In the second stage, Hazel Coppice, Wright thought the engine was seizing and so stopped for 90 seconds. With the engine cooled sufficiently he got to the end of the stage and back to the service halt where a quick oil change was performed but the delay had dropped him to 69th place overall and 14th in class.

“It was a disappointing start to the event, we had been flying in the High Vinnalls stage but the time loss at the end of that stage and in Hazel Coppice meant our hopes of going for a class win were over,” commented Wright. “The guys in service changed the engine oil to try and cure the overheating as there were no other apparent problems.”

The crews headed to Radnor for the Cwm y Gerwyn stage and Wright’s engine overheating troubles were over as he set the fastest time in his class. A different kind of problem was experienced in stage 4, Stanlow Tump, when Wright caught the competitor in front and was unable to get past because of dust which severely hampered visibility. With a clear run on the following Wigmore stage Wright was again fastest in his class, a feat he repeated on stage 6 to move up to seventh in class. A charge through the final Haye Park stage enabled Wright to move up to 14th overall and fifth in class by the rally finish.

“I was pleased that the oil change cured the overheating problem and we had a good run on the rest of the stages apart from losing around 50 seconds being held up in the fourth stage. Fifth in class is a good result considering where we were after stage two and the points we got have put us in a strong position in the championship. It was a very tough rally and it was great to be on the pace of the World Rally class cars.”

Wright now leads the B13 class championship with one round to go, the Cambrian rally in early October.

Image Credit Songasport

The event commenced with the short Blidworth stage and Wright made a good start in his Proflex, Kumho Tyres, Drenth and Grove Hill Garage-supported GPM Mitsubishi Evo 9, taking sixth fastest time overall and first in class.

Two stages in the Sherwood Forest complex followed and Wright was one of several crews who beat the bogey time on the first of them. A spin on the next stage cost a few seconds and kept Wright in sixth place.

“The early stages went pretty well for us,” said Wright. “It was frustrating to have a spin but other than that we had a good run through the stages.”

A quick time in the fourth stage, Portland, moved Wright up to fifth on the leaderboard, a position he maintained to the finish.

“We had a troublefree run through the remaining stages, the car performed faultlessly. I’m delighted to have won the class again, it’s the fourth time in five events we have achieved that. It’s good that we were on the pace of the cars in the World Rally class on an event which suited those cars more than mine, it bodes well for the next championship round where the stages are more twisty.”

The result moves Wright up to fifth in the overall BTRDA championship and he also leads the championship for drivers in B13 class cars. His next event will be the Quinton Stages in July.

Image Credit Simon Clarke

The Welshpool-based event, round 4 for the BTRDA championship, kicked off with the Gartheiniog and Dyfi stages and Wright was immediately on the pace, setting third and second fastest times respectively. Two further third fastest times followed on stages three and four, Pantperthog and Hafren and Wright went into the fifth stage in third place overall.

“We made a good start to the event, I think we could’ve been faster on the first stage if we had chosen a softer tyre, conditions were pretty slippery,” said Wright.

“Overall though I was pleased with the times and I enjoyed the stages, especially Hafren which was very fast.”

The rally continued with another Gartheiniog stage which Wright completed in eighth place after the car stalled at a hairpin losing some time. Despite the time loss Wright maintained third place overall, a position he would hold to the end of the event.

“We nudged a bank in stage five and when I reversed the engine stalled. I reckon we lost around 30 seconds so we were fortunate to keep hold of third place.”

“I had a really enjoyable event, the stages were brilliant and the car was troublefree. I’m happy with the result, it keeps our title hopes alive and we’ll keep on pushing for the rest of the season. Thanks to GPM, Kumho Tyres, Drenth, Proflex and Grove Hill Garage for their support.”

Wright’s championship challenge will continue in June on the Dukeries rally in Nottinghamshire.