Rally ace Shaun Gardener ready for Cambrian Rally's BTRDA Championship decider (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Ludlow rally duo Shaun Gardener and Ben Innes ready for Cambrian Rally's BTRDA Championship decider

7:20am Saturday 20th October 2012 in Sport By Ian Morgan

RALLY ace Shaun Gardener admits his BTRDA Championship dreams are ‘out of his hands’ - but he will be giving his all in this weekend’s final race.

Gardener and co-driver Ben Innes will need an impressive display in Saturday’s do-or-die Cambrian Rally and hope their two main rivals falter.

The Ludlow Castle Motor Club pair are top of the provisional standings overall - but are third after dropped scores are taken into account.

“I won the Cambrian Rally last year and it’s very exciting that the championship is coming down to this final race,” said Gardener.

“I can only do as well as I can - and, at the end of the season, there’s only going to be one or two points in it. But it’s out of our hands now.”

Hereford’s Roger Chilman and Ruthin’s Hugh Hunter are the two favourites to clinch the REIS Get Connected BTRDA Gold Star Championship.

“It’s a very complex scoring system,” said Gardener. “Roger Chilman must win the race to win the championship.

“I will need to win the race and collect a maximum 30 points to stand a chance of taking the title and hope that my two main rivals finish out of the top 10 or retire.

“The pressure is on them rather than me.”

Gardener and Innes finished third in their last outing - the Woodpecker Stages in Ludlow.

The duo won the overall championship in 2006.

North Wales Car Club host the Cambrian Rally in Llandudno, North Wales, in the Clocaenog and Penmachno forests.

“I am looking forward to Saturday immensely,” said Gardener.

“It’s a lovely place to go and a g reat place to finish off the championship.

“Whether we can pull off the title or not, I shall be giving it more than 100 per cent.”

Gardener added: “It would be very nice to be BTRDA champion again but it won’t be the end of the world if it doesn’t happen.

“We have finished every race this season and our lowest overall place has been sixth.”