News
Sara Secures Klarius Support for 2012
The KLARIUS Group, world leading OEM parts manufacturer, has pledged it’s support to the young, Brecon based, rally driver Sara Williams, for the second year after a fantastic performance in the BTRDA Rally Series, Welsh National Championship and Wales Rally GB in 2011.
The backing cements the support of Klarius, the name behind famous brands such as Quinton Hazell, in the up-and-coming female driver and her assault on a mixed campaign in 2012.
“We did a lot of development work in 2011” said Sara. “Not only on my driving skills but also developing some fantastic parts for Klarius which we could use on the car, whilst keeping it within the GpN regulations.
“It’s great to have the guys from Klarius back on board for this year. We had an amazing year and the everyone was really happy with the progress made.”
The 2012 campaign will see Sara again concentrating on local events, giving her the most time behind the wheel and gaining the best experience.
“We’re heading in to the Wyedean Forest Rally with an open mind about what this year will bring. We’re going to do a championship and we’ll register for the REIS-Get Connected! BTRDA Rally Series, Pirelli Welsh National and Welsh Clubman Championship. Ultimately, which one we decide to contest will come down to the results and budget.”
Bill Godfrey, UK Sales Manager for Klarius Group, said “We’re happy to be backing Sara again in 2012. She ticked all the boxes for us last year and put the Klarius products through the ultimate test. We’re looking forward to seeing the same great results in 2012”.
For 2012 Sara is also welcoming back sponsors Woodford Trailers, Ian Jones Tyres, Brecon Motors, Brecon Car Rentals and Millers Oils.
Follow her progress on the GMF Wyedean Forest Rally on the 11th February, based out of Chepstow, by following her on Twitter @SaraRally
Thanks to Rally Sport Media
2012 Calender
Happy New Year to everyone!
Our next event is the Wyedean Rally on 11th February.
Our plans for 2012 are to do the Welsh Clubmans Forestry Championship and the Welsh National Championship
Events for 2012- Wyedean Rally - 11th February
Mid wales Rally - 4th March
Bulldog Rally - 23rd & 24th March
Plains Rally - 19th May
Severn Valley - 9th June
Swansea Bay - 30th June
Coracle Rally - 22nd July
Neath Valley - 18th August
Woodpecker Rally - 1st September
Cambrian Rally - 20th October
Take a look at our Gallery page for photos from 2011...
Wales Rally GB National B - 11th & 12th November 2011
After finishing Wales Rally GB Nat B 4th overall on the inaugural event in 2010, Sara Williams and Patrick Walsh were confident of a good result this year in their Klarius Group backed Subaru Impreza N12b. Fighting a high rate of attrition amongst their competition, the pair finished in 17th overall with Sara picking up 1st Female Driver.
The Nat B element of the World Rally Championship round, Wales Rally GB, attracted a bumper entry for the sister event – ran over two days, competitors were able to attack the same stages as the World Championship front runners, including 8 time World Rally Champion, Sebastian Loeb.
A slow start on Friday, with Sara complaining about poor power out of corners, saw her drop a bit of time in the opening couple of stages. With no service during the day Sara and Patrick were forced to continue through the stages as fast as they could until the fault could be diagnosed.
A run through the longest stage of the day, nearly 13 miles through Mid Wales’ Dyfnant Forest also saw Sara encounter more problems, picking up a puncture mid way in to the stage.
“It was a frustrating day!” explained Sara. “We were pushing really hard but losing so much time coming out of corners. We’d accelerate but it just felt like the wheels were spinning – we couldn’t get back up to speed quick enough.”
Back in service, the fault was diagnosed as the turbo on the four-wheel drive Subaru Impreza not boosting properly. Lying 25th overall at the end of day one, Sara was keen to get back out on the stages and prove her pace.
Day two saw a return to the Mid Wales forests of Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Myherin – three high-speed tests to thrill both competitors and spectators alike.
“Saturdays’ stages felt so much better. We pushed really hard through the long runs in Hafren and Myherin. The long stages allowed me to get in to a rhythm and Patrick was fanastic on the notes, giving me the confidence to push.”
Sara managed to avoid the tricky conditions, which caught out a number of competitors in Sweet Lamb.
“We’d contested the WLE Time Trial a few weeks before but there was a section which had been regarded since. There was a big jump and the landing area had dug out from the International competitors run through. We took a heavy landing but thankfully got away with it. There were a few who weren’t quite as lucky.”
Sara managed to bring the Klarius Group Impreza back in 17th overall and picked up the Lady Driver award on the event.
“That’s it now for 2011. We’ve had a great year, set some fantastic stage times, and been lying in podium positions on a few events. We’re planning on coming back next year for another attack on the REIS-Get Connected! BTRDA Rally Series and probably the Welsh National Championship.
