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Woodpecker Rally – August 2025

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Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss were in a league of their own on the recent Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Rally as the Welsh pairing dominated proceedings to claim a 53 second National Rally victory aboard the Wales Motorsport Ford Escort MK2.

Traditionally based in Shropshire the Sixty & Worcestershire Motor Club organised Woodpecker Rally has re-located to Newtown in recent years and would be mostly confined to the Hafren Forest complex in 2025; most probably the result of extensive forestry damage caused by Storm Darragh at the back end of last year.

However, likely driven by the shortage of gravel rallying in Wales so far in 2025, we were blessed with an entry list that was top drawer in terms of both quantity and quality with none other than 2022 British Rally Champion, Osian Pryce, leading the 2 wheel drive seedings aboard a Wales Motorsport prepared Ford Escort MK2.

Using the event as a test for the upcoming biennial Roger Albert Clark Rally, Pryce and co-driver Dale Furniss were on the pace from the off, setting ridiculously quick times through the opening 2 tests to storm into an incredible 26 second lead after just 12 competitive miles. Another 2 fastest stage times would follow leaving the Welsh pairing sitting on a monumental 41 second National Rally lead at the mid event service!

More often seen behind the wheel of modern four wheel drive machinery, Pryce had already proven his raw talent and adaptability in 2025 having dominated the two wheel drive section of the Nicky Grist Stages. And, despite easing the pace a little over the afternoon loop, through what proved to be monsoon conditions, the local pilot would record a similar commanding result on the Woodpecker as he and Furniss went on to record a phenomenal 53 second victory after just 43 miles of driving!

Paul Barrett would make a rare appearance on the Woodpecker, and with Arthur Kierans alongside would be right in the mix for the podium positions aboard his Ford Escort MK2. In fact the Northern Irishman would prove to be the class of the British Historic Rally Championship contenders as, after being involved in an almighty scrap with the similar machine of Dan Mennell throughout the morning stages, he and Kierans were able to show an impressive turn of pace over the afternoon loop. Indeed Barrett would go on to set fastest historic time on SS7 before equaling that of Pryce on the final test to secure a strong second.

Dan Mennell and John H Roberts have become a force to be reckoned with in recent times and despite losing touch with Barrett over the afternoon loop would end the day a solid third in their Ford Escort MK2; the Anglo Welsh pairing completing the event with almost a minute in hand over another BD powered Ford Escort MK2 in the hands of Robert Gough and Jack Bowen who themselves would round out the BHRC podium.

Nick Elliot and Dave Price would make a first BHRC start of the season on the Woodpecker but were instantly on the back foot after a stage 1 puncture left the Fiat 131 crew way down in 23rd. A strong afternoon however would see the pairing climb to 7th by the end of the day and hold the unofficial honour of first none Ford home.

Irish duo, David Crossen and Ben Teggart meanwhile had a day to forget in Wales as a broken throttle cable in stage 1 ended their day prematurely. Such a shame after an excellent opening three rounds of the season saw them flying high in the championship. It’s not all lost though as Category 3 honours may well still be up for grabs on the season ending Trackrod.

Category 2 numbers have disappointingly reduced in recent times but it was great to see the Ford Escort MK1 of Tim Pearcey and Andy Boswell out in Wales and, after a day mixing it with the category 3 MK2’s, would be rewarded with category victory and 17th position overall. Further back, class H2 winners Drew Struthers and Iain Thorburn would claim the category 2 runner up spot with 26th aboard their Hillman Avenger.

With 19th overall Baz Jordan and Arwel Jenkins would claim category 4 honours and with it the British Historic Rally Championship title aboard their Mitsubishi Galant. Given the lack of category opposition I’m not entirely sure this is the outcome the championship organisers had in mind when opening it up to all categories; however, you have to be in it to win it and, having supported historic rallying for many a year, more deserving champions you will not find.

It is difficult to work out who won what when it comes to the classes on this event as there seem to be a fair few anomalies! For instance last time I checked BD powered MK2’s don’t qualify for category 1 and I have no idea why some are in H6 while others H8! I can’t be the only one struggling with the new historic categorisations …

… But with some degree of certainty David Wood and Reece Brookes would claim category 1 victory after a strong drive to 28th overall aboard their Ford Cortina GT. Simon Goodwin, with multiple BRC Drivers champion Matt Edwards alongside, would claim class H7 in the awesome Triumph Tr7, whilst Kurt Hodgson / Sam Campbell (Peugeot 205) and Phil Hall / Nathalie Rutten (Skoda Favorit) would take the respective H10 and H14 (Cat 5) victories.

Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear dominated the interclub event in their Skoda Fabia R5 only to be awarded a 2 minute penalty for an early check in to SS6. Instead Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh would go on to claim a 6 second rally victory aboard their Ford Fiesta Rally2, themselves just holding off a late charge from the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 of Tom Williams and Michael Gilbey. Such was Hirst’s pace however that despite the 2 minute penalty he and Dear would still end the day just 10 seconds from the podium positions and only 57 seconds from the lead!

