Plains Rally 16th May 2015 (Pre Event Update)

V-Ex015 – Sara Williams back on Welsh stages for The Plains Rally 2015

This weekend motorsport fans will get the chance to see Britain’s #1 female rally driver Sara Williams continue her season at The Plains Rally 2015. Back on Welsh gravel, Sara will be competing in a round of the BTRDA Forestry Championship and the FMP Challenge, all with a new addition to the team. New co-driver Mark Glennerster will be in the car alongside Sara representing Team Brecon Motors instead of Patrick Walsh, who will be co-driving for another car.

The event will take place on Saturday 16th May, with the Rally HQ based at the Royal Oak Hotel in Welshpool. Enthusiasm in the run up to the rally has been steadily increasing, the maximum entry numbers for the weekend having been increased to 175 competitors. Signing on and prize presentations will take place at the hotel HQ, located in the centre of town, with the local car parks offering additional space for spectators and teams alike.

Sara will be driving on some of the most technically challenging rally stages in the world, with 3 of the courses being included in last year’s world famous WRC Wales Rally GB route. Sara’s valuable international rally experience at this event will stand her in good stead to get the most from her V-Ex Virtual Exhibitions Subaru Impreza on these tight, loose and undulating forest stages.

The rally has been running in one format or another since 1964 and is widely regarded as a classic event – winning the prestigious ‘BTRDA Rally of the Year Award’ in 2007. Ironically, the event is named after the Cheshire Plains where the rally was originally run on roads. Subsequently the event was moved to mid-Wales to provide more of a challenge to the drivers.

This year’s event will run 5 different stages; Cwm Celli, Gartheiniog, LLangower, Penliyn and Dyfi. Gartheiniog, a fully-fledged WRC stage, will be run twice during the day. Sara and Mark will be navigating six stages throughout the one day event, with virtually no margin for error on these most unforgiving of gravel tracks.

Long-time supporters and organisers of the event, Knutsford & District Motor Club, are also running a charity prize draw, with all proceeds being donated to the Wales Air Ambulance Service.

The British Trial and Rally Driver Association Forestry Challenge is one of the most popular rally championships in the UK, setting a high standard for all competitors and incorporating a large array of rally machinery. The FMP Motor Factors Challenge has been steadily growing in Wales, successfully mixing a range of exciting motorsport events with generating money for charity. The running should offer spectators plenty to cheer, as the Welsh forests again come alive to the smell of petrol and the sound of howling engines.

With a new team member and a large field of competition, The Plains Rally 2015 will represent a slightly new challenge for both Sara and Mark. However, after a strong performance during The Somerset Stages in April and the stage experience Sara gained from her WRC finish, both will be hoping for a solid performance and probably even more from this demanding rally event.