All posts by paulcommons1983

BHRC

Trackrod Historic Cup – September 2023

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A controlled and consistent performance from Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke saw the Welsh / Anglo pairing top a close fought historic battle in the North Yorkshire forests to claim Trackrod Historic Cup victory.

The penultimate round of the British Historic Rally Championship would see the crews return to the forests of North Yorkshire for the second time in 2023 but this time utilising the additional classic tests of Dalby, Staindale and Langdale, with Dalby also run in the dark on the Friday evening to provide extra spice to a challenging total rally distance just shy of 57 miles.

Pleasingly a mammoth capacity entry list had been put together by the organisers with a more than healthy contingent of historic category machinery and it was George Lepley (with Dale Bowen in the co-drivers seat) who would continue his recent strong form by holding a commanding early lead of over 22 seconds by the end of stage 2! 

As expected, the all wheel drive Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 was well suited the long straights and 90 degree bend nature of the North Yorkshire stages however it was not to be for the young Nottinghamshire man who encountered gearbox issues in Cropton and was forced into early retirement.  Whilst disappointing for Lepley and Bowen, their retirement did however open the battle for victory right up with Seb Perez’s Porsche and Nick Elliott’s Fiat 131 amongst a whole host of Ford Escorts now in with a genuine chance of top spot.

Perez, in the Category 2 Porsche 911, was in sublime form, setting second quickest time through Dalby on Friday evening and then fastest in Cropton to sit less than 1 second from the lead of the historic field after 3 stages.  And the Chesterfield man would definitely have been in with a shout of victory had unfortunate engine issues not slowed the Global Brands backed machine through the two long afternoon stages. But with the Porsche visibly smoking through the Langdale finale he and co-driver Gary McElhinney would have to make do with Category 2 top spot and 5thoverall which still represented an excellent result.

Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis would return to action on the Trackrod in their formidable MK2 Escort and after the demise of Lepley would find themselves in the lead of the rally after stage 3.  Dropped time in Staindale and Dalby would put pay to their victory challenge however, with fastest time through the 13 miles of Langdale not quite enough to overhaul the eventual winners; the duo ending the event in second just 5 seconds behind the similar machine of Pritchard.

Pritchard and Clarke meanwhile are 3 time British Historic Rally champions for a reason and whilst their speed is unquestionable it is their consistency which has delivered the titles.  Having only entered the Trackrod as a pre RAC shakedown, the RS1800 crew were fastest through Staindale to take the lead of the event and quick again in the second running of Dalby to hold a relatively comfortable 8 second lead heading into the Langdale finale.  The pairing would not drop outside the top 5 fastest stage times throughout the two days as they went on to claim a second BHRC success of the season.

Another crew returning to action on the Trackrod were Paul Barrett and Gordan Noble and the Omagh based crew were in the mix for a podium position aboard their Ford Escort as they sat in 4th with just one stage remaining.  The Northern Irish duo would sadly not emerge from the final Langdale test however but on this showing should be right up at the sharp end come the RAC Rally in November.

This left the evergreen Steve Bannister aboard the infamous red-striped white Ford Escort to pick up the pieces; the ‘Malton Missile’, with Callum Atkinson alongside, taking advantage of Barrett and Perez’s misfortunes to climb from 8th overnight to an excellent 3rd by the end of the rally with 5th, 3rd, 6th, 7th and 3rd fastest times through the Saturday stages.

The RSD prepared Fiat 131 of Nick Elliott and Dave Price is perhaps not best suited to the North Yorkshire stages but were able to keep their championship hopes alive with a solid 4th whilst Gareth James and Daniel Petrie would put in another strong performance to round out the top six  in their MK2 Escort.

In Category 2, Stefaan Stouf and Dai Roberts may well have given Perez a run for his money (having sat 3rd overall overnight) but for their rally coming to an end in Staindale.  This left Jeremy Easson and Mike Reynolds to claim the runner up spot with 12th and Warren Philliskirk and Garry Green to round out the podium positions in their similar MK1 Escort. 

Meanwhile in Category 1, top spot would go the way of Richard Aczel and Allan Harryman in their Porsche 911 (although potentially listed in the wrong category) whilst Terry Cree and Richard Shores would wrap up the 2023 category 1 BHRC title with second aboard their Mini Cooper S.

Elsewhere, in the Trackrod Forest Stages event Elliott Payne and Tom Woodburn (Fiesta Rally 2) would claim a close fought victory after overhauling early leaders Arron Newby and Jamie Edwards (Skoda Fabia R5) over the afternoon stages, whilst WRC regulars Adrien Formaux and Alexandre Coria would take a poorly supported BRC Rally Yorkshire victory by a comfortable 45 seconds.

