Newbury rally driver comes out on top in championship

The tough, three-day event is the British round of the international World Rally Championship and this year took place in the forests of north Wales.
Ollie Marriage, motoring editor for Top Gear magazine, was driving a specially prepared Hyundai i20 that he’d built in partnership with 586 Sports, a team based in Brackley, Northants.
“Our plan, which we’ve been documenting in the magazine over the course of this year, was to take a completely standard road car and gradually modify it

and do more competitive events, with the end target being to compete at Wales Rally GB – the pinnacle of rally motorsport in the UK. I never thought we stood a chance of winning though”, he told the Newbury Weekly News.
Mr Marriage, together with his co-driver Jack Morton, was victorious in the B2 Class, for two wheel drive cars with 1.6-litre engines.
“There were 12 cars in our class, including one driven by England cricket star Graeme Swann, and with most drivers being far more experienced, we never gave ourselves much of a chance especially not after we’d had a crash on the first day, which tore the sump guard off the bottom of the car.
He added: “Luckily we managed to get it fixed overnight and fought our way from sixth up to second on day two. Our final stroke of luck came when the car leading our class retired with mechanical problems with only one stage remaining.”
With the forest stages in poor condition due largely to the weather, making it to the finish was an achievement that only 120 of the 158 starters could claim. “We didn’t know we’d won our class until we drove out of the last stage and got the good news in a text message!” said Ollie, “but being able to drive up the finish ramp in Llandudno and pick up the trophy was such a good feeling. I’ve got a smile plastered across my face that just won’t go away”.

Photographs courtesy of Top Gear Magazine