“I’ve got to thank all my sponsors, Klarius Group, Woodford Trailers, Ian Jones Tyres, Brecon Car Rentals, Brecon Motors and Millers Oils, for their fantastic support this year plus the 2300 Motor Club and the John Easson Award for enabling me to enter so many events.”
Photos on the Gallery Page ....
Thanks to - Rally Sport Media
www.rallysportmedia.com
WLE Rally Time Trial at Sweet Lamb Motorsport Complex - 30th October
Wales Rally GB Shakedown success for Sara
Sara Williams used the WLE Rally Time Trial at Sweet Lamb Motorsport Complex as a successful shakedown ahead of Novembers Wales Rally GB, which she’s competing in behind the wheel of her KLARIUS Group backed Subaru Impreza N12b.
The Brecon based rally driver crashed out of the final round of the BTRDA Rally Series, The Cambrian Rally, earlier in the month but has rebuilt the car and her confidence before taking to the world stage.
“It was a good day, today – I felt comfortable in the car, had a good pace and hopefully entertained Bill Godfrey, UK Sales Manager for Klarius, my sponsor.
“The main aim of the day was to make sure the car was running well and test a new exhaust system that Klarius have produced. We ticked all the boxes, know the car is ready for Wales Rally GB and can’t wait to get back out on the stages.”
Patrick Walsh will partner Sara on the National part of Wales Rally GB – a partnership that saw Sara and Patrick claim a career best 4th overall on last years event.
“Having Patrick with me is a big bonus. We’ve got a great relationship in the car and most importantly, trust. The stages are so fast – with the confidence I get from Patrick I can push harder.
“I just can’t wait to get out there and see how I fare against the boys now!”
Sara is supported in 2011 by the 2300 Motor Club and the John Easson Award, Brecon Motors, Brecon Car Rentals, Millers Oils, Ian Jones Tyres and Woodford Trailers.
I was pleased to finish the WLE Rally Time Trail 5th Overall and 3rd in class
Thanks to - Rally Sport Media
www.rallysportmedia.com
Cambrian Rally - 8th October 2011
Woodpecker Rally 2011 - 3rd September 2011
Another interesting day … Quote from Patrick Walsh ‘ There is more Drama here today than they ever get in Eastenders!!’
The 1st stage was going really well, until the last corner where we spun 180 and it was too narrow to turn back around and too dangerous to stop in the middle of the narrow road we had no option but to reverse over the flying finish before the next car came round the corner … a first for everything.
We went into the second stage and I thought that we had put that behind us but no, on the 1st hairpin we spun again, I thought by now the car wasn’t handling right, we went through the stage, trying to push but we came to a chicane and spun again, loosing us even more time, this was when we thought there was something drastic wrong with he handling of the car. Luckily we had a service before the next stage – it was found that the back right brake hose was leaking, this was what we thought the problem was, we also adjusted the suspension,
We went back out for the next two stages, we stopped the car before stage 4 as there was a slight delay – got back in the car ready for the stage and there was nothing – the car would not start!! Patrick and a few others helped push the car to jump start it (A Big thank you to everyone who helped push!) We finally got the car going!
The last 3 stages of the day went well and finished 26th Overall and 7th in Class so pleased to get points for the championships.
Next event Cambrian Rally 8th October.
Sporting Wales Magazine ...
Please find a link to a recent write up we had in the Sporting Wales Magazine :)
http://www.sportingwales.net/?03a30f10
Also a link to the Sporting Wales Photoshoot
http://sportingwales.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Sara-Williams/G0000xjloa4fTBeM/I00004ROOlilB7_Y/P0000nZYbQNXOgOg
Neath Valley Stages - 13th August 2011
What a day! We arrived at Walters Arena South Wales early Saturday Morning and the rain looked like it would be with us all day.
The stages were very wet and slippy, We went out for the 1st two stages, there was not much grip at all, they both went well with no major dramas we were lying 5th overall. After service we went back out for the stages three and four, Stage three went well, but we were then only a short distance into stage 4 and the car started to move around a lot on the rear, we thought we had a puncture but it just didn’t feel right. We carried on pushing, put the diff on lock but had a big moment halfway through the stage – that when we started to back off and took the car back to service.
In service Geoff Jones who runs the car with GJM, plugged the car into the laptop to diagnose a faulty rear diff, with the problem found the team set about replacing the rear diff with just 2 mins to spare!
We were up to 3rd overall, even with the issues with the diff. I was hoping that was dramas over and done with so headed out into the final stage.
