Chairman's Chat

CHAIRMAN'S CHAT

- a monthly roundup of what's been happening in the Club

October 2008

October kicked off with the Peter Lloyd Stages at Pembrey, which was my first competitive outing for many years as I had offered to co-drive for Matthew Wood-Griffiths in his Peugeot 205. It had been a wet few days before the event and we were expecting the worse. When we arrived at Pembrey it was raining, but the rain stopped about an hour before the start and it stayed dry all day. There was, however, a lot of standing water in certain places which caused our car to cut out on SS1. This lost us several minutes but we got the car started and managed to keep going. On the next few stages we had a quite a few 'moments' including a near 360 degree spin on beach road! Matthew had never driven at Pembrey before but after a few stages was getting into the groove and gaining in confidence. Our luck, however, would run out on SS5 when we spun off onto the grass and something broke in the gearbox - we had a 'box full of neutrals'! Thanks to Matthew for the the very entertaining outing.

The highlight of the day was seeing Rob and Laura Tout win the event in their Mitsubishi Lancer. Rob has been competing for many years and has scored some good results in the past, this victory was well deserved. My congratulations to them both. Full results are shown in 'Recent Results'. Thanks to those that marshalled on the day.

Our Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday 15th October. It was good to see some new faces attend and take an interest in the club (I hope we didn't scare them away!). I would like to thank everyone that have supported the club this last year, a club is not a club without its members. I have to admit that I was not at my best on the night and actually struggled to read out the minutes of the previous AGM. I think I must have been tired. More sleep needed - less work needed!

Talking of work, our Red Kite Stages organisers have been hard at work promoting the 2009 event which takes place on Sunday January 18th. As always, we need your help to run this event. A variety of different jobs need covering, please contact Chief Marshal Gavin Pickett if you are available to help. Another date already secured for 2009 is the 31st January for our Annual presentation Dinner, which takes place at the Glyn Clydach Hotel. Contact Barry John for more details.

Late August/September 2008

We had a free weekend after running the 6th Welsh Enduro, then it was up to Epynt for the Mewla National Rally, After running two stage starts, we only needed to provide radio cover for the remaining stages. This gave me a chance to take some photos which are posted on our 'Amman' group on facebook. We had a couple of club crews compete on the event but both suffered bad luck - see Recent Results. Thanks to those that marshalled on the day.

September kicked off with a visit to Ireland for the Wexford Stages. It was raining heavily as we left home on Friday morning, and our fast sailing to Rosslare was in doubt, but as soon as we arrived in Fishguard, the weather cleared. Our 'FastCat' sailing proved a little bumpy, which proved too much for Cerith 'Daffy' Davies' stomach! Meanwhile Dylan 'Smiley' Harries had bought a bottle of Poteen (Irish Moonshine) which contained 70% alcohol. No prizes for guessing what sort of state he got into! We had a wet start on Saturday morning which provided us with some good 'bumps and slides'. The weather would clear in the afternoon and it stayed dry for the rest of the weekend, a welcome break from all the recent rain.

The weekend of the 13th/14th Saw some of us travel to Belgium for the 'Tour of Flanders' rally, While no less than eight club crews competed on the Brawdy Stages on Sunday 14th (See Recent Results). Our trip to Belgium benefited from excellent weather (apart from a thunder storm on Thursday night), a good time was had by all. Terry Frayne has written a brief report on both Wexford and Flanders rallies - click HERE.

Our last rally outing of the month was the Patriot Stages held at Caerwent. The rally had a full entry of 100 cars which made for a long day for everyone - especially the recovery crews. The Caerwent kerbs claimed a number of victims, some of which proved difficult to recover which caused delays for the following stages. I left home at 5.30 am and didn't get home until nearly 8pm! A big thanks to all those that came and marshalled on the day.

July/Early August 2008

I was forced to 'sit out' much of July due to my recovery after having my gall bladder removed, but the organisers of the 6th Welsh Endurance Road Rally have been extremely busy making preparations for the event. I was declared fit on Friday 18th, which meant I was able to attend the Swansea Bay Rally the following day. It was a busy day, with our club providing a start and finish timing crew for the rally. Dai Wilmer had come along in his VW camper so Gavin Pickett's daughters spent much of the day watching films on his new tv/dvd player. We had a few light showers of rain but we stayed dry. Thanks to everyone that came along and helped on the day.

The following Sunday (26th) saw us travel north to Sweet Lamb for the Coracle Stages. It was a very dry day which meant that the rally cars were throwing up huge clouds of dust. The sun was very strong and there were swarms of insects to fend off. By the end of the day, we were burnt, bitten and blasted by dust. We were glad to get out of there! Thanks to those that marshalled on the day. Facebook members can view my pictures from the rally - either from my profile or from the 'Amman' Group.

Another weekend, another rally. This time it was the Harry Flatters Rally on Epynt. I was allocated a radio position in the 'Irish Village', but due to its location, I could barely hear radio control, and the situation was made worse whenever clouds came over. We were once again lucky with the weather, with no rain to speak of. Jeff, Achmed and Nigel put their Land Rover to good use when they towed two stricken cars to a nearby junction so that they could be recovered by their service crews. Thanks to them and everyone else that came out on the day.

The 6th Welsh Endurance Road Rally - 9th/10th August

After 3 dry weekends, the heavens opened. Then they opened a bit further, and then further still! I found it quite amazing that despite the horrific weather, the competitors and various officials 'just got on with it' and didn't seem at all bothered by the rain. I suppose they are used to it after the last few years. Parts of the route became lakes (for example - Walters Arena), and other parts of the route became rivers (for example - Onllwyn Bar). Club stalwart and Clerk of Course John Morgan resorted to stripping off and wading in to deep water to clear a blocked pipe in Walters Arena. This meant that water would drain from the road and ease the passage of rally competitors - True Dedication. John and his fellow organisers did a superb job of running the 6th Welsh Enduro, the feedback from competitors has been brilliant. WELL DONE TO YOU ALL.

