31.08.08 Fire ends Shelley's Woodpecker hat-trick hopes

Rally co-driver Shelley Rogerson suffered a dramatic exit on last Saturday’s Woodpecker Stages rally when the Peugeot Cosworth she was competing in with Andrew Burton had a fire.

Problems obtaining parts meant that work to get the car ready for the event following an accident on its previous rally continued right up until the start on Saturday morning. However, Burton and Rogerson made it to the start line in Ludlow and all the parts seemed to be working as they set fastest time on the opening Bringewood stage by 5 seconds from Shaun Gardener in his Mitsubishi.

“We were pleased to make the start of the event, it was all very last minute with a new radiator being fitted on Friday night and various other bits being finished on Saturday morning,” said Shelley.

“It was a relief to get to the first stage and we were delighted to set fastest time. The stage was quite unusual with bits of tarmac road between the normal gravel tracks but Andrew drove well and we had no problems.”

Another fastest time followed on the second stage, High Vinnells, before a 4th fastest time on stage 3 saw Burton and Rogerson arriving back at the service area in Ludlow in first place overall with Gardener second and Steve Perez, who was co-driven by Burton’s son Josh, in third.

Disaster was to strike on the fourth stage of the event which took place in Radnor forest. Burton and Rogerson started the stage but as they approached the second junction large flames appeared from the passenger side of the car. The crew immediately stopped and Shelley was dragged from the car through the driver’s door, the flames preventing exiting on the other side. The fire was quickly extinguished but their rally was over.

“It was a very scary moment when the flames appeared, especially as they were on my side! I’ve never experienced a fire in the car before and it’s an experience I don’t want to repeat, ” commented Shelley.

“It’s very disappointing, we were having a good battle with Shaun and Steve and it would’ve been good to continue the battle to the finish and possibly get my third victory on the event. After our accident on the Swansea Bay rally and this I hope we have better luck soon! I’d like to thank Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist, Alan Cookson from GillettsSpar.com and Songasport for their support.”

It is not certain what the next event for the Peugeot duo will be but the car should be ready for the Plains Rally on September 20th should they decide to put an entry in.


26.08.08 Shelley aiming for Woodpecker hat-trick

Bentham’s Shelley Rogerson, 22, is aiming to complete a hat-trick of victories on the Ludlow-based Woodpecker Stages rally next Saturday (30th August) which she will contest with Kington’s Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth.

Shelley took victory on the event in 2004 and 2005 with John Perrott and almost won in 2006 too, a last stage mechanical problem denying a chance to fight for the overall lead.

Burton and Rogerson are keen to get a good result following an accident on their last outing, July’s Swansea Bay rally, which saw the front end of the car destroyed after brake failure.

“It’s going to be great to be out on the stages again, it’s been a while since I was out and the last event doesn’t have the best memories for me, it was the first bad accident I’ve had for a long time,” said Shelley.

“The Woodpecker is Andrew’s local event so it’ll be good to contest it even though we have no chance of taking the BTRDA championship. We’re going to be up against some tough competition but if the car is reliable I am confident we can get a good result. I’d like to thank Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist, Alan Cookson from GillettsSpar.com and Songasport for their support.”

The rally is the seventh round on the BTRDA rally championship and will be contested over 44 miles of forest tracks to the west of Ludlow.


23.07.08 Shelley suffers setback in Swansea

Bentham-based co-driver Shelley Rogerson, 22, suffered a setback in her MSA Gravel Rally championship hopes last weekend when an accident saw her retire from the Swansea Bay rally.

Shelley contested the event, which was round five of the championship, with Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth following a hectic couple of weeks prior to the rally trying to repair the car after engine damage suffered on its previous outing.

The rally started with the Margam stage and Burton and Rogerson were a disappointing 19th overall. However, they were back on the pace on the second Walter’s Arena stage, setting second fastest time. This was followed up by fastest time on stage 3, Rhonnda.

Disaster struck on stage 4 though, with two corners to go on the long Resolven stage the Peugeot's brakes failed. The car made it round the first corner via a ditch then, still travelling at around 70mph, an attempt was made to slow the car down with the handbrake for the second corner but it snapped sideways and crashed into a rockface.

"We didn't really stand a chance, the car was travelling so quickly when the brakes failed," said Shelley.

