Nothing ‘Plain’ about town this weekend

Welshpool will hum to the sound of rally cars this weekend when the town hosts the hugely popular SJR Plains Rally.

Up to 150 crews are expected to take part in the event, organised by the Knutsford & District Motor Club, with the Royal Oak Hotel being used as the Headquarters.

Drivers from across the UK will tackle the tough stages of Montgomeryshire on Saturday, with a special spectator stage at Mad Mick’s Woodyard close to Guilsfield on Saturday afternoon (for details visit http://www.plainsrally.co.uk/spectators.html).

It mounts up to a thrilling occasion for the town which will bounce back from the disappointment of the Rally of North Wales being cancelled due to snow last month.

There’s a strong local flavour to the field too. Welshpool’s own rally champion James Watkins is behind the wheel of a Geoff Jones Motorsport-prepared Nissan Micra (pictured).

Holding a commanding lead in his class and placed second in the Junior section of the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship, James is eager to please in front of his home crowd.

“It’s nice to set off from your home town, and then to venture into the forests of Mid Wales which I really enjoy.

 “We’ve had a slightly extended break since the last event due to the rally being cancelled, so it’s going to be good to get going again. We did a brief test last month, but that was more of a treat for our supporters!” said James, who will once again be partnered by Richard Suter in the navigator seat.

Backed by local firms Powys Transport, Rally Marketing, Barry Ford Painting and Decorating and The Raven Inn, the Nissan Micra will join the other competitors setting off from Welshpool at 8am and can be seen at the Timberyard stage from 3.30pm. The crews will be based in the Spar Car Park.