I would like to thank everyone that marshalled or officiated on the weekend, and thanks to those that came out on Friday and Monday to set up/take down and repair, we could not have done it without you.

Tent Tribulations

I have been keeping an eye on the rally forums on the run up to the Endurance Rally. The following post by Rob Lloyd (car 21) caught my attention -
"Ordered a fancy "QuickPitch" tent off Amazon a while back. Weeks later, and still no tent. Give the company (not Amazon) a ring to find out that they had sold me a tent that was not in stock, despite the website saying two were available. Was then told that a delivery was expected shortly and I would be informed A.S.A.P. Another few days later and still no update. Rang them again and found that the delivery HAD arrived but my choice was not in stock, but I could have a pink one if I wished. After a rather vulgar outburst involving tent poles and sensitive areas I was given an instant refund.
A couple of hours ago, my sister asks if I need anything from ASDA. I rather jokingly said "A cheap tent please!", and she returned with this:

"See you in 2 weeks, I'll be in the gayest tent known to man" .

A fellow forum member saw the benefit of such a tent and replied; "At least you will be able to find it in the dark"!

June 2008

Our club only had one 'official' outing in June, which was the Midsummer Caerwent Stages on the15th. Our role on the day was to run the stage finishes, and our location meant that our marshals were covered by a large canopy to keep them dry should it rain or to shade them in strong sunlight. As it turned out, we had a bit of both. We had no less than 10 club members attend as marshals on the day. Thanks to you all. We also had a number of members compete on the event, their results are posted in 'Recent Results'. As usual, the venue claimed many 'casualties' with only 40 odd cars finishing from around 80 starters.

The following weekend (21st/22nd) would see the running of the 1000 Lanes Road Rally. This event started in the Upper Swansea Valley and was contested by a large number of our club members. It proved to be a tough event with one club crew would make it to the end. Barry John and Matthew Wood Griffiths finished 21st overall and 3rd in class in Barry's recently acquired 1000cc VW Polo. He paid only £60 for the car but spent many hours preparing it for the event and fitted uprated suspension, bucket seats, harnesses, etc. the car is now for sale for £650 - Contact Barry for more details.

For some 15 months I've been suffering with my gall bladder which has caused me a lot of pain and misery. I finally had the gall bladder removed on the 25th June which will hopefully cure my illness. Thanks to the staff of Singleton Hospital who took good care of me. The timing of the operation fell at the worst possible time, but I felt I could not afford to give up the opportunity to get myself sorted before something serious went wrong. Thanks to everyone for their support during my illness.

As I write this, our Welsh Endurance Road Rally is just five weeks away. The rally organisers are facing a very busy time and the club has been asked to marshal on a number of rallies in the coming weeks (A full list is shown on our 'Club Activities' page). Please assist if you can, our sport simply wouldn't exist without volunteer help.

More next Month.

May 2008

The club's first outing in May was the RDP Welsh Rally on Sunday 4th. A number of club members took part in this event, and our club ran various stage starts/finishes throughout the day. I did not attend this event myself as I was still suffering after a recent episode of gall stone pains and did not want to risk being ill on top of a mountain in the 'middle of nowhere', although I'm quite sure I would have received better medical help than that available in Morriston Hospital. Thanks to those who marshalled on the day - members' results are shown on our 'Recent Results' page.

Some club members organised a Karting Day at Carew Karting on Saturday 11th. I went along but decided not to take part. After taking a few photos, I decided to have a go at shooting some movie clips. It proved to be well worthwhile because there were quite a few incidents which got filmed - although I did miss the biggest crash of the day! Pictures of the event winners are shown on our 'Some Members' page. After leaving the karting event, some of us decided to call up to Llys-y-fran to watch the hillclimb. There was a variety of cars taking part, ranging from a single seater racing car to a new BMW coupe. When I got home, I decided to have a go at making a film covering the karting event (where did all those hours go?). If anyone wants a copy, let me know.

Our next marshalling outing was at Caerwent for the Leukaemia Historic Rally on Saturday 17th. There was an interesting mix of cars taking part including some Reliant three wheelers, one of which rounded a corner near our control on two wheels. I haven't laughed so much in ages! Club regular Abi Somerfield was navigating in a red coloured Reliant (or PIG) which was painted like Starsky and Hutch's car! I have put a picture below. Thanks to those who marshalled on the day.

The bank holiday weekend saw a large 4x4 event take place at Walter's Arena. The All Wheel Drive Club held their 40th anniversary event which included trialing, orienteering and a comp safari. I called up on Saturday afternoon (before the rain started), and had a look around the camp site and watched some trialling. There were many weird and wonderful creations on show, including a Mitsubishi pick up truck fitted with Unimog axles, hydraulic suspension and no less than 3 winches! I have included a picture below. Jeff and Stacey Morris entered Sunday's Comp Safari in their Green Racer (see last month's photo) and finished 4th in class and 15th overall. Well done to them.

As we head into the summer, preparations are being made for our Welsh Endurance Road Rally which runs on 9th and 10th August. We will of course, be looking for assistance to run this two day event which takes place in and around the Neath Valley. We will be setting up on Friday and Saturday, then will need marshals/officials for Saturday and Sunday, then clearing away on Sunday afternoon. If you can help on any (or all) of these days, please contact Gavin Pickett. The event will include a night road rally, which is always popular with our members. We could not run our events without YOUR assistance.

More next month.

A few pictures from May

The Flying Pig!

Photo: Abi Somerfield

The Mitsimog!