"The impact with the rockface was very severe, it destroyed the front of the car. We're both pretty sore and shaken up but the car can be repaired and hopefully we'll be back out on the Woodpecker rally at the end of August."

Shelley, who is backed by Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist, Songasport and Alan Cookson of GillettsSpar.com, is now in sixth place in the Gravel Rally co-driver championship but, as the rules require that crews drop their two worst scores, there is still a chance that she could win the title by getting good results on the remaining two rounds, September's Trackrod rally and October's Bulldog rally.

To keep up to date with Shelley’s rallying please visit www.shelleyrally.com


14.07.08 Shelley hopes to make Swansea Bay start

Bentham’s Shelley Rogerson, 22, is hoping to continue her MSA Gravel Rally championship campaign next weekend (19th July) after putting a very late entry in for the Swansea Bay Rally.

Shelley will be partnering Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth which, after a lot of engine work, is hopefully going to be ready to start the South Wales event.

“ There was a lot of damage to the engine after the last event but Andrew is hopeful that the car will be ready,” said Shelley.

“The car appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend but the engine has yet to be tested properly. Even if we make the start it’s going to be nerve-racking wondering if the engine will last the event. It’s vital for our championship hopes to get a good finish so it’ll be a case of fingers crossed.”

The event is based in Swansea and uses 65 miles of gravel tracks in the forests of the Vale of Neath.

Shelley, who is supported by Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist, Alan Cookson from GilletsSpar.com and Songasport, currently lies second in the MSA Gravel Rally championship.

01.06.08 Severn Valley win for Shelley

Rally co-driver Shelley Rogerson, 22, got her MSA Gravel Rally championship hopes back on track last Saturday (31st May) when she took victory on the Severn Valley Stages with Kington’s Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth.

Following crankshaft failure on the pairings previous event in April the car had to have an engine rebuild which was only completed on the Wednesday before the event so it was a case of fingers-crossed as Burton and Rogerson took to the startline.

The rebuilt engine performed well on the opening stage of the rally, Esgair Dafydd, the Peugeot crew covering the 5.6 miles stage miles over 13 seconds quicker than anyone else. The storming pace continued on the second stage, Burton and Rogerson taking fastest time again and moving into a 34 second lead over second placed Marcus Dodd in his Hyundai Accent WRC.

The third stage was the longest of the event, 18 miles in Radnor forest. It was also the fastest stage with Burton and Rogerson averaging 65mph to take a third stage win and maintain their overall lead.

“The pace in Radnor was amazing, really really fast. There were a couple of moments where I think we were a little too quick but fortunately Andrew kept the car on the road,” said Shelley.

“We were pleased with our times on the first three stages, there was a bit of doubt in our minds before the start with the rush to get the car ready but it was great that we were on the pace and ahead of our championship rivals.”

The Gwibedog and Halfway stages followed, with Burton and Rogerson taking first and fourth fastest times respectively to take a lead of 32 seconds over Jon Ingram’s Subaru Impreza WRC into the final two stages of the event.

Stage 6 was a re-run of the Esgair Daffyd stage and there was a bit of a panic on the startline of the stage when the car was engulfed in smoke from the engine. Unsure if the engine was going to last the crew carried on regardless managing 8th fastest time.

With the engine still smoking Burton and Rogerson headed for the final Crychan stage, they got through the stage and set second fastest time, arriving at the event finish 25 seconds ahead of Ingram.

“We thought our event was going to be over in Esgair Daffyd, the engine was smoking really badly and it looked like it wouldn’t last the stage. We were relieved to get through both that stage and the last one,” Shelley said.

“After our retirement on the last event it is great to get a good result. Andrew drove brilliantly as usual and the stages were fantastic. I’d like to thank Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Alan Cookson from Gilletts Spar, Nicky Grist and Songasport for their support.”

Shelley now lies second in the MSA Gravel Rally championship and is planning to contest the next round, the Swansea Bay rally in July, with Burton.


27.05.08 Shelley hopes for Severn Valley start

Bentham's Shelley Rogerson, 22, is hoping to resume her MSA Gravel Rally championship campaign next weekend (31st May) on the Severn Valley Stages rally.

Shelley has entered the event with Andrew Burton, from Kington, in his Peugeot 306 Cosworth but the decision to compete will be left to the last minute as the car is still being repaired following severe engine damage suffered on the pairings previous outing on the Somerset Stages. Crankshaft failure on this event saw Burton and Rogerson retire while leading, the cars first mechanical retirement since November 2006.

