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Motor Racing Legends

Donington Historic Festival – Day 2 – May 2025

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In an exciting new dawn for Motor Racing Legends, Shaun & Max Lynn rounded off a brilliant Day 2 of the Donington Historic Festival by coming out on top of a fantastic Pre-66, David vs Goliath battle to take Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup victory aboard their Lotus Elan.

Although Shaun Lynn’s Aythorpe Promotions business acquired Motor Racing Legends in Mid 2024 the 2025 Donington Historic Festival was the first event to really show the vision of the new owners.  On track, new rules ensuring car owners take up a greater share of the driving duties combined with significant time penalties for elite drivers has really levelled up the playing field whilst trackside the show seams to have been taken up a notch for the spectators. 

Indeed, accessibility was second to none and the individually allocated awnings for each competing car was a great touch, shades of Goodwood and some of the big European events. The demonstration runs for the Super Tourers and Williams FW22 in the very capable hands of James Davison were great additions too;  Watching the latter through the Craner Curves and Old Hairpin was simply breathtaking! That noise!

Grid sizes seemed to have improved also, especially regarding the pre-war machinery where a mammoth 36 cars lined up for the first race of the day.  Not bad for cars approaching 100 years old (ignoring the debate on continuation models)!  And the quality of racing proved equally impressive as, after a great battle with the Alvis Firefly Special of Rudi Friedrichs, Gareth Burnett eventually claimed victory aboard his Alta Sports. 

The first half of the race saw the duo swap positions on numerous occasions as Friedrichs was faster down the straights but the Alta of Burnett was stronger under braking.  2nd gear would however prove to be a problem for the Alvis in the second half of the race leaving Burnett to pull out a relatively healthy margin of 16 seconds at the flag.  Meanwhile Rob and Josh Beebee couldn’t quite keep in touch with the 2 leading machines as they rounded out the podium positions in their Frazer Nash TT Replica.

After a successful pilot event at Silverstone last year, the new for 2025 GT3 Legends series made a welcome debut at this years festival. Catering for GT3 machinery homologated between 2006 and 2012 a very healthy grid of 24 cars, across many a brand, had been assembled for the first of two races over the weekend.

But whilst GT3 is all about balance of performance, Aston Martin V12 Vantage pilot, Jonathan Mitchell, would prove to be in a league of his own. Up against the likes of former BTCC champ Andrew Jordan, Mitchell put in a stellar drive which not only saw the Aston man claim victory by more than 57 seconds but perhaps even more impressively set fastest lap of the race!

The battle for the remaining podium positions was far less clear cut however as Andrew Jordan fought back from his 30 second elite driver time penalty (after taking over the Matt Holme Corvette). Finding himself in fifth after the stops the long time touring car pilot was able to slip past the Nissan GTR of Max Lynn, BMW z4 of Andy Willis and McLaren of Christian Albrecht over the remainder of the 50 minute race to claim a fine 2nd. Albrecht meanwhile would complete the podium positions having gotten the better of Willis during the closing stages.

The Historic Motor Racing News Pre 63 GT race can always be relied upon to provide a stunning grid and this occasion was no exception as Dario Franchitti leapt into an early lead aboard Gregor Fisken’s Shelby Cobra 260. John Spiers and Matt Holme in similar machines would keep the multiple IndyCar champion honest but Franchitti had built a healthy lead by the time the car was handed over to Fisken. Healthy enough that even the traditional Nigel Greensall late charge (taking over from Spiers) would not be enough as American Muscle would lock out the podium positions.

The highlight of the festival for many in recent times however is the Saturday evening Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup and a mouth watering grid of 24 Pre-66 largely GT machines would line up for the 2025 edition, a race where strategy is often just as important as outright pace.

Fresh from a strong performance in the Pre-63 GT race it was pole-sitter John Spiers who would lead the early stages of the 2 hour race aboard his Jaguar E-Type Lightweight with another E-Type in the hands of Mark Donnor soon upto second and the Rudi Friedrichs Cobra 3rd. But with the requirement for 2 pitstops, (of both 1 and 5 minutes in length) it was all to play for.

Indeed, after choosing to make their short stop first, it would be Max Lynn (taking over from father Shaun) who would emerge in the lead aboard the nimble Lotus Elan at the half way point with the Gary Pearson Cobra (having taken over from Friedrichs) close behind. Surely just a temporary stint in the lead given the horsepower deficit?

Not so, in fact Max Lynn was driving he and Shaun right into contention with consistently fast lap times, so much so that by the time Shaun Lynn emerged from his longer stop with just under 15 minutes remaining they were still in the lead. And with the demise of both the Mark Donnor / Alex Brundle and John Spiers / Nigel Greensall E-Types it was a comfortable one at that as the father and son pairing would go on to take a memorable 23 second victory.

Marcus Oeynhausen, aboard his Jaguar E-Type, had put in a strong drive over the first half of the race which left Andy Newall in a strong second of those who had elected to take their long stop first. But whilst they gained a position through the demise of the Donnor / Brundle machine, their combined pace was no match for Max Lynn leaving them having to settle for second as the pitstops unwound.

Gary Pearson meanwhile carried on the great early work of Rudi Friedrichs to claim the final step of the podium in the AC Cobra; thankful i’m sure that the race distance had been shortened by an hour for 2025 with the Lotus Elan of Miles Griffiths closing at a fair rate of knots over the final stages.