Mad Mick Jones and Chris Evans (Ford Escort MK2) would be first Historic competitors home in the Interclub event with 23rd position overall after Sacha Kakad and James Aldridge (Ford Escort MK2) suffered a 1 minute time penalty for the same infringement as Hirst and Dear above. Gary Smith and Clive Jones meanwhile, in yet another Ford Escort MK2, would round out the podium positions just edging out the similar machines of Mike Simpson / Dale Gibbons and Hywel Davies / Sion Rowlands.

Following the cancellation of Rally North Wales and the Severn Valley it had been 6 long months since the opportunity to take in a gravel rally had presented itself and oh how I’d missed it. Despite the horrific afternoon downpour it was great to be back in the classic Rally GB territory of Hafren forest and catch up with many a likeminded individual. Osian Pryce in full flow was also a sight to behold and whets the appetite nicely for the Roger Albert Clark Rally in late November, where the Welshman must be one of the favourites for victory.

Full Results

Gallery

BHRC, NHRC

Riponian Stages Rally – February 2025

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Dan Mennell and John H Roberts claimed a maiden British Historic Rally Championship victory with a sublime drive on the season opening Riponian Stages whilst Adam Milner and Roy Jarvis stormed to Category 2 victory and Baz Jordan and Arwel Jenkins were last crew standing in Category 4 to leave a 3 way tie at the top of the championship table.

The 2025 British Historic Rally Championship may once again have started with a traditional trip to the North Yorkshire forests for the Riponian Stages Rally but behind the scenes it was all change. For starters, a much reduced calendar was on the cards with more of a gravel focus. A calendar which was then shortened further by Mother nature’s impact on the Welsh Forests (Rally North Wales and Severn Valley Stages cancelled) but then rescued by the legendary Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club who brought back the Carlisle Stages as a late replacement.

It was in the small print where perhaps the most exciting developments had taken place however with the BHRC deciding to embrace the latest FIA Historic regulations for cars homologated all the way up to 1999 for the first time. Thus, not only allowing all wheel drive machinery a shot at the title, but opening up the overall championship to all classes too, meaning there is just as much chance of a category 1 Mini taking the crown as there is a Group A Mitsubishi Galant.

The Riponian Stages rally itself also had a different feel for 2025 with the organisers forced to make changes following the unavailability of Wass.  This would instead see a return of the short Boltby test combined with maximising the available mileage in the Cropton / Gale Rigg complex.  But despite the efforts of Ripon Motor Sport Club historic entries were a little on the disappointing side with numbers falling just shy of the 40 mark and missing the likes of Mark Higgins, Nick Elliot and 2024 champion Seb Perez.

The aforementioned crews would have struggled to beat the in-form Dan Mennell and John H Roberts however.   After rounding out 2024 in style with historic victory on the Malton Forest Rally, the Anglo / Welsh pairing started 2025 in much the same manner, setting a blindingly quick time in Cropton before another fastest historic time in Boltby to hold a commanding 17 second lead at the Thirsk service halt.

David Crossen and Ben Teggart were back after a partial campaign in 2024 and it would be they who were quickest out of the blocks on the day though.  In fact the Northern Irish pairing, aboard their Ford Escort, were 2 seconds quicker than anyone else in the opening Gale Rigg test and would have kept Mennell in check during the afternoon stages had it not been for dropping 12 seconds in Boltby!

Having done all the hard-work in the morning, Mennell and Roberts followed this up with a well controlled afternoon drive to keep the chasing pack at bay and claim an excellent maiden British Historic Championship victory.  A winning margin of 20 seconds after just over 40 miles of rallying proof if ever it were needed that the Carr Prep prepared Ford Escort duo will be strong championship contenders and most definitely the current Kings of the North Yorkshire forests.

The story of the afternoon stages however was the red-hot battle for third which saw the category 3 MK2 Escorts of Ben Friend, David Henderson and Adrian Hetherington separated by just 1 second after the second running of Gale Rigg.  Cropton 2 (SS5) looked to be the decisive stage as Ben Friend failed to emerge and Henderson edged ahead but Hetherington, with Ronan O’Neill alongside, capped off an impressive afternoon run by setting a time 6 seconds faster than anyone else through Boltby 2 to snatch third at the final opportunity.

Despite being only 4th quickest over the afternoon loop, Crossen and Teggart had more than enough in hand to claim a best British Historic Championship finish to date with second.  A great drive through the slippery morning conditions providing the opportunity for a steadier afternoon run.

The Ford Escort Mexico of Adam Milner and Roy Jarvis made a welcome return to action on the Riponian Stages and the Yorkshire pairing had clearly lost none of their pace.  Never outside the top 12 stage times the 1600 Crossflow powered MK1 crew were rewarded with an excellent 7th overall after a great drive and better still a share of the championship lead courtesy of winning their category by a whopping 1 minute and 2 seconds.

Category 4 honours meanwhile would go the way of Barry Jordan and Arwel Jenkins aboard their Mitsubishi Galant VR4.  Last year’s victor George Lepley, this time with Dafydd Evans alongside, was expected to dominate but engine issues in stage 1 curtailed their event early.

