Day 1 and Stuart began stage 1 cautiously due to the damp weather. However Stuart has always been an expert driver in wet conditions and managed to push himself so that he was laying 12th overall. With the weather continuously improving the team decided to switch to a harder compound tyre for stage 2 to allow Stuart to push a little harder.

By stage 3 the darkness was closing in allowing Stuart to take advantage of his PIAA lamp pod. Unfortunately the stage was not ready on time and the delay in starting meant more rain had drifted in. With Stuart still on the dry tyres the stage proved very slippery and proved a tough challenge. Stage 4 was then cancelled due to an accident.

More rain fell through the night resulting in an extremely wet start to day 2 and stage 5. Stuart continued to demonstrate his ability to drive in adverse weather conditions throughout stage 5 and 6 pushing up to 1st in class and 5th overall. The weekend was not going to be that easy though and yet again a change in surface conditions resulted in another alteration of tyres to harder slicks for stages 7, 8 and 9. At the end of stage 9 Stuart was now still 1st in class, 5th overall and about to head into the final stage of the rally as night was drawing in.

With the PIAA light pod back on Stuart headed out to the final stage aiming to conserve his position of 1st in class. This he did, also coming in 6th overall, a triumph on Stuart’s pre-rally analysis but disappointing for Stuart to lose out on 5th by a mere 2 seconds. A fantastic weekend for Stuart, his co-driver Richard Marsh and all involved in the rally team to complete an outstanding rally season where Stuart has gone from strength to strength.

Stuart would like to thank Piaa UK for their continuing support, as well as his other sponsors; DMRR, Permashine, Steve Harkness Tyres, Proflex UK, Performance Friction Brakes, Bliss Mobility, J n K Aquatics, BETTA and South West Karting. Stuart would also like to thank his co-driver Richard Marsh and his service crew for their hard work and support during the Rally.

Stage one began and Stuart started very quick from the off, having made the correct tyre choice and working well with his crew until out of the blue the car went into limp mode and the engine light came on causing a loss of about 25 seconds. However, not knowing what the problem was Stuart and his service crew were unable to fix the problem leading to it occurring again in stage two, despite the car feeling good overall.

Stage three was longer allowing the Honda Civic to open up and let the power roar. Stuart's driving and control was superb resulting in a very quick time for the stage. Back in the service area though Stuart felt the car still had more to give and the front of the car was raised to aid with under steer. This minor alteration paid off as Stuart managed an even better time through stage four, despite his co-driver thinking that it wasn't even possible to go any quicker.

With day one finished the team retired for the night to be woken up to the sound of rain. With completely different conditions to the previous day changes were needed to the car setup ready for stage five. Stage five was another with long straights, helping Stuart to pull back some time on other cars after the initial problems on the first two stages. Stage six was not quite as successful as by now the rain had stopped but the stage was still wet, causing all teams to have to make some tricky decisions.

By stage seven the stage had dried even more leading to even more tactical decisions. This time however Stuart made the right call and as well as his pace being back, so was his confidence. Completely dry for stage eight Stuart was getting quicker and quicker with his regained confidence. This continued through stage nine where Stuart knew he was gaining positions due to his phenomenal speed. Continuing into the final stage, stage ten, Stuart was continuing to gain on fellow competitors and fly through the course.

Crossing the line Stuart finished a record 3rd overall, meaning he had a whopping 57 cars finish behind him. 3rd overall sealed 1st in class for him and made this Stuart's most successful rally to date.

Stuart would like to thank Piaa UK for their continuing support, as well as his other sponsors; Proflex UK, Performance Friction Brakes, Cobra Seats, DMMR, Bliss Mobility, J n K Aquatics, BETTA and South West Karting. Stuart would also like to thank his co-driver Richard Marsh and his service crew for their hard work and support during the Rally.

Seeded 82nd out of 150 cars the first stage began. Stuart tried to get to grips with the stage and weather conditions, however being such a short stage this task proved very difficult. With his new kumho tyres and performance friction brakes Stuart was confident that the rally would go well. Stage two was thankfully longer giving Stuart time to get use to the car settings. Fortunately the stage wasn't as rutted as expected allowing Stuart to set a good time for the stage and set himself up for the rest of the day.

