Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship - round four: Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages

The fourth round of the 2007 Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship will take crews back to Wales for the Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages (23/24 June 2007). Heading to Wales, David Stokes and Guy Weaver top the BHRC points' table and will be aiming to consolidate their lead. With clashing events keeping several pace-setting crews away from this event, Stokes is eager to take full advantage as he chases the coveted British title.Category 1

It has been a mixed season for defending BHRC champions Patrick Watts and Elgan Davies in their Sunbeam Tiger and they have yet to have a really clear run this season. However, the Tiger is certainly the car to beat and they will be looking for another victory to add to their success on the Pirelli Historic Rally.

Winners last time out were Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride, and their Porsche 911 will lead the Porsche challenge to the Tiger. Dave Foster/Terry March, Phil Smith/Barbara Smith and Steve Troman/Martin Brady make up the rest of the Porsche contingent, but it is Nutt/McBride who will really take the fight to Watts.

However, the best of the Lotus Cortina pack will never be far away from the leading Porsche and the battle for class B4 will be as competitive as ever. Philip Atkinson/Simon Coates, Neil Calvert/Arlene Cookson and Bob Bean/Malcolm Smithson are all right on the pace, while Graham Waite/Gill Cotton will be as spectacular as ever in the Volvo Amazon as Waite works to keep up with the Cortinas. Currently, Nick Pinkett/Alex Lucking have class B3 to themselves in their Saab 96 V4.

Among the Minis, Clive King/tba should set the pace, but Terry Cree/Richard Shores and Mike Barratt/Jody Watson will take the fight to King in class B2, while the two-stroke Saab 96 of John Parker/Robert Harrison heads class B1.Category 2

Stokes/Weaver will start as favourites for victory in category 2 and have pledged to continue at the measured pace that has brought them the championship lead. However, with Richard Tuthill and Steven Smith both missing this event, Stokes looks to have an easier task ahead of him this time around.

Leading the chase of the ebullient Gloucestershire driver will be the similar Ford Escort Mk1s of Ian Rix/tba, Graham Samuel/Tony Phillips and Neil Parsons/Chris Parsons, while Tim Mason/Graham Wild lead an unusually thin Porsche 911 contingent in category 2. Lined up against the Porsche will be the Datsun 240Z of husband and wife crew Hugh and Debby Myers.

With class leader Russell Morgan missing this event, class C3 should be headed by Welsh crew Neal James/Kevin James in their Escort Mk1, while C2 will feature a continuation of the mighty battle between the Escorts of John Worthing/Bill Robertson and Vince Bristow/Dean Mitchell.Category 3

The line-up in category 3 is just as strong as ever, with eleven Ford Escort Mk2s packing in at the head of the field. The contest for overall victory is likely to be a three-way fight, covering three tremendous competitors.

Leading the field away will be Jimmy McRae/Andy Richardson in the Stobart-liveried car, but the former British champion will be chased very hard by young pretender Martin McCormack and defending champion Gareth Lloyd. McCormack and Liam Moynihan are having a fantastic season in their first year of BHRC competition and will, as ever, be competing on stages they have never seen before. In contrast, Lloyd and Ryland James have rather more experience of the Mid Wales stages and it promises to be another epic battle.

Leading the chase of the top three will be a clutch of very quick Escorts in the hands of Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, Phil Squires/Mick Squires and Terry Brown/Den Golding. However, a real darkhorse could be Julian Reynolds, who will be co-driven by Ian Oakey for his first historic event.

Class D3 has four potential winners, all in Escort Mk2s. Chris White/Chris Dewsnap, Simon Hawthorn/Lorna Hill, Mark Clifford/Brett Clifford and Richard Lane/Frank Richer are all contenders for victory. Hawthorn and Lane have both had one D3 win to date this season.The Rally Marketing Mid Wales Historic Stages is organised by Newtown and District Automobile Club Ltd.

The historic rally starts from Newtown at 4pm on Saturday, 23 June and resumes at 8am on Sunday morning.-