Elsewhere class victories would go the way of Matthew Stroud and Josh Carr (H6) with an excellent 5th, in turn claiming maximum HRCR Northern Historic championship points and the honour of first non BD powered crew home.  Further back Tim Pearcey and Ifan Devine would take class H3 with 11th overall in their Ford Escort MK1, Rally2 honours would go the way of Martyn Hawkswell and Nick Welch aboard another MK2 Escort whilst Terry Cree and Richard Shores would claim H1 and Category 1 honours having swapped their BMW for the Mini Cooper S on this year’s event.

In the Interclub event, Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh proved too quick for the opposition, setting 4 fastest stage times on their way to a 57 second victory aboard their Ford Fiesta Rally2.  Andy Davison and Tom Murphy (Sunbeam VXR) meanwhile would just edge out the BMW E36 of David Wilson and Owen Paterson to claim 2 wheel drive honours with 12th with Mat Smith and Derek Cornforth the first front wheel drive crew home in 14th. 

Having decided on Cropton, junction 2 proved an excellent watch.  Hearing the leading crews flat in top on the long approach was something else.  Just look at the metrics on this in-car of David Henderson and Chris Lees!

Unfortunately, as a result of the cancellation of Rally North Wales, that’s probably it as far as forest rallying goes for me until the late summer but hoping to take in plenty of rallying on the black stuff over the coming months.

FULL HISTORIC RESULTS

GALLERY

BHRC

Woodpecker Stages Rally – September 2024

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Seb Perez and Gary McElhinney tamed the Mid Wales forests for a second time in 2024 to take Woodpecker Stages National Rally victory and cement their place at the top of the British Historic Rally Championship standings

Due to the unavailability of the traditional Herefordshire forests, the 2024 Sixty and Worcestershire MC organised Woodpecker stages rally would see a healthy historic entry tackle tests in Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Ceri, headed by last year’s victors Joe Price and Chris Brooks.  And whilst the 2024 Woodpecker route was a return to similar territory used on the Severn Valley, the organisers had done a great job of ensuring only minimal parts of Hafren were re-used; in-fact even the mileage which had featured on the Severn Valley was passed in the opposite direction!

One thing that was surprisingly consistent however was the weather, with fog and mist a very unwelcome treat for an early September event which proved an additional challenge for the crews.  Not that this seemed to get in the way of Price however as the Ludlow man set a very strong pace through the opening Ceri test to sit just 1 second behind the leading 4 wheel drive historic crew of George Lepley and Dale Bowen.

Having narrowly missed out on victory in 2023, Lepley and Bowen, aboard their Mitsubishi Galant VR-4, would have been keen to get the better of last years victors, but possibly suffering from an incorrect tyre choice would drop time in the next three stages.  However, sitting only 7 seconds behind at the halfway point, the Galant crew would have been confident of making up the time over the afternoon loop (in conditions benefitting all wheel drive machinery) only for a transmission issue in stage 5 to bring a premature end to their event.

After an excellent morning loop, Price and Brooks, aboard the infamous bright Orange Ford Escort, had found themselves with a commanding 24 second lead over the chasing two-wheel drive historic pack and looked odds on for another Woodpecker historic victory.  British Historic Rally Championship leaders Seb Perez and Gary McElhinney, aboard their Global Brands backed Porsche 911, had other ideas however and set a blisteringly quick time through the second running of Ceri to trim the lead by 7 seconds as the crews headed back to the Hafren forest complex.

It was always likely the classic Rally GB / RAC fast flowing but undulating tracks of Hafren forest would decide the outcome of the event and stage 7 in Hafren South proved to be just that. Despite increasing the lead to 18 seconds after SS6, it is not in Price’s nature to take it steady and he and Brooks would unfortunately find themselves off the road, bringing to an end a fabulous defense of their Woodpecker historic title, packed full of their usual sideways flamboyance.

Courtesy of his ultra quick time in stage 5, Perez was now in prime position to take historic honours, however the Chesterfield man found himself with just 4 seconds in hand heading into stage 7 after championship rival and multiple British Champion Mark Higgins, in the David Appleby Engineering prepared TR7, lit up the timing sheets in Hafren Main.

In-fact Perez and McElhinney had found themselves in a battle royale throughout the morning loop with the Fiat 131 of Nick Elliott and the aforementioned Mark Higgins; with the trio of eclectic historic machines covered by just 2 seconds at the Sweet Lamb service halt.  But whilst Elliott drifted away from the battle throughout the afternoon, Higgins, with Carl Williamson alongside, had kept the TR7 right in the mix with his strong stage 6 time.

Once in the lead however there was no catching Perez; the category 2 Porsche pilot seemingly finding another gear to top the historic time sheets through both the final two tests to claim an impressive 8 second BHRC victory; stemming the charge of Higgins somewhat (after back to back Tarmac wins for the TR7 man), and maintaining their lead at the top of the championship standings.

