IT proved to be a frustrating year for motor racing star Hywel Lloyd.
He opened his F3 season in the spring with two promising seventh placed finishes to be in the points at Monza.
Meanwhile, Ruthin’s Hugh Hunter gained maximum Hankook MSA Welsh National Rally Championship points on the Plains Rally in April.
There were promising results for Lloyd at Snetterton, where he finished seventh and fifth in the first two races, before crashing out of contention in the last race.
An outstanding drive by Lloyd in the final race at France’s Paul Ricard circuit saw him finish in a magnificent seventh place.
The Wales GB Rally returned to Clocaenog Forest, welcoming the best drivers in the world for the final round of the 2011 World Rally Championship.
Millions of listeners tuned in from all over the world on World Rally Radio (WRR), which is based at Crown House Media, Ruthin (pictured below).
The Clocaenog stage was won by world championship candidate Mikko Hirvonen in a time of 16 minutes and 18 seconds, but when the flying Finn hit a tree stump during the first passing of the Dyfnant stage, he was forced to retire from the event after Ford deemed the damage to Hirvonen's Fiesta to be too extensive for him to rejoin.
This meant that Frenchman Sébastien Loeb claimed his eighth consecutive world title for Citroën.
The end of January saw Corwen stage the Rhug Organics North Wales Cross Country Championships and the event again proved to be a huge success.
Prestatyn RC’s Gordon Jones, Dave Henley and Neil Owen took gold in the veterans’ team event, while Neil also won the M55 title.
Further club success came as Griff Owens was named as the North Wales master athlete of 2010.
Prestatyn Running Club old stagers took bronze in both the M55 and M65 classes at the British Masters’ Cross Country Championships in Birmingham.
However, it was only on the way home when they checked the results that the Prestatyn M65 members realised they had been wronged.
Third place had originally been given to home club Birchfield, but after a couple of phone calls, it was confirmed that Prestatyn were actually in third.
Fast forward to April and Corwen racer Sharon Jones smashed six minutes off her marathon personal best when she completed the London Marathon in four hours 24 minutes and 45 seconds.
Meanwhile Gordon Jones (M50) and Glenda Davies (L45) claimed the 10-mile North Wales titles for their age groups in the spring.
Denbigh Harrier Emma Collins was a golden girl after winning the O-45 class at the Welsh 10-mile road running championship in Llandudno.
Clubmate Martin Cortvriend won the O-55 men’s gold.
It was the Gordon Jones and Glenda Davies show yet again when they took the M50 and L50 prizes in the North Wales championships over 5km after Prestatyn RC held another successful Sun Centre 5k at Rhyl.
Completing a fine Prestatyn RC hat-trick, Gareth Hughes was the M65 champion.
Prestatyn members were equipped for an equine challenge over the summer.
The club had four teams taking part in the 31st annual Man v Horse race at Llanwrtyd Wells.
Over the autumn, Denbigh Harriers were one of the Welsh clubs to compete at the UKA British Fell and Hill Relay Championship, which was held at Kettlewell, north Yorkshire.
Only two other Welsh clubs finished ahead of Denbigh on the day.
In November, Denbigh’s David Alan Jones reached the major landmark of making his 100th appearance in the Borders League.
He looked strong to cross the line in 182nd place.
During the same month, Prestatyn RC’s Ronald and Roger Harrison-Jones helped Wales to take second in the M70 team competition in the British and Irish Masters’ International Cross Country at Bellahouston.
In the M60 class, Griff Owens helped the team take bronze.