Mark Kelly, the 2021 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship runner-up, and Dai Roberts, last year’s Protyre Asphalt champion co-driver, came together for the first time and won the Hills Ford 3 Shires Stages Rally.
Despite choosing slick tyres for the final loop of very wet stages, the Kelmore Škoda Fabia R5 crew drove magnificently to win the non-championship closed road stage event by 32 seconds.
Steve Wood, last year’s Protyre Asphalt drivers’ champion, turned on the magic in his Sligo Pallets-backed Citroën C3 Rally2 to finish second, partnered for the first time by the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship Co-ordinator Paul Morris.
Roger Duckworth/Alun Cook completed the podium in their Ford Fiesta R5.
Melvyn Evans/Mark Glennerster, who took maximum Protyre Asphalt points the last time the 3 Shires was a round of the UK’s premier sealed surface series in 2021, finished fourth in their Volkswagen Polo GTI R5, eight seconds ahead of Robert Swann/Tom Woodburn in a Ford Fiesta WRC.
There were other excellent performances from many other familiar Protyre Asphalt crews, including Philip Hopkins/Aled Edwards who won their class and finished eighth overall in their Mitsubushi Evo 6, Brad Cole/Neil Colman who were the top 2WD finishers and class winners in their Ford Escort Mk2, Roger Moran/Dan Petrie who scored an excellent top 10 finish in their Škoda Fabia R5 and Oliver Hopkins/Ian Taylor who enjoyed a good run in their Mitsubishi Mirage.
Pic: Russ Otway