Nick Elliott and Dave Price meanwhile will have been happy with 3rd after struggling for pace over the afternoon loop in the their Fiat 131 whilst class wins went the way of Ben Jemison and Dean Kellett in their Vauxhall Chevette (D4) with 12th in the National event, David Dobson and Brian Hodgson in their Ford Escort (H2) in 14th, Mike Reed and John Millington in the RS2000 (D3) with 20th, Terry Cree and Richard Shores aboard their BMW 2002 (C3) in 22nd and the Toyota Corolla of Ian Beveridge and Paul Price (C2) in 23rd.

Elsewhere Ollie Mellors and Max Freeman produced a fabulous drive in the interclub section of the event to claim a quite brilliant 47 second victory aboard their Proton Iriz R5 whilst Tom Llewellin and Sion Williams were first historic crew home aboard their Weir Rallying UK Ford Escort MK2, recording a total time that would have seen them 3rd overall in the National event!

Whilst the weather was disappointing the action was anything but and the BHRC leaves Wales with a mouth watering championship fight in prospect over the remaining three rounds of the season, especially as dropped scores start to come into effect.  Can Higgins apply his Tarmac form to the loose in Yorkshire and the English / Scottish borders or will Perez’s pace on the gravel prove too much?  And with Nick Elliott and the Ford’s of Richard Hill, Adrian Hetherington and Rudi Lancaster still in the mix, should the aforementioned duo falter, it promises to be a thrilling end to the season. 

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

BHRC

Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages – April 2024

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A sublime drive by Seb Perez and Gary McElhinney, in typical Welsh spring conditions, would land the Porsche 911 duo a famous Historic Rally Victory on the 50th anniversary Severn Valley Stages.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Severn Valley Stages, Midland Manor Motor Club had the excellent idea of extending the usual rally distance to create a mouth watering 62 mile event winding through classic Rally GB stages such as Myherin and Hafren.  Naturally this was a huge attraction to would-be entrants with a reserve list required within days of opening and a whopping 180 cars taking the start in Llandrindod Wells!

Slightly disappointingly only 34 of which were lined up for the Historic element of the event, which had reduced in number during the run up to the rally following the withdrawals of Matthew Robinson (engine) and George Lepley (illness).  Despite this however onlookers were treated to rip-roaring battle for victory that will long live in the memory.

Nick Elliott and Dave Price sat on top of the British Historic Rally Championship points table coming into the Severn Valley Stages and the Fiat 131 pairing were quickly into their groove in Mid Wales as they set fastest time on stage 1 by 6.6 seconds.  Their fortunes would quickly turn on the very next stage however as the RSD prepared machine would disappointingly end the day in a Tarenig ditch.

This instead left an incredible battle for victory between the category 3 Ford Escort MK2 of Joe Price and Chris Brooks and the older category 2 Porsche 911 of Seb Perez and Gary McElhinney; a duel which seemed to yoyo one way and then the other depending on the profile of the stage and differing strengths of each machine.

Perhaps making up time in the faster sections Perez and McElhinney would find themselves in the lead of the rally after the first run through Tarenig (SS2), but it was Price and Brooks who recorded faster stage times in Myherin and Hafren to sit just 1.9 seconds adrift of the lead by the time the cars reached the Builth Wells mid point service.

And with all to play for and still some 33 stage miles left to go Price seemed to have stepped up a gear as for the third stage in a row the Ludlow man set a quicker time than Perez to finally take the rally lead on stage 5. But could he hold onto it?

No was the answer! As relinquishing the lead seemed to be all the motivation Perez needed with the Global Brands backed Derbyshire man going on to record devastatingly quick times in both Myherin Main and Hafren Main (the longest stages of the event) to secure a famous 5 second victory, the first for a category 2 machine in almost 5 years!

Behind, ex British champion Mark Higgins, back in the David Appleby Engineering TR7 for the Severn Valley, was able to really show what the British built brute of a V8 was capable of as he and Phil Pugh sat just 12.3 seconds off the historic rally lead after stage 4.  And whilst not able to match Price and Perez through the second run of Sarnau and Myherin Main, signed off in style with fastest stage time in Hafren Main by a whole 8 seconds to round out the podium positions.

Adrian Hetherington and Daniel Petrie had an up and down rally but a strong run over the afternoon stages saw the Ford Escort MK2 duo climb from 6th to 4th, setting fastest time in stage 5 in the process, to leave Mid Wales with the BHRC championship lead.

In category 2 Jeremy Easson and Mike Reynolds would claim the runner up spot with 13th aboard their Ford Escort MK1, but some 6 minutes behind the event and category winners.  (More a statement of how well pedaled the 911 was than anything else)  Whilst Class C3 winners, Josh Carr and Osian Owen, fought back from time lost in the morning to climb from 6th to 3rd in category with 13th and 10th fastest times on the final 2 stages aboard their Pinto powered MK1.

Elsewhere, MK2 Escorts would claim class D3 and D2 victories with Shaun Bolt and Shaun Layland fininshing 11th in their 2 litre machine whilst Chris Squires and Shaun Hughes would end the day in 14th in their 1600cc Ford.  Meanwhile Steve Magson and Steve Bielby would take the non homologated class victory with 16th whilst Matt Bown and Tom Jordan would claim Class C2 in their Hillman Avenger.

