August 2008 Centenary Year - Plymouth Motor Club

ewcombe's rally season gets back on track inWales.Rally Driver : Martin ewcombe : RPM Evo ChallengeMedia Award Winner 20042008 South West Rally Championship & ational Rallycontender_____________________________________________________________________Plymouth Motor Club rally driver Martin Newcombe is off to theSwansea Bay National B Rally next weekend (19 July) to get his rallyseason back on track. Early season woes saw an early exit from theSunseeker Rally in Bournemouth due to engine overheating problems.Although he was on the pace and heading for a podium finish on theCaerwent Rally, similar problems denied him third overall and a classwin. However, he did bring his Mitsubishi Evo 6 home to second inclass and thirteenth overall following a spirited fight back after droppingto 70th at one point."Everything seemed to go wrong that day"; Said Martin. "We pushedthe car over finish line to complete the event. It was a miracle becausethe clutch had packed up, the gearbox was making an horrendousnoise, and the engine and turbo had both cooked in the melee to get tothe finish." He added.After a couple of months of hard work Martin and his co driver fatherPeter have rebuilt the engine, changed the gearbox and repaired theclutch. Martin further added; "The car is now ready, it is stronger andmore powerful and we have the potential to compete favourably in theopen group A class which includes the very expensive world rallycars.The Swansea Bay Rally is a qualifying round of the Southwest RallyChampionship along with five other regional championships. Martinand his Dad will be racing with over 100 competitors at speeds of 120mph along gravel tracks in the forests of South Wales. Starting at oneminute intervals the event will include 5 special stages over 44 competitivemiles linked by 90 road miles.August 2008 www.plymouthmotorclub.co.uk Page 17