Dorian Rees had planned to contest the Answercall Direct Ulster Rally to keep his Production Cup campaign alive in the Kwik-Fit Pirelli British Rally Championship. While mechanical problems deprived him of a respectable finish on his debut on Irish soil, the Welshman still leads the Prodrive Subaru Production Cup 2004.
The Llanybydder driver had decided to contest the rally on a very tight budget to keep his showroom class lead and duly starting off with a reasonable pace to arrive at first service on Friday evening in 16th place and fourth in the Production category in his Subaru Impreza WRX.
Partnered by his Aberystwyth co-driver Patrick Walsh, Rees were encouraged by their pace on only their third tarmac rally.
"We have taken it steady on the first batch of stages to ensure the car is set up correctly for the Irish lanes. Having never competed here before it is difficult to get the set up correct unless you actually test here prior to the rally."
On the next few stages Rees was getting to grips with the Subaru until stage seven, when the pair came across another competitor blocking the stage and had to stop and then received a notional time for that stage.
"If you have to stop on the stage for an accident like this, the organisers award you a time for the slowest car through at competitive speed."
Stage eight saw the Welsh pair suffer a puncture costing 3.30 minutes and going into the overnight halt in 29th place.
On the opening 16 mile stage on Saturday the pair lost the front brakes over the last four miles of the stage causing the rears to overheat and catch fire. The pair extinguished the fire before retiring from the rally on the next link section between the stages with further transmission problems.
The next rally for the duo is yet to be decided. Although both are keen to continue their BRC campaign on the next round, the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire in early October.
We will have to look into the transmission problem to see what is wrong and decide what we plan to do then. I want to see the championship through, but it is getting more difficult after ever rally, with further expense.
Dorian/Patrick are supported on the British Rally Championship by O2 & Get Connected!, Speedline Corse, Welsh Automotive Forum, Rees Buildings, Roy Rees & Sons Plant Hire, Wyn Thomas Heating, John Morgan Autoparts, GKN, Shell Racing Fuel, Pirelli, Knightsbridge Gallery, Oriel & Barrie Jones, Ad-Clad, Davies Subaru, Forge Motorsport, P & A Whitfield, Dragon Racewear, Alvington Car Sales, Severnside Motorsport.com, Teifi Timber Products, ACE Motorsport and Maximum Attack Promotions.
