Preview of the Kielder Forest Rally (15th June)
The Kielder Forest Rally will mark the halfway point in this year’s Protyre BTRDA Rally Series but, even with a further four events to run subsequently, the race for the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Gold Star® Rally Championship is already reaching a critical point. Winner in both 2022 & 2023, Elliot Payne (Fiesta Rally2), is on a mission to make it three-in-a-row and, as he and co-driver Patrick Walsh arrive in Hexham for the pre-event formalities, the situation is currently looking favourable. Two maximums and one second-place put them, unsurprisingly, at the top of their respective points tables but, with such a wealth of competition, no-one can yet afford to relax!    The latest Championship Points can be viewed HERE

     The featured image is Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh (Fiesta Rally2) – Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Gold Star Championship Leaders, on the recent Border Counties Rally.

Turning the clocks back with an outright win on the Cambrian Rally in their Class B13 Lancer EVO9 at the end of last season, Russ Thompson / Steve Link continue to pose a threat to the series leaders, having finished in the Top Four – in BTRDA terms – on each of the three events so far. Meanwhile 2023 Kielder winners, Matthew Hirst / Declan Dear (Fiesta R5), already have one victory under their belt, having beaten all-comers on the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages back in April and, in spite of a problematic Malcolm Wilson Rally, are currently 3rd in the table, just six points off the lead.

Daniel Sigurðarson (Fiesta Rally2), with recently-registered co-driver Asta Sigurðadóttir, is another with three good results in the bag, while the similar car of Liam Clark / Emily Easton-Page is improving on an event-by-event basis – 3rd overall on the Border Counties will give cause for much optimism as the season progresses.

<<<<<  Russ Thompson / Steve Link (Lancer EVO9) – Class B13 Leaders

As far as Class B13 is concerned, Thompson and Link rule the roost but hanging on to their shirt tails on each occasion have been Pat Naylor / Ian Lawrence in their own EVO9. Not only do the former BTRDA Production Cup winners feature in the Top Six Gold Star runners but the situation in their class is such that, should the leaders experience a problem of any sort, top spot could change hands in the blink of an eye!

Vivian Hamill’s perseverance must be applauded – a newcomer to the BTRDA Series this year, he settled straight into the task by taking his Polo GTI R5 to 2nd overall on the Malcolm Wilson Rally but then failed to reach the end of the opening stage on each of the next two events. With the scoring system purposely designed to cater for such eventualities, all is not lost, but a result in Kielder is now required in order to move the Ballygawley driver’s season forward.

Not to put too fine a point on it, the Protyre BTRDA Silver Star® Championship is still wide open! Steve Ward’s Escort MkII currently holds sway but, behind it, Andy Davison / Tom Murphy (Sunbeam VXR) have two maximums – their progress only interrupted by a DNF on the Rallynuts! – with Michael Jenkins (Fiesta) upholding front-wheel drive honours in 3rd. The Escorts of Nick Dobson (Mk2) and Will Graham (MkI) are next while Ben Jemison, whose Chevette was runner-up to Davison on the Malcolm Wilson, missed the Rallynuts and retired on the Border Counties, is back for another go in Kielder.

                                                                                                        .Nick Dobson (Escort Mk2) – Class B11 Leader  >>>>>>

At the same time, Ward, Graham & Jemison also occupy the top three places in the Reis Motorsport Insurance BTRDA Historic Cup. Baz Jordan / Arwel Jenkins, who appeared on the Border Counties in their Avenger to finish 2nd behind Will & Karen Graham, could significantly enhance their standing with a similar performance this time.

After a shaky start, Lewis Hooper / Rhys Edwards’ assault on the BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup is gathering momentum. Their Fiesta, which has won the category on the previous two outings, is set to be joined by similar vehicles in the hands of Sam Mason / James Seymour and Alfie Hammond who will be experiencing his first taste of R2 competition…

While one hesitates to use the phrase ‘back to normal’, the sight of Nigel & Kaz Jenkins’ names at the top of the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Championship points table would indicate that they are making their presence felt once more! Their Nova’s first maximum of the season came on the Border Counties, comfortably finishing ahead of Paddy Homan’s Puma and the Corsa of Chris Bush / Robert Bryn Jones.