Earlier in the day former Le Mans 24 hour winner Guy Smith claimed a second U2TC win of the weekend aboard his Ford Lotus Cortina as Harri Reynolds (son of Welsh rally legend Julian) and man of the weekend, Jonathan Mitchell rounded out the podium positions in similar machinery. Disappointingly only 13 cars made the start of Saturday’s race despite returning to standalone grids for 2025. Let’s hope numbers improve as the season progresses.

Sunday’s racing meanwhile would see Jonathan Bailey and Andy Middlehurst claim Historic Touring Car Challenge victory aboard their Nissan Skyline, Kyle Tilley and Olly Bryant (Lotus 15) first home in the combined Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy / Stirling Moss Trophy race and Jonathan Mitchell take a second dominant GT3 Legends victory of the weekend. Elsewhere victories in the HRDC Gerry Marshall Trophy, Jack Sears Trophy and Dunlop Allstars would go the way of Simon Lewis / Alex Brundle (Jaguar XJS), Peter Smith / Harri Reynolds (Lotus Cortina) and Mike Whittaker Snr (TVR Griffith) respectively.

Overall day 2 of the Donington Historic Festival had been one hell of a spectacle and possibly the best yet. I had my doubts about switching to the GP circuit and reducing the length of the Pall Mall Cup race but in the end both proved to be a success. Although I do yearn for a return of the 60’s and 70’s Sports Prototypes, it’s clear Motor Racing Legends is now in very good hands, and long may it continue.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Circuit Rally Championship

Alan Healy Memorial Rally – April 2025

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A sublime drive by Michael Igoe and Will Atkins to secure victory at the Cadwell Park based Alan Healy Memorial rally ensured the Citroen C3 duo would claim the 2024/25 Circuit Rally Championship title for the second successive season.

Round 8, the penultimate round of the Protyre Circuit Rally Championship, would see the crews return to the Lincolnshire Wolds based circuit for the second occasion, this time in the midst of a very pleasant spell of Spring weather and with some new stage configurations that included part of the paddock for the first time.

Organised by Border Motor Club, the 2025 running of the Alan Healy Memorial Rally would feature nine stages totaling 43 competitive miles and had attracted an excellent entry of 96; an entry which included all sorts of delightful machinery but most importantly was headed by the two main championship protagonists, Michael Igoe and John Griffiths.

It was however a one off entry in the hands of Dom Buckley Jnr in one of his own Dom Buckley RSC Ford Fiesta Rally2 machines that set the early pace, with the Scottish Borders based man, co-driven by Michael Wastling, leaping into a 5 second lead after stage 1 and then maintaining this advantage throughout the more technical morning stages.

John Griffiths and Emma Morrison knew only a victory at Cadwell would keep their Championship hopes alive but unfortunately would find themselves 10 seconds adrift after stage 1.  And despite two stage victories during the morning loop the Skoda Fabia R5 crew would find themselves with the same deficit at lunch as traffic seemed to favour each of the leading crews at various points.

Igoe and Atkins meanwhile were in prime position to take the crown at the halfway point as despite lying second the Citroen C3 crew were effectively on course for maximum points (Buckley not a registered championship contender).  But with Griffiths only 5 seconds back the Irish / Anglo duo could not afford to rest on their laurels.

Indeed, with nothing to lose, Griffiths set off like a rocket ship on stage 6, clawing back 4 of those seconds straight away. In fact stage 6 proved pivotal to the outcome of the event as Buckley would drop 11 seconds, in turn promoting Igoe to the top of the time sheets and leaving the top 3 crews separated by a mere 1 second!

But just as the Skoda man began to sniff a chance of victory Igoe would find top gear; he and Atkins excelling on the more fast flowing tests as they realed off 3 fastest stage times in a row to roll out 7 second victors. Not only maintaining their Alan Healy Memorial Rally crown but also the outright Circuit Rally Championship in the process.  This has been some conversion to rallying by the former circuit racer who (according to ewrc) has now won 13 of the 25 events entered!

Having dominated the 2023/24 Circuit Rally Championship, Igoe and Atkins faced a much tougher task in 2024/25 as John Griffiths and Emma Morrison entered a strong run of form which saw them claim 3 outright victories themselves.  But try as they might over the final 3 stages, the Skoda Fabia crew could not quite match the pace of Igoe and keep the title fight alive; the North Nottinghamshire based duo in the end having to settle for the runners up spot after a valiant effort.

Buckley had clearly lost none of the pace that saw him battling the best Britain had to offer in the mid nineties but after a strong morning things started to unravel for he and Wastling. Indeed, having lost the lead on stage 6, a stall at the hairpin on stage 7 would leave them instead locked in a battle with Chris West and Keith Hounslow for the final podium position.  And this appeared to be all the encouragement the Peugeot man needed! 

Struggling for traction on the twisty morning stages, West came into his own on the more fast flowing afternoon stages as he pushed the aging Peugeot 306 Maxi to the absolute limits over remaining mileage; and to great success as he and Hounslow were never outside the top three stage times on the final 4 tests to claim a quite brilliant 3rd overall, the honour of first two wheel drive crew home and a dominant class C victory.

Elsewhere a fantastic ding-dong battle was taking place in Class D as Martin Hodgson (Ford Escort MK2) and Joseph Duffy (Lotus Elise) locked horns.  Hodgson, with Toby Jones alongside, had lead the early running before Duffy, co-driven by Daniel Duffy, fought back and found himself in the class lead at the half way point.  A time loss of 15 seconds for the Lotus man in stage 6 proved to be the pivotal moment however as despite going quicker on 2 of the remaining 3 stages the Bournemouth based pairing would fall 6 seconds shy of class victory with the crews finishing an excellent 8th and 9th overall respectively.