Photo: Darren Morris

April 2008

April kicked off with the Port Talbot Motor Club's Red Dragon Rally. We had an excellent turnout of club members and assisted the event by running a stage start, a stage finish and several block cars. It was great to see so many of our members 'out in force' on a rally. It reminded me of my early days as a club member(1990-1991) when we would regularly have an army of members attending events. I would like to say a big Thanks to everyone that turned out on the day.

Saturday 12th saw the running of the Rali Bro Teifi. Committee Members Barry John and Matthew Wood-Griffiths entered the Rally in Barry's recently resprayed Talbot Avenger. They were doing well until they collided with a steel gate post in a farmyard, and the resulting damage is too severe to warrant a repair. Luckily, neither crew member were hurt and Barry (ever the optimist!) is now building a four door Escort replacement.

The Pirelli International Rally took place on Friday and Saturday 18th/19th of May. Club Member Tony Derrick co-drove for Andrew Hockridge in a Citroen C2R2. They beat all the other C2R2's and finished second in the S1600 class. Tony then made the long journey all the way down to Pembrokeshire to co-drive for fellow club member Darren Tancock on the Bob Shaw Memorial Stages at Talbenny. Several other members took part in this event and Vice Chairman Terry Frayne wrote a report of the rally which is posted on the front page of our website. Thanks to all marshals on the day.

A 'Tabletop Rally' was April's round of our indoor championship, and a number of members tried their luck at the plotting and timekeeping exercise. Quickest on the night was Barry John (Sideways Squad) with a time of just 23 minutes. All the cans of Energy drink that he consumes must have turbocharged his brain! Or was it the Stella?

The Glamorgan Off Road Club (or GORC) organised a Competition Safari at Walters Arena on Sunday 27th April. Club Regular Jeff Morris Helped organise the event then took part in his V8 Landrover Racer. He was co-driven by various family members throughout the day and finished 6th overall despite a misfire. Jeff explained that trying to cure the misfire wasn't an option because the engine bay was covered in a thick layer of wet mud. Trying to dismantle and rebuild the vehicles electrical system would have ended in disaster! A number of our club members turned out to assist on the event which suffered a wet start, but dried up nicely in the afternoon. I managed to take some pictures of the competitors during the day, and a picture of Jeff is included below. Thanks to those that marshalled on the day.

More next month.

Jeff Morris in action at Walter's Arena

Photo: Darren Morris

March 2008

My last monthly roundup was submitted too soon to include our 'Cawl night' which took place on Wednesday 27th February in early celebration of St David's Day. We offered our members free cawl, welshcakes and we held a Welsh based quiz with prizes. The evening had a fair turnout of members but not as many as last year. Perhaps we should give away free beer as well (Smiley's suggestion!). Thanks to those that helped organise the evening.

March Kicked off with the Port Talbot Motor Club Tour of Epynt. It was a dry, but very cold day up on the ranges but at least it wasn't raining torrentially like last year. We had a number of club members competing on the event. The better results were Peter Lloyd in his Subaru Impreza with 3rd overall and Rob Tout with 2nd in class in the Mitsubishi Lancer. Thanks to those that braved the cold and helped us run stage starts and a stage finish, and Jeff and his mates for doing a block car.

The weekend of 15th/16th March saw the running of the West Cork Rally in Clonakilty. As usual, a number of club members visited the event. I have included a brief account below.

Our last outing of the month was the 'Tour of Caerwent' organised by Forresters Car Club. This Event Always runs on the Sunday that the clocks go forward one hour, which means getting up at around 04.20am (we must be bonkers!). To be fair, we were rewarded with a beautiful sunny day at Caerwent whilst the Swansea valley got soaked all day - worth getting up for. Thanks to the hardy souls who came along to marshal. The day proved to last longer than expected because when I got home, I realised that the items that I'd put on Ebay to sell were now finishing at 10pm instead of 9pm because of the hour time difference, I could have gone to bed but curiosity got the better of me!

West Cork Rally - 15th/16th March 2008

I had spent the previous weekend in bed thanks to the 'Lurgy' (or man flu if you prefer ), I could have just as well gone to bed at 10pm on the Thursday night rather than leave home for the long journey ahead, I was still suffering and the weather forecast for the weekend didn't look good. I'm glad I went, as we were rewarded with an enjoyable weekend. Our group was made up of Myself, Dai Wilmer and Leighton Lewis in Dai's VW Bora, and Mike Frayne, John Oliver and Mike's friend Neil in their Mitsubishi Delica 4x4. This became known as ' The Angry Cat'!

After heavy storms early in the week, The early Friday crossing from Fishguard to Rosslare proved very calm and we did not experience any delays. After getting off the ferry, we stopped in Wexford for some (cheap) breakfast. I had to have the low fat option of scrambled eggs on toast not to aggravate my dodgy gall bladder. We made a further stop in Cork to empty our bladders and get some refreshments, then continued to Clonakilty.

As we drove down the hill into to the town, we noticed a large billboard with 'Vote Deirdre' written on it. We later discovered that local woman Deirdre Archbold had entered a television talent show called 'Your a Star' (similar to X factor). The town had gone Deirdre crazy, with posters everywhere urging people to 'VOTE DEIRDRE'. There were even rally cars carrying them! Our Landlady even coaxed us to text vote for her as it was the final weekend of the show. Much to the disappointment of Clonakilty folk, she eventually finished third, and I had wasted £3 on text votes, I want my money back!

After drinking far too much on friday night, we ventured out to spectate on Saturday morning. It rained lightly at first, but then dried up nicely for the afternoon. We visited the Famous Fisher's cross jump where cars jump across a main road. As I had taken my camera with me, I had a go taking some action shots. My best picture is printed below. The highlight of this location was seeing an Opel Manta get seriously airborn! I decided to sit out the last spectating location due to some hip pain, but played with Dai Wilmer's PSP and listened for updates on the Wales v France rugby match. We got back to our guest house in time to see the end of the rugby match, and see Wales win another grand slam. Result! Our Saturday night out was a quiet affair, and we headed home earlier than expected.

