The Daily Dispatch Gen 24 - mid res for WEB - Flipbook - Page 9
Day 3: Clwydian Hills, 24 March 2024
Sponsored by:
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
rolling under the finishing arch for a round of applause
and a well-deserved beer.
After some serious number crunching by Chris Bruce, Lee
and Sue Vincent in the results room, the overall winners
were declared. A delighted Charlotte de Montmorency
and Philippa Bailey in a 1938 Triumph Dolomite took the
win in the Pre-war Category with Jack and Simon Brien’s
1972 Porsche 911 taking the Classics Category. However,
no matter what their overall position, every finisher took
something home with them; a box of Cheshire Cheese.
It had been a closely fought Rally with only two seconds
between Charlotte and Philippa and the second-placed
1926 Bentley Supersports of Nick and Jess Sleep. Graham
Goodwin and Tommy Stevenson took third in another
Bentley Supersports. Similarly in the Classics Category, it
again came down to just two seconds with Roger and Leigh
Powley’s 1972 Porsche 911 E just missing out. Tomasz and
Michal Dzitko’s 1964 Triumph TR4 was a credible third.
Still dripping with champagne, two newcomers to the top
step of the podium, but on their third Generations Rally,
Charlotte and Philippa were understandably very pleased
“We’ve had class wins before, but this is our first overall
and it’s a big first for me and a big first for Charlotte. It’s
been such a beautifully run event. We didn’t do anything
remarkable, we were consistent and we kept it steady and
simple. We didn’t overcomplicate anything and tried to
have a laugh along the way.”
Simon Brien is getting used to the taste of champagne
now but, between some well-deserved swigs, he managed
to say, “This is great for us, we won the Carrera Riviera last
year, which was a real highlight, but this one is also special.
It was short and sharp but very enjoyable. Jack’s navigation
was pretty handy too and we were on it during the Tests
where we split the driving. We were relaxed and had a bit
of a laugh along the way.”
Jack added, “That’s the main thing really, to enjoy it but
when you spend so much time in the car together you find
the winning formula. It’s been a great weekend”.
There were, as usual, a couple of discretionary awards. The
Spirit of the Rally trophy went to Wendy O’Donohoe who
brought her large, multi-generational motorsport family to
the event comprising children and grandchildren. When they
were all invited up to the stage there was hardly room for
Carole Pearson from the event sponsor, Classic Insurance
Services, to present the award. The Against All Odds cup
went to George and Angus Johnson whose 750cc Austin 7
Ulster - the smallest car on the event - battled bravely to
keep up with the big boys and girls. They fixed their own
mechanical issues with the same enthusiasm and broad
smiles they had when approaching the bar in the evenings.
From the organising team, Fred Gallagher was basking,
both in the early spring sunshine and the plaudits coming in
from the crews as they filed past his chequered flag. “In three
Class 4 winners: James and Niamh Timpson, 1956 Bristol 405
Class 9 winners: Shane and Con O’Neill, 1977 MGB GT V8
Tim and Matt Wheatley, 1966 Volvo 122 S Amazon
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