Completing 350 stage miles over five days on the Roger Albert Clark Rally, starting in Carmarthen and finishing in Carlisle (23-27 November), F1 analyst Tony Jardine and co-driver Allan Harryman finished 66th overall in their 1973 Chrysler Avenger out of 160 starters and 103 finishers.
All the top rally stars competing in the event had to retire, as the stages proved to be the most gruelling on the UK rally scene, with Kielder Forest in Northumberland renowned for being a graveyard for rally cars. Oliver Solberg, Kris Meeke, Chris Ingram, Osian Pryce, Seb Perez and Top Gear’s Chris Harris failed to make the finish in Carlisle on Monday evening.
The TradOak Rally Team had numerous challenges along the way with engine issues on the first day, clutch failure on day two, an incident meaning Jardine and Harryman had to be dug out of a ditch late on Sunday, then a puncture on the early stages of the last leg of the event.
With the backing of two eco-conscious sponsors, Traditional Oak and Timber Company, who rescue, treat and recycle old oak beams, and Coryton who produce sustainable, bespoke fuels, Jardine gave Coryton’s SUSTAIN Classic fuel the ultimate test across the forests of England, Scotland and Wales.
In total, the TradOak Rally Team has saved over 1,640 kilograms in CO2 emissions with Coryton-developed sustainable fuel supplied not just for the rally car, but also for all of the team’s diesel support vehicles including the PB Engineering chase car – an outfit led by ex M-Sport engineer Phil Bradshaw.
Despite the early technical issues, the crew of Tony Jardine and professional co-driver Allan Harryman managed five top three 1600cc class stage times, an indication of what might have been for the PB Engineering run team.
Tony Jardine commented, “We are really proud of what we have achieved in terms of environmentally responsible motorsport and hope that others may follow suit, this is the way forward. A big thank you to SUSTAIN fuels and the Traditional Oak and Timber Company for their support and environmental awareness.
Thank you to PB Engineering and the inspiration and guidance of Allan Harryman who pushed me on to achieve top three class times, most of them in the dark! Without Pirelli we wouldn’t have achieved such a good finish, their tyres have been extraordinarily good.
I now look forward to the next round of the world historic endurance ‘Triple Crown’ when I go to New Zealand for the Silver Fern Rally in November 2024, then the Roger Albert Clark Rally in 2025!”
