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Swann fights on after Friday roll
Former England cricket star Graeme Swann survived an early roll at Wales Rally GB today to complete the opening day of competition eighth in class.
The ex spin-bowler, now a BT Sport television presenter, is making his rally debut this weekend, contesting the national category in a Ford Fiesta R2 alongside co-driver Stuart Loudon.
The National class featured just four stages today, beginning with the same 14km Gartheiniog test tackled by the WRC runners.
“I was just starting to grow in confidence when we hit a rut and the car went into the slowest of slow motion rolls you’ve ever seen - it was just embarrassing!” explained Swann.
“We then stupidly tried to get through the next few stages with a badly cracked windscreen which meant we couldn’t see a thing. We didn’t have a clue where we were going and had to rely entirely on our pace notes.”
“Eventually we had no choice but to kick the screen out," he continued. "Being out in the open air was great - although not quite so enjoyable when we went through some of the bigger water splashes.”
Swann will continue the rally on Saturday, when the National crews will tackle five more stages starting with Clocaenog East.