<<<<<  Paddy Homan (Puma) – 2nd BTRDA Bronze Star – Border Counties Rally

In addition to those mentioned above, Bronze Star competitors will be much in evidence in Hexham. Will Banks and Matt Baddeley (Nova) will be looking for a finish, having failed to complete the Border Counties, while Dale Glover / David Smalley (Alfasud TI) and the Micras of Dylan Fowler-Bishop / Dan Evans and Ashley Francis-Adams – runner-up last time out on the Rallynuts – have also proved themselves eminently capable of ‘mixing it’, given the opportunity…

The Kielder Forest Rally welcomes contenders for the Reis Motorsport Insurance Motorsport UK English Rally Championship and Elliot Payne’s name also features at the head of this particular points table. As the only driver who has taken maximums on both the first two rounds, he leads Nigel Jenkins (Nova) by two points, Russ Thompson (Lancer EVO9) by four and Matthew Hirst (Fiesta R5) by six. However, with five rounds to run and each competitor’s five best scores to count towards their final tally, it’s still possible for someone who has yet to come to our attention to move into the ascendancy!    The latest English Rally Championship points are HERE

2022 English Rally Champion Nick Dobson (Escort Mk2) was absent from the Malcolm Wilson Rally in March but returned home from the Border Counties with a maximum under his belt. What price a repeat in Kielder?… As we regularly point out, in a class-based series such as this, competitors are set against those in similar cars, such that out-and-out power doesn’t necessarily pay dividends – as a glance at the list of previous English Rally Champions will amply illustrate!…

SPECTATORS: The first car leaves Hexham Auction Mart at 9.00am on Saturday 15th June and full details of locations/pricing can be found at: https://kielderforestrally.co.uk/spectators-timetable/
All photos © Kevin Money & Malcolm Almond.
Further information on the Protyre BTRDA Rally Series: www.btrdarally.com & Reis Motorsport Insurance English Rally Championship: www.englishrally.co.uk

Preview of the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally.
Defending BTRDA Gold Star® Rally Champion Elliot Payne and co-driver Patrick Walsh start the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally as leaders of both the Fuchs Lubricants Gold Star Championship and the Reis Motorsport Insurance English Rally Championship – by the narrowest of margins!   In the 2024 Gold Star contest Their Fiesta Rally2 is currently a single point ahead of the Lancer EVO9 of Russ Thompson / Steve Link, with the winners of the recent Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages, Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear (Fiesta R5), in 3rd place.

The featured image is Elliot Payne/Patrick Walsh (Fiesta Rally2) – Reis Motorsport Insurance English Rally Championship Leaders, seen here on the Malcolm Wilson Rally. 

Although Elliot was victorious on the 2023 Border Counties, he’ll be mindful of the fact that not only were Hirst / Dear a mere 12s behind him as they arrived back in Jedburgh at the conclusion of the event, but also that Thompson / Link were just over a minute adrift.

Securing 5th overall on each of the first two BTRDA Series events this season, Scott Beattie (Fiesta R5) is right behind Hirst in the table while Vivian Hamill (Polo R5), who secured runner-up spot on the Malcolm Wilson Rally but then retired on the opening stage of the Rallynuts, could do with a result to maintain the pressure on the opposition. Liam Clark / Emily Easton-Page (Fiesta Rally2) have returned two solid performances so far and another in the Borders will do their Championship standing no harm whatsoever!

Steve Ward (Escort Mk2) will be aiming to consolidate his lead in the Protyre BTRDA Silver Star® Championship but, at the same time, Andy Davison / Tom Murphy (Sunbeam VXR) and Ben Jemison (Chevette HSR) renew their rivalry which saw the former take maximum points on the Malcolm Wilson Rally. However, Jemison did come up trumps in the Reis Motorsport Insurance BTRDA Historic Cup in which, although also currently headed by Ward courtesy of his two scores, he will be handily placed to progress – provided, obviously, that his early-season form is maintained!