Just one place further back was another crowd pleasing Peugeot, this time of the 106 Maxi variety in the hands of Ben and Andrew Wilkinson.  Despite a slightly scary spin on the approach to Coppice on stage one, the pairing would dominate class E and end the day in an excellent 10th position overall.

The rally proved attritional for many of the Class B runners where accidents and breakdowns decimated the leaderboard.  Phil and Katy Burton (Subaru Impreza) had been well inside the top 10 and leading the class before an off in stage 8 brought a premature end to their day.  This left the door wide open for Neil Beaumont and Dylan Thomas (Mitsubishi Evo 8) to claim class victory with 14th overall who themselves had been down in 4th after the morning loop!

And last but not least Jonathan Hudson and Amy Wolstenholme put in a great drive to claim Class F victory by 1 minute and 43 seconds with 25th overall aboard their Nissan Micra.  Some achievement given the undulating nature of the Lincolnshire venue.

Family commitments mean I am unlikely to get to another rally before the Woodpecker at the end of August but this had been some event to attend before the upcoming pause; well organised with minimal interruptions and an ultra close battle for victory at one of the UKs finest circuits, and for once, matched by fantastic early spring weather!

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

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AGBO Stages Rally – March 2025

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Oliver Davies, with Jack Bowen alongside on this occasion, drew upon his vast knowledge of Weston Park to record an incredible 10th AGBO stages rally victory aboard his formidable Ford Escort MK2.

Weston Park was looking particularly stunning in the early spring sunshine as the Staffordshire parkland estate welcomed rally folk for the 29th annual running of the Land & Estate Maintenance AGBO Stages rally.  Once again organised by the West Midlands based Owen Motoring Club, the 2025 running of the AGBO stages rally would feature ten stages covering almost 30 miles and had attracted many a previous winner, with Davies, Lee Edwards, Gary Thomas and Andy Corner accounting for 50% of the roll of honour!

Last year’s victors Lee Edwards and Ben Crump would head the entry list in the fabulous Jaguar engined Escort G3 but could not match the pace of Davies and Bowen on the day, with the pairing finding themselves 11 seconds adrift in second after the first 3 stages.  The dry conditions on both the asphalt roads and adjoining grassland was perhaps playing into the hands of Davies, whose smooth driving style may not have seemed quickest to the naked eye but proved very effective on the time sheets!

Indeed, try as Edwards might, he and Crump just could not get any more out of the fantastic sounding Escort and despite 4 stage victories out of the remaining 7 stages, and never outside the top 2 stage times, would end the day 14 seconds in arrears.

This had been some drive by Davies and Bowen who must have surprised more than a few with their rapid early morning pace before settling into a strong rhythm and defeating many people’s favourites for the event victory by a fair margin.  Surely Davies must now qualify for some sort of commemorative feature within the estate after recording a 10th victory at Weston Park, which accounts for more than one third of the event history!

Whilst not quite able to match the pace of the front two crews Dai Dot Davies made a welcome return to the hot seat of the family Darrian GTR and with Steve Pugh alongside put in a strong drive to keep previous double winner Gary Thomas (co-driven by Christopher Walton) at arms length throughout and claim a well deserved final step of the podium.

Personally I believe the organisers have the event regulations perfected by allowing all wheel drive machinery to complete as long as they run a H pattern gearbox and best of the four wheel drive machinery on the day would prove to be Wayne Larbalestier and Matt Endean aboard their Mitsubishi Evo 3.  Consistently setting times well within the top ten, an entertaining drive would see the Japanese machine end the day 6th overall and topping class E.

Perhaps the closest tussle on the day was found in Class C however where the top 3 would end the event separated by just 6 seconds and fill positions 8,9 and 10 overall.  Dave Hopwood and Sam Kelter (Ford Escort MK2) enjoyed a flying start to the event setting 5th and 8th fastest times on stages 1 and 2 but then struggled in stages 4 and 5 to find themselves tied on times with the similar machine of Joshua Moss and Phil Tucker at the half way point.

This appeared to be all the motivation Moss and Tucker required as 3 more top 10 stage times would see them sitting on a relatively comfortable 6 second cushion with just the final two stages remaining.  Which in the end proved vital as Hopwood and Kelter would end the day just as they started by taking 5 back over the final loop to miss out on class victory by 1 solitary second! 

Late entrants Mike Simpson and Sam Weller were there or thereabouts throughout and ready to pounce if the fight ahead became too fraught. As it was they couldn’t quite get close enough to the leading 2 class C runners and would bring their MK2 Escort home third in class and 10th overall.

Elsewhere class victories would go the way of yet another previous winning crew in the form of Andy Corner and Ade Camp, this time competing in the Ford Fiesta R200.  It feels rather odd seeing them in something other than a Peugeot 205 but the pairing recorded an impressive 3 top ten stage times on their way to Class B victory and 12th overall.

And last but not least Tom Bishop and Tom Aleksandrowicz would claim Class A victory aboard their Vauxhall Nova after a strong drive would see them finish the day in 20th position overall.

There can’t be many better locations for a single venue rally especially when the sun is out.  And with the glorious sound of competition engines bouncing off the parkland landscape it proved a great days entertainment for the very reasonable sum of just £9!  Next up for me is the Alan Healy Memorial Rally at Cadwell on the 6th April for the latest instalment of the Circuit Rally Championship.