"Andrew has now obtained all the parts required for the engine and work is progressing on the rebuild. It's looking more positive than a couple of weeks ago but it's still touch and go whether we'll make the start line," said Shelley.

"It's vital for our championship hopes that we get a good points score on this event. We missed the last round of the championship and had a disappointing result on the round before that so we really need to do well. Ideally we'd like to repeat the victory we had on last years event but that's going to be tough as there are some fast crews entered. I'd like to thank Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, Alan Cookson from Gilletts Spar, Nicky Grist, AMG TV and Songasport for their support."

The Severn Valley Stages is the fourth round of the MSA Gravel Rally championship and it is based in Builth Wells. The rally consists of 65 miles of forest tracks in the Crychan and Epynt area. Shelley currently lies fifth in the championship.

For more information please visit www.shelleyrally.com.


27.04.08 Somerset victory hopes dashed for Shelley

Bentham’s Shelley Rogerson, 22, suffered her first rally retirement since September 2006 when a broken crankshaft denied a chance of taking victory on last Saturday’s Somerset Stages rally.

Shelley was partnering Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth and their rally got off to a brilliant start when they set the fastest time on the opening three mile Broadwood stage. Two more forest stages followed with Burton and Rogerson once again setting the fastest time, taking a lead of eight seconds over second placed Damian Cole at the first service halt of the event.

The next two stages used the tarmac of the Porlock Hill toll road. With the car more suited to forest gravel tracks Burton and Rogerson took 6th and 5th times on these stages, their lead over Cole being cut to just two seconds.

“The opening stages went well, the times at the top of the leaderboard were very close but we were happy to have stayed in the lead after the Porlock stages,” said Shelley.

“We didn’t have any problems other than one big moment when we nearly spun - fortunately Andrew kept his foot down and recovered the car but it was a bit of a scary one!”

Stage 6 saw the rally return to the forests and the Peugeot crew took 2nd fastest time to maintain their lead. Disaster struck on stage 7 though when part way through the stage the engine crankshaft failed resulting in instant retirement.

“The stage was going well but without warning there was a huge bang from the engine and it stopped instantly. That was our rally over. Andrew and I are both extremely disappointed as we had a good chance of taking a victory. I’d like to thank Alan Cookson from Gilletts Spar for sponsoring me on the event and my other sponsors Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist and Songasport for their support, hopefully Andrew and I will be out again soon.”

The Peugeot Cosworth requires extensive repairs after Somerset but if it can be fixed in time then Burton and Rogerson’s next event should be the Severn Valley rally at the end of May.

For more information on Shelley’s rallying please visit www.shelleyrally.com.

20.04.08 Shelley targets Somerset Stages success

Rally co-driver Shelley Rogerson, 22, will head to Minehead next weekend (26th April) to contest the Somerset Stages rally. Shelley, from Bentham, will partner Kington’s Andrew Burton on the event in his Peugeot Cosworth and the pairing are hoping for an improved result after car problems saw them finish a disappointing 10th place on the recent Border Counties rally.

Burton and Rogerson previously contested the Somerset Stages in 2006 when they won the event. The rally is round 4 of the BTRDA championship. Shelley currently lies in 7th place in the championship having not competed on round 3.

"We were both very disappointed with the Border Counties result and we’ll be doing our best to rectify that result in Somerset," said Shelley.

"Andrew has an excellent record on the event and it would be great if we could repeat our 2006 victory and get some points to move up the championship standings."

Shelley welcomes an additional sponsor for the Somerset Stages, Alan Cookson from Gilletts Spar. Alan competes in the MSA Gravel Rally championship in a Subaru Impreza WRC and Gilletts Spar operate Spar convenience stores in the south of England.

"I’m grateful to Alan and Gilletts Spar for helping me on this event and I thank him and my other sponsors Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist and Songasport for their support".

The rally is based in Minehead with a route that uses the forests around the Exmoor National Park. More information on the rally can be found at http://somersetstagesrally.co.uk.

To keep up to date with Shelley’s rallying please visit www.shelleyrally.com.


07.04.08 Engine woes mean Border Counties disappointment for Shelley

Bentham's Shelley Rogerson had a disappointing result on last weekend's second round of the MSA Gravel Rally championship, the Border Counties rally, when engine problems on the final stage of the event dropped her and driver Andrew Burton from second place to tenth.

