ROSS Motor Club duo Scott Partridge and Mike Jode started their 2016 BTRDA rally championship campaign off to a solid rather than spectacular start, finishing 38th overall on last weekends Cambrian Rally.

The Cambrian opened up the 2016 series replacing the Wyedean, with the Llandudno based event attracting 125 crews for the 45 miles of action with the final test being around the fantastic Great Orme, the twisty tarmac of the coastal headland road, although organisers had produced a new route also for 2016.

The team’s Subaru Impreza had undergone a full winter rebuild at Quick Motorsport in Hereford and, after a steady start, the duo, who hadn’t sat together since the Pirelli Rally in April 2013, began to climb the leaderboard improving with every stage to bring the car home to get some points on the board.

“It took a while to build confidence in each other, but every mile was a bonus, although the stages were very rough on the second loop,” said Jode.

The duo’s next outing will be the Malcolm Wilson Rally in March.

The event was won by local crew Luke Francis and John Roberts in a Lancer Evo 9 by just one second from Charlie Payne’s Fiesta WRC, with Francis taking 11 seconds off Payne on the final test around the Great Orme.

This weekend sees the opening round of the Mintex British Historic Championship with over 80 crews doing battle on the Llandovery based Red Kite Stages.

A very high quality entry of both historic and modern machinery will do battle over 40 miles of fast and furious action on the gravel roads of Crychan, Caeo and Route 60.    

Local interest surrounds Matt Edwards and Will Rogers in the Swift Group Opel Kadett GTE, Simon Tysoe and Paul Morris in their Escort RS1600, Ben Friend and Cliffy Simmons and Jason Gardner and Graham Cox debuting in the new Escort RS1800.

In the Open event, Ross duo John Tatlow and Julie Westwood will compete in their Peugeot 205 GTI, James Dunkley and Dan Sayce in the Vauxhall Corsa and Mark Christopher and Kevin Watkins in their Citroen C2.    

Photos are courtesy of Paul Mitchell and Chris Huish.