2nd @ Round 1 UK Rally Championship

Stan Watt of Front Row GB took a good second place at the first round of the UK Rally Championship.

Stan was on his usual KTM690R for the fairly relaxed event, known as the Tarenig Rally, organised by the Hafren MCC. It's been two years since the event took place and this year attracted an strong entry of 245 riders.

The event was a new configuration for Stan with a 35 mile lap on fast forestry trails with 3 short special tests on each lap, semi-designed around the more enduro type going, with the fast riders around the 5 minute mark on each test.

The Tarenig Rally was to be a testing ground for continuous development of the KTM690R and its ability to be a competitive long distance rally machine, capable of undertaking such events as extreme as the Dakar Rally. With this in mind, Stan used the whole 35 mile lap as a special test pushing on, during the liaison sections as well as the short special tests. This allowed the KTM690R to open up into the suspicious stability area around 110mph

Every lap allowed the Team to change suspension and at one point tyres, in order to assess the way ahead in these two particular fields of development.

Although threatening, luckily, the weather stayed dry for the duration and after 105 miles, Stan finished a mere 53 seconds behind Craig Bounds and Patsy Quick took the ladies with her first run out on the KTM690R as part of a number of riders from Desert Rose Racing.

A good event and thanks must go out to the Jones family and the Hafren MCC for putting a relaxed and friendly rally.

Thanks to Rob Sartin of Talon Engineering for some last minute parts, Derrick Edmondson for a helping hand even though still injured from the Red Marley Hill Climb plus Ivan and Kane for the hands on help.

The next few weeks should see the finished 690R Rally developed by Edmondson Racing and Front Row GB, so keep an eye out for what could be the Rally bike for majority.

FRGB will be out on the 690R on 23rd May at Reading MCC and 3rd June at the 2nd round of the UK Rally Championship; The Ryedale Rally.

FRGB