Stages three and four were again veering on the shorter side in length. Some careful negotiation of awkwardly placed hay bales allowed Stuart to continue on the pace while getting use to the forest scenery. Stage five saw Stuart get even quicker as he got to grips with the car and gravel even more and co-driver Richard became familiar with the stage notes.

After a short service and a fresh downpour of rain stages six and seven began. With the stage being expectedly slippery Stuart edged on the side of caution. Which meant their time was not as fast as they had felt possible. Stage eight was the longest of the rally and complete gravel. Stuart was getting quicker and quicker to make up for the lost time on the previous stage.

The rally was completed with another short stage and within what felt like about three corners all was over. Given the large entry of 150 cars Stuart's overall position of 60th was an achievement to be proud of, also finishing 4th in class.

Stuart would like to thank Piaa UK for their continuing support, as well as his other sponsors; Proflex UK, Performance Friction Brakes, Cobra Seats, DMMR, Bliss Mobility, J n K Aquatics, BETTA and South West Karting. Stuart would also like to thank his co-driver Richard Marsh and his service crew for their hard work and support during the Rally.

The car began well through the 1st stage and Stuart was set to collect a good time until another car rolled causing the stage to be abandoned and Stuart to be handed a disappointing nominal time. With time now to make up Stuart began pushing hard through stage two. The fluid in the brakes began to cause problems, and with trying to avoid the pot holes in the back section Stuart did well to finish the stage with a respectable time.

Back in the pits Stuart's service crew worked hard to alter the car and change the brake fluid ready for stage three. The changes paid off as Stuart was flying through stage three until he hit a huge bump in the road unsettling the car. Due to his experience and expert driving Stuart managed to control the car and thankfully no time was lost. Stuart was now growing in confidence as he headed into stage four but remained cautious as he knew Caerwent could bite!

Sections of the stage were getting familiar now in stage five and the whole team were working well together. Knowing from past experience Stuart was watching out for the kerbs and due to the weather getting hotter and hotter the service crew altered the tyres. The car was getting quicker and quicker. Stuart was now upping his game into stage six and setting times for others to follow.

Heading into the final stage Stuart was already leading his class by over 20 seconds so took the decision to remain cautious throughout the stage and finally crossed the line an impressive 1st in class and 23rd overall. This is the second class victory out of only two rallies so far this year. Stuart and his team are now looking to make it 3 out of 3 when he heads to the Somerset stages rally later in the month.

Stuart would like to thank Piaa UK for their continuing support, as well as his other sponsors; Proflex UK, Performance Friction Brakes, Cobra Seats, Bliss Mobility, J n K Aquatics, CPL Racing, BETTA, South West Karting. Stuart would also like to thank his co-driver Richard Marsh and his service crew for their hard work and support during the Rally.

Stuart had spent the latter months of 2008 building his new rally car and it was time to put it to the test. Now racing a Honda Civic Type R, 1600cc,16 valve, Stuart was joined by his familiar service crew and co-driver (Richard Marsh). The weather was cold and dry approaching Brean, and with Stuart rallying his Honda for the first time he knew he would have to take the first few stages steady.

Seeded a reputable 25th out of 87 entries the rally began. The first few stages went well with few mistakes but despite his respectable times Stuart knew the car had more to give. The suspension was stiffened and ride height adjusted to help the car's turning. With these alterations and Stuart's increasing confidence with the car his times began to get quicker.

By stage 8 Stuart was running 3rd in class but wanted to do better still. Pushing hard throughout the stage he managed to climb to 2nd with only 6 seconds between himself and 1st. Back in the pits the service crew cut some of the bumper away in the hope that allowing more air to the brakes would allow them to cool quicker and give Stuart the extra few seconds he needed.

It worked! By stage 12 Stuart had taken the class lead and started to pull away. After spending the last few stages climbing up the overall positioning Stuart finished the rally an impressive 1st in class and 10th overall. It was a triumphant day for Stuart, to achieve such success and doing so during his first rally in a new car was even more impressive.

Stuart would like to thank Piaa UK for their continuing support, as well as his other sponsors; Proflex UK, Performance Friction Brakes, Cobra Seats, Bliss Mobility, J n K Aquatics, CPL Racing, BETTA, South West Karting. Stuart would also like to thank his co-driver Richard Marsh and his service crew for their hard work and support during the Rally.