The British Historic Rally Championship now moves onto the Carlisle stages in late October where courtesy of dropped scores the overall title is very much still alive with the Ford Escort of Roger Chilman and Fiat 131 of Nick Elliot set to battle it out over what promises to be a grueling encounter in the Kielder Forest complex.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

BHRC

Woodpecker Stages Rally – September 2023

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Joe Price and Chris Brooks stormed to Woodpecker Stages National Rally victory aboard their infamous MK2 Escort despite strong all-wheel drive opposition in the form of George Lepley’s Galant VR4.

Pre-event there was much talk about the Group A Mitsubishi in the hands George Lepley taking a convincing victory though it appeared the raw speed of Joe Price, especially on his home event, had not been fully taken into account.  However only half the event was in the Shropshire forests, where the Ludlow resident has so often excelled, with Cwmysgawen and (new to almost all competitors) Ceri replacing Radnor for the 2023 rendition of the Sixty & Worcestershire Motor Club organised event.

In what turned out to be the hottest day of the year it would however be the RSD prepared Fiat 131 crew of Nick Elliott and Dave Price who claimed an early lead after the Cwmysgawen test but George Lepley, with Dale Bowen alongside, put the four wheel drive at his disposal to good use in Ceri to hold a 1 second lead over Price as the crews headed back to the more traditional Shropshire stages. 

And it is the stages on the English side of the border where Price and Brooks come into their own; the pairing setting 9th and 7th fastest time overall in Hopton and Haye Park respectively to gain a pivotal 10 seconds on their rivals and hold a 9 second lead at the mid event service.  And despite Lepley again having the edge in Ceri on the afternoon loop, the Nottinghamshire man was no match for Price in his own back yard, with the Escort pilot going on to claim a sublime 11 second historic category victory.

Meanwhile Richard Jordan and James Gratton-Smith had put in a stellar morning drive to hold third at the half way point but a huge stage cancelling roll in Cwmysgawen ended their involvement in the event (here’s hoping they make a speedy recovery and return to the stages sooner rather than later).  This left the MK2 Escorts of Roger Chilman and Tom Walster to battle it out with Elliott’s Fiat 131 for the final podium position.  The second running of Ceri would see the demise of Walster (stub axle) though and Chilman, co-driven by Patrick Walsh, just had the edge on Elliott over the remainder of the event to take maximum BHRC points with 3rd.

Rory and Paul McCann starred in category 2 with the Hillman Avenger (Class C2) crew claiming category victory by an enormous 41 seconds with an excellent 9th overall in the historic section of the event!  Josh Carr and Osian Owen (Class C3) would take maximum BHRC category points in 2nd aboard their Pinto powered MK1 whilst Andrew Stokes and Jonny Tad Evans (Escort MK1) would round out the podium positions and in turn take class C5 honours.  Meanwhile Terry Cree and Ricardo Shores were first home in category 1 with 80th overall in their Mini Cooper S and in the race for overall honours Arron Newby (Skoda Fabia) survived a late charge from Elliot Payne (Ford Fiesta) to claim outright rally victory.   

Whilst great to see the Galant VR4 driven so well (this being a car I fondly remember seeing in period) It was in some respects pleasing to see two wheel drive machinery still end up on top of the pile.  However it won’t be long before four wheel drive machinery is taking historic rally victories in the UK, possibly as soon as the Trackrod in just over a week’s time!  It will be interesting to see the impact of this (although not currently able to score overall BHRC championship points) and whether an increase in four wheel drive machinery at the sharp end would be to the detriment of historic rallying in general.  I’m hopeful this won’t be the case but the governing bodies potentially have some important decisions to make in the coming years regarding eligible point scoring machinery.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY (From stages 2 & 6 – Ceri)

Equipe Classic Racing

Equipe Classic Racing – Cadwell Park – September 2023

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After what can only be described as shocking weather this summer, I was delighted to find wall to wall sunshine forecast for my annual trip to the Lincolnshire Wolds and, better still, very decent entry lists for the Equipe Classic Racing meeting (including grids from the MG Car Club), something that is not always the case for the very niche Cadwell Park circuit.

Dubbed in some circles as the “Mini Nurburgring” you can see why some choose to avoid but from a spectator’s point of view I love the completely different nature of the track; where else in the UK can you find sections such as Hall Bends, The Mountain and Goose neck? Completely bonkers, just like the much larger German circuit it is sometimes compared to!

