Crews in the DMack ST Trophy will journey to Minehead next weekend to take part in round two of the popular championship for Ford Fiesta STs, the Somerset Stages.
The opening round took place in Cumbria last month at the Malcolm Wilson Rally with Sam Bilham and Cameron Fair finishing in first place. Bilham and Fair at the top-seeded Fiesta ST crew on the Somerset Stages and they’re aiming to build on their great start to the season.
“It was pretty amazing to win the Malcolm Wilson Rally, especially as it was the first time Cameron and I had sat together,” said Bilham. “We will be more settled for the Somerset Stages but the other crews in the championship are only going to get quicker so we need to progress too.”
Richard Wells and Calvin Houldsworth are the next ST crew away. They initially set the pace on the Malcolm Wilson Rally but power steering issues dropped them to third place at the finish.
The third ST crew is Tobermory’s Alasdair Currie and Steven Brown who were second in the opening round. “It’s a very long trip from Mull to Minehead,” commented Currie “We got a great result in Cumbria though and I’m hoping we can fight for victory in Somerset.”
Jon Ambler and Doug Chivers won the award for best improvement on seeding on the Malcolm Wilson Rally after showing good pace all day and the crew are hoping to be battling for a podium position at round two.
Looking for a better run than they had at round one are Tom Easson and Abi Haycock. Their car has undergone major repairs after a frightening accident in Grizedale forest last time out and they’re looking for a good haul of points to get their championship campaign back on track.
After a successful Rally North Wales where Jon Ross drove and Martin Auskerin navigated the crew will be swapping seats for Somerset as Auskerin drives in his second ST Trophy event. “I struggled to find rhythm on the Malcolm Wilson Rally,” said Auskerin. “Hopefully I can get back into the groove next weekend after our good result in Wales.”
The penultimate ST Trophy crew is Matthew Davies and Mark Crisp. With the initial opening round cancelled due to snow it will be their first event of the season and they’re looking to build on the experience gained last year and to push hard for a good result.
Another crew doing their first ST event of the season is Elspeth Rodgers and Jordan Murphy. It will also be Rodgers’ first event on gravel which she is feeling excited, but nervous, about.
The rally is based in Minehead but most of the action takes places in the surrounding forests. In a change from the usual all-forest routes the rally also features two runs of the tarmac Porlock toll road which will test the crews. The event starts on Saturday morning with the successful crews finishing back in Minehead in the early afternoon.
For all the latest news please visit www.facebook.com/fiestasttrophy or www.sttrophy.co.uk.
