Hat trick of wins for Jackson & Heriot
It was a 3rd class win in as many events for Matthew Jackson & Sasha Heriot on the recent Plains Rally. The pairing headed to the rally base in Bala (North Wales) with a firm plan for the event, to finish the 45 competitive stage miles having extended their class lead in the Ravenol Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship.
The rally would consist of 5 forest stages used twice with a 30 minute service interval back in Bala town between the 2 loops of stages.
A steady run through the opening 2 stages saw the Ford Fiesta crew emerge in a fantastic 13th overall and leading the class by just over 1 minute. The next 3 stages of the loop contained 2 stages very familiar to Matthew having grown up in and around those particular forests. Using their combined experience and knowledge, Matthew & Sasha posted a string of competitive times, including a 7th fastest overall time in the 5th test, a superb achievement in a front wheel drive car!
During the service halt, Matthew commented:
‘This morning has been excellent. The first 2 stages were steady. We had to bed ourselves in again after a 6 week gap between events, but it shows it was the right approach. Our pace on the stages this morning really has once again exceeded out expectations! The guys from C1-R Motorsport are doing a great job here giving the car a once over, fortunately we’ve not given them anything to do!’.
Image credit: Paul Mitchell Photography
As the repeat loop of stages got underway, the Carbon Positive Motorsport supported crew remained focused on their own goal, protect their 3 minute class lead and maintain the top spot for the front wheel drive cars.
A cleaner run through the first 2 stages of the loop settled the confidence once again which set the tone for the rest of the stages. A knock to the front wheel of the car on a rock in the driving line in stage 8 only went to show how things could potentially change so quickly in this sport. Fortunately the pairing emerged unscathed from this scare with no damage or time loss. Controlling the pace through the last 2 stages, Matthew & Sasha arrived at the finish at Penllyn leisure centre as winners in class W4, 1st front wheel drive car overall and a magnificent 14th overall in the interclub event.
Image credit: Black Mountains Media
‘Once again we are walking away with a result that exceeds our expectations. We have had a great day out there today, careful in some places, flat out in others. The stages have been great so I have to pass our thanks to all the organisers and marshals for the running of the event’.
The result made it 3 class wins from 3 events so far in 2022. A superb achievement for the first year in the new car as well as the first full championship campaign since 2016!
The next round of the series is the Nicky Grist Stages on 9th July based out of Builth Wells. This will be the next round of the BTRDA & Ravenol Pirelli Welsh Championships, as well as a round of the British Rally Championship. It’s set to be a great spectacle.
Matthew & Sasha would love to speak to anyone who would like to get involved with our championship campaign for the remainder of the year. Please contact matthewjacksonrallying@gmail.com or visit www.matthewjacksonrallying.co.uk . Help of any form is greatly appreciated and really will go a long a way to help the self funded team seal that all important championship.