The Severn Valley Stages would also form part of the British Rally Championship where Osian Pryce and Rhodri Evans would claim National event victory in their Ford Fiesta Rally 2.  The Welsh pairing would emerge in the lead after stage 3 and not look back as they went on to record a 20 second victory from the similar machine of William Creighton and Liam Regan and Polo GTI R5 of Chris Ingram and Alex Kihurani.

The bulk of the entry would however be found in the Severn Valley Stages part of the event where Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear would come away with another victory aboard their Ford Fiesta R5, whilst well driven Mitsubishi Evos in the hands of  Rob Wilson and Martin Haggett and Russ Thompson and Stephen Link would complete the podium positions. 

A healthy contingent of historic class machines would also feature in the clubman field where a strong drive by Jack Thorne and Dan Morefield would see them emerge as victors aboard their Ford Escort MK2 with the similar machines of Barry Stevenson-Wheeler and John Pickavance and Rob Dennis and Andy Boswell taking 2nd and 3rd.

I have often wondered how longer rallies, akin to the old ANCRO series, would be received today and I think we now have an answer!  What an event this had been, great stages, crazy weather (Fog, high winds, sun and rain) and possibly the best entry for a UK gravel rally in many a year!  The question is whether more longer rallies for a reasonable entry fee can be achieved?  I am guessing if 180 cars can be attracted then the fee would be less of a problem!

HISTORIC RALLY RESULTS

GALLERY

BHRC

Rally North Wales – March 2024

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In what turned out to be a rally of attrition, Nick Elliott and Dave Price braved very soggy conditions to claim 2024 Rally North Wales National victory; a first in the fabulous RSD prepared Fiat 131 for the duo and ending a 2 and a half year BHRC victory drought!

Round two of the British Historic Rally Championship would see the crews head to Welshpool for the Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Car Club organised Rally North Wales. Dyfnant Forest, having made a return to the timetable in 2023, would again feature heavily with 2 stages (East and West) but first up the crews would make the long journey out towards Aberangell for the infamous Gartheiniog and Dyfi tests.

Round 1 winners and pre event favourites George Lepley and Dale Bowen didn’t take long to get into their stride, with the Anglo / Welsh pairing living up to the hype and leaving the morning visit to the Dyfi forest complex with a commanding 11 second lead. However their strong run would soon come to an end in stage 3 (Dyfnant West) after suffering from a sheared front hub.

Whilst desperately unlucky for the Galant VR4 crew it did allow the 2 wheel drive machines to take centre stage and it would be historic stalwarts Nick Elliott and Dave Price who would find themselves with a 15 second lead by the time the cars reached the mid point service halt courtesy of a consistent run through the morning stages.

It was Irishman David Crossen who was a net quickest over the first runs through Dyfnant West and East however, enough to leave he and fellow Irishman Adrian Hetherington on equal times and rounding out the top three as the cars returned to Welshpool. All to play for then given the conditions which seemed to progress from light drizzle to heavy downpours as the day went on.

Having struggled on the Riponian, the Fiat 131 appeared much more to Elliott’s liking in Mid Wales though and the Cheltenham man put in a stellar drive over the remainder of the event. In what can only be described as monsoon conditions by the time the cars reached Dyfnant for a second time Elliott and Price did an excellent job of navigating through the slippery stages to keep the chasing pack at arms length and make a well overdue return to the top set of the BHRC podium.

Crossen’s afternoon meanwhile did not live upto the morning’s promise as he and co-driver Ben Teggart dropped to third in Gartheiniog before dropping out of the event altogether one stage later with their MK2 Escort failing to emerge from the second running of Dyfi. A stage which would also see the demise of round 1 top scorers Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis with diff issues. The Yorkshireman may not have been on the pace for outright victory but looked odds on for a top five at the halfway point and a good haul of points.

And after such a strong start, the luck was certainly not with the Irish crews on St Patrick’s weekend as a puncture in stage 7 for Adrian Hetherington sent he and Dan Petrie plummeting down the order. Seventh overall in the end such a disappointment for the MK2 Escort crew having closed the lead gap to 12 seconds with just 2 stages to go and looking certain to leave Mid Wales at the top of the BHRC standings.

The 2024 running of Rally North Wales turned out to be a real rally of attrition but this did benefit those who managed to stay out of trouble. Daniel Mennell and Seb Perez were two such drivers who found themselves sitting 5th and 6th at service but would ultimately end the day on the Historic podium!

Just a second apart after the first loop of stages there wasn’t much to choose between the two crews but whilst Perez was marginally quicker in stages 5, 6 and 8, crucially, Mennell (with Richard Wise alongside) was a whopping 9 seconds faster in Dyfnant West to claim second overall by a mere 1 second! An excellent drive by the Yorkshire duo, building on the flashes of speed shown on the Riponian one month earlier.

