Andrew Leece finally got his 2004 rally season underway last weekend when he competed on the opening round of the Silverstone Tyres Ford Ka Championship, the R&M Welsh International Rally.

After all the uncertainty over the championship Andrew was pleased to receive the news that the championship was to be contested over seven rounds between May and November.   Partnered by fellow Manx Motorsport Youth Trust recipient Rob Fagg the pair travelled to the event in South Wales keen to get their campaign off to a good start.

After assessing the competition the pair decided to tackle the first stage at a steady controlled pace and see how they faired.   Unfortunately it seems they were too steady and dropped 21 seconds to the fastest Ka over the 8 mile opening stage, both openly admitting they under estimated the opposition.

Over the next two stages they picked up their pace and this was reflected in the times, showing them within 2 seconds of the times posted by the leading pair, but still leaving them over 20 seconds a drift.   The second run over the Walters Arena stage saw them take the fastest stage time and this achieved while sustaining a broken engine mount and loss of all engine coolant within the stage.  

A 20 minute service was the follow the stage and with Ford technicians rushing to help, the pair left the service area on time and confident they could complete the final 8 mile stage.

Disaster was to strike though when 3 miles into the final stage it was clear all was not well. With the engine temperature beginning to rise and with still over half the stage to go the pair could only hope the car would get them to the stage end.   They managed a further 3 miles until the high temperatures bought the Mark Higgins Rallying Ford Ka to a halt and an end to their rally with the finish insight.

Despite the obvious disappoint Andrew was pleased with his driving and is keen to get back in the car.   The next round of the championship is the Red Dragon Forest Rally on the 22nd May.

Andrew and Rob would like to thank the following for their support: Mark Higgins Rallying, Manx Motorsport Youth Trust, Integrated Capabilities, Forest Experience Rally School, Manx Gas, Aon (IOM) Ltd, Andy Kennaugh and www.rallycodriver.co.uk

Co-ordinator
RF Motorsport
04/05/2004