Young gun Peter King, with the experienced co-driver Paul Bailey in the left hand seat, were disappointed with their seeding staring as car 28 in last weekend’s Rally New England.
Peter was heard to say that he would “let the results” speak for themselves as he took to the first stage Glen Legh 1. At the end of the stage Peter was feeling confident in the way the Honda was performing as he had finished the stage 17th outright and first FWD.
Mark Beard/ Jim Gleeson equal 25 in the Subaru RS. Mark commented that all he needed was another 40 Horsepower or a seven speed gearbox to make an impression on the 4WD turbos.
Mt Slow 1 was another great stage for the King/Bailey team with Peter again moving up the field with an 11 outright on stage and again taking the FWD honours. Beard/Gleeson continued with a strong performance improving their stage time.
There was no holding Peter back as they headed to Stage 3, a repeat of Glen Legh 1. With Paul calling the corners Peter improved 20seconds over the stage finishing 6 outright on stage. The Beard/Gleeson crew improved 11 sec over the first run moving the crew up ten places from their starting position.
Stage 4 Mt Slow 2 was another big jump forward for the King/Bailey Honda improving their time by 26 sec over the stage. At the half way point the crew were sitting 7th outright with many teams wondering what they were doing. This was Peter/Paul best result since Peter starting competing 2 years ago. Mark/Jim were sitting 20th outright.
After the service break the crews headed out to the last 4 stages with both Yahna and Glen Elgin being repeated, it was going to be interesting to see if King/Bailey crew would make an impression on the top 4WD crews.
Yahna 1 saw the King/Bailey crew slow a little with the Honda losing 5th gear. This saw the crew drop to 13 on stage but still sitting in the top ten.
Glen Elgin 1 was a good return for the King/Bailey crew moving up the leader board with a 7th outright on stage, learning to drive the Honda with one gear gone missing. The last two stages were a repeat of Yahna & Glen Elgin. Peter just wanted to finish the rally and nursed the Honda, ending a fantastic equal 8th outright and finishing 1st FWD and ahead of all the RWD and Pocket Rockets.
The Beard/Gleeson crew bought the Subaru RS home in 17th outright.
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