Despite losing out on second, Perez and Gary McElhinney will have been delighted with 3rd in their Category 2 Porsche especially after their devastating final stage retirement on the RAC last November. Perez certainly knows his way around rear engined rear wheel drive machinery and could well be an overall title contender come the end of the season; category 2 victory by almost 5 minutes proof if ever it were needed of an excellent drive.

This year’s event had also attracted a couple of Welsh rally legends to the historic category in the form of multiple British Rally Champions Mark Higgins and Gwyndaf Evans. Higgins had stepped into the David Appleby Engineering Triumph TR7 and showed what the brute of a V8 was capable of by setting very competitive times in stages 1 and 2 before falling foul of a particularly slippy section towards the end of Stage 3. Gwyndaf meanwhile fared rather better and whilst not really in the victory battle he and co-driver Dale Furniss set joint fastest historic time on stage 5 on their way to an excellent 4th overall in the National event.

Elsewhere the battle for class C1/C2 honours was one of the rally highlights with 4 crews in the mix for victory early on. It would however turn into an all Avenger battle over the afternoon loop following the retirement of Ian Beveridge’s Toyota and Mark Tugwell’s Escort MK1. Riponian class winners Matt Bown and Tom Murphy would just have the edge in pace though and the East Midlands based duo would claim a second class victory in as many rounds as they edged out the Chrysler Avenger of Tony Jardine and Dominic Tobin.

Other BHRC class victories would go the way of David Dobson and Brian Hodgson in their MK2 Escort (Class H1), Mike Reed and John Millington (D3, Escort MK2), Phillip Harris and Derek Davies (C3, Escort MK1) and Stuart Anderson and Adam Houston (D4, Vauxhall Chevette).

Rally North Wales was also the opening round of the Welsh Rally Championship which contained a fair few well pedalled historic machines. None more so than Ben and Steven Smith in the Pinto powered MK1 Escort who put in a sublime drive to claim top spot with an overall time which would have seen them finish 6th in the BHRC!

And so after a very long and wet day in Mid Wales it is Nick Elliott and Dave Price who proudly sit on top of the BHRC standings with Adrian Hetherington having to make do with second after what could have been so much more. Next up is another visit to Wales, this time a little further south for what promises to be an excellent 50th anniversary celebration of the Severn Valley Stages Rally. Let’s hope everyone has fully dried out by then!

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

BHRC

Riponian Stages Rally – February 2024

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Valentines day and Pancake day, stalwart February traditions which have in recent years been joined by the British Historic Rally Championship commencing with the Thirsk based Riponian Stages Rally; a quite different North Yorkshire based event having taken full advantage of the relatively recent relaxation of the road closure laws.

Similar to previous editions two loops of three stages would face the 105 starting crews, with the recently created Wass Moor (through the joining of Wass, College Moor and Pry Rigg) first up, followed by Cropton, which included a little used section at the start, and a new route through Gale Rigg. 

A tricky route at the best of times, snowfall in the run up to the event, followed by rain and a torrential downpour overnight had left the stages very slippery with what can only be described as lakes and rivers in some parts!  Not that this will have phased pre-event favourites George Lepley and Dale Bowen in their Jason Lepley Motorsport prepared Galant VR4 who had 4wd at their disposal.

I’m not sure too many would have predicted Daniel Mennell and Richard Wise aboard their MK2 Escort topping the time sheets after stage 1 then? However any thought of an upset was off the table on the very next stage as an off in Cropton undid all of their early good work.  A real shame but their pace continued to be strong over the remainder of the event (setting a 2nd and two 3rd fastest stage times) which suggests they could be right in the mix over the course of the season.

Committing to the whole BHRC in 2024 (although not eligible for overall championship honours), Lepley and Bowen were fully into their stride by stage 2 however and cemented their position at the top of the time sheets by stopping the clock 9 seconds quicker than anyone else in stage 3 (Gale Rigg) to hold a 20 second lead by the time the cars reached the Wombleton service halt. 

Two more stage wins in the afternoon before a steadier run through the Gale Rigg finale would see the Nottinghamshire man claim a second career BHRC victory.  He and Bowen may well have had more modern machinery and all wheel drive at their disposal but their pace on the day would have seen them finish 5th overall in the Interclub event, behind only the leading R5 / Rally 2 crews!

Behind, the performance of Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis to claim maximum championship points as top 2WD crew home, was maybe just as impressive.  In very challenging conditions the MK2 Escort duo held off a strong charge from Adrian Hetherington and Ronan O’Neill to claim Category 3 honours, just 37 seconds behind the aforementioned historic winners and topping off a great drive by setting fastest historic time on the final run through Gale Rigg.

Hetherington had managed to keep the rapid Yorkshireman in sight for most of the day and had brought the gap down to just nine seconds after a sublime afternoon run through Cropton but Robinson’s final stage heroics would leave Hetherington and O’Neill having to settle for a very well deserved final step of the historic podium.

2021 BHRC champs Ben Friend and Cliffy Simmons were back for 2024 after concentrating on the BTRDA championship in recent years and were right in the mix for the podium positions throughout.  Hetherington just had the edge in the Yorkshire forests however, but 3rd in category would represent a great start to their championship season.

