2011 Tour Britannia 17-19 June. Click to view images

After three days of intense competition John Clark and Emma-Jane Gilbart-Smith in their Porsche 911 beat off strong opposition from the likes of Chip Conner/Danny Sullivan, Philip Walker/Nick Whale and Phil and Mick Squires to emerge as overall winners of the 2011 Tour Britannia. In the Regularity Category, seasoned campaigners, John Ruston and Jeremy Haylock in their Talbot 105 did well to resist a three-day determined effort from first timers, the Graham brothers in their beautifully turned out Lancia Fulvia, finally taking victory by just over one minute.

The event began with the demanding Cwmcarn Forest Drive stage, just a short distnce from Rally HQ at the Celtic Manor Hotel. Quite rightly most competitors treated the damp tarmac and steep drops with respect, only the Ford Escort Mk1 of Phil Squires and the Bechtolsheimer/Paterson Alfa Romeo risking a few power slides. Unfortunately, the rapid Escort of David Smithies was delayed with electrical problems within sight of the finish line. After two runs through the Forest it was John and Emma showing an early lead over John and Lesley Sheldon in their Lotus Elan.

After a longish trip west, heavy rain and strong winds greeted the cars as they arrived at Pembrey Circuit for the one race of the day where John Clark established the race running order for the event by taking a nine second lead over the second place Porsche of Chip Conner/Danny Sullivan. Phil Squires continued in spirited style while Gareth Burnett/Lee Maxted-Page in the early Porsche 1954 Speedster as usual entertained all and sundry with his sideways car control. The Rick Pearson Porsche 924 Turbo that failed to finish last year was once again giving problems and arrived at the next stage just inside his thirty minute window.

Indeed, by the time the Ruston/Haylock Talbot 105 arrived before our camera on the infamous ‘switchback’ Epynt Ranges, Wales was in sullen mood, with high winds carrying repeated sheets of heavy rain across the open countryside. That the crew of this open car were able to concentrate on the fine art of regularity timing over four stages was beyond me. And, as if some lurid melodrama was revealing itself, out of the mist and at one minute intervals appeared first a Ferrari 250 GTO followed by a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, Ferrari 275 GTB, Ferrari 330GT, Ferrari Daytona and finally, a Ferrari 308 GT. The dream sequence was shattered only when the Race Category took over and the black Morris Minor of David Grace approached Dixies Leap with such speed it became fully airborne, a feat only emulated by the Sheldon Elan. Others pushing hard were the AC Cobra of Freeman and Freeman and the Alfa Romeo Guilia Ti of Birch and Birch. Not so the Jaguar E-Type of Philip Walker/Nick Whale which was suffering wiper trouble. As the cars made their way back to civilisation fastest times were shared between Chip Conner (two) and one each for John Clark and Phil Squires.

The rest of the day was an anti-climax with just two short stages through Bryn Bach to complete on the way back to Rally HQ. Here, John Sheldon put in a determined effort and after the first day of competition he was leading the Race Category but he remained a quiet man as he knew that Day Two was to conclude with two stages around the dreaded Caerwent military establishment with its complicated network of tight corners and high, unforgiving curbs.

The weather Saturday was better, a comparative term, and the morning stage and regularity around Castle Combe passed off without incident. However, the Elan of John Sheldon was off the pace, leaving the way clear for John Clark and Emma-Jane Gilbart-Smith to take the overall lead. The similar looking Porsche 3.0 RS of Didier and Barbara Denat finished fourteen seconds in arrears on the stage. Crews then had a fifty mile trek down to Weston Woods for two runs through the short woody stage that followed the coastline, where Philip Walker/Nick Whale posted their first stage win in the E-Type, as did Mark and Duncan Freeman in the powerful, slighty uncontrollable AC Cobra, before heading for the magnificent Badminton Park.

At last the rain gave way to periodic sunshine and the country estate, more used to horse trials than rally cars, looked spectacular. Certainly, at the low speeds set for the regularity crews, they had plenty of time to admire the scenery. However, the tarmac surface and long straights looked deceptively easy, so easy, five of the leading cars in the Race |Category went off at the hairpin situated at around the one-mile point, just when confidence was at its highest. Philip and Nick were fastest on both runs and were beginning to move up the leader board but the Porsche of John and Emma was always in the top three times and still in the overall lead. In the Regularity Category the Graham brothers were closing on the leading Talbot of Ruston and Haylock.

Next came the race session at Castle Combe, where the field was split into two grids, each benefitting from fifteen minutes of practice/qualifying session before their ten-minute race. This was great stuff with a terrific scrap for first place between the two Porsche RSRs of Chip Conner/Danny Sullivan and Jeremy Cooke and Mike Dowde. Robert Hartley in the Shelby Mustang lurked back in third waiting to pick up the pieces. And that’s how they finished with the Porsche of John and Emma crossing the line in a secure fifth position.

That just left the little matter of two runs through the dreaded Caerwent stage before end of play. No heroics here and on the first run through the Conner/ Sullivan Porsche was eleven seconds quicker than the E-Type of Walker/Whale. The Sheldons also made up time and were third in the Elan a further ten seconds down, while John and Emma continued to made no mistakes and took fifth place. On the second run they were up to fourth some 29 seconds behind the flying Porsche of Conner/Sullivan. The Sheldon Elan was second.

We caught up with competitors at the Prescott Hill Climb on Day Three after crews had already re-visited Caerwent a further twice, where both times the Conner/Sullivan car came out on top. The Sheldon Lotus Elan suffered problems on the second run and dropped away, finishing only fifteenth. At Prescott the Walker/Whale E-Type stormed up the hill but was only 1.7 seconds faster than the Porsche of John Clark and Emma-Jane Gilbart-Smith. For spectators, the entertainment prize went to the Chevy Camaro of Stuart Scott with his tyre smoking antics at Pardon Hairpin. Things stayed the same on the second run except the Steve Tandy/Martin Chisholm Jaguar E-Type dead-heated with the Porsche of John and Emma to share second place.

After lunch the Regularity cars were subjected to a further timed road section while the Race Category enjoyed a pub lunch at Swerford before heading on to Tusmore Park where the final two stages, SS22 and SS23 awaited. Again it was Conner/Sullivan quickest on both runs with Walker and Whale in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, John and Emma were content with seventh. They were leading with just the race at Silverstone remaining.

After consulting with the drivers it was decided to run a single grid for all cars, with a fifteen-minute practice session followed by a fifteen minutes of racing around the International, 1.8-mile Circuit. Thirty cars lined up for the start and when the flag fell it was a free for all between the Porsche RSs of Conner/Sullivan, Denat/Denat and Jeremy Cooke/Mike Dowde, not forgetting the two Jaguars of Tandy/Chisholm and Walker/Whale. The Aston Martin of Roy Stephenson and Catherine Windross survived a sideways moment at the hairpin to finish just outside the top ten while the MGB V8 of Jim and Tim Bryan did all laps with its nearside wheel floating elegantly some twelve inches above the track surface. In the end, it was Danny Sullivan who had the pleasure of winning the last race of the 2011 Tour Britannia but he could only finish second, 51.6 six seconds down on overall winners John Clarke and Emma-Jane Gilbart-Smith. The Regularity Category saw a wonderful array of cars and five Ferraris made it to the finish as did the little Lancia Aprilia of Fred Gallagher and Elaine Macleod, not only did they finish, but they made it to fifth place. Well done.

Full results at www.tourbritannia.com