Burton and Rogerson got their event off to a good start on the opening Wauchope stage, setting a time only 1.5 seconds slower than former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins who was contesting the rally in an MG S2000 Sport.

The Peugeot Cosworth crew went one better on the next stage, Ogre Hill, taking fastest time and moving into the overall lead of the event. Following a service halt there were two stages in Harwood forest and Burton and Rogerson retained their overall lead but Barry Johnson in his Ford Focus WRC was only 2.5 seconds behind.

"The first four stages went well, we had no problems," said Shelley.

"There was a bit of snow in some of the stages but we kept it tidy and were pleased to be in the lead at the second service halt although Barry Johnson was really pushing us so every second was vital".

Burton and Rogerson's lead lasted one more stage, Johnson moving ahead after the sixth stage and with one final test to go they were 2.1 seconds behind in second place. However, with the last stage being nearly 15 miles long the scene was set for a tense finish to the event. Unfortunately for Burton and Rogerson disaster was to strike in the stage, problems with the engine management system meaning that the engine would not rev properly, resulting in a severe loss of performance. The crew lost an estimated two minutes and dropped to tenth place overall.

"We were gutted that we had a problem on the last stage. It would've been very difficult to regain the lead from Barry but it's a shame we didn't get to try," Shelley said.

"We made it to the finish and a few people in front of us were not registered for the championship so we actually took 6th place in championship terms, a few points are better than none! I'd like to thank my sponsors Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist, Songasport and Motorgirls Online for their support."

The points gained means that Shelley currently stands in second place in the MSA Gravel Rally Co-Drivers Championship.

Shelley's next event is likely to be the Somerset Stages where she will once again partner Andrew Burton.


31.03.08 Shelley set for Border Counties battle

Bentham’s Shelley Rogerson will head north next weekend when she contests round 2 of the MSA Gravel Rally championship, the Jedburgh-based Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally.

Shelley, 22, will once again partner Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth. The pairing have had a successful start to 2008 with a win on the Wyedean Forest Rally and second place on the Rallye Sunseeker which was the opening MSA Gravel Rally championship round.

“I’ve not contested the Border Counties before so it will be a new experience for me. Andrew did the event in 2005 and finished 4th so hopefully we can get a decent result and score some more points in the championship,” said Shelley.

“The rally has attracted a good quality entry and I expect it to be very close at the top of the leaderboard. I’d like to thank my sponsors Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist, Songasport and Motorgirlsonline.com for their support.”

The event starts from Jedburgh on Saturday morning and consists of seven stages totalling 60 miles to the north and east of Kielder reservoir.

For more information on the rally please visit www.bordercountiesrally.co.uk.


02.03.08 A Wright good result for Shelley in the Lakes

Co-driver Shelley Rogerson continued her run of rallying success last weekend when she won the ‘Group N’ class and took fifth place overall on the Malcolm Wilson rally with David Wright.

The Bentham pairing, who were using a GPM-prepared Mitsubishi Evo 9, made a cautious start to the Cumbria-based event taking 20th place on the opening Hobcarton stage. As Wright, who had not competed since last years Grizedale Stages, got used to the car their pace increased on the following Comb, Wythop and Greystoke stages with the Evo crew arriving at the first service halt of the event in 12th place overall and 3rd in their class.

“We struggled a bit on the opening stage, the conditions were very slippery so we were quite cautious as we didn’t want to put the car off,” said Shelley.

“The following stages were better, we were on the pace of the leading crews in Group N and happy to get to service in third place in our class.”

The rally moved on to Grizedale for two stages on the tricky gravel forest tracks. Wright and Rogerson set an excellent third fastest time on both of the stages, beating several World Rally Cars in the process and jumping up the leaderboard to sixth overall and first in class.

The final stage of the rally saw the crews return to Greystoke forest and, despite a small spin, Wright and Rogerson maintained their class lead and moved up to fifth place overall.

“I am delighted with the result, Dave and I got second in class on the event last year so it’s brilliant to go one better this year,” commented Shelley.

“Dave drove really well, especially in Grizedale where we were only beaten by the two leading World Rally Cars. I’d like to say thanks to my sponsors Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, Nicky Grist, AMG TV and Songasport for their continued support.”

The result leaves Shelley in second place in the BTRDA Gold Star Co-driver Championship behind Yeovil’s Nick Broom.

