Trackrod Rally awaits British Historic Rally Championship

Just two weeks after the Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Rally saw Roger Chilman and Patrick Walsh claim their third Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship event win of 2023, the Trackrod Historic Cup will host the penultimate and potentially crucial round of the season this weekend [22-23 September].

The super-fast stages in the Northeast corner of the country will see the BHRC contenders bid for a top score to aid their title chances, as the two-day forest event could well hold a vital link in the race for this year’s championship.

The popular rally takes crews into the legendary stages of Dalby, Cropton and Langdale but with an added twist of a 12-mile blast under the cover of darkness on Friday night to set the tone for Saturday’s action-packed leg.

A good time over the opener will be crucial and currently in the pound-seat is Herefordshire’s Roger Chilman. With three wins to his name so far this season, Chilman and co-driver Patrick Walsh are well-placed to head into the final round in October with a healthy lead once the two dropped scores are taken into account.

But the Ford Escort MKII pairing haven’t had it all their own way this season and a final-stage crash on the Plains Rally means they can’t afford to relax in Yorkshire. Heading the standings are Nick Elliott and Dave Price who have been super-consistent all season in their FIAT 131 Abarth.

Whilst a win has eluded them so far, they have regularly secured a sizeable points haul and head to Filey with five points in hand. But a win will be the goal if they are to stand a chance of keeping Chilman at bay. They do however head the FIA Category K standings, although the overall championship is most certainly their focus this season.

The leading BHRC crew on the road will be Tour of Epynt victors Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke who bring their Ford Escort MKII back to gravel specification after a non-championship run on Rali Ceredigion.

Pritchard hasn’t committed to a full season due to concentrating on the Roger Albert Clark Rally at the end of the year but his return to historic rallying has been sublime, building his pace as the season progresses and he adapts back to life in the Ford Escort MKII.

Adrian Hetherington will be aiming to find the pace that eluded him on the Woodpecker in his Ford Escort MK11 and hopefully, the return to some more familiar stages for the Northern Irishman will aid that. Wexford’s Gary Nolan steps into the co-driver’s seat for this event.

Robert Gough and Paul Morris also had a Woodpecker Rally to forget after retiring their Escort MKII on the opening stage of the event but will undoubtedly be looking for redemption this time around.

Richard Jordan’s entry is currently pending after a sizeable accident a few weeks ago in his Ford Escort MKII. A sensational run saw Jordan and co-driver James Gratton-Smith lead the Woodpecker, their first time topping the BHRC timesheets but sadly ended their event with a roll. Gratton-Smith’s recovery has been speedy, but a final decision on their run will come later this week.

A great performance in Ludlow saw George Lepley and Dale Bowen haul their Mitsubishi Galant VR4 to the first BHRC crew home and the Category 4B win in what was the first time a four-wheel-drive historic had entered the class. The shift to the fast English stages will suit the Galant, so expect more of the same from the young driver.

Seb Perez brings the noise with his Porsche 911 RS with Gary McElhinney on the notes, whilst the Woodpecker’s third-placed Gareth James is hoping for another podium in his Escort MKII, this time, with reigning BHRC champion co-driver Dan Petrie in the co-driver’s seat.

The Category Two [cars registered between 1968-1975] battle is likely to be just as fierce with current leader Josh Carr having a healthy list of challengers all eager to usurp his dominance of late.

Carr and Osian Owen took victory last time out in their Escort MKI but face a challenge from the experienced local Warren Philliskirk and Garry Green in a similar machine. The return of Jeremy Easson and Mike Reynolds as well as Phil Jobson and Peter Johnson could also see Carr’s lead in the series eaten into.

Terry Cree and Richard Shores bring their Mini Cooper S back to Yorkshire in the hope of securing Category One [cars registered before 31.12.67] honours whilst Paul Thompson and Josh Davison head the Rally2 [non-Historic] charge.

After a ceremonial start on Filey seafront crews head out to Dalby for the tricky nighttime test on Friday. Saturday hosts the bulk of the miles, with Cropton, Gale Rigg and Langdale forest stages before returning to Filey to spray the champagne.

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