<< Ben Jemison (Vauxhall Chevette HSR), the Reis Motorsport Insurance BTRDA Historic Cup Winner on the Malcolm Wilson Rally

The 2023 BTRDA Historic Cup-winning car, Ernie Graham’s MkI Escort RS1600, is now in the hands of his son, Will, who was 2nd in class on the Rallynuts, while a DNF on the Malcolm Wilson leaves Ernie & Patricia Lee (BMW325i) just looking for a finish!
Former Class B11 winner – and 2022 Motorsport UK English Rally Champion! – Nick Dobson (Escort) is back but, having missed the season-opener, continued where he’d left off by taking maximum BTRDA class points on the Rallynuts. The Ilkley driver will now be looking for a similar haul on the Border Counties!…

Having had a false start in their bid for BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup glory, with retirement on the Malcolm Wilson Rally, Lewis Hooper / Rhys Edwards (Fiesta) have begun the fight-back with a ‘win’ in Wales and now have to deal with the similar cars of Garry Whitney / Karl Keating and Alfie Hammond if this trend is to continue…

By dint of class wins in his 1400C Nova on both Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star® Championship events to-date, Will Banks’ name is in lights at the top of the table! Another performance of a similar calibre could well consolidate his and Matt Baddeley’s positions as, on the one hand, neither of the category winners so far (Callum & Steve Black – Suzuki Swift) will be present this time and, following a troubled run on the Severn Valley Stages, defending Bronze Star Champions Nigel & Kaz Jenkins (Nova) are left with some catching-up to do…

                                   Will Banks/Matt Baddeley (Nova) – Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Championship Leaders   >>>>

Chris Greenall (Nova) and Chris Bush / Robert Bryn (Corsa) will be approaching the event from very different perspectives – Greenall has maintained a 100% finishing record over the first quarter of the season and will be looking to move that forward, while Bush / Bryn have yet to see a finish line…. The BTRDA Rally First Cup still features a Peugeot 205 monopoly but, this time, Giles Armitage will be endeavouring to turn the tables on Rallynuts winner Martin Beech…

The Reis Motorsport Insurance Motorsport UK English Rally Championship takes to the stages once more on the Border Counties Rally. Following the opening encounter there were joint leaders with Elliot Payne (Fiesta Rally2) and Callum Black (Suzuki Swift) both coming away from the Malcolm Wilson Rally with maximum scores. However, while the aforementioned absence of
Black from Round 2 leaves Payne out in front on his own, we’re at an early enough stage of the season for any number of other drivers to step up to the plate and join – or even overhaul! – him at the top of the table.

<<<   Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh (Fiesta Rally2) – Reis Motorsport Insurance English Rally Championship Leaders

Prior to the start the Top Ten drivers are separated by a mere three points, as are 10th-20th places! Including the Border Counties, there are six more events in the calendar and it goes without saying that there is bound to be a fair amount of jockeying for position between now and the Grizedale Stages at the beginning of December…

The Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally takes in six special stages and the first car leaves the start at Jedburgh Abbey at 8.00am on Saturday 11th May. Prospective spectators should consult : www.bordercountiesrally.co.uk/spectators/

All photos © Kevin Money & Malcolm Almond.   Further information on the Protyre BTRDA Rally Series @ www.btrdarally.com & Reis Motorsport Insurance English Rally Championship @ www.englishrally.co.uk          – ENDS –

As we bid a warm welcome to Protyre, headline sponsor of the 2024 BTRDA Rally Series, and Reis Motorsport Insurance for the Motorsport UK English Rally Championship – both of which start on the Malcolm Wilson Rally – Elliot Payne, the first driver to take back-to-back BTRDA Gold Star® Championship titles for nearly thirty years, returns in an attempt to extend his run of success still further.       The featured image shows Elliot Payne’s Fiesta Rally2 in the Grizedale forest snow! 

