Based for the second year running at the excellent Rushmoor Arena between Aldershot and Farnborough, Sunday’s South of England Tempest Rally once again marked the end of the 2003 British Rally Championship season. With most of the Championship titles having already been decided at last month’s Trackrod, it was not surprising that the Tempest was a little short of a full complement of the usual BRC suspects, but this didn’t prevent Barry Guess and his Sutton and Cheam, Middlesex County and Hart Motor club team putting on an excellent event.
There were some changes to the usual order. Jonny Milner’s familiar Team Dynamics Toyota was certainly in evidence, for instance, but with an unfamiliar face behind the wheel sporting a Welsh dragon on his helmet. Julian Reynolds had hired the car for the event, and the 2003 British Rally Champion and Champion co-driver Nicky Beech were not only flagging the competitors away from the starting ramp but also carrying out team manager and team co-ordinator duties.
Then there was young Gareth Jones in the Asquith Citroen Saxo S1600 last seen in the hands of Aki Teiskonen on the Trackrod, and Phil Morgan at the wheel of Tapio Laukkanen’s Trackrod winning Subaru Impreza. And as already mentioned, Ryan Champion had forsaken his S16 Puma for a four-wheel drive Group A Impreza.
There was a slight glitch at the start. Some over-enthusiastic paintballers decided to stage their own battle on the first stage, and although the gallant Tempest marshals managed to subdue them in short order, there was a half-hour delay before the stage finally got underway.
