Hodges loves a good Fiesta

4:41pm Wednesday 3rd October 2001

A father and son rally driving team are set for a

superb podium finish in their first season.

Paul and Simon Hodges are members of Bexley Light Car Club and only started rallying in October last year.

They are privateer racers in the Association of Central and Southern Motor Clubs' Championship and are currently second in their class.

The dynamic duo have been fortunae to secure an excellent mechanical team behind them in the form John Price Rallying. He is a vastly experienced rally driver, who finished 11th in last year's British Champ-ionships.

Paul said: “Neither of us had competed in rallying before, although I went through the Brands Hatch Racing School back in 1980. I then competed in production saloons for a season at Brands Hatch, gaining one first and two third places.

“John and his son Stephen prepare and service the car at each event. John is currently seeded 13 in the top 100 rally drivers in the UK having won one of the top British titles, the Safety Devices Rally Championship, nine times. So we are lucky to have his servcies”

John explains how Paul got involved in the sport. He said: “I serviced Paul's Renault 5 turbo and he came along as a spectator at a rally I was involved with in New Brighton, Liverpool, in July last year. Paul gave his Renault a trial on the track and loved the idea.

“He bought a Fiesta and we fixed up the engine for him and he entered a rally. He finished 25th, but won the novice award. He enjoys rallying, especially as he's done it late in life and we enjoy working with him.”

There are three rounds of the championship remaining and Paul and Simon are virtually guaranteed a podium finish. This is a fine achievement as most of the other competitors have been rallying for many years, while there are around 20 cars in his two-litre class.

Paul added: “We have consistently finished in the top 20 from an entry field of 60 to 80 competitors at each rally.

“Our best result was early last month at Longcross, affectionately called the Spotted Dick and Custard Stages Rally, organised by the Sevenoaks and District Motor Club, where we came eighth overall and fourth in class from 60 entries.”

The pair drive a Ford Fiesta Mark 3 with full Genesis wide- body kit. Purpose-built for rallying on tar-based tracks, with a 2.0 Pinto engine, the Piper twin cam-head full rally spec car produces 210bhp with its special rear-wheel drive.

The 10-round series the best eight count to determine the final position is held at (some twice): Longcross, in Surrey; Avon Park, in Bournemouth; Bovingdon, in Chichester; Abingdon, in Oxford; Colairne, in Wiltshire, and Pembrey in Wales.

Courses are usually eight miles long on twisty roads, with hair-pin bends, chicanes and gravel traps.

Cars leave at 30-second intervals with six to eight stages used and the combined time used to determine the placings.

Apart from Paul and Simon's Fiesta, other cars which race incude: Metro 6R4s, Escort Cosworths, Mark 2 Escorts, Suburus and Mitsubishi Lancers.

The final three races are at Bovingdon, Avon Park and Longcross and, at worst, Paul and Simon could end up in third or fourth place.

However, Stephen Price believes the Hodges will finish the season in second.

He said: “They've done really well and have a good chance of finishing second. Obviously, it depends a lot on the car, but so far it has been pretty reliable.”

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