My co-driver John Bond and myself contested the 6^th Round of the 205 Challenge during the last weekend of September on the Patriot Stages - a tarmac rally in Caerwent, just outside Newport in South Wales.

We got off to a flying start on Stage 1 setting a competitive pace on the twisty tarmac terrain. We achieved a clean run through the stage, also avoiding the large kerbs and concrete scenery that were taking no prisoners, as many other competitors attempting to argue with them discovered.

Stage 2 was a re-run of the first stage and our confidence grew as we pushed harder through the course the second time round. We experienced a few frantic moments through the threatening kerbs, as the car took to two wheels after we clipped a kerb on a tight hairpin right. Although this did not hinder our progress, the car sustained some damage to the rear suspension resulting in us having to complete the rest of the rally with the rear wheel pointing at an obscure angle. Picking up the pace, we found ourselves caught up behind a fellow competitor for a few tense moments but capitalised when the slower car ran wide on a long square left enabling us to slip past. Despite all the drama, we took an impressive 20 seconds of our previous time.

Flowing fantastically through stage 3, we were once again caught behind another slower car on a long tight winding section. The competitor did not allow us to pass, which resulted in a frustrating four miles, being stuck behind the car and losing valuable time on the stage. Despite this we still set the 7^th fastest time.

Stage 4 had its eventful moments and despite braking to avoid Cyril, the squirrel with a death wish and swerving all over the road, we still chalked up the 5^th fastest time - only 1 second behind 4^th place. At this point, I knew if we kept it clean and smooth, I could gain the best result of my career to date.

We had a good clean run through Stage 5 and although I admitted to John that I could have pushed harder, I didn’t want to compromise the good result this rally could bring.

Stage 6 was cancelled which meant that Stage 5 results were final and we had taken 3^rd in our Novice Class and 6^th Overall in the 205 Challenge, collecting 90 points towards the championship. This was a great result for us, as we feel we have worked hard to overcome many soul-destroying challenges this year in our first full season in rallying. It’s good to get a little reward when you have put in so much work, and hopefully this is the first of many.

We are looking forward to competing on the last round of the championship on the De-Lacy Stages, a forest rally near Lincoln, on November 15^th, bringing the 2003 season to a close.