RESULTS

GALLERY

Circuit Rally Championship

Lee Holland Memorial Rally – March 2025

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In form duo, Michael Igoe and Will Atkins claimed a 3rd Protyre Circuit Rally Championship victory in as many events as they just edged out John Griffiths and Emma Morrison to take Lee Holland Memorial Rally Victory for the second successive year at the very picturesque Anglesey Circuit.

The current pause in Welsh forest rallying provided the perfect opportunity to make a maiden visit to Anglesey Circuit, possibly the most scenic of all the UK circuits, for round 6 of the 2024/25 Protyre Circuit Rally Championship.

Jointly organised by the Garstang and Preston and Pendle District Motor Clubs, the Lee Holland Memorial Rally would feature 6 stages, making use of all available asphalt and boast an impressive entry list (including separate events for the Juniors and Cross Cars) headed by 2024 winners Michael Igoe and Will Atkins in their Citroen C3 Rally2.

It was however the Skoda Fabia R5 of John Griffiths and Emma Morrison who would top the time sheets after the first loop of 2 stages courtesy of setting fastest time on SS1, but it would be the middle loop of partially reversed stages that would prove pivotal to the outcome of the event.

As it was, ex British GT racing driver, Igoe was able to complete stages 3 and 4 a combined 11 seconds quicker than the Rainworth Skoda backed Fabia as Igoe perfected his setup whilst his main rival on the day was plagued by a lack of grip; thus leaving Igoe and Atkins sitting on a comfortable 10 second lead with just over 12 miles remaining. 

Any thoughts of a relaxed run to the finish may have been quickly eroded when the Citroen man out-braked himself at a junction on SS5 but Igoe and Atkins were back on form in stage 6 where the formidable pairing were able find an additional 8 seconds to match the time of Griffiths and claim a hard fought 5 second victory. 

Griffiths meanwhile would be left to rue the tyre choice error on the middle loop which left any ambitions of the title probably requiring he and Morrison to outscore the Citroen man on all 3 of the remaining rounds.  A tough ask on current form!

25 seconds back in third were Kiaran Hankin and Ben Butterworth in another Citroen C3 Rally2 after a strong run saw them pip the father/son combo of John and Alex Stone (VW Polo R5) to the final step on the podium by just 8 seconds.

Chris West and Keith Hounslow were a very welcome addition to the entry list in their Peugeot 306 Maxi and the duo would be rewarded with Class C victory, 5th overall and the first 2 wheel drive crew home after a strong drive.  Meanwhile Wil Owen and Robbie Sandford would just hold off a late charge from the Similar MK2 Escort of Dave Willett and John Davies to claim the honour of first rear wheel drive crew home and the class C runner up spot.

Elsewhere class victories would go the way of Mei Davies and Dylan Thomas (Class D) aboard their Ford Escort MK2 with 10th, Christian Davies and Ethan Zdrodowski (Class B) in their Ford Fiesta with 17th, the Mazda Mx-5 crew of Xavier Brodie and Jonathan Cragg (Class E) with 25th and Gareth Roberts and Ben Forrester aboard their Citroen AX (Class F).

Richard Rees (Mygale XC04) meanwhile would dominate the Cross Car rally whilst Ollie Forrester and George Myatt would head an Ultra close Junior battle that saw the top 3 covered by a mere 6 seconds as Skoda Citigos locked out the podium positions!

The weather may not have turned out quite as favourable as forecast (Anglesey must have been one of the few places in the UK that didn’t see wall to wall sunshine on the day) but it turned out to be well worth the near 7 hour round trip.  What a great little venue that doesn’t look the least bit out of place on the stunning North Wales coast line.  I doubt this will be my last visit.

Next up for me is more rallying on the black stuff with the AGBO stages at Weston Park!

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

Rally Anglo Caledonian – November 2024

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Seb Perez celebrated his British Historic Rally Championship crown in style; braving storm Bert, with Dale Bowen alongside on this occasion, to claim historic category victory on the new for 2024 Rally Anglo Caledonian.

The brain child of Colin Heppenstall, Rally Anglo Caledonian was a new event for 2024, effectively replacing the Carlisle Stages with a 140 mile 2 day blast through the English / Scottish border forests.  A mouth watering prospect and what better way to round out the British Historic Rally Championship season!  However things started to unravel on the run up to the event as first the rally was robbed of an epic title showdown following the forced withdrawal of title hopeful Mark Higgins (injured) and then the onset of Storm Bert!

Heavy Snow, rain and high winds were forecast putting the rally in doubt but somehow, through quick thinking and a flexible approach the team behind the award winning Roger Albert Clark Rally managed to pull off a minor miracle in what were, at times, horrific conditions.  The fact that only 2 stages and part of Buck Fell were lost is quite frankly an incredible achievement!

Day 1 saw the worst of the conditions as Kielder was hit with a couple of hours of heavy snow before rain set in.  And despite the organisers decision to delay the event by a few hours and re-work the running order the stages were still treacherous by the time the historic crews came through the first loop of stages in the Kershope forest complex.

The result was a completely mixed up leaderboard with cars separated by minutes rather than the usual seconds with Matthew Stroud leading the historic runners from David Henderson, Paul Thompson and Matthew Robinson.  Meanwhile Perez and Bowen had opted for a steady start, lying 11th of the historic runners and sitting over a minute behind after stage 2.

