22nd August 2024
Matt Walk supported by Part-Box went into the Jordan Road Surfacing Stages Rally at the start of August off the back of our first class win of the season on the Abingdon Car-nival Stages in June. The Rally, held on the former RAF Fulbeck, near Lincoln, was an event they was looking forward to. Matt attempted the Rally last season but electrical failure put us out within the first mile.
As with all Rallies on disused Airfields, the surface was a mixture of Concrete with a layer of dust and gravel on top. This year’s layout meant the stages would be fast, so they need every last horsepower they could get out the Fiesta. Whilst, Matt was hoping for a good class result, being a 1400 were always going to be outgunned by the bigger engine cars in the Overall Standings.
They set off into the unknown on Stage 1. Despite being car 45 on the road, the Stage was still very gravelly. Whilst this and the lack of experience at the venue, Matt was overly cautious and ended Stage 1 4th in Class 4 seconds off the class leaders of the race.
Stage 2 was a repeat of the first test. Now with some knowledge of the venue Matt experience in Stage 1 and a good feel of the grip, he went 20 seconds faster on their second run and jumped from 4th in Class to the lead.
In Stages 3 and 4 was the longest of the Rally. They needed to push as their lead stood at just 1 second. With the Gravel now swept, the grip was great meant they could brake as late as they dared knowing the car would stick if they went into a corner little too quick. The approach paid off as Matt took 7 seconds out of their closest rivals, extending their lead. Their run through Stage 4 however was cut short due to another car going off ahead of him and his crew. The crew was ok but the stage was cancelled for them.
They started the second half of the Rally with a 12 second advantage. The Afternoon Stage was run in the opposite direction, meaning the Gravel that was swept offline in the morning would now be online. Whilst that was in mind, Matt had a safe run through Stage 5, avoiding to take any risks. They set joint fastest times with the crews in second and third place, meaning their advantage remained the same.
In stage 6 saw Matt create a rookie mistake off the line, they didn’t engage first gear properly and the car jumped out of gear and the lights went green! With the car now unsympathetically in first, they started the stage but had already given away a couple of seconds. After an overall aggressive run, they was surprised to have dropped by 2 seconds.
They went into the final pair of stages with a 10 second advantage. Matt had to keep pushing as there was still 10 miles left, they could be caught if they backed off but shouldn’t be caught if they kept the pace up.
Matt felt as though they had a great run through Stage 7 and they was eager awaiting the time of their closest rivals to come through. As the last remaining cars returned to service this became clear as they were out. With their main challengers stranded in Stage 7 following a failed wheel bearing, they now had a 18 second lead with 1 stage left to go.
With a slightly bigger advantage, the aim for the final stage was the bring the Fiesta to the finish in one piece. They matched our time from the first run and increased our lead by a second while giving Matt Walk their second class win in a row and a 25th place finish overall.
Matt Walk now leads the Class in the Heart of England Rally Championship as they head into the second half of the season. The next event in the Fiesta will be the Challenger Stages at Bovington in October.