Two members of the same family from the little Welsh town of Llanwrin will make their debuts this weekend when they contest the Bill Gwynne Rallying Coracle Stages.
Richard Owen will be at the wheel of a Geoff Jones Motorsport-run Nissan Micra whilst his younger sister, Mererid, will be calling the notes for Paul Griffiths in a Historic Ford Escort Mk II, marking a weekend that neither will forget.
22 year old Richard is one of the chief technicians at Geoff Jones Motorsport and is perfectly at home driving high powered rally cars, but this weekend will mark the first time that he drivers a thoroughbred rally car in anger. And, due to a hectic rally schedule over the past few months, Richard has had very little opportunity to test his steed.
Added to that is the fact that his co-driver is also a novice. Welshpool based motorsport journalist Geoff Mayes will be calling the notes for Richard this weekend, in a total role reversal after an outing for the pair earlier in the year. Fortunately Richard is no stranger to competition though as he regularly competes in motorbike trials, with a fair degree of success.
“I am really excited about this weekend. I co-drove in this car back in February and we finished second in class,” said Richard.
“Now it's my turn to drive and whilst I won't have too much of a chance to test I just want to go out there and do my best.”
Also making her competitive debut is Richard's sister Mererid. The 21-year-old is training as a rally technician at Geoff Jones Motorsport and she often helps out with on event catering and is a hair dresser too!
![Geoff Mayes/Richard Owen [Pic credit: Geoff Mayes Media/Rally-Shots]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/406761.jpg)
