BRC Round 2: Rally of Wales
Infamous Sweet Lamb stage dashes hopes after promising start in Wales
The 2004 Rally of Wales, second round of the 2004 Kwik-Fit Pirelli
British Rally Championship, provided over 100 miles of classic Welsh rallying,
and the stage conditions were some of the best seen in years. More than
60 cars began Day 1 amidst glorious sunshine, with the dry, dusty stages
causing visibility problems for some of the competing crews.
Despite fierce competition in the Grp N Class, 22 Motorsport drivers Jennie Lee Hermansson and Lorna Smith were lying 3rd and 5th in class at first service. The rest of the day continued to go well and both drivers exceeded all expectations to finish Saturday's stages in 2nd and 4th in Grp N respectively.
Day 2 of the Rally of Wales started with Jennie-Lee's enthusiasm at an all time high; she could see possible group N victory within her grasp, and set out determined to reel the leader in. Unfortunately the quest for the top step of the podium was cut short by the smallest error at the now infamous 'McCrae corner'. The Impreza, in 5th gear, clipped a bank just slightly off line and was launched into a dramatic series of rolls, eventually hitting a tree and coming to rest on its side. Jennie Lee and co-driver Howard Davies climbed from the car with only a few bruises, but with their hopes in tatters.
"I am sure we could have won Grp N this weekend; the car was so good and I felt so close to winning that I had to try. I guess I tried too hard and feel I let the whole team down. It was really scary rolling the car like that. Everyone says it is like slow motion and it was. I am just thankful that Howard and I are okay."
Lorna Smith, chasing down the competition and lying 4th in class, was
flying during Sunday morning's stages. Looking very strong through the
Sweet Lamb stage, she too had the disappointment of finishing prematurely,
through loss of drive.
Despite the disappointment of retiring from the rally, Lorna remained
upbeat: "It was a great weekend overall. I improve with each rally and
showed that I can drive with the best of them. It was unfortunate about
the car, especially so close to the finish, but several teams dropped
out of this rally due to attrition. I will be ready for the Scottish though,
so watch out!"
Both Jennie-Lee and Lorna showed enormous talent and ability through the
event, putting in cracking stage times and both challenging for a Group
N podium finish. Will Hunt, 22 Motorsport Team Manager summed up: "Both
drivers did a great job this weekend. Jennie-Lee learned a valuable lesson
about driving on the limit and Lorna's confidence grew by putting in some
outstanding times. The focus now will be to prepare for Scotland. We only
have 4 weeks to get two cars ready, so we have our hands full, but of
course the most important thing is that both Jennie-Lee and Howard are
safe."
Preparation for Round 3 of the Championship, the Scottish Rally in June, is already underway and the team has every reason to be hopeful of a successful result for both drivers, reflecting the hard work and commitment of everyone involved.
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