Following on from an excellent first glimpse of the Equipe Classic Racing brigade at Donington one month earlier it came as no surprise that the racing was again top notch with the GTS race for smaller engine pre-66 machinery perhaps the pick of the day.  Starting on pole the MG B of Lewis Saunders would eventually regain the lead courtesy of a mistake entering Park Straight by early leader Rob Cull.  Cull in his immaculate TVR Grantura however would emerge back in the lead after the mandatory pitstop and whilst Saunders closed in the final stages it would be Cull who landed a hard-fought win.  Meanwhile David Gardner put in a stellar drive in his class 1 Turner MK2 to claim an excellent third.

In fact it turned out to be an excellent day for Rob Cull, who despite having to withdraw his Capri from the 70s encounter, also ended the day with a quite brilliant podium in the Equipe Libre event aboard the very same 1840cc Grantura he claimed victory with earlier.  Despite possibly better equipped for the twisty bits of the Lincolnshire Circuit the Grantura had no right to be battling with the more powerful Healeys but the TVR man was able to sneak passed both Alex Hewitson and Bill Rawles as the race progressed and round out the podium positions.  Up front however Graham Moss put in a controlled drive aboard his glorious Daytona Cobra to take victory whilst Brian Caudwell kept the 4.7 litre machine honest with a well earned second aboard his Austin Healey 3000.

As expected it was machines from the 70s category which headed the combined Equipe 70s, Pre 63 and 50s event with the Morgan Plus 8 of David and Andrew Wenmam excelling on the undulating circuit to pass the pole sitting Fiesta of Tom Burgess at the start and never really look back as they claimed a near 19 second victory.  Meanwhile Nic Strong completed the podium positions in his Marcos 3000GT whilst respective Pre 63 and 50s victories went the way of Jack Rawles (Austin Healey 3000) and John Pearson (MG A).

Speaking of MGs, the day’s schedule was completed by 2 races each for the MG Car Club organised Cockshoot Cup and BCV8 series’. The BCV8 series provided very close racing throughout with Neil Fowler getting the better of a 4 way Class D battle to take race 1 victory whilst James Wheeler put in the fastest lap of the day to claim race 2 victory with a very rapid 1m40.39! Meanwhile David Morrison (MG Midget) and Mark Wright (MG F) would take a win apiece in the Cockshoot Cup with Morrison’s victory in race 1 a quite remarkable feat in his 1380cc machine when up against much more recent machinery!

There are few better places than Cadwell to take in a days racing when both the weather and entry levels are good, and this event definitely ticked both of those boxes. Aided by the lower early autumn sun it also made for some of my favourite photos of the year so far which is looking like my penultimate circuit event of 2023!

Next up is the Woodpecker Stages Rally and a first visit for me to the little used Ceri Forest!

GALLERY

CSCC, Uncategorized

Classic Sports Car Club – Donington GP – August 2023

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BTCC front-runner Josh Cook played a starring role in the Classic Sports Car Club’s Donington Park GP meeting as he and Mike Gardiner claimed a dominant Mintex Classic K victory in very trying conditions. 

Having been in two minds whether to make the short trip to Donington, with torrential rain forecast for the majority of the day, it was refreshing to find that the weather had little impact on proceedings.  In fact just a couple of laps under safety car conditions at the start of each qualifying session was all that was required, a reminder of what is possible when driving to the conditions (something that elite level motorsport seems to have ruled out these days)!

With the rain continuing to teem down at the Leicestershire circuit the Mintex Classic K field of more than 30 cars miraculously navigated the infamous Craner Curves with little incident and somewhat surprisingly it was an E-type in the hands of Steven Osborne that lead the early stages, proof if ever it were needed that the recent re-surfacing has far improved the grip levels.  That was until an off at Coppice saw the Jaguar man beached in the gravel, losing a couple of laps whilst recovered and any chance of victory in the process.

Following the closing of the pit window, which coincided with a Safety car for Martin Richardson’s marooned MG B at Schwantz, Mark Russell (E-Type Jaguar) found himself with a slender lead over the now Josh Cook piloted Ford Lotus Cortina as the track returned to green.  Cook however was in a class of his own in the tricky conditions, soon passing Russell and going on to claim a commanding near 30 second victory for he and Mike Gardiner; with Cook’s fastest lap more than 2 seconds quicker than anyone else!  Meanwhile Peter Smith and Mike Simpson would round out the podium positions with an excellent third in their Lotus Cortina.

