A RHUDDLAN rally driver is hoping to make it third time lucky in this weekend’s Cambrian Rally.
Luke Francis, 21, of Rhuddlan, will be accompanied by his Colwyn Bay based co-driver, John Roberts, on his third crack at the Llandudno based event this weekend.
Francis has been contesting the BTRDA rally series throughout Britain this year and is keen to put in a good performance on his home patch.
He currently sits in the top 10 of the Gold Star Championship and fifth in the Production Cup despite two non-finishes through mechanical failures early in then season.
The crew will be competing in the Bob Francis Crane Hire sponsored Mitsubishi Evo IX, the car having been rebuilt following a big crash on the Coracle Stages in August.
Francis said: “The car is running well. I had a good result on the Woodpecker Stages last month so my confidence is coming back and I’ll be looking for a class win in Group N on the Cambrian.
“I had a seventh place overall and third in class last year so there is something solid to build on.”
“Although I feel quite at home on the Clocaenog stages, I will be looking at the pre-event DVD this week and getting a feel for the particular layout of the stages that the organisers have chosen this year.
"Penmachno can be quite challenging and any mistakes are severely punished as there is no room to run wide so it’s usually a big crash if you get it wrong there.”
The family has a long tradition of clubman rallying and Luke will be following in his father Mark’s and grandfather Bob’s footsteps in competing on this event.
Francis said: “Rallying has played a big part in our family life and this year it’s been a big step-up competing in the BTRDA series.
I’ll be doing that series again next year and with the experience I’ve gained this year, will be looking to push harder.”
You can follow Luke’s progress through his website www.lukerallying.co.uk