The newly crowned BHRC champ would soon reap the rewards of a cautious start however as top 3 stage times in Ash Park 2 and Kershope 2 saw the Porsche 911 pilot climb to second in the historic category before really showing his class by setting a pair of phenomenal stage times in what turned out to be the final stages of the day.  Indeed his time of 17.48 through Gowanburn, a whole 1 minute and 31 seconds quicker than overall event winners Alan Carmichael and Jane Nicol in the Hyundai i20N may well go down in folklore!

Paul Thompson meanwhile had required a hire car for this event following accident damage incurred on the Malton Forest rally and would have been over the moon to sit 2nd in the historic category overnight following a measured drive through the snow, ice, fog and darkness of Killer Kielder; so impressive in-fact that he and Josh Davison had a margin of almost 5 minutes over 3rd placed fellow Yorkshireman David Henderson! But given the conditions just making it to the end of day 1 was a feat in itself as expected front runners Nick Elliott, Ben Friend and Stefaan Stouf found out whilst Adrian Hetherington would also hit trouble but return on Sunday under Super Rally rules.

Sunday would be a different kettle of fish entirely however as rising temperatures and torrential rain had almost cleared the snow entirely from the Southern Scottish stages and the predicted high winds were not quite as bad as expected leaving the event to run like clockwork.

After setting the timing sheets alight on Saturday evening Perez and Bowen picked up where they left off on Sunday morning, reeling off 4 top 5 stage times in a row through the classic stages of Castle O’er, Twiglees, Windyhill and Ae to sit just 18 seconds behind the overall event leaders!  Could the 911 crew really take the battle to the modern 4WD Hyundai over the remaining 4 stages?

Unfortunately a gear stick issue in Twiglees 2 would put pay to any overall victory challenge but once resolved the 2024 BHRC champ would still go on to record a dominant historic rally victory with a winning margin of over 7 minutes!  Some drive and we can only hope the mighty Porsche makes a return in 2025!

Paul Thompson and Josh Davison meanwhile followed up an excellent day 1 with another solid performance on day 2, consistently setting top 15 stage times in their borrowed Ford Escort MK2 to round out their season in style with the runners up spot on possibly the toughest UK gravel event of the year.

Recent rear wheel drive convert David Henderson, with Will Atkins alongside, was setting a strong pace throughout Sunday and may well have challenged Thompson for second had it not been for losing the clutch in Castle O’er 1 and suffering punctures in both Windyhill 1 and Castle O’er 2.  Despite this Henderson still managed to close on Thompson throughout the day and round out the podium positions just over 1 minute in arrears.

Elsewhere in the historic category classes Bryan Jardine and Declan Campbell claimed Safari spec victory in their MK1 Escort with a brilliant 8th overall and 7th in the historics whilst Andy Madge and Matt Cooper claimed an excellent Pre-85 class victory with 18th overall aboard their Toyota Corolla; this after putting in one of the starring performances of Saturday morning to sit well inside the top 10!

Other historic class victories would go the way of Douglas and Graeme Menzies in their Ford Escort MK2 (D3) with 15th overall, Alex Waterman and Chris Davies (C2) aboard their Datsun 1600 SSS with 20th overall, James and Jack Brady (F2) with 24th overall in their Porsche 911, Drexel Gillespie and Gill Cotton (C3) with 26th in their Ford Escort MK1, Ed Abbott and Tom Bishop (D4) in the crowd pleasing Jaguar X-JS V12 with 35th and William Paterson and Tom Hynd (D2) with 40th overall in their Talbot Sunbeam.

In a different approach to the Roger Albert Clark Rally, the organisers allowed 4WD machinery for Rally Anglo Caledonian and despite having the best machinery for the job Alan Carmichael and Jane Nicol put in an excellent drive aboard their Hyundai i20N to claim victory,  it can’t be easy having the likes of Seb Perez hunting you down especially as the Derbyshire man could probably drive 911’s in his sleep!

The Sunday stages also formed the final round of the Scottish Rally Championship where the pace at the front was frenetic!  4wd crews featured heavily at the top of the time sheets but it was Mark McCulloch and Michael Hendry who would run out victors in their Proton Satria Evo after a well controlled drive. 

Top seeds Josh Wink and Jack Bowen (Hyundai i20 R5) appeared to struggle through the morning stages but were ultra rapid over the final 3 and were an incredible 11 seconds quicker than anyone else in Twiglees 2 to leap from fourth to second on the final stage of the event!  Meanwhile Greg McKnight and Harry Marchbank would head the 2 wheel drive crews, coming home an excellent 5th in their Ford Escort MK2 whilst Donald Peacock and Mairi Riddick would be first historic crew home in 13th.

Everyone must have a story to tell regarding the rally and ours was no different having only managed 1 stage on Saturday following a drive to Kielder that took 5 hours longer than usual!  The main story of the weekend though has to be how the organisers managed to keep the event running.  A quite unbelievable achievement in the circumstances.  Let’s hope they are rewarded with a much larger entry in two years time.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY 

NHRC, Uncategorized

Malton Forest Rally – November 2024

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Ford Escort crew Dan Mennell and John H Roberts continued their strong run of form in the Forests of North Yorkshire, making up for last stage disappointment on the recent Trackrod to claim a commanding Historic Category victory on the 2024 Malton Forest Rally.