The Swinging 60s races usually provide high levels of entertainment and the Donington GP meeting would not disappoint either.  In the Group 2 race for larger engined machines, Jon Wolfe put in what appeared to be a relatively controlled drive to victory aboard his TVR Tuscan however the post race interview revealed an altercation with the Mcleans tyre wall, thus making the 12 second win all the more remarkable!  Meanwhile Stephen Pickering (Sunbeam Tiger) set the fastest lap of the race (almost 2 seconds quicker than anyone else) on his way to 3rd despite a 20 second success penalty but was not quite able to catch Dean Halsey’s Datsun 240z who found himself on the second step of the podium.

Some 41 cars lined up for the Swinging 60s Group 1 race in what had become almost dry conditions for the final scheduled event of the day. And perhaps the best was saved until last as a fantastic battle took place for the entire 40 minute duration of the race between the Chris Watkinson piloted Austin Mini and Mini Marcos of Sam Polley.  The bright orange Mini of Watkinson lead the early stages from pole but Polley seemed to have the better overall pace and was able to snatch the lead before the mid race pitstops.  The Marcos bodied machine however emerged from the pits with a sizeable gap to make up and despite catching over the closing laps Polley was not able to get past, with Watkinson’s rapid pitstop ultimately landing him the victory!

Elsewhere Tony and Aston Blake claimed a double victory in their TVR Tuscan Challenge car, just getting the better of close rival Alex Taylor on both occasions.  Both in Tuscan’s for the Modern Classics race, there was little to choose between the machines over the opening stint, however Taylor was slowed and ultimately forced into retirement following a collision with a back-marker at Coppice.  This left Tom Barley (BMW 328i E36) to claim second, despite a 30 second penalty for missing the pit window, and Aidan Farrell / David Whelan to take third aboard their Porsche 911.

In the Future Classics event, Alex Taylor, this time aboard the familiar Mazda RX-7, put in a stellar drive to make up a huge chunk of his success related pitstop penalty during the second half of the race to take second, just ten seconds in arrears of the Blake’s Tuscan at the flag.  Meanwhile Matthew and Martyn Ellis claimed third aboard their Talbot Sunbeam Lotus.

And finally, on this occasion the Co-ordSport Tin Tops were interlopers on the historic/classic side of the CSCC schedule and Danny Cassar remarkably (somewhat aided by a safety car and a clutch issue for Adam Brown) made up the entire of his 90 second success penalty to claim victory aboard the Honda Integra Type R!

Thankfully I didn’t let the weather put me off as a great days racing was witnessed and, fortunately, being once gifted the Canon ERC-E5 raincover (despite being mega expensive is far superior to the cheaper alternatives) was able to shoot throughout the monsoon conditions and gain some different photos from the less often used Grand Prix loop!

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Equipe Classic Racing

Equipe Classic Racing – Donington Park – July 2023

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Early July saw a return to Donington Park for the GT & Sports Car Cup, which is always worth the trip alone, but on this occasion as a guest race on the Equipe Classic Racing Series bill.

Much like the entire summer so far, mixed was the best way of describing the weather where a very pleasant morning was followed by a torrential downpour, with the heavens opening just as the racing began.  Not that it ruined the spectacle as the additional challenge in many ways added an extra dimension to the days proceedings.

The Equipe Libre race was perhaps worst impacted, however Brian Cauldwell (pictured) on his first time out in the AC Cobra put in a stellar performance to claim top spot in very trying conditions.  Jamie Boot (TVR Griffith) had earlier taken pole position and despite emerging in the lead after a well-timed pitstop could not keep the chasing Cobras behind as Cauldwell, Rick Willmott and Matthew Moore / Mark Daniell ensured AC muscle would lock out the podium positions.

Conditions were much more pleasant as the smaller engined pre-66 machines hit the track for the GTS encounter however where Martin and Oliver Pratt in their Morgan Plus 4TR took the battle to a whole host of MGBs in the early stages.  It was not to be however as Sam Kirkpatrick (MGB) put in a sublime performance to take a commanding victory over the similar machines of Jonathan Hughes and Ali Topley as the Morgan crew fought back to a well earned fourth after an off road excursion or two!

The GT & Sports Car Cup for genuine Pre 66 Grand Touring and Pre 63 Sports racers (by invitation only) is what had initially drawn me to Donington Park on the day and having had my appetite whetted by the earlier qualifying session it was with great anticipation that the 1 hour and 15 minute race began, thankfully in almost dry conditions. 

But whilst Chris Chiles Jnr (AC Cobra) had slipped past the Jonathan Mitchell E-Type after an early safety car, a much lengthier delay was required following a nasty off for the stunning David Smithies / Chris Clarkson Daytona Cobra Coupe in the middle of the craner curves. With most cars pitting under the lengthy safety car period for the necessary barrier repair, Chris Chiles Jnr emerged behind the Gary Pearson E-type (having made the snap decision not to swap over to Chiles Snr and take the additional time penalty). It turned out to be a demon strategic move as the Cobra man was able to quickly real in Pearson and take an excellent 3 second victory. Early leader Mitchell meanwhile would round out the podium positions making it a Jaguar two-three.