The last stage was the longest of the day a combination of two stages from earlier. Just 4 miles from the finish of the stage the car starting handling oddly again. The car felt like it did earlier on in the day, we put the diff lock on but it just got worse, we decided that we would just crawl to the end to get a finish. We lost a lot of time on this stage, but pleased to finish 9th Overall and 3rd in class N4.
Looking forward to the Wookpecker Rally – based in Ludlow on 3rd September a round of the BTRDA rally series.
We have had our entry accepted for National rally of Wales Rally GB in November!
Nicky Grist Quinton Stages 9th July 2011
A local event for us – Based in Builth Wells showground, just half a hour from home.
We were going really well until we went over a big jump in the monument stage and lost it, we managed to gather the car up just before the next hairpin right, we didn’t loose much time.
The next stage was the Skoda Power stage, Route 60, we had a really good run through the 4.5 miles stage setting joint 2nd fastest time in group N. It is a very fast flowing stage with big sweeping corners and a change from gravel to tarmac halfway through.
The next few stages were slippy after recent rain showers, a spin and a overshoot cost us valuable seconds. We dropped back to 23rd overall and 12th in class.
We decided to tidy it up for the final three stages and bring the car home to secure good points in both the BTRDA rally series and the Hankook welsh national championship.
We climbed back up the leader board to finish the event in 17th overall and 9th in class.
Looking forward to the Swansea Bay Rally on Saturday – 16th July, Part of the Welsh National championship.
Thanks to Jason Woodcock for the You Tube footage
Rally Of the Midlands – 17th 18th June
I Co-drove for Shon Rees on this event in a Honda Civic Type R. I really enjoyed this event, there were a few stages on Friday Evening and the rest of the stages were on Saturday. The weather was so unpredictable with sunshine and heavy showers.
At the end of Fridays Stages we were lying 15th Overall and 2nd in class.
On one of the Saturday morning stages we hit a kerb in Mira which bent the suspension, we got to the end of the stage but had vibration in the steering which needed urgent attention. The car was fixed in service with a new bottom arm but we had lost too much time to take the fight to the class leader. We finished 19th Overall and 2nd in class.
Shon Rees website : www.shonrees.com
Severn Valley Rally – 4th June 2011
Part of the Welsh Championship.
Another great event – not many road miles and service based in Builth Wells showground, it was a very hot day and tyre choice was difficult. We came off in stage 2 loosing about 10 seconds but it could of easily put us out of the event.
After service we set 4th fastest time in Crychan North and pleased to finish 6th Overall and 3nd in class. Now lying joint 3rd Overall in the MSA Welsh National Chamiponship.
Plains Rally - 14th May 2011
Part of the BTRDA and Welsh National Championships.
A great event using Cwmcelli and Gartheniog, we had a good run through the morning stages, but the car did nt seem to be handling quite right, in service GJM changed the two front tyres and altered the suspension – which made a huge difference.
The afternoon stages were slippy after all the rain, we were pleased to get through Mad Micks Woodyard this time! And pleased to finish 11th Overall and 4th in Class.
Somerset Stages - 16th April 2011
Based in Minehead and with Patrick Walsh co-driving, the Somerset Stages is an event I have never done before. It is a great event and well worth the trip down to cider country.
After the disappointment of the Bulldog Rally, we went very well on the four morning stages in the forests on Exmoor National Park. At first service, we changed on to tarmac tyres for the two stages on the Porlock toll roads. I have never driven the Subaru on tarmac competitively before so it was something of a learning curve but thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I will have to think about doing some tarmac events now!
At second service we changed back onto good old gravel tyres and back into the forests for a repeat of the morning stages. We had a small spin on stage 10 which cost a bit of time but we managed to bring the car home safely in 16th place overall and 7th in class!
Once again, a big thank you to Klarius - their parts again did a fine job so there is not a lot of work to do to the car for the next event which is the infamous Plains Rally back in Welshpool and the amazing forests of mid Wales.
Bulldog National Rally - 2nd April 2011
The Bulldog Rally was based at the Welshpool Livestock Market and, with heavy overnight rain, the stages were expected to be slippery. And so it proved. The first test was at the well-known Mick Jones "Woodyard" just outside Welshpool. We were having a very good run through the stage but in sight of the flying finish we came over a brow left and slid wide into a bog - and were really stuck. As we were in a dangerous place, the stage was stopped whilst we were pulled out but we incurred a maximum time which placed us in last position.
The next three stages were going to be crucial and the car was pushed to its limits such that at Service we had climbed back up to 17th overall. With the Klarius car all checked, there were still three stages remaining which all went well and had pulled back good time to be lying in 13th place at the finish.