The entry list for the Malcolm Wilson Rally runs to around 100 cars and, even at this early stage, it’s quite obvious that the ‘pretenders’ to all the major categories in both the Protyre BTRDA Rally Series and Reis Motorsport Insurance Motorsport UK English Rally Championship will have their work cut out if, by the end of the year, their campaigns are to be deemed successful!  While Elliot Payne – who is reunited with Patrick Walsh, his co-driver for his 2022 Gold Star title, this year – will, undoubtedly, be a force-to-be-reckoned-with in the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Gold Star® Championship, it would be reasonable to assume that he won’t have things all his own way. Enduring a disastrous end to last season which saw their Fiesta R5 fail to complete an event after the Nicky Grist Stages in July, proven winners at BTRDA level, Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear still finished in the Top Six Gold Star contenders!  Russ Thompson / Steve Link beat all-comers on last year’s season-ending Cambrian Rally in their Class B13 Lancer EVO9 and they are now joined by the similar car of former BTRDA Production Cup winners Pat Naylor / Ian Lawrence.

<<<   Russ Thompson/Steve Link (Lancer EVO9) – Outright Winners 2023 Cambrian Rally

Meanwhile, having also sat out 2023, Perry Gardener / Jack Bowen (Fiesta R5) return to the fold once more. Perry’s dad, Shaun, was BTRDA Gold Star Champion in 2006 and 2012, while Perry, himself, finished runner-up on his ‘home’ Woodpecker Stages last time he contested it – so, not only do the Gardener family attributes include the knowledge of what is required to be a winner, but also the wherewithal to produce the goods!…
While any discussions in respect of this year’s Gold Star could be loosely categorised as ‘possibilities’, we can definitely say that the Protyre BTRDA Silver Star® Championship trophy will have a new name on it. Current holders Ben Friend / Cliff Simmons are only undertaking a limited programme of events in 2024, leaving the way open for others to take up the cudgel. For example, 2022 Silver Star winners Rob Wright / Mark Fisher (Escort Mk2), from Whitehaven, are tackling their ‘home’ event, while Andy Davison and 2019 Silver Star Champion Co-driver Tom Murphy return in their Sunbeam VXR.

                                                                                               Andy Davison / Tom Murphy (Sunbeam VXR) >>>>>

Over the past couple of seasons, several front-wheel drive cars have graced the Silver Star podium on events, as have vehicles contesting what is henceforth to be known as the Reis Motorsport Insurance BTRDA Historic Cup. Endeavouring to maintain that tradition, Lewis Hooper / Rhys Edwards have forsaken their award-winning Micra in favour of a Fiesta to concentrate on the BTRDA Rallye R2 Cup and they will be joined by Liam Clark / Emily Easton-Page in an as yet un-named car.
Steve Ward / Phil Sandham are targeting the Historic Cup in their Escort Mk2, as are Ernie & Patricia Lee whose BMW 325i finished 2nd in class on last year’s Malcolm Wilson Rally.  Having made their intentions perfectly clear during the latter half of the 2022 Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Rally Championship, Nigel & Kaz Jenkins (Nova) returned last season to claim the title with an unbeatable (even by them!) ‘full-house’ – six maximum scores! The husband-and-wife team from the Forest of Dean are back for more but, as is ever the case, they’ll be up against those out to de-rail their ambition – in the nicest possible way! – including, on this occasion, 2021 Bronze Star Champion Steve Black (Suzuki Swift) who has enlisted the help of Jack Morton,
Chris & James Greenall (Nova), Ashley Francis-Adams / Mark Ammonds (Micra), Chris Bush / Robert Bryn (Corsa) and Dale Glover / David Smalley (AlfaSud Ti). Brace yourselves!…

<<<<  Nigel & Kaz Jenkins (Nova) – Little (1400cc) Giant-Killers in 2023.  Shown here on their ‘local’ event, the Wyedean Rally 

For the first five events in its seven-round calendar, the Reis Motorsport Insurance MSUK English Rally Championship follows the BTRDA Rally Series and, as such, also begins on the Malcolm Wilson Rally. Anyone registered for the BTRDA Series is automatically eligible to score ERC points and, as it is class-based, it’s not necessarily the most powerful cars that come out on top. Not for the first time, this was graphically illustrated by Ernie Graham who was the 2023 English Rally Champion in his immaculate MkI Escort RS1600. For the new season, Ernie is pinning his hopes on a Lancer EVOX which, in addition to defending his ERC title, also puts him slap-bang in the middle of a very hotly-contested Class B13 in the BTRDA Series!…

For details of the Malcolm Wilson Rally: www.malcolmwilson.co.uk

All photos © Kevin Money and Malcolm Almond