Closing out the day in style was the combined Equipe Pre 63 and Equipe 50s race which saw Nigel Winchester aboard his Shelby 260 attempt to hold off an army of Austin Healey 3000s in pursuit of victory.  However the pace of the Shelby 260 seemed to fall away as the race progressed leaving Jeremy Welch to chase down the similar Healey of Mark Holme in the second half of the race.  But whilst the pursuit was a sight to behold, Welch didn’t quite have enough legs to get past the long time leader which ultimately proved irrelevant as he and co-driver Brian Cauldwell were given a 3 lap penalty for a pitstop infringement. Instead, Joe Wilmott (Austin Healey) and Bill Rawles (Austin Healey) ensured a single marque would fill the podium positions for the third time in a day!

Elsewhere Robin Ellis claimed Equipe 70s victory aboard the Porsche RSR 2.8, whilst Neil Fowler and James Wheeler took a BCV8 victory apiece in what turned out to be one of the best days historic racing of the year so far. The GT & Sports Car Cup may well have been the main attraction for me personally but having had a taste of what the Equipe Classic Racing series is all about I was left eager for more. As it says on the tin, the series is run by drivers for drivers and this suits me down to a tee as ultimately this means less fluff and more on track action.

GALLERY

VSCC

Classic & Vintage Hillclimb – Harewood

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Having never visited a hillclimb event and, I have to confess, Knowing very little about this genre of motorsport other than fastest car up the course wins, it was with great anticipation that we entered Harewood Speed Hillclimb on a very pleasant early June morning for the Classic and Vintage meet; an event I had been entirely convinced to attend after thoroughly enjoyable previous experiences of the Vintage Sports Car Club where the relaxed nature and paddock access is second to none!

With a very reasonably priced bacon cob in hand, a steady stroll around the paddock revealed a mammoth 150 car entry list with machinery ranging from Mini to Formula 5000 Cooper and 500cc F3 car to Bentley Continental with a huge contingent of VSCC competitors fitting somewhere in between! The expectation being that all entrants would face 2 morning practice runs up the UK’s longest hillclimb course followed by at least 2 timed runs in the afternoon.

With practice runs passing relatively smoothly, despite the odd delay for break downs (to be expected with cars of this age group) not surprisingly it was machinery from Class 21 for Classic Racing and Sports Racing Cars that set the quickest timed runs with the fabulous Cooper T90 of James Baxter breaking the timing beam in 60.85 seconds to take overall honours! There were some excellent efforts elsewhere however with Jonathan North’s Mini Cooper setting a time of 67.38 to claim class C19 and Joshua Oakes traversing the 1,448 metres in just 62.94 seconds aboard his Reliant Scimitar SS1 to top class 38.

It was the machinery from the Vintage Sports Car Club which had ultimately convinced us to make the relatively short trip up North though and they did not disappoint.  The shear effort involved in getting some of the cars up the hill was a sight to behold, with driver weight transfer (sidecar-esc) seemingly the key to manhandle some of the aging machines through the corners.

As it was the Alta 61 of Ian Baxter would set the fastest vintage class time with a ridiculously quick 67.24 (12th fastest overall), not bad for a car registered pre 1941!  Michael James meanwhile would take both Class V9 and V14 honours with the 50th and 51st best times of the event in the respective Riley Cotton Special and Riley TT Sprite replica, whilst David Frank was 61st fastest up the climb to top class V10 in the SC/GN Beetle.

There were in fact some 24 class winners on the day which turned out to be a great first experience of hillclimbing from my perspective.  And what a venue to choose for a first visit!  Not only is Harewood set in very picturesque surroundings but is also fabulously maintained. With just the grass spectator walkways mown and everything else free to grow the whole venue has a National Trust / Nature reserve feel to it!  And to top it off the view of the entire course from the Hill Top car park has got to be one of the best in British Motorsport.  What a great day out for the very fair sum of just £12.50!

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

CSCC

CSCC – Thruxton – May 2023

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Whilst delighted to fit the Classic Sports Car Club’s visit to Thruxton into my 2023 schedule, I was grinning like Cheshire Cat when the historic section of the entry list was released, thus setting in stone a second ever trip to the UK’s fastest circuit!

