by Geoff Mayes
Alan Howard continued his strong run on Welsh forest events when he brought home his Tesco/ Greenergy-backed Vauxhall Corsa sixth in class and 41st overall on the Quinton Stages at the weekend.
After severe floods had made country wide headlines in the weeks leading up to the Llandovery-based event the last thing the crews expected was bright sunshine and dusty stages and yet, bizarrely, that is exactly what they got.
Howard's early running was hampered by a problem with his handbrake which slowed the car and reduced his confidence on hairpins. When the crew returned to first service they were languishing down in 51st position but with the handbrake issues resolved they began to push.
Although Howard, co-driven as always by Irishman William Kelly, was suffering with a lack of traction out of corners, and as a result the little Corsa was eating tyres at an alarming rate, the pair were pushing as hard as they dared and their second run through Halfway reflected this and they were a full 6 seconds quicker through this 5 mile stage than on their first run. Equally impressive improvements on their times through both Crychan and Route 60 saw the little Corsa climb the ladder on each stage as the event drew to a close.
“Well what can I say? Wales is good to me,” said Howard. “The last time I recorded a decent finish it was on the Red Dragon Rally.
“After the frustration on the Dukeries Rally last month it feels good to make the finish - and to come home with second place championship points is a great as well! I'd like to thank Neil Weaver, as he has been helping us with re-prepping the car.”
With the majority of the 1400cc crews ahead of them not registered for points Howard and Kelly took second place points in the BTRDA Tesco 99 Octane 1400 Rally Championship. The Shift into Gear team now has a bit of a mid summer break, as the next round, the Woodpecker Stages, is on September 1.
![Alan Howard [Pic credit: Geoff Mayes Media / www.geoffmayesmedia.com]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/325820.jpg)
