BARRY Johnson has taken the lead in the 2005 MSA National Gravel Championship after an exciting battle at the Swansea Bay National Rally.

The Shildon rally driver finished second to Julian Reynolds at the weekend, but with the latter not registered to score points in the championship Johnson took a maximum haul.

Dry conditions leading up to the weekend caused a serious problem with hanging dust over the opening loop of three stages, with most drivers complaining of poor visibility.

Organisers took the decision to separate the cars by two-minute gaps for the remainder of the day.

Mark Perrott led the event overall from stage two and he had a three second lead over Johnson before he lost a wheel on stage five. That moved Johnson up to the top spot and he had a seven second advantage over Reynolds going into the final stage.

However, Johnson lost his brakes and Reynolds was nine seconds quicker through the 11-mile Resolven test and this ensured him the win by a mere two seconds.

Third placed Roger Duckworth and co-driver Aled Davies had gear selection problems over the first three stages, and lost approximately 30 seconds on stage four when they overshot a junction and stalled the Impreza WRC. Two fastest times over the final two stages guaranteed them their third position.

Johnson now leads the overall Championship on 101 points, one point ahead of Bird.

The next round of the Championship is the Park Systems Furniture Rally in Scotland on September 10.

Published: 29/04/2005