The Malton Motor Club organised Malton Forest Rally has often attracted a strong and varied entry but none more so than the 2024 event. Indeed this year’s rally featured a historic entry that many a national championship would have been proud of, with not only an abundance of top Yorkshire based crews on the start list but also featuring the likes of BHRC front runners Ben Friend and Adrian Hetherington.

It would be a Yorkshireman at the head of the field early on however in the form of Dan Mennell. Malton local Mennell had already upped his game in 2024, showing glimpses of potential with a fastest stage time on the Riponian early in the year, but with the addition of experienced Welsh co-driver John H Roberts seems to have found another gear. And, seemingly motivated by the last stage disappointment on the recent Trackrod rally, the Ford Escort pilot leapt into 2 second lead after stage 1, an 8 mile blast through Langdale.

A five mile stage in Gale Rigg would follow before another 8 miler in Cropton closed out the morning loop of stages. And it was the latter stage where Mennell and Roberts would stamp their authority on the event, setting a time 5 seconds quicker than anyone else but more importantly 16 and 19 seconds quicker than Friend and Matthew Robinson respectively to hold a commanding 23 second historic category lead at the mid point service.

The battle behind however was far less clearcut with positions second to fifth covered by a mere 3 seconds! Sitting 5th at service, Ben Friend had shown his pace in the Yorkshire forests already this year having claimed victory on the recent Trackrod and appeared to have re-found this form on stage 4 as the Allglass Anglia Ford Escort man, with Osian Owen alongside on this occasion, recorded fastest time in Landgale 2 to climb three places up the leaderboard to second.

Matthew Robinson and Hannah Davison (Ford Escort) had struggled through the morning also and, whilst not able to match the pace of Friend in Langdale, had however moved up to third and sat just 2 seconds behind the Suffolk man as they headed into the Cropton finale. Could Friend come out on the right side of another last stage Yorkshire forest decider? Unfortunately for Friend and Owen the answer on this occasion was no as Robinson used all of his local knowledge to set a ridiculously quick time in Cropton 2 to take the runners up spot in style.

There would be no catching Mennell and Roberts however. With the damage being done on the first run through Cropton the Anglo Welsh duo were able to take a slightly more relaxed approach to the afternoon loop. It’s all relative though as Mennell and Roberts were still the quickest historic crew over stages 4, 5 and 6 to claim a an excellent 26 second breakthrough victory.

Northern Irish pairing Adrian Hetherington and Ronan O’Neill (Ford Escort) made a welcome return to the Yorkshire forests for the Malton Forest rally but any thoughts of a top finish were ended by a mechanical issue during the morning loop. Meanwhile after a strong morning run which saw them lying third at service, Paul Thompson and Josh Davison would disappointingly end the day in the Gale Rigg undergrowth after a large off following a compression. This instead left the way clear for the evergreen Steve Bannister, with Callum Atkinson alongside, and Jack Mathewson, co driven by Chris Williams, to complete a Ford Escort MK2 lock out of the historic category top 5.

Further back, Stuart and Linda Cariss would claim class H1 victory for the smaller engined machines after ending the day a very commendable 20th in the historic category. In fact some 28 historic crews would make it to the finish at Adderstone Field which must be some kind of record for a Northern Historic Rally Championship event?

There were no surprises at the head of the overall field as the ultra rapid Elliot Payne would claim victory for the 3rd successive year aboard his Ford Fiesta Rally2, this time with Patrick Walsh alongside. Kyle White and Anthony Nestor would however put in a strong showing to claim second in their Hyundai i20 just 29 seconds in arrears.

Elsewhere class victories would go the way of Max Crowther and Phil Bramma (Class 1) with 58th position overall in their MG3, Scott Renshaw and Terry Wilson (Class 2) with 36th aboard their Fiesta R2, Gary Beckwith and Kirsty Angell (Class 3) with 40th in their Ford Escort MK2 and Nigel Cay and Fred Roberts (Class 4) with an excellent 19th overall aboard their 3 litre Vauxhall Chevette.

This had been another great days rallying in the Yorkshire forests and whets the appetite nicely for the British Historic Rally Championship deciding Anglo Caledonian rally in just over 2 weeks time. Dan Mennell is not showing on the entry list as we speak but on this evidence, should an entry materialise, could be a real dark horse for the win.

FULL RESULTS

GALLERY

Motor Racing Legends

MRL Silverstone GP Meeting – October 2024

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Harry Barton and Oliver Reuben retained their Silverstone GP Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup crown with a convincing win aboard the Nigel Reuben Racing prepared TVR Griffith.

Now the traditional curtain closer for the Motor Racing Legends Series, the Silverstone GP meet had attracted a healthy entry with over 30 cars lining up for the Pre-66 3 hour ‘into the evening’ enduro and possibly more impressively an almost similar number of entrants for the brand new GT3 Legends pilot event for 2006 to 2012 GT3 spec cars. Quite some achievement!

The opening day’s track activity would centre around the Pall Mall Cup however with a 50 minute qualifying session preceding a late afternoon start for the 3 hour main event. And it was a pair of Jaguar E-Types that made the most of the damp morning track conditions to form the front row of the grid, headed by the Marcus Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff / Andy Newall machine.

The pole-sitting Jaguar would however drop back early on and be forced into an early stop with Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff suffering from cramp. Conversely the TVR of Harry Barton had made great progress from it’s relatively lowly 6th position on the grid, with the young historic racer quickly hitting the front and building a comfortable lead over the other front row starting E-type of Richard Kent and Lotus Elan of Simon Evans.