Sunday Morning saw more light rain, which proved quite entertaining at the hairpin bend on top of a hill. A number of cars skidded out of control and wiped out the hay bales! The last spectator location was also on top of a hill, giving an excellent view of the stage. A Honda Civic caused drama when it rolled just past our junction. The driver got out and gave the car 'a real good kicking'. I remembered the old saying 'A bad workman always blames his tools'!

Our Sunday night out was a busy one. We ended up in De Barra's Folk Club watching an excellent local band. The place was bouncing because it was St Patrick's day tomorrow. With Monday being St Patrick's Day, our usual stop in Waterford was hampered by diversions caused by the parade that was taking place. We eventually found somewhere to park, had lunch and a look around the shops. This proved quite eventful when one of our party 'passed very smelly wind' in a record store - It cleared the place like a bomb scare!

We left Waterford and drove up to Rosslare, then stopped at a hotel overlooking the harbour for some liquid refreshments before sailing home. Thanks to John Oliver and Terry Frayne for organising what proved to be an excellent trip.

More next Month.

January and February 2008

January and February have been very busy months with the Red Kite Stages and the Annual Awards Presentation Dinner taking much of our time. The Red Kite Stages ran successfully for the eighth time on January 20th. The event has grown from being a 'start of year shakedown' to a multi-championship rally which incorporates the 'Red Kite Historic Stages' and the 'Red Kite Historic Challenge'. The workload involved is huge, and gets bigger every year! I would like to pay tribute to the rally organisers for their efforts in running what has proved to be an excellent event. I won't name names because I'm bound to forget someone, but you know who you are. Well done to you all.

I would like to thank everyone who has supported the event, including the Competitors, Officials and Marshals, and our Sponsors and Advertisers. Let's hope that 2009 continues the rally's success.

February kicked off with the Wyedean rally on Saturday 9th. Club member Nathan Davies entered the rally in his Vauxhall Nova, but unfortunately rolled on the first stage. Both Nathan and his co-driver were OK but the car is a bit 'the worse for wear'! Paul Bevan had a much better day co-driving for Roger Taylor in a Ford Escort, finishing 1st in class. Thanks to those who marshalled on the day.

Later that day, our Annual Awards Presentation Dinner took place at the Glyn Clydach Hotel. I have to admit that holding the Dinner on the same day as the Wyedean was not the best decision, but January and February have a very crowded calendar with several other presentation dinners and rallies taking place. It was suggested that we have an Awards Evening at the club on a Wednesday night, but many felt that we should have a Presentation Dinner. I apologise to those people inconvenienced. Thanks to those that attended the evening, especially those who rushed back from the Wyedean.

Sunday 17th February saw the running of the Rali Cwm Gwendraeth at Pembrey. We were blessed with a nice sunny day. Club members Rob and Laura Tout were entered in their Mitsubishi, but retired with mechanical failure. James Tout had also entered the rally in his Peugeot 106, but also retired with a broken driveshaft. Not a good day for the Tout family! Thanks to those that marshalled on the day.

February 23rd saw the running of the Rali Bro Caron. Club members James Thomas and C.J. Taylor entered the rally but were forced to retire with brake problems. Our members are not having much luck this year!

More next month.

December 2007

December kicked off with the Wales Rally GB which many club members attended either in an official capacity or as spectators. The event suffered a bit with less than perfect weather, but as we all know, rally enthusiasts are a hardy bunch (bloody mad!) Club member Dai Wilmer took some photos of the event and our club members that attended. These can be seen in the Amman and District Motor Club 'Group' on Facebook.

The following weekend saw three club crews travel north to compete at the purpose built Rockingham motor speedway for the 'Rockingham Stages'. Two of the crews unfortunately suffered mechanical problems and failed to finish but James Tout finished the event with a good result.

Wednesday 19th saw the club hold it's annual 'Christmas fun quiz'. It is always a good night and it's great to see the members having a good laugh. Thanks to Barry, Terry and Matthew for organising the quiz and thanks to everyone that brought food for our buffet. After the quiz, James Tout assured me that he would organise next years quiz. We haven't forgotten!

After the festivities of Christmas, We were treated to a DRY day out at Pembrey for the Christmas Stages. There were several club members competing and some good results were achieved. Well Done boys and girls! Thanks to those that Marshalled on the day.

I have found 2007 to be a rather poor year, suffering with severe leg pains which may require a hip replacement, and Gall stones which have proved equally painful. On one occasion, I was whisked to hospital in an ambulance with a suspected heart attack! Thanks to Arwel and his fellow 'medics' for their assistance. I'm hoping for better fortunes in 2008.

On Behalf of the club, I would like to thank everyone that supported us in 2007 and wish you a safe and prosperous 2008.

More Next Month.

Darren Morris.

November 2007

November has been a busy month, kicking off with our halloween disco on Friday 2nd. The turnout was a bit disappointing but those that attended had a good laugh - especially at the various attempts at Limbo dancing! Thanks to Seyyan for organising food and decorations.

Sunday 4th saw the running of the Talbenny Winter Stages. Dai Wilmer and myself attended as a radio car. It was a very cold but dry day, giving Dai the chance to get some photos of competitors when it was quiet. There were three club crews competing on the event but only one crew finished. kevin and Nathan davies finished 3rd in class. Well done to them. James and Laura Tout retired early on with clutch failure. Graham Watkins and Mark Powell were looking good for a 3rd in class finish, but with less than a mile to the end, their rotor arm broke and denied them a finish - it's a cruel old game! Thanks to Dai for marshalling.

Sunday 11th saw the club attending the 2007 Lombard rally at Afan Argoed Forest near Neath. We had a good turnout of members including Jeff Hartland and his crew, who did nothing but moan about 'getting up too early'. I have been warned that a lack of sleep and alcohol makes them a bit grumpy! Thanks to everybody that turned out to marshal.