We felt this was quite an achievement but the organisers deemed otherwise. It seemed we had gone over our maximum time limit on the first special stage and were disqualified and stripped of our position. Despite this setback, we were pleased to have put in some good mileage, setting competitive times. The rally was also a good test for the Klarius Quinton Hazel parts we are using which proved their reliability under extreme conditions.
My next event is the popular Somerset Stages on April 16th - only 2 weeks away. See you there!
Mid Wales Stages - 6th March 2011
With Patrick Walsh co-driving, we started from Newtown town centre and it was good to meet the local people and for them to get a good look at all the cars and meet the drivers and co drivers.
The Klarius supported car went well and we had no major dramas, although it was slippery in a few places but mainly dry. There were
only four stages but all of them were quite long. We had a few issues with getting heat into the tyres throughout the day which made the car handle a lot differently and we lost some time there. I was really
pleased that we finished 9th overall.
Thanks go to Geoff Jones Motorsport for looking after the car both on and between events. I now look forward to getting back in the Klarius Subaru for the next event, the Bulldog Rally, on 2nd April.
Click on the photos in this article to see a larger image!
There are also YouTube videos here... and here... too!
Team GMF Wyedean Rally - 12th February 2011
My first event of the year, with Dai Robert co-driving, and it feels like I haven't driven the car for ages! My last event was back in November on Wales Rally GB with only a short test on the GMF Press Day a couple of weeks ago.
With the Klarius livery and new black and pink Cobra seats, my Subaru N12b now looks totally different.
The car was handling very well with muddy and slippery patches which helped us into a spin on SS3, luckily costing us very little time!
Overall we had a good run, finishing 21st and 11th in Class N4. A top 20 placing would have been nice but there were a lot of competitive cars out there and we tried our best! It was great to come home with the Bob Brain Memorial Trophy for the highest placed Lady Driver.
It's great to have a high profile sponsor such as Klarius QH supporting us and I am pleased to say their components held up well. We now look forward to the next event, the Mid Wales Stages on March 6th.
Content on this page requires a newer version of Adobe Flash Player.
Another video with in-car footage is here... on YouTube, courtesy of Klarius/VideosDMAEuropa.
All set for an exciting season!
An exciting season lies ahead of me as I prepare to tackle my first major gravel rally series, the BTRDA Rally Series, in 2011. My confidence is high following the recent announcement that I had won a personalized Stilo helmet from Nicky Grist Motorsport, as well as winning the 2011 Jeremy Easson Award! I would also like to welcome some important new sponsors for the year ahead, so now I really am ready to rally!
I will continue to use the same Geoff Jones Motorsport prepared Subaru Impreza N12b with which I finished a fantastic 4th overall on the Wales Rally GB National Rally in November. This sophisticated piece of rally machinery will be proudly transported around the country during 2011 on a brand new Woodford RL 3000 car trailer following the announcement of a marketing partnership with Woodford Trailers. For more details about Woodford, follow the link on this page or click here...
After a day of high speed rallying alongside me at the GMF Rally Time Trial in October last year, Klarius UK Sales Manager, Bill Godfrey, has confirmed that this high profile Automotive Aftermarket Manufacturing company will sponsor me on the opening round of the BTRDA Rally Series, the Team GMF Wyedean Forest Rally which takes place early in February.
Other rallies outside of the BTRDA series are planned including outings on some of my favourite Welsh Clubmans and National rounds but the exact schedule is dependent on budget. The early part of my rallying year after the Wyedean will be followed by outings on the Mid Wales Stages on 6th March and the Bulldog Rally in April.
Nicky Grist Motorsport helmet competition
I was delighted to learn that I had won the helmet design competition that was run by Nicky Grist Motorsport. My prize is a brand new Stilo helmet with my own design which was presented to me at the recent Autosport International Show at the Birmingham NEC by Nicky himself along with fellow judge and British Touring Car champion, Jason Plato (seen right), in attendance. To win this superb prize is all the more satisfying as it was picked from 270 entries altogether.
Nicky Grist said after the judging was finished: “I choose this design because I thought it was unusual, clearly a female’s design, and one that would stand out in a crowd. At the same time, the design blended beautifully with the black carbon of the Stilo. I had no idea who had drawn the winning design, so was delighted when I found out it was Sara, who is a very talented rally driver from my local area and someone I have been watching since her first days as a very young co-driver.”
The helmet was beautifully airbrushed by an amazing artist, Piers Dowell, whose work can be seen on his website here... As you would expect, the helmet design is very much PINK!! And being my birthday, I was surprised to be also presented with a very unusual birthday cake! See Gallery here... for more photos.
Thanks again to Nicky Grist - a great honour. Click here... to see a video of my interview with Nicky at the Autosport show.
