Poole driver Marcus Dodd took a finely judged victory on the Swansea Bay National Rally this weekend.  The former event winner and multiple MSA National Gravel Rally Champion fended off a fierce charge from rivals Andreas Mikkelsen and Craig Middleton to win by just over three seconds in typically hot and dusty conditions.Flitewise.com backed Dodd has been the class of the MSA National Gravel Rally Championship field this year, having won two events and retired from two other when comfortably in the lead.  Reliability was the key word for the Pirelli Tyres and Sunseeker Powerboats backed Hyundai Accent WRC this weekend.  The H.P.M Motorsport team had worked hard to prepare for the 65 stage mile event, and Marcus and Hove based co-driver Andrew Bargery were hopeful of a clean and successful run.Those hopes were to be short lived.  An intermittent intercom failure meant that Marcus was struggling to hear instructions from Andrew, and brake fade was also slightly hampering the pair's progress.  Worst of all was the chronic dust.  The recent heat wave had left the forests of South Wales tinder dry, and the thick dust was hanging over the forest roads with little breeze on offer to blow the dust into the trees.  Dodd was immediately finding dust was hampering his vision, although fortunately the crew were able to set competitive times straight away.Dodd was locked in a tight battle with Roger Duckworth and Craig Middleton for championship honours.  A 6th gear moment approaching one of the event's artificial chicanes cost Marcus a handful of seconds, but the battle remained fierce.  Middleton upped the pace with two excellent stage times, as Duckworth's challenge faltered slightly.  Dodd however was able to control the pace, and although Mikkelsen nearly sneaked victory on the final stage of the rally, Marcus was delighted to have taken another victory in South Wales, and more importantly, another maximum points score.'It was a very difficult day' commented Dodd.  'The dust on some stages was the worst I have seen.  It was literally like driving into a wall.  You couldn't see a thing in places.  It certainly cost us a lot of time in the morning, but we were still able to set a good pace.  I'm very pleased with the way things have gone today.  Apart from two very minor problems with the intercom and the brakes, the car has once again performed brilliantly and we're really pleased to have scored maximum points.  With two rounds to go it is still very much all to play for.  We'll head to Scotland for the Park Systems next, and tyres will play a crucial part in determining who wins up there.  The stages can be quite rough, so we'll see who comes out on top'.The victory was the icing on the cake for the H.P.M Motorsport team.  Fellow Hyundai driver Peter Egerton and co-driver Simon Staddon finished 15th overall, Harry Dodd and Roy Campbell were 20th, and rounding off a very successful day for the team were Shaun Cronin and Mark Williams in 34th place.  The Dorset Police Rally Team crew competing together for the first time in their Petards and Road Angel backed Subaru Impreza N8.  Next up for the H.P.M Motorsport backed team is the Park Systems Rally in Castle Douglas, Scotland, on September 9th.