With so many historic racing events these days, the luxury of reserves appearing on an entry list is something of a rarity.  But that is exactly what was required for the combined Group 1 and 2 40 minute Adams & Page Swinging Sixties race where a monumental 42 cars took the start with machinery ranging from MG midget to Mustang Mach 1 and almost everything in between!

After what seemed like an inevitable early Safety car period, the race soon developed into a two car battle for victory with the more nimble Lotus Elan 26R of Anthony Hancock keeping the V8 Ford powered TVR of Jon Wolfe at bay before the mandatory pit stops. 

It was roll reversal after the aforementioned stops however as Callum Lockie (taking over the TVR Tuscan hot seat) emerged in the lead. But just as we were gearing up for an almighty battle to the flag an uncharacteristic mistake from the experienced historic racer saw the TVR spinning out of contention at the complex leaving the way clear for the ultra rapid Ollie Hancock (taking over from father Anthony) to stroll to a commanding 19 second victory aboard the Swedish flag coloured Lotus.

Behind, Alex Thistlethwayte entertained onlookers by sliding his Mustang around (what appeared to be) every corner of the Hampshire circuit and looked set for a well deserved second, only to be disqualified for a safety car infringement.  This left the podium positions to be filled by the Datsun 240z of Dave Cobb and remarkably the MG Midget of Connor Kay!

In fact it turned out to be an excellent coronation weekend for the Hancock father and son team as they later claimed an even more dominant victory in the 1 hour Mintex Classic K race.  The highlight was however the incredible battle for second which seemed to go on for most of the race!  Initially Thistlethwayte (Ford Mustang) was able to keep the chasing smaller engined cars at bay but eventually Paul Tooms (Lotus Elan) and Fabio Randaccio (TVR Griffith) were able to find a way past.  Tooms looked set to make it an Elan 1-2 but a spin at the chicane followed by a late drive through penalty condemned the Lotus pilot to the final step of the podium.   Randaccio meanwhile will have been over the moon with second having fought back from last after a slow get away from the grid!

Matthew Ellis would put his stamp on the Advantage Motorsports Future Classics race by building an enormous lead aboard the family Talbot Sunbeam Lotus before handing over to father Martyn.  A 1 minute penalty for speeding in pit lane would however land Alex Taylor in the rotary engined Mazda RX-7 the race victory; in itself an excellent achievement following a back row grid position courtesy of air duct issues in qualifying and then having to manage high temperatures in the final stages of the race!

Elsewhere Andy Southcott aboard the MG Lenham Midget set the fastest laps of the day on his way to double victory in the JMC Racing Special Saloons and Modsports races, whilst the guesting Morgan challenge victories would go the way of Shane Kelly and John Emberson.

Always a sucker for a sixties era endurance style event, the Mintex Classic K race in late afternoon glorious sunshine was an excellent way to end proceedings.  The memory of Thystlethwayte’s Mustang taking on Allard sideways in an attempt to keep Elan, Griffith and Marcos behind will long stay in the memory bank.  The close proximity of viewing Thruxton’s incredible corners (Allard in particular) is just not something that can be replicated at any other UK circuit!  I’ll be trying hard not to leave it another 9 years before my next visit! 

GALLERY

BTRDA

Rallynuts Stages – April 2023

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Nick Elliott and Dave Price tamed the fast-flowing Mid Wales stages to claim a dramatic last gasp Rallynuts Stages Historic category victory aboard their Fiat 131 Abarth.

With the Rallynuts Stages rally forming part of the HRCR Historic Stage Rally Challenge and BTRDA Historic Cup a healthy contingent of historic specification machinery had appeared on the entry list including 4 of the top 5 finishes from last month’s Rally North Wales! 

The Midland Manor Motor Club organised event would once again be based in Builth Wells but with the stages located further North, in the forests of Hafren, Myherin and Sarnau, an early start was in order.  Not before a moment to reflect on the sad news of Craig Breen’s passing earlier in the week that is, a nice touch by organisers.

After claiming a superb victory on the recent Rally North Wales, Joe Price and Chris Brooks would have been many peoples favourite for top historic honours on the Rallynuts Stages but would find their event over almost as soon as it started, with the Ludlow based pairing unfortunately rolling out of the event in stage 1. 

Elliott meanwhile was busy making (what has become the tradition) a rapid start to the event, 4 seconds quicker than anyone else in both Myherin West and East to hold an early 8 second historic category lead!  Dropped time through both Hafren Sweet Lamb and Cwmysgawen however left the Cheltenham man in second at the half-way service point, with the Ford Escort of Robert Gough and Paul Morris 8 seconds further up the road.