Pall Mall Cup rules dictate a two stop race, one of 60 seconds and the other 5 minutes in duration (for re-fueling) and it is this niche set of rules that brings in-race strategy to the fore. As it was both the Griffiths of Barton and Elan of Evans opted to take their longer stop first, the former having no option courtesy of a faulty transponder, which left another Elan in the hands of Max Lynn in the lead of the race with the similar machine of Miles Griffiths in hot pursuit for much of the middle stint.

The Nigel Reuben Racing prepared TVR of Harry Barton and Oliver Reuben was however in a league of it’s own on the day and as the final pit stops unwound would find themselves with a healthy advantage entering the final third of the race. The class 4 competition may have been a little light on this occasion, with the stablemate TVR not able to enter following damage at Spa and the Alex Brundle E-type a non starter courtesy of timing chain issues, but the pairing hardly put a foot wrong; Barton (back in the car for the final stint) eventually crossing the line with a commanding winning margin of 1 minute and 42 seconds.

Simon Evans and James Littlejohn have formed a formidable partnership in recent years and put in possibly the performance of the day to claim second aboard their Lotus Elan. Whilst not able to compete with the 5 litre Ford powered TVR, Evans and Littlejohn were able to keep the eventual winners honest and it was quite some achievement to end the event on the same lap! Littlejohn was particularly rapid on the day and managed to set a lotus Elan lap record with a 2.23.944 on well used tyres!

In fact Lotus Elan’s would make up 1 third of the field with the nimble 1600cc machines featuring heavily in the battle for the remaining podium position. Miles Griffiths had starred throughout the race and seemed to be heading for that final step of the podium following a race long battle with Shaun and Max Lynn but tragically suffered a front end issue with only minutes remaining. This left Shaun Lynn (the man now in charge of Motor Racing Legends activities) and son Max to claim third with Andy Wolfe and Ben Tinkler fourth. Wolfe and Tinkler’s result, in yet another Elan, all the more remarkable having started from the pit lane!

A healthy contingent of Porsche 911s, usually found in their own stand alone Peter Auto races, had entered this years event and it was the David Danglard and Phil Quaife machine that proved the class of the field as they claimed class 3c honours with an excellent 11th. And talking of excellent performances Can Bitirim and Dave Gardener defeated many a more powerful machine to bring their MGB home in 13th to to register class 3b top spot. Meanwhile Pre-63 GT honours would go the way of Grant Williams and Ciprian Nistorica aboard their E-type with 17th overall.

Earlier in the day the GT3 Legends series made a successful track debut and it was British GT stalwart Jon Minshaw who found himself in an early lead before a collision with the similar BMW Z4 of Rob Hall put them both out of contention. Instead it was the Lamborghini Gallardo of Jack Tetley who lead for much of the opening stint but Nick Maton, having taken over for the second half of the race, could not keep Andrew Jordan at bay. The former BTCC champion, aboard the Chevrolet Corvette, appeared in top form however, producing sub 1m 58 second lap times on his way to record a 17 second victory for he and Matt Holme.

In fact it proved a good day for Jordan as Andy Middlehurst and Jonathan Bailey had earlier claimed Historic Touring Car Challenge victory aboard their JRT prepared Nissan Skyline. On a drying track Middlehurst swapped positions on more than one occasion with the similar machine of Ric Wood but had made the conscious effort to look after the tyres of his wet shod machine. This proved pivotal as Wood was forced into retirement having ‘destroyed’ his whilst Bailey (replacing Middlehurst for the second half of the race) just had enough rubber left to reel in Darren fielding (BMW M3) over the closing stages to claim victory.

Having driven through what can only be described as monsoon conditions on the way to the circuit we were treated to a fabulous golden hour to round out the day. And just like the weather the Motor Racing Legends season had also ended on a high with the GT3 Legends series a clear hit. Hopefully, under the guidance of Shaun Lynn, the series can go from strength to strength as it would be great to see grids such as the Historic Touring Car Challenge attract the numbers we were used to in seasons past.

RESULTS

GALLERY

Gt & Sports Car Cup

Castle Combe Autumn Classic – September 2024

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Having stumbled across the opening day entry list on the run up to the event it was an absolute no brainer to trade in a planned visit to Snetterton for the Autumn Classic at Castle Combe.  It appeared this event had developed nicely over the last 7 years since my last visit with an absolutely full to the brim schedule topped off by a 2 hour race for the brilliant GT & Sports Car Cup!

Encountering torrential rain on the approach to the Wiltshire circuit however it did cross my mind whether the correct decision had been made but thankfully only a handful of laps behind the safety car were required for the first qualifying session before normality returned.  Panic Over!!

The tricky early morning conditions had though produced a rather mixed up grid for the Ecurie Jaguar competitors taking part in the first race of the day. In a grid of cars where essentially anything Pre-66 Sports and GT is permitted it was no real surprise to find the ultra rapid Grant Williams make the most of the limited grip on offer and put his Jaguar MK2 on pole, but in stark contrast the Jaguar D-type of Christian Albrec and Gary Pearson would find themselves starting from a lowly 14th.

By the scheduled race time however the circuit had dried somewhat and this seemed to suit the Austin Healey of Oliver and Jack Chatham and the powerful 3 litre machine would leap into an early lead. Tom Barclay, starting the pole sitting Jag on the other hand, was not able to match the pace of Williams and dropped back leaving the Butterfield’s to lead the Jaguar charge in a MK2 of their own whilst the Jaguar D-Type in the hands of Christian Albrec had made great progress and would find himself second before the mid race pitstops.