The club was well represented with four club crews out on the Morswyn Williams Memorial Road Rally on the 25th/26th. Navigators C.J Taylor and Lyn James were reported to be 'looking a bit green' at various points throughout the night. They did finish along with the other club crews that took part. Full results from the night are posted on our 'Recent Results' Page.

As well as marshalling and competing on events, our members been busy organising for our Red Kite Stages and making plans for our Christmas quiz and Annual presentation Dinner which will now be held on 9th February 2008. Whilst many people try to have a break over the Christmas period, it is a very busy time for our club and its members. The Red Kite stages will run on the 20th January. Anyone interested in marshalling or assisting in any way should speak to Gavin Pickett or Gareth Thomas. We would appreciate the help.

More next month.

Darren Morris.

November 2007

Sunday 4th saw the running of the Talbenny Winter Stages. Dai Wilmer and I attended as a radio car. It was a very cold but dry day, giving Dai the chance to get some photos of competitors when it was quiet. There were three club crews competing on the event but only one crew finished. Kevin and Nathan Davies finished 3rd in class. Well done to them. James and Laura Tout retired early on with clutch failure. Graham Watkins and Mark Powell were looking good for a 3rd in class finish, but with less than a mile to the end, their rotor arm broke and denied them a finish - it's a cruel old game! Thanks to Dai for marshalling.

The club was well represented with four club crews out on the Morswyn Williams Memorial Road Rally on the 25th/26th. Navigators C. J. Taylor and Lyn James were reported to be 'looking a bit green' at various points throughout the night. They did finish along with the other club crews that took part. Full results from the night are posted on our 'Recent Results' Page.

As well as marshalling and competing on events, our members been busy organising for our Red Kite Stages and making plans for our Christmas Quiz and Annual Presentation Dinner which will now be held on 9th February 2008. Whilst many people try to have a break over the Christmas period, it is a very busy time for our club and its members. The Red Kite stages will run on the 20th January. Anyone interested in marshalling or assisting in any way should speak to Gavin Pickett or Gareth Thomas. We would appreciate the help.

More next month.

October 2007

The first and only rally to be attended by Amman this month was the Peter Lloyd stages at Pembrey on Sunday 7th October. We had a very good turnout of marshals and some new faces attended to 'learn the ropes' and assist in the running of the stage start. I was not able to attend myself but would like to thank all those who attended and assisted on the day.

Our Annual General Meeting took place on Tuesday 23rd October. A report on that meeting is included below.

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2007 AGM REPORT

The Club's AGM was held on October 23^rd and the Committee were pleased with a better turnout than in recent years. The meeting began with a welcome from Chairman Darren Morris after which the 2006 Minutes were read out and discussed. Darren then submitted his report thanking the supporters of the Club and stating how happy he was that young members with an interest in competing are now attending regularly. He stressed how much youngsters need to be encouraged for the continuing success of the Club and the Sport.

Competition Secretary Barry John delivered a comprehensive Report with an up to date list of Championship Standings. He intends to forward them on a monthly basis for inclusion on the Website.

This years Membership has risen to over 200, bolstered by competitors joining for our Red Kite and Welsh Endurance Rallies. Membership Secretary Seyyan John is to introduce Membership Application Forms for 2008 in order to ensure that members details are recorded more accurately.

Elections

Darren Morris was re-elected as Club Chairman.

Terry Frayne resigned his post as Club Sec. and was elected to the vacant position of Vice-Chairman.

Committee Member Sue Rowland was voted in as the new Club Secretary.

Phil Woodhouse was welcomed onto the Committee and has become the club's Treasurer.

Barry and Seyyan John retain their positions of Competition and Membership Secretaries.

Craig Rowland, Roy Thomas, Jonathan Oliver and Matthew Wood Griffiths remain on the Committee.

Membership Fees

Jonathan Oliver has been looking into Membership Fees charged by other local Clubs. He found that we had the lowest fees in the area. This was discussed at length and proposals were put forward to amend them and bring them in line with other motor clubs.

The amended Annual Fees are:

Full Membership £7

Family Membership £10

Junior Membership (under 16’s on January 1^st of each year) FREE

2008 AGM

Terry Frayne had submitted a letter asking that the 2008 AGM take place on a Wednesday night to encourage more members to attend the AGM and take more of an interest in the running of the club. This matter was discussed and agreed that the 2008 AGM would take place on a Wednesday night.

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I would like to thank everyone who has supported the club and pledged their support for the coming year. I would also like to welcome Phil Woodhouse to the Committee. The issue of raising membership fees proved controversial. Some felt that there was no need to increase the fees when the club has good funds. I would like to point out that the club's running costs have increased dramatically in recent years. The running of rallies has helped the club to remain prosperous but it was felt that the club should be able to support itself. I would like to point out that our new membership fees are still amongst the cheapest around.

More next month.

September 2007

September kicked off with the Brawdy stages promoted by Pembrokeshire Motor Club, which had three Amman crews competing at this fantastic venue. Robert Tout's daughter Laura was navigating for the first time with Rob in the Peugeot 106. All three crews had a good day and finished the rally. Thanks to those who marshalled.

The Castle Coombe Rally Day took place on the 22nd. Terry Frayne had organised a mini bus and tickets for the event which proved to be an excellent day out. Thanks to Terry for organising the day.

September 30th Saw the running of the Patriot Stages at Caerwent. It was a cold start but but brightened up in the afternoon. The rally had attracted an entry of 100 cars including club member Peter Lloyd who led from start to finish. well done to him and thanks to those that turned out to marshal.

On the same day, some of our members attended a karting day organised by Chris Terry at Cerew Karting in Pembrokeshire. Overall winner was Rob Tout. Despite recently turning 50, he can still show the younger drivers a thing or two - well done Rob!

