Steve and Yvonne Furzeland say they are “over the moon” to have stormed to a fourth victory at the 2016 Brean Rally in their Subura Impreza World Rally Car, watched by large crowds of spectators.
99 teams from across the UK took part in the two-day rally, which was held for a 20th year at Brean Leisure Park.
There was plenty of drama for the spectators, with 26 cars failing to finish the 12 gruelling stages.
Mark Harris and Darren Matthews crashed into a ditch in their Ford Escort Mk2, and the same fate met Gary Parker and Kevin Moyses in their Peugeot 205 Gti but no-one was hurt besides a few bruised egos.
Champions Steve and Yvonne Furzeland won by a margin of one minute and eight seconds ahead of second-placed Ian Godney / Christopher Gifford in another Subura Impreza.
Speaking to Burnham-On-Sea.com, Steve said: “This is our fourth win here at Brean and our third win in a row. It means a lot to me – I thought we stood a good chance, but you never know until the last stage.”
“It’s great to win again, especially in my 65th year. We drove well, despite the conditions being treacherous out there after the rain. It was just a matter of keeping a level head and smooth driving.”
He added that the Brean Rally is one of his favourite events. “It’s a challenging course here in Brean, I love it. You have everything thrown in, from bumps and junctions to sharp bends, and that makes a big difference.”
His winning car has plenty of history behind it, having previously being owned by world rally champion Petter Solberg. “I have owned it for four years and it did the business again today – there’s a lot of preparation behind the scenes before events like this.”
He added that he was “absolutely over the moon to have won again – it means a lot to us, we’re really pleased.”
Rally organiser Rod McKenna told Burnham-On-Sea.com the event had gone really well and he thanked the spectators, marshalls, teams and sponsors for making the 20th event another “great success.”
The rally, promoted by locally based Club Rallysport West, is the opening round of 3 major regional rally championships, the Association of South Western Motor Clubs, Association West Midlands Motor Clubs Heart of England and the Cotswold Motor Sport Group.
Held entirely within the confines of the Brean Leisure Park, the event attracted a capacity entry of 99 teams. They tackled the 12 special stages over two days around the caravan park.
The rally again attracted a wide range of cars, from World Rally Cars to the ever popular Ford Escorts, Vauxhalls and Peugeots.
Organiser Rod McKenna with champions Steve and Yvonne Furzeland plus Paul Gavins and Steve Caldwell from Weston College, who support the event.
Cars of all makes took part in the two-day rally, entertaining the crowds who were based in a grandstand overlooking the course.