The Healey would have always been up against it to keep Gary Pearson behind in the second half of the race but that would in the end prove immaterial. Indeed, a sensationally quick stop for the D-Type crew would see Pearson emerge with a comfortable lead which the long time Jaguar racer duly maintained until the finish.  The runners up spot was however just reward for Oliver and Jack Chatham after an excellent drive whilst Tom and Richard Butterfield rounded out the podium positions.

A 60th anniversary grid walk preceded an excellent Historic F3 race which was a nice touch by the organisers. Better still the race itself featured a fantastic duel at the head of the field between the Brabham BT18 of Andrew Hibberd and Alexis MK17 of Peter De La Roche.  Hibberd may well have expected a more straightforward victory having qualified one pole but came across a gutsy De La Roche who, try as he might, could not quite find a way to squeeze passed the chequered flag liveried machine, leaving the Cheshire based pilot having to settle for second by a mere 0.127 seconds!

The GT & Sports Car Cup for Pre-66 GT cars and Pre-61 Sports Prototypes is often the headline grabbing event and this occasion was no exception.  A 2 hour two pitstop race lay ahead of a fantastic 29 car grid which included everything from AC Cobra, E-type and Austin Healey to MG B and Broadspeed Mini; a mouth watering prospect if ever there was one especially as the early morning rain and heavy cloud had now been replaced by glorious late afternoon autumnal sunshine.

Chris Chiles Jnr had earlier qualified on pole aboard the family AC Cobra but whilst able to take an early lead was not able to pull away from a chasing trio of Jaguar E-types as the front row starting Lister-Jaguar of John Spiers dropped back.  But by half distance all 3 Jaguar E-types had succumbed to the pace (2 of them terminally) and the Chiles’ Cobra had been forced into an early stop which left the Lola MK1 of Nick Finburgh and Ollie Crosthwaite at the head of the field with the Lister-Jaguar in pursuit.  Could the little Lola claim an unlikely victory?

Had it not been for a safety car in the second half of the race they may well have had a chance, but a well timed stop by the Lister-Jaguar crew during the caution period saw the brute of a sports prototype emerge in the lead.  In fact it proved of little consequence in the end as, in a race of attrition, the Lola MK1 crew ran into trouble themselves leaving the Spiers / Ward piloted machine a relatively comfortable cruise to the flag.

Meanwhile, recovering from an extra stop, Chris Chiles Jnr was back in the car and setting the track alight with strong lap times to claim second for he and Chris Chiles Snr whilst Steve Jones and Ben Tinkler would round out the podium positions after a strong drive aboard their Lotus Elan 26R.

GT3 proved to be an Austin-Healey 3000 battle royale as the glorious machines filled positions 4 to 7, however it was Doug Muirhead and Jeremy Welch who would claim class top spot.  But perhaps the closest battle of all was for GT2 honours as Malcolm Paul and Rick Bourne, aboard their TVR Grantura, claimed class victory by just 1.721 seconds from the Lotus Elite of Marc Gordon, Guy Harman and Nick Finburgh.

Golden hour was at it’s peak as a mega grid of 31 Fifties Sports Cars took to the track for the final race of the day where David Alexander had qualified his nimble Lotus Elite at the head of the FISCAR field.  And whilst the Coventry Climax engined machine fell behind a fast starting Jaguar XK150 in the hands of Marc Gordon over the opening laps, Alexander soon reeled the ‘big cat’ back in and found himself back in front prior to the pitstops. 

Maintaining the lead as the stops unwound, Alexander then had a relatively steady run to the flag to claim a 12 second victory.  Gordon meanwhile would bring the Jaguar XK150 home second whilst another Elite in the hands of Brian Arculus would round out the podium positions in what turned out to be a slightly shortened race courtesy of David Reed’s Aston Martin DB2 ending the day in the Tower corner Recticel.

The Mini 7 Racing Club brought plenty of entertainment to the Autumn Classic and the Miglia race in particular turned out to be an absolute classic as ex Touring Car racers Andrew Jordan and Jeff Smith locked horns.  Changing positions on multiple occasions it looked as if Smith might steel the win with a late lunge at Quarry on the final lap.  However Jordan was able to produce a better exit and go on to claim victory by just 0.311 seconds!  Meanwhile earlier in the day Damien Harrington had claimed Mini Se7en victory by a similar margin from Joe Thompson whilst Matthew Ayres took class 7S honours with an excellent 4th.

The prancing horse was also well represented at the festival with 3 races over the weekend for the Superperformance Ferrari Club Classic.  Battling a mid afternoon downpour Gary Culver would run out the winner of Saturday’s race in this 328 GTB whilst Wayne Marrs (F355 Challenge) and Colin Sowter (355 Spyder) would complete the podium positions.

In short I have nothing but praise for this event, absolutely packed to the rafters with entries from multiple clubs and unbelievably good value at £20 for the day which included a Historic F3 grid walk.  It reminded me of how good the Donington Historic Festival used to be when a greater selection of clubs supplied the grids and also how improved the Oulton Park Gold Cup has become when following the same philosophy. 

Discovering a route to the circuit through the Cotswolds instead of the dreaded M42 / M5 even made the long journey more bearable.  What a great day’s racing and a fantastic effort by the organisers to ensure the event ran to time in, at times, trying conditions.  If the entries are this good again in 2025 I’ll find it hard to stay away.

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