Thanks to Chris for organising the day.

Colin McRae MBE 1968-2007

September 15th was a sad day for the sporting world. It emerged late on Saturday evening that Colin McRae's helicopter had crashed and he was feared dead. It was confirmed on Sunday morning with the news that his son Johnny and two family friends had perished with him. His funeral was attended by approximately 20,000 people in a special open air service.

I will remember Colin for two things;

1. He helped to transform the Subaru brand from 'makers of rusty little pickup trucks' to 'Performance/rally car legend'. He was the first person to win a round of the World Rally Championship in a Subaru when he won Rally New Zealand in a Legacy in 1993. He won 16 rallies and his driver's title driving Subarus.

2. Colin McRae Rally video games. I Have spent many hours/days/weeks playing various versions of the game. Colin McRae Rally 2 is my favourite which I still play regularly. The games brought new interest in rallying from kids and teenagers from around the world, and earned Colin an army of fans.

He will be sadly missed.

August 2007

After a wet July, August did not improve a great deal which meant that our 5th Welsh endurance Road Rally once again run in the rain. The rain made conditions quite muddy in places but did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of our competitors, Many of whom had camped in the grounds of Banwen Rugby Club on Friday and Saturday night. During the rally, I travelled the route with Dai Wilmer who was acting as safety officer. We assisted to set up and repair the selectifs which made for a busy weekend. We also travelled the night leg which used many roads that we had used on the 'Rali Mynydd Du' Road Rally, this reminded us of our early road rally days in Dai's mk1 Ford Escort.

Despite the weather, The rally proved to be a big success with lots of positive feedback from the competitors via email and the competitor questionaires. I would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone that assisted (far too many to name as mentioned in the prize giving). John Morgan, Hywel Thomas and the rest of the organising team did a superb job of putting on a challenging event which gave competitors real value for money. Well Done to you all.

The Bank Holiday weekend at the end of the month saw us travelling north to the epynt ranges to marshal on the Mewla National Rally. After a cold start, the sun came out and provided us with 'proper August weather'. I had recently bought a new digital camera and had the opportunity to take photos of some of our club members in action, two of which are shown on the 'meet the members' page.

Thanks to those that turned out to marshal.

As stated above, our Recent Welsh Endurance Road Rally used lanes and tracks previously used on our Rali Mynydd Du. The first part of our night leg used Coelbren forest. The picture below shows a rather young crew competing on their 4th road rally on the 23rd/24th September 1995 (almost twelve years ago!). the first competitive section of this event also used Coelbren forest which is where this picture was taken.

Our result was 2nd in class and 27th overall. Ah the memories!

July 2007 (Monsoon Season!)

July has been an extremely wet month but 'rain hasn't stopped play'. Many of our club members have been busy organising the Welsh Endurance Road Rally which runs on the18th/19th August. Come rain or shine, Our members have been out doing PR work, route surveys or marshalling on the various rallies that have run over the last few months. As we move into August, the weather looks to be improving and we all hope that our Welsh Endurance Road Rally will see better weather than last year.

I have not been able to assist in the above activities much due to ill health and a heavy work load. My supervisor broke a bone in his foot and has had five weeks off work, leaving me to try and cover two jobs. After returning to work for three weeks, he will then take his fortnight summer holiday which will coincide with the Welsh Enduro. It's going to be another busy month!

Last month, we reported that committee member Seyyan John had suffered a serious horse riding accident and underwent surgery to repair her ankle. She has since had more surgery and is making a steady recovery. She has even visited some of our clubnights in the last few weeks and will be running the Main Control in the Rugby Club during the Welsh Enduro.

Well Done Seyyan.

Another casualty is Jimmy Jones from Pembrokeshire who has recently suffered a heart attack. Jimmy is a true stalwart of the sport and is well known throughout the country. As well as being a regular radio controller, he is also a Championship Co-ordinator for the Welsh Association of Motor Clubs. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

More next month.

June 2007

After a quiet month in May, June has been a busy month with three marshalling outings and our own fancy dress summer dinner dance at the Glyn Clydach hotel.

The summer dinner dance was another success with a very good turnout of members and friends of the club. this event had a 70's fancy dress theme and party games such as 'space hopper racing' and 'hula hoop marathon'. I have to admit that I did cheat at the space hopper race but it was the women's team that were victorious. well done to them. Many people commented that it was nice to attend a social event with no formalities such as speeches or prizegiving.

I would like to say a big Thank You to Kath, Jayne and Barry for organising another successful social event.

Sunday the 17th saw us marshalling at Caerwent for the Garth Tyres Midsummer Stages. It was a cloudy but dry day and I would like to thank those that turned out to marshal. The following Sunday saw us return to Caerwent to marshal on the Leukaemia rally. This event had historic and endurance cars entered and some of the crews were obviously getting a bit confused by the 'Caerwent maze'! Thanks to those that marshalled on the day.

Why has it rained for so badly in June? I bought a new car on the 14th of June which is fitted with air conditioning. I remember thinking "this will be nice in the hot weather". It has rained ever since!

Talking of rain, our last marshalling outing of the month was the 1000 Lanes Road Rally on Saturday 30th. We met up at Walter's arena to see the first competitors negotiating the first section of the rally. We then moved on to do act as DSO's on the night section. It rained for much of the evening but Dai Wilmer's big umbrella kept us dry.

In the last day of June we heard that committee member Seyyan John has suffered a serious accident while horse riding. She has broken her ankle badly and dislocated her knee. She was airlifted to hospital and had a 5 hour operation to repair the ankle. We wish her a full and speedy recovery.

More next month.

May 2007

After the trials and tribulations of April, May has proved to be a quiet month (thank God!). The Club attended two rallies which were the RDP Welsh Rally on May 6th and the Red Dragon Rally on May 19th. I would like to thank those that turned out and marshalled on these events.