Shelley’s next planned event is the Jedburgh-based Border Counties rally in April which she hopes to contest with Andrew Burton.


24.02.08: Shelley secures Sunseeker second place

Bentham’s Shelley Rogerson had a successful Rallye Sunseeker last weekend when she partnered Andrew Burton to second place in the opening round of the MSA Gravel Rally championship.

The rally started on Friday night with two runs of a short stage in Bournemouth town centre which was lined with thousands of spectators. The Peugeot Cosworth of Burton and Rogerson emerged from the two stages in sixth place.

Saturday saw the rally move to the forests around Ringwood and Wareham. The opening loop of the day consisted of four stages, including the popular stage around the grounds of Somerley House. Burton and Rogerson set consistently fast times, moving up to second overall behind the Hyundai Accent WRC of Poole’s Marcus Dodd.

“The Friday night stage didn't really suit the car so we were pleased just to get through,” said Shelley.

“Our only problem on the opening stages on Saturday was that we were hitting the rev limiter in top gear on the straights so we lost a bit of time there, an extra gear would’ve been useful!”.

After a service halt the rally headed west for four stages near Wareham. Burton and Rogerson maintained their second place with a series of good times, including being fastest on one stage.

The event concluded with three more stages in Ringwood and Somerley, the Peugeot Cosworth crew ending up 43 seconds behind Dodd in second place.

“Realistically beating Marcus on his local event was always going to be very difficult so we’re delighted to get second place,” commented Shelley.

“We had problems with the manifold on the last two stages but fortunately the car got to the finish. It’s a good start to the championship. I’d like to thank my sponsors Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist and Songasport and also friends Gary, Tim and Jason for their support.”

Shelley will be out on the stages again next weekend when she contests the Malcolm Wilson Rally with David Wright in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. The rally takes place on the gravel tracks of Whinlatter, Greystoke and Grizedale forests in the Lake District. More information on the rally is available at www.malcolmwilson.co.uk.


18.02.08: Shelley seeks Sunseeker success

Bentham's Shelley Rogerson will contest her second rally of 2008 when she heads to Bournemouth on Friday (22nd February) to compete on the Rallye Sunseeker. The rally is the opening round of the MSA Gravel Rally championship.

Shelley, 22, will be partnering Kington's Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth. After taking victory on the Wyedean Forest Rally recently the pairing are hoping for another good result on the Sunseeker although with several top crews in World Rally Cars also contesting the event the competition will be tough.

"It's going to be hard to repeat our Wyedean victory, we know from last year how close the competition can be in the Gravel Rally championship," said Shelley.

"We'll do our best to be on the pace though and hopefully get a good haul of points to kick-off the championship. I'd like to thank my sponsors Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist and Songasport and my friends Gary, Tim and Jason for their support."

The rally starts on Friday night with a short stage in Bournemouth town centre. The bulk of the competitive mileage is on Saturday with 70 miles of gravel tracks in Wareham and Ringwood forests and the grounds of Somerley Park. More information on the event can be found at www.rallyesunseeker.co.uk


10.02.08: Wyedean Delight for Shelley

Bentham’s Shelley Rogerson opened her 2008 rallying season last Saturday (9th February) taking a brilliant victory with Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth.

Over 150 cars started the Chepstow-based event which took place mainly in the Forest of Dean. Burton and Rogerson were immediately on the pace, setting the quickest time on the opening 5.6 mile Chepstow Park stage with Nik Elsmore and Daniel Barry in second and third places respectively.

The second stage of the rally, Serridge, saw the Peugeot Cosworth lose some time with a small excursion off the road. Despite the off Burton and Rogerson still set second fastest time on the stage.

“The opening stage was very muddy and slippery but Andrew drove well and we were pleased to set the fastest time,” said Shelley. “We were lucky on the second stage, we overshot a corner and went off the track. Fortunately we were able to reverse back onto the road with no damage to the car.”

The twisty Sallowvallets stage was next, Burton and Rogerson stopping the clock with a time 3 seconds slower than Elsmore, who now led the event from the Peugeot Cosworth crew with the World Rally Cars of Hugh Hunter and Will Nicholls in third and fourth.

A short stage at Chepstow racecourse saw Burton and Rogerson regain the lead by a second as the crews headed to the main service halt of the event.