Gough and Morris, a new combination for 2023, seem to be really gelling of late and looked to be well on their way to category victory after matching the time of Elliott on the first stage of the afternoon loop (Myherin Main).  A slow time in the second running of Hafren Sweet Lamb however saw the Ford Escort duo’s lead slashed to just 2 seconds with 1 stage remaining.  And with Elliot buoyed by a time 13 seconds quicker than his morning attempt could not quite hold onto their slender lead through the 4.69 miles of Cwmysgawen 2.

Elliott and Price don’t seem to have straightforward events in the Fiat and the 2023 Rallynuts Stages was no exception!  However you would put money on them coming out on the right side of a close battle and that is exactly what happened on stage 7; the RSD prepared machine stopping the clocks 3 seconds quicker than the Ford of Gough and Morris to take a dramatic 1 second victory.

Third historic crew home were Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke who were making another appearance in the North Road Garage backed Escort.   Where, despite a steady start, the 2017 BHRC champions were fastest historic pairing over the afternoon loop of stages to end the day just 10 seconds behind the historic category victors.  

Further back, Ben and Steven Smith claimed the H1/H2 class honours with 7th in the historic section of the event; the Pinto powered MK1 Escort pairing finishing 47 seconds clear of the RS1600 of Jonathan Brace and Paul Spooner.  Meanwhile Ernie and Karen Graham would round out the class podium positions in yet another MK1 Escort.

The historic category cars were as exciting to watch as ever through the ultra fast and flowing Myherin stage but none more so than Elliott through junction 13 of stage 2!  I am not sure I have ever seen a car more sideways over half a mile of visible stage.  That alone was worth the 6 hour round trip!

GALLERY

BHRC

Rally North Wales – March 2023

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Having been away from competition for more than a year, Joe Price and Chris Brooks were back with a bang on Rally North Wales; the Shropshire based duo defeating very high quality opposition to claim an outstanding rally victory.

Welshpool was the new home for the 2023 edition of Rally North Wales and the move further east would see a welcome return of Dyfnant forest for the first time in several years complemented nicely by slightly shorter than usual tests in Dyfi and Gartheiniog.  Better still, a top quality entry list had been compiled by Wolverhampton and South Staffs Car Club, headed by 2017 BHRC champions Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke.

But whilst the aforementioned number 1 seeds had elected to ease themselves back into historic competition with a steady start, Nick Elliott and Dave Price were once again on the pace from the word go; the crowd pleasing Fiat 131 crew stopping the stage 1 clock 2 seconds quicker than the Ford Escort of BHRC round 1 winners Roger Chilman and Patrick Walsh, with the similar machines of Robert Gough and Joe Price just behind. 

Nick Elliott / Dave Price

In complete contrast meanwhile the slippery Dyfnant test proved to be one to forget for other front runners as both Martin McCormack and Richard Tuthill saw any challenge for honours disappear almost as soon as they had started; McCormack losing over 1 minute with a puncture and worse still for Tuthill as the fabulous Porsche 911 became beached at a chicane, losing in excess of 6 minutes!

By stage 3 Chilman and Walsh were well into their stride and the Wales Motorsport pairing would find themselves with a 12 second advantage and looking good for a second successive BHRC victory as both Elliott (throttle) and Gough (starter) dropped time. However, stage 4 (Dyfi Main) proved to be the catalyst for Price’s victory challenge as the bright Orange, Ford Escort RS man set a time 4 seconds quicker than anyone else and more importantly 7 seconds quicker than Chilman to more than halve the gap.

And by the time the crews emerged from stage 7 (the second running of Dyfi Main), Price and Brooks were in the lead of the rally after remarkably finding another 7 seconds on their rivals to hold a 3 second lead.  There was however the longest stage of the rally remaining (the reverse and slightly extended Dyfnant 2) meaning all was still to play for. 

But, with light fading (after long delays associated with the cancellation of stage 5), the Ludlow crew held their nerve to claim a popular historic category victory, their first since the Pirelli in 2016! Despite missing out on overall victory Chilman and Walsh were more than consoled by taking maximum British Historic Championship points as first registered crew home, making it an excellent start to the season following their success on the Riponian.

Despite earlier issues Nick Elliott and Dave Price managed to set consistent times throughout the afternoon stages to claim an excellent 3rd just 34 seconds down on the event winners. Meanwhile Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke marked a return to historic rallying with a fine 4th; the 2017 BHRC champions just pipping the similar machine of Robert Gough and Paul Morris (who were suffering with a hydraulic leak) to the position on the final stage.

Jason Pritchard / Phil Clarke

Seb Perez and Gary McElhinney, in their glorious Porsche 911 SC, looked set for category 2 honours after a storming drive saw them lying in 5th position overall at the halfway point.  However the pairing were not able to maintain their early pace and failed to emerge from the final test.