The month of May is blessed with two Bank Holidays which means two long weekends off work, Plus the added bonus of a long weekend off for my birthday. This extra rest has done me a lot of good, I have not suffered much leg pain and have not had to take any painkillers in the last few weeks. I eventually got an appointment to see a specialist about my hip and was persuaded to wait six months as my hip seems to be improving. If things don't improve, it's time for surgery!

Following the success of last year's 30th anniversary dinner, Kath and Jayne are organising a 70's theme fancy dress dinner at the Glyn Clydach hotel on June 15th. The fancy dress is optional if you prefer to dress smart casual. I trust it will be another big success. More details are available on the 'latest news' page.

From the pages of Ammanition.........

Morgannwg Clubmans Rally 1995

Driver - Gareth Thomas Co - Driver - Louise Evans

Car - Ford Sierra Saphire Cosworth

It was my first forest event and Gareth's first event in this car, so both of us were feeling nervous - me more than Gareth. The first stage was only four miles long, so we couldn't get used to the car or the maps. SS2 was nearly seventeen miles long and Amman were the start crew. We were warned of one junction because Mike had already rolled his Range Rover earlier that morning. After a short delay, we got going and everything was going well until we came round a bend and there was a car on it's roof straight in our path. Gareth had to make a quick decision - hit the car or go in the ditch and carry on. The ditch was deeper than we thought and we rolled over!

After running about quarter of a mile, I found some men to push us back over and we carried on. The next two stages went well despite Mark Solloway holding us up in Crynant. We had an enjoyable day and a good result despite rolling.

Result - 13th overall and 1st class

April 2007

What a month April has been! It all started when I suffered severe chest pains just after leaving home to attend April’s committee meeting.

I decided to stop at my local ambulance station to seek help, and ended up being rushed to hospital in the back of an ambulance with a suspected heart attack!

It turns out that I didn’t actually have a heart attack, but have spent many hours having tests and checks. I believe that the problem was caused by the painkillers that I have been taking for my painful hip, They have been known to damage the stomach lining which causes problems with stomach acid.

I have stopped taking the painkillers, and have been taking new tablets to neutralize stomach acid. So far, so good! I still have to go for more checks but I will hopefully get the ‘all clear’ soon. I had asked that April’s committee meeting start early because there was a lot to discuss, but my unexplained absence meant that the meeting was delayed. My apologies to those inconvenienced.

The Talbenny Stages took place on Sunday 22^nd. It was a cold day and I suffered with chest pains for much of the day. Thanks to those that came and marshalled, and thanks to Craig for driving me home when I wasn’t feeling well. Club members James and Rob Tout competed on the event. James was driving on his first event in his Peugeot 106. James drove well in slippery conditions and finished without problem. Well done to them both.

The next four months are going to be very busy with work, helping out at home, and of course the club. The Welsh Endurance Rally is scheduled to run on the 18^th/19^th August. If anyone wants to get involved, please come forward, we will appreciate the assistance. Committee member Lyn James has been forced to resign due to work commitments. I would like to thank him for his help during his ‘term’ and wish him well for the future.

I have included another 'Ammanition' story this month. This one is about Dai Wilmer and myself competing on our own Rali Mynydd Du. Read on...

Park Garage (Brynamman) Ltd

Rali Mynydd Du

23^rd/24^th September 1995

Driver: David Wilmer Navigator: Darren Morris

Car: Green 4-door Mk1 Escort (The Cabbage!)

After destroying the ‘Tangerine dream’ (Orange Crush?) on the Barcud rally, Dai decided to build a 4-door Mk1 Escort. It was then painted green and the result is a replica of the famous ‘Cabbage’ formerly owned and driven by Paul Davies. We started the rally ok and the first selective had a long ‘white' (North of Ystradfellte) and proved to be quite difficult. There were quite a few cars broken down which reminded me of our first rally (the Red Dragon, when it used to be a road rally).

On the way to petrol in Sennybridge, we helped push start a Sunbeam which had broken down. After we filled up with petrol, we found that our car wouldn’t start!

It turned out to be a loose wire on the solenoid and it was soon fixed. The selective after petrol had another long ‘white’ which was very slippery because of the rain. On the way to the next selective we missed a junction which lost us time. We finished the last three selectives without problem and made our way to the finish.

Thanks to the boys for marshalling and helping with the car.

Result: 27^th overall / 2^nd class.

March 2007

It has been a very busy month with a rally on four consecutive weekends.

First up was the Tour of Epynt. The wind was blowing and the rain was coming sideways at us but everyone battled the weather to put on a well run event despite the conditions. It was a real shame that the event was marred by the so called ‘fuel fiasco’.

Thanks to those that turned up to help us run our timing controls.

Sunday the 11^th of march saw us turn up at Pembrey in glorious sunshine to attend the Rali Cwm

Saturday 17th and Sunday 18^th saw the running of the West Cork Rally in Clonakilty. 23 members and associates travelled out to enjoy the beer and to spectate. It was a real shame that Terry Frayne and John Oliver could not attend. They had both worked to organise the trip and hopefully luck will be with them next year. I suffered a bit because I lost my painkillers behind my TV on Thursday night before leaving. My dodgy right hip gave me some real grief! On Monday we arrived at the ferry port in Rosslare to travel home. Our sailing was in doubt due to the strong winds and heavy seas. We did eventually sail on time but as we approached Fishguard, the captain announced that the crew would have to retract the ships stabilisers to approach the harbour. As they did this, the boat rolled violently which caused total mayhem! People fell out of their seats, plates and trays slid off tables in the restaurant and the onboard shop was total carnage! Smashed wine bottles, books and maps all over the floor and gift stands tipped over. When we got off the ferry we found West Wales in the grip of some wintry conditions and found ourselves driving carefully through snow and ice to get home. I got in at around 3am and had to get up at 6am to go to work! Tuesday was a BAD DAY!

