By Simon Gronow
Kevin Carr won round two of the 2019 JD Tyres Welsh Tarmacadam Rally Championship, the Tour of Caerwent, in his Escort Mk2.
After making a steady start, Carr and co-driver Chris Pippens went on to record a trio of fastest stage times to overtake early leaders James Self/Ian Davis, who had a good run to second in their Ford Fiesta R5.
Phil Turner/Simon Anthony rounded off the podium finishers in their TCS-backed Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.
On the first of six stages, Self/Davies were quick out of the blocks, but their time was soon equalled by Llyr Jones/Emma Louise Todd in a Ford Escort Mk2, with the similar car of Mark Jasper/Don Whyatt just one second behind.
There was change in the lead following stage two, when Self and Jones once again set the same time, the pair dropping to equal fifth place as Jasper/Whyatt moved into the lead, as Carr moved up from seventh to second place.
Unfortunately for Jones/Todd, they would drop down the order after an overshoot following a sticking throttle cost them some time.
Already out of the event were Mark Straker/Ian Meakin who suffered engine problems in their Darrian T90 GT ‘R5’ and leading Welsh Championship 1600cc contenders Malcolm Jones/Rhys Jones, whose Peugeot 207 S1600 had a bad engine misfire.
Fastest time on stage three enabled Carr to overtake fellow Escort driver Jasper for the lead, as Self moved back to third position ahead of Marcus Padgett/Rhys Stoneman who were leading the two-litre class in their Nissan Micra.
Carr/Pippens extended their lead with fastest time on SS3 before increasing their advantage to 29 seconds after setting fastest time on the following two stages. Things were made easier when Jasper/Whyatt retired their similar car with electrical gremlins, as Self/Davis moved into the runners up spot and Turner/Anthony upped their pace to move up to third.
There would be no change on the final stage, as third fastest time was enough for Carr/Pippens to finish the event as winners after a problem free run. Fastest time on the final stage rounded off a good day for Self/Davis as they secured the runners up spot ahead of Turner/Anthony who had a good run on the later stages.
Triple Welsh Tarmacadam champion Richard Merriman and co-driver Kath Curzon overhauled Padgett/Rhys Stoneman for the two-litre class win, finishing fourth overall despite gearbox issues in their The Roof Hub/Touchline-backed Darrian T90 on the final stage.
It was a quiet day for Damian Cole/Steve Durbin, their only issue occurring when sheep crossed in front of their Get Connected Ford Escort Mk2 near a cattle grid, whilst Thomas Cooper/Sarah Edwards could have done with more power in their seventh placed Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.
A last stage charge enabled Tony and Lisa Rendell to finish tenth and win the 1600cc class in their Ford Escort Mk 1 as they overtook William Mains/Claire Williams who had to be content with another 1400cc class win in their Vauxhall Nova.
Christian Howells/Dan Evans managed to finish second in the 1600cc class despite a seriously overheating engine in their Vauxhall Nova on the final stage as Wyn Owens/Jenny Evans took another road rally class win in their Ford Escort Mk 2.
Tour of Caerwent – top 10 finishers
1. Kevin Carr/Chris Pippen (Ford Escort Mk2)….1h 07m 53s
2. James Self / Ian Davis (Ford Fiesta R5)….1h 0 8m 18s
3. Phil Turner/Simon Anthony (Mitsubishi Evo 9)….1h 08m 24s
4. Richard Merriman/Kath Curzon (Darrian T90)….1h 08m 42s
5. Marcus Padgett/Rhys Stoneman (Nissan Micra Kit Car)….1h 08m 46s
6. Damian Cole/Steve Durbin (Ford Escort Mk2)….1h 08m 57s
7. Thomas Cooper/Sarah Edwards (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9)….1h 09m 32s
8. Alex Allingham/Ross Weir (Ford Escort Mk 2)….1h 09m 59s
9. Ian Sutton/Karen Phelps (Darrian T90)….1h 11m 07s
10. Tony Rendell/Lisa Rendell (Ford Escort Mk1)….1h 12m 12s