2023 championship runners up, Nick Elliott and Dave Price had hoped to be fighting for victory in their RSD prepared 131 having worked with Matt Edwards on setup pre-event.  The Riponian proved more difficult than expected however with the recently re-liveried Fiat seeming to struggle in the testing conditions especially on the faster Cropton and Gale Rigg tests culminating in the Cheltenham duo ending the day in 5th.

In category 2, Josh Carr and Osian Owen picked up where they off in 2023 as the reigning category 2 champs defeated their BDG powered counterparts to take maximum category points on the Riponian for a second year running with an excellent 13th overall in the historic event.

After a few morning struggles Jeremy Easson and Mike Reynolds were actually quickest in category over the afternoon loop aboard their BDG powered MK1 Escort, setting 12th fastest time on stage 6 to top off a strong drive which saw them finish the day in 15th.

Meanwhile Tim Pearcey, with Steve Pugh alongside, was able to increase his pace over the afternoon stages, getting to grips with his new MK1 Escort and leapfrogging Terry Cree and Richard Shores’ BMW to claim the final step on the category podium.

Elsewhere class wins would go the way of Ben Jemison / Dave Jackson with and excellent 10th in their Vauxhall Chevette (D4), Steve Magson / Steve Bielby (H2) with 16th, Mike Reed / John Millington (D3) with 18th and Matt Bown / Tom Murphy (C1 / C2) in 29th.

Having recently announced his participation in the British Rally Championship for 2024, Elliot Payne, with Patrick Walsh alongside, set a blistering pace in the Interclub event to claim victory by a whopping 50 seconds aboard his Rally 2 Fiesta.  Alistair Ginley / Craig Thorley (Ford Fiesta) and Stephen Petch / Michael Wilkinson (Skoda Fabia) would round out the podium positions.  Meanwhile Sam and Olly Lucking would claim historic honours (Ford Escort MK2) with 13th whilst Jack Mathewson and Miles Cartwright (Ford Escort MK2) and class H1 winners Stuart and Linda Cariss (Ford Escort MK1) would complete the historic top 3.

Having personally avoided the Wass Moor stage for the last couple of years a return to the more Western of the stages for 2024 proved to be a wise decision.  The leading crews over the junction 4 crest were mighty impressive and the amount of water at the recently felled junction 5 made for an interesting spectacle also.  Enough to whet the appetite for the 2nd round of the season, Rally North Wales, in just over 1 months time where hopefully a few more historic competitors will be tempted out.    

National Rally Results

Interclub Rally 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)

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

BHRC

RIPONIAN STAGES – FEBRUARY 2023

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The Riponian Stages rally would once again host the opening round of the British Historic Rally Championship with 6 classic stages in the North Yorkshire Forests following a route similar to that of 2022 but in reverse.  And despite the Historic section appearing a little on the light side a relatively healthy overall entry had been gathered for the Thirsk based event. 

Possibly suffering from the rising cost of living and in particular the cost of entering rallies at the moment a modest 44 crews made the start of the National event; 1 fewer than hoped for following the late blow of losing last year’s Winners Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis as a result of competition license issues!

However with Robinson joining fellow 2022 BHRC event winners Henri Grehan and Matt Edwards as missing from the entry list and pre-event favourites Martin McCormack and Barney Mitchell suffering an unfortunate early engine failure it did at least open up the fight for victory, with no fewer than 6 crews ending the event within the same minute as the eventual winners.

Indeed it was Nick Elliott and Dave Price who set the early pace in their glorious Alitalia liveried Fiat 131 but courtesy of quickening their pace through the first pass of Cropton and Wass Moor it was the Ford Escort pairing of Roger Chilman and Patrick Walsh who held a slender 5 second lead at the half way point.

Nick Elliott / Dave Price

A slow time on stage 4 would essentially put pay to Elliott’s victory challenge but with Chilman dropping time in Cropton, just 9 seconds covered the podium positions as the crews headed for the Wass Moor finale; with Tom Walster, who had been away from rallying for several years prior to last year’s outing on the Carlisle stages, just 3 seconds adrift in second.

Walster, a welcome addition to the BHRC in 2023, has clearly lost none of his pace but on this occasion the experience of Chilman and Walsh shone through as the Wales Motorsport duo set fastest time on stage 6 to run out as 4 second victors and take an early championship lead.  Second place overall for Walster (with Christopher Ridge on the notes) did however represent an excellent result for the Nottinghamshire man. 

After setting a blistering pace over the afternoon loop (Fastest times in stage 4 and 5), Adrian Hetherington and Ronan O’Neill would jump from 8th at the halfway point to a remarkable 3rd overall by the end of the event to complete a Ford Escort lock out of the podium positions; with Elliott and Price having to settle for 4th and the Escorts of Simon Webster / Jez Rogers and Richard Jordan / James Gratton Smith rounding out the top six.

