Fun (but very wet!) day out at Dyfnant today.

Thierry Neuville rolled his Hyundai right in front of me!! Both driver and codriver unharmed, and I have to say the Hyundai i20 looked far better after hitting the pile of logs....

Pootled over to Oswestry to watch them refuel - was followed down the B4396 from Lake Bala by Sebastien Ogier in his VW......given it was a VW I suspect he wasn't getting the fuel economy he was expecting......

All in all a good day!!

Warming up now in front of an open fire....

My alarm clock set for 02.15 am to be up and away to SS16/19 Brenig (along the tracks at the side of the reservoir) to do duty as an MSA safety radio operator.
Hope the predicted rain is not as bad as forecast but I am sure the FL2 will cope.

Bill Life Honorary Member of Wallasey Motor Club.
Licenced MSA Radio Operator for 35+ years.
Rallying is the only sport.

The rain was as bad as predicted HORIZONTAL from 05.00 hours when we arrived and still the same at 16.30 when we left with all the marshals looking like drowned rats.
Fortunately the LR2 was nice and warm for me as the radio op but used a lot of fuel keeping it this way and using wipers and heated screens.
No aerial pictures on WRC TV as the helicopter was grounded.
Will not be going again next year as it was very predictable and VW had it won by half way through the second day.
Wonder if that was something to do with emissions?

Bill Life Honorary Member of Wallasey Motor Club.
Licenced MSA Radio Operator for 35+ years.
Rallying is the only sport.

I'm in Dyfnant most days and I don't like being there when it's windy. Those trees have very short roots and once one goes down there is a domino effect!
One WRC car managed to hit the traffic lights in our nearby village. I wouldn't be surprised if later he got a DNF
Anyway, it was very wet so the camera stopped at home.
I'm amazed those pile of logs that choccy mentioned hadn't been removed, rather dangerous. Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

Not my video, but I was standing along side this chap.

If you look VERY closely, Dexter (my FL2!!) is faintly visible parked up on the side of the hill in the distance. (It's an orange blob!!)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj3jzjsU7xo

The Dyfnant stage was within 2 minutes of being cancelled due to the depth of water in the ford on the access road leading to the stage start.
Précis of the words of the Organisers in the Motorsport News magazine
"The organisers placed an Official with a satellite phone at the ford, and were monitoring the depth of the water which during Saturday was rising approx 6 inches per hour and the first competitors were held at the refuel stop for 2 minutes whist a decision was made whether to reroute the crews. But finally the rain eased and with the water level at 15 inches the decision was made to go."

Neuville perhaps should have prayed for more rain.

Bill Life Honorary Member of Wallasey Motor Club.
Licenced MSA Radio Operator for 35+ years.
Rallying is the only sport.

At this point He realised he was sitting in the wrong place

Click image to enlarge

The Brenig stage was also close to being cancelled as on the Saturday evening a spectator who was pitching his tent for an overnight stay before the Sunday stages discovered a human skeleton.
The Police were at first going to close the area as a crime scene but on discovering the age of the remains settled for an exclusion zone round the incident.

Bill Life Honorary Member of Wallasey Motor Club.
Licenced MSA Radio Operator for 35+ years.
Rallying is the only sport.