Preview of the Coppermines Grizedale Stages Rally (6th December)
The organisers of the Coppermines Holiday Cottages Grizedale Stages Rally – the final round of both the 2025 Protyre Autocare BTRDA Rally Series and the Motorsport UK English Rally Championship, sponsored by Kingfisher Insurance – are preparing to welcome a full entry of 90 cars to Ambleside, in the Lake District, on 6th December.
In BTRDA terms, the identities of the Fuchs Lubricants Gold Star® Champions (Matthew Hirst & Declan Dear) and the Protyre Autocare Silver Star® Champions (David Henderson and Rhys Edwards) are already known but neither the Fuchs Lubricants Bronze Star nor the Kingfisher Insurance English Rally Championships have been decided.

A win for out-going Gold Star Champions Elliot Payne / Patrick Walsh (Fiesta Rally2) in Grizedale could see them finish just one point behind Hirst / Dear, while Alex Vassallo (Fiesta Rally2) will be very unlucky not to claim the final podium spot in his first full season of BTRDA events.

The featured image above is Lewis Hooper / Rhys Edwards (Fiesta R2) – on the Woodpecker Stages 

Meanwhile, as far as two-wheel drive rallying is concerned, no matter what befalls contenders for the Protyre Autocare BTRDA Silver Star® Championship, the Top Three won’t be changing. Behind Henderson, Lewis Hooper / Rhys Edwards (Fiesta R2) and Tom Constantine / Tony Walker (Opel Adam R2) will also feature in the 2025 list of awards.

<<<  Tom Constantine/Tony Walker (Opel Adam R2)

The Jordan Road Surfacing BTRDA Historic Cup, too, has already been won and lost but an infrequent appearance by Ernie & Patricia Lee in their BMW 325 could promote them to 3rd overall in the end-of-season standings.
Unusually, the Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Championship has reached its final round with a dead-heat at the top. Dylan Fowler-Bishop / Dan Evans (Micra) took the spoils on the opening three rounds while 2023/24 champions Nigel & Kaz Jenkins (Nova) did likewise on the next three. Fowler-Bishop/Evans won’t be present in the Lakes but, even so, the Jenkins must finish in order to break the tie and assure themselves of a hat-trick of Bronze Star victories. Just to add to the drama, Kaz’ son Luke Watts (MG ZR) has entered the event and will be in direct competition with his mum and step-dad – life in the Forest of Dean may never be quite the same again if he beats them!….

                                                        .Nigel & Kaz Jenkins (Nova) – 2023, 24 & 25(?) Fuchs Lubricants BTRDA Bronze Star Champions >>>