Elsewhere another strong performance from Josh Carr and Richard Wardle would see the Pinto engined Ford Escort MK1 pairing get the better of their more powerful counterparts to claim category 2 victory with an excellent 12th overall whilst Terry Cree and Richard Shores (Mini Cooper S) were first home in Category 1. The fight for Class D3 was possibly the hardest fought on the day however with the lead changing no fewer than 4 times throughout the event as the RS2000 crew of Mike Reed and John Millington just lost out on victory by a mere second to David Dobson and Brian Hodgson in their MK2 Escort!

Josh Carr / Richard Wardle

British Rally Championship regular Elliot Payne, with Tom Woodburn alongside, would be a hot favourite for the Interclub section of the event and it was no real surprise to see the Fiesta Rally 2 crew end the event on top after setting fastest time on five of the six stages.  Behind, Hugh Brunton / Drew Sturrock aboard their Skoda Fabia would come out on the right side of a first stage tie breaker to claim second whilst Alistair Ginley / Craig Thorley would have to settle for third despite ending the event on equal times with the second placed crew.  Meanwhile Anthony Hanson and Russel Holdsworth would claim the Interclub 2WD honours with 19th overall in their Vauxhall Chevette.  

Elliot Payne / Tom Woodburn

I had intended to mix things up on this years Riponian but with Gale Rigg being a personal favourite stage of mine the draw of making the most of relatively recent felling was too much to pass up. Maybe somewhere different on the Trackrod?! Next up for the BHRC crews is Rally North Wales which promises a slight change of route to include a return to Dyfnant forest for the first time in a few years. Let’s hope the massive £780 entry fee is not too off putting! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for similar weather to last year too!

GALLERY

BHRC

Woodpecker Stages Rally – September 2022

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Local crew, Henri Grehan and Dan Petrie put an end to recent Fiat British Historic Rally Championship dominance by registering an impressive Historic Class victory on the Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Stages and Cement their place at the top of the BHRC championship standings.

Henri Grehan / Dan Petrie

Always rapid in Radnor and Haye Park, Grehan and Petrie would have been amongst the pre-event favourites for rally victory, along with multiple British Rally Champion Matt Edwards (Fiat 131) who had taken a string of Historic victories in recent times.  And as expected it was the aforementioned duo who set the early pace; Edwards, with Hamish Campbell alongside, quickest in Haye Park and Cwm Y Gerwyn but with Grehan holding the lead at the halfway point courtesy of an exceptionally quick time in stage 3 which was equal 10th fastest overall!

Matt Edwards / Hamish Campbell

The phenomenal battle would then continue throughout the afternoon stages with Edwards marginally quicker in stage 4 and 5 to leave the crews tied on equal times heading into the Stanlo Trump finale.  But unfortunately rally followers were robbed of a proper final stage showdown as the Italian machine would suffer a mechanical failure forcing Edwards into a final stage retirement.  A disappointing end for the RSD prepared Fiat crew who were looking to make it a hat-trick of BHRC victories but conversely an excellent result for the Plas Lime backed MK2 Escort of Grehan and Petrie who now sit comfortably at the top of the championship standings.

Edwards’ retirement had however paved the way clear for Robert Gough / Sam Collis and Nick Elliott / Dave Price to claim the respective final 2 steps on the Historic class podium.  After a relatively steady run through the first pass of Haye Park, Gough and Collis were never outside the top sixteen stage times to claim the runner up spot in their MK2 Escort whilst Elliott and Price were not quite able to match the pace of the 2 Ford crews ahead of them but were rewarded with 3rd overall and first in class G1 after a strong drive aboard their immaculate Alitalia liveried 131.

Nick Elliott / Dave Price

Behind, category 2 victory would go the way of Chris Skill and Brian Hodgson aboard their MK1 Escort as they claimed 10th overall in the National Historic class, with C2 class winners Rory and Paul McCann (Hillman Avenger) just pipping C3 class winners Josh Carr and Richard Wardle (MK1 Escort) to second in category.  Elsewhere, Rudi Lancaster and Guy Weaver (MK2 Escort) topped class G2 with 6th overall, Ford Escort pairing Neal James and Kevin Jones headed class D3 with 20th and Malcolm and Ron Mounsey were first home in class D2 in their Talbot Sunbeam.

Chris Skill / Brian Hodgson

Meanwhile Michael McDaid and Declan Casey (MK2 Escort) would claim BTRDA Historic Cup victory.  The Irish pairing managing to keep the similar machine of Richard Gough and Jonny Tad Evans at arms-length throughout the event to claim top spot by 17 seconds.  Class H1/2 winners Jonathan Brace and Paul Spooner would defy their seeding to round out the podium positions in their MK1 Escort after yet another strong drive.

Michael McDaid / Declan Casey

After many years away from the Shropshire/Herefordshire forests it was nice to make a return to Haye Park and great to catch up with several fellow enthusiasts! Next up for the BHRC crews is the North Yorkshire based Trackrod Rally towards the end of September where championship leaders Grehan and Petrie will be looking to edge one step closer to a maiden BHRC championship crown.

GALLERY