The last rally in March was the Tour of Caerwent on the 25^th. It was a VERY EARLY start because the clocks change to BST. It was a cold, but dry day at Caerwent and we had the usual situation of only having around half the competitors finish the rally. Many suffered damaged wheel and suspension on the Caerwent kerbs!

As well as the four rallies, March has been a busy month for me in work. I’m hoping for a quieter time in April!

Gwendraeth. This event was the first round of the 'Escort Challenge', a championship made up of 1 Pembrey rally, 1 Caerwent rally, 2 Epynt events and the Brawdy stages. There were lots of Escorts being driven in anger! We had a turnout of 17 marshals from the club which gave us the chance to share the work and enjoy some spectating. A big thanks to all those that helped, it was an excellent day.

Another Ammanition story from the past (Ammanition? see last month).

Scorpion Road Rally 11^th/12^th December 1993

Driver: Malcolm Walters

Navigator: Alun Ginn

Car: Audi 90 Quattro (YES, MINE!)

Thanks to Dai for lending me 4 wheel nuts for the car and to Rob for lending me the Potti light converter, and Gordon for the interior light, torch and atlas. Malcolm had to finish this rally in order to finish third in class 2 category for drivers in the WAMC Welsh Road Rally Championship.

We had searched for a car all week with no success so I decided that we would use mine. Off we set on the 264 mile journey to Ashbourne near Derby.

The event was marred by poor road conditions with sheet ice everywhere, but managed to keep it on the island with no mishaps. The navigational system left a lot to be desired as they were using a combination of 6 figure references, 8 figure references, 4 figure references, spot heights, herring bones and tulips!

When we got into the valleys, out of reach of the ice, we managed to do some motoring. Late in the rally, after passing through Alton Towers, there was snow on the mountain, in which the Quattro really came into it’s own and we managed to clean the snow section.

The main objective was established and we got a result which enabled Malcolm to finish 3^rd in class 2 of the WAMC Welsh Road Rally Championship and myself 2^nd in the corresponding Navigators championship.

Result: 24^th overall and 4^th in class.

February 2007

February has been a busy month for me. Our accountant requires our up to date accounts for auditing by the end of April so I have been kept busy assisting in the updating of accounts and ensuring all information is available.

As well as having our normal committee meeting, we also had a meeting to discuss the future of the Red Kite Stages. The event has made a financial loss for the second time so we need to look carefully at the ongoing situation.

It has also been a busy time at home. I have been doing some equipment repairs for the farm ready for lambing season.

I have been trying to get rid of old junk or unwanted items during the last few months, and have sent at least 8 very old mobile phones for recycling. The company sends working phones abroad, or recycles the ones that no longer work.

The company is called earthmobile.co.uk, and will send out freepost envelopes to send your phones in.

February ended with our Saint David's day Quiz and raffle, with cawl and welshcakes being offered for refreshments.

I would like to thank everyone that contributed food or their time in organising the evening, it was very successful with a full house of members.

Many years ago, club member Rob Liles edited a club magazine called Ammanition. It was made up of stories submitted by club members about their rallying experiences. During a recent clearout, I found some of these magazines and decided it would be good idea to publish some of the stories on our website to remind some of our members of ‘the good old days’!

As Rob was the editor of these stories, I thought it would appropriate to put one of his stories on first. Read on ...

The Barcud Motor Club Cambrian Tyres Suzanne Crowley Memorial Rally
(We’ll just call it The Barcud)
October 16/17 1993
Driver: Cordon “The Gofer” Thomas.
Navigator: Rob “Action Man” Liles.
Car: Quite a nice MkII Ford Escort Mexico 2000 that the driver wants to re-shell (idiot)
this is our first event together.

The gearbox was put In on Friday night and the car was eventually ready on the Saturday afternoon (This will not be the last time, either).
We had trouble with the gearbox all the way up to the Tregaron start venue; when Gordon was selecting 1st it was engaging reverse! We also had problems selecting 2nd gear too. Signed on and started at 12.37.

Plotting and paperwork for this event was not easy but it was straightforward - the only problem (and boy was it a problem) being having to draw diagrams off codeboards at each passage control followed also by a ‘print & sign’. I spent more time out of the car than what I was in. Due to this and being baulked by fellow treasure hunters/artists at such controls, we dropped 16 minutes on the first selective. We had a good run considering the ‘box was playing up until we overshot a give way flat in 4th gear mid way through SS2. It was one of those really bad ones. Excluded immediately!

We decided to go to petrol to meet up with some of the boys that were marshalling at the end of selective control before petrol. We’d had a fair run but decided not to continue just in case we’d damage the car worse than it already was (we’d twice clipped a bank and made a nice dent in the back panel and bent the rear bumper a treat!). Quite gutted but looking forward to class 3 on the Cilwendig & hope it’s better than last year’s. No way will I do this event again - so look out Hillrally 1994!!

Before Barcud Motor Club consult their lawyers, Rob's account was written FOURTEEN YEARS ago. No doubt the format and the organisers have changed since then.

January 2007

The last few months have been very busy. The club has been working hard to run the 2007 Red Kite Stages. The event ran very well with 70 cars taking part. I would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone that helped out with both the organisation and the running of the event on the day.

During the run up to the event I was busy helping sort out the equipment and ensuring we had enough tape etc.

January also saw the Annual Presentation Dinner take place. This year's event was ably organised by Kath Morgan and Jayne Morgan. The evening went very well with a very good turnout of members and guests. We would like to thank Kath and Jayne for their efforts.

At the recent AGM, two new committee members were elected. I would like to welcome Craig Rowlands and Roy Thomas onto the club committee.

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