Following service there were three more stages in the Forest of Dean, the first of which, Speech House resulted in the Peugeot Cosworth crew extending their lead, beating the Mitsubishi of Elsmore by 21 seconds. Two more fastest times followed, Burton and Rogerson arriving at the rally finish with a lead of 41 seconds.

“With Nik only one second behind us we really pushed in Speech House and, although we had some problems with the brakes near the end of the stage, we managed to pull out a good lead,” Shelley said. “We kept the pace up on the last two stages and extended our lead further. I’m delighted with the result, it’s a brilliant way to start my season. I’d like to thank Co-ordSport, Nicky Grist, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Songasport and friends Gary, Tim and Jason for their support and Andrew for asking me to co-drive for him.”

Burton and Rogerson’s next event will be the Bournemouth-based Rallye Sunseeker at the end of the month.

04.02.08: Shelley set for Wyedean season opener

Rally co-driver Shelley Rogerson, 22, will kick off her 2008 rally season next weekend (9th February) when she contests the Wyedean Forest Rally with Andrew Burton.

After a successful 2007, which saw her take three overall victories, Bentham-based Shelley is aiming for a good result on the event in Burton’s Peugeot Cosworth, although they will face tough competition with a high number of World Rally Cars taking part in the event. The pairing previously contested the event in 2006 when gearbox gremlins halted their rally early.

“Last time we did the Wyedean it was very disappointing to retire not far into the rally, hopefully we can build on the results we achieved in 2007 and get a good finish to start the year well. It will be great to be out in the Peugeot Cosworth once more, I’m grateful to Andrew for asking me to sit with him again and also my sponsors, Co-ordSport, Nicky Grist, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Songasport and friends Gary, Tim and Jason for their support. ”

The Wyedean Forest Rally is the first round of the BTRDA championship and takes place mainly in the Forest of Dean with around 45 miles of gravel stages. Over 150 crews are expected to start the event, which is based at Chepstow racecourse. More information on the rally can be found at www.wyedeanrally.co.uk.

Shelley is hoping to contest most rounds of the MSA Gravel championship in 2008 with Burton, starting with the Sunseeker Rally at the end of February.

For all the latest news and photos please visit www.shelleyrally.com.

09.12.07: Fifth for Shelley in snowy Grizedale

Bentham-based Shelley Rogerson completed her 2007 rally season last weekend (8th December) when she contested the Coppermines Grizedale Stages rally with David Wright.

The rally, which took place over 41 miles of forest tracks, started from Coniston with the crews heading to the north of Grizedale forest for the opening stage of the event. Wright and Rogerson, who were doing the event in a GPM-prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, completed the stage in third place overall and first in class, 25 seconds ahead of their nearest class competitor.

Heavy rain made stage 2, in the south of Grizedale forest, very slippery but the Evo crew had no problems, maintaining their third place and extending their class lead to 42 seconds.

The rain had turned to snow as the crews tackled the shorter stages 3 and 4, the forest tracks becoming treacherous in places but Wright and Rogerson kept the Evo on the road to return to service still in third place overall and first in class.

Stage 5 was a repeat of stage 1 although snow and a cut-up road surface meant that the times were much slower second time around. Wright and Rogerson had a trouble free run through the stage but the times showed the crew who had been second in class were almost a minute faster so Wright and Rogerson headed into the last stage in fourth overall and second in class.

Despite posting a quicker time than the world rally car of event winner David Bogie on the last stage Wright and Rogerson were passed on the overall leaderboard by Steve Petch in his Hyundai Accent WRC, ending the event in fifth place and second in class.

“I’m pleased we got a finish but it’s disappointing that we didn’t make it into the top 3. We had a trouble free run with no car problems at all so we’re a bit baffled how we lost nearly a minute to our nearest class rival in stage 5! However, it’s been a great year for me, I’ve finished all the events I’ve done and I’ve been in the top 5 on every event which I’m delighted with,” said Shelley. “I’d like to thank Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, Nicky Grist Motorsports and Songasport for their support this year and I hope 2008 will be as successful and enjoyable as 2007 has been.”

Shelley is now planning her programme for 2008 and is hoping to contest the ANCRO championship together with selected BTRDA rounds. A couple of Irish Tarmac Championship rounds are also a possibility if sufficient funding can be found.

Please visit www.shelleyrally.com to keep up to date with Shelley’s rallying.