Perry powers into top 10 on rally return

Perry Gardener made his rally return this season with two top-10 finishes in the BTRDA R5 class ahead of a full season entry in 2022.

Having not competed in 2020, former R2 Cup racer Gardener revived his TNT Ludlow/Davanti Tyres rally team with a move up to the faster R5 class this year in a race-ready Ford Fiesta.

With co-driver Jack Bowen alongside him, Gardener – who’s dad Shaun was also a successful rally driver – entered just two races in the BTRDA R5 Championship this season. The pair chose the Woodpecker Stages Rally – on their doorstep in Ludlow, Shropshire – and the Rallynuts Stages Rally in Builth Wells to test themselves before a full championship entry next year.

They took the step up in their stride, finishing fourth in their class, fifth overall in the Woodpecker Stages and sixth in the Rallynuts event.

“It’s a great indication of what we could achieve with this car,” said Perry, who works with his dad running Shropshire-based TNT. “It was a big step up, the difference in power between my old Fiesta and this one is significant.

“But it was fun to drive and we took it in our stride. We were always going to just ease ourselves in this year, with a view to going all-out in 2022. But to finish in the top 10 in both races, we were really happy with that.

“Previously we’ve had great success in R2. After the disruption of 2020 now we’re back and looking forward to getting stuck into a full season with Davanti Rallying and TNT.”

TNT Ludlow at can be found online at tnt-tyres.co.uk.

Keep up with Perry’s latest rally news at www.facebook.com/perrygardenerrallying.