by Geoff Mayes Welsh rallying legend Geoff Jones will return to the scene of his last triumph, the Plains Rally, at the wheel of a World Rally Car this weekend after close friend John Lloyd offered to lend him his car.
Jones, who drove for the works Nissan and Proton teams in the British Rally Championship in the 1990s, last contested the Plains Rally in 2005, again in a car lent to him by Lloyd.
Geoff rewarded the generosity of John by taking an emphatic overall win in the Group A Subaru Impreza.
This year's event will, ironically, see Geoff making his competition debut in a World Rally Car when he uses the Jardine Lloyd Thompson-backed Ford Focus on what is essentially his home rally.
"John Lloyd has very kindly offered me the use of his Focus for the Plains Rally, which is one of my favourites of the whole year. I don't get the chance to compete too much these days but this was too good an opportunity to turn down," explained the ex-works driver.
"I must also thank Dunlop Tyres, Carless Fuels, 710 oil and Quest Mead for their part in all of this."
The last event that Geoff contested was the Red Kite Stages in January 2006 where, despite breaking a driveshaft in the opening stage, he recovered to finish third overall in a Group N Subaru Impreza.