Whilst unfortunate for the Chesterfield based man it did leave an almighty Escort MK1 battle for category victory with the Pinto powered machines of Ben Smith and Josh Carr taking the fight to the BD engined Ford of Mike Stuart.  Stuart, with Sinclair Young alongside, made the most of his extra power in the afternoon runs through Dyfi forest however and despite Smith going 15 seconds quicker in Dyfnant was able to take the category honours with 15th position overall.  Smith’s ultra rapid blast through the final stage did however ensure class C3 victory for the Bedfordshire man.

Mike Stuart / Sinclair Young

Elsewhere, Ben Jemison and Dean Kellett claimed class D4 victory in their Vauxhall Chevette with 24th position overall. This despite incredible pace shown by Richard Tuthill following his stage 1 mishap; so quick in fact that the Porsche 911 pilot was actually 3 seconds quicker than the eventual winners over the remaining stages of the event, a story of what could have been!

Meanwhile Class D3 would go the way of Stephen and Oli Benton (Ford Escort MK2) with 28th position overall, Chris Squires and Shaun Hughes (Ford Escort) would take class D2 honours with 30th position overall and the Toyota Corolla crew of Ian Beveridge and Paul Price would be first home in class C2 with 37th.

Despite a very long day courtesy of the delays, it was great to be back in Dyfnant forest for the first time in years. In fact it was probably one of the best days spectating in a long time as a result of lucking in on good locations, mixed conditions and an incredible historic entry. Whilst delighted to see the flamboyant Joe Price take a long overdue victory it was also pleasing to see strong opposition to the blue oval brand. A few years ago you would have been hard pressed to think anything other than a an Escort could fight for victories but as proved by Champion, Edwards and Elliott in recent years and the pace of Tuthill on Rally North Wales that is no longer the case. And long may it continue!

GALLERY

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AGBO Stages – March 2023

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Huw James and Ian Jones proved to be the class of the field, braving the slippery morning conditions before storming to a second AGBO Stages victory in as many years aboard their Ford Escort MK2.

After heavy snow in the run up to the event, thankfully the Owen Motoring Club organised AGBO Stages was given the green light, paving the way for me to witness rallying at Weston Park for the first time in well over 30 years (not that I have any recollection of my last visit)! The AGBO Stages for one reason or another is an event I have never managed to make previously but with another impressive entry list compiled for 10 short stages within the confines of the Staffordshire parkland estate I was determined not to miss out in 2023.

Having been victorious in 2022, Huw James and Ian Jones would lead the cars away in their Ford Escort MK2 and despite a cautious start were well into their stride by stage 3 to climb to the top of the time sheets.  In fact as the stages became drier on what were relatively pleasant early March conditions the pairing really began to stretch their legs and almost cruise to a 23 second victory; an excellent drive, and quite a margin given the total time on the clock was just over 23 minutes!

Behind, having initially lead the event, Oliver Davies and Jack Bowen’s attention quickly turned to their mirrors with a fast charging Lee Edwards, in his recently re-built Ford Escort G3, in hot pursuit.  Sitting 8 seconds in arrears after stage 5, the Oswestry man, with Mike Roberts alongside, stormed through the next 3 to trail Davies and Bowen by just 1 second with 1 stage remaining.  And with momentum on their side there was no stopping the V6 Jaguar engined Ford crew (what an exhaust note by the way!) as they went on to claim the runner up spot by a mere second!

Class C for 2 litre 2WD drive machinery turned out to be another closely fought affair.  And whilst the rapid Peugeot 205 of duo of Andy Corner and Ade Campo were quick out of the blocks (and would top the class times sheets for much of the day), it was the Darrian T90 crew of Dai Dot Davies and Gerwyn James who would come out on top of a final stage shootout to claim class victory with 8th position overall; in turn making it a special day for Tregaron Motor Club following Huw James’ overall success!

Elsewhere, Tom Bishop and Isobel Mansell, aboard their Vauxhall Nova, put in the giant killing performance of the day to claim class A honours with a fantastic 18th position overall, whilst Citroen C2 pilot Marcus Ridley (co-driven by Antony Knight) was first home in Class B with a very impressive 26th position.  The 2023 edition of the AGBO stages was also the first time “H Pattern” 4WD machinery were able to compete and the stunning Mitsubishi Evo 3 of Wayne Larbalestier and Matt Endean would go on to claim class E honours with 12th overall.

All in this had been a fabulous days entertainment for just £8 each and having taken so long to finally attend the event I can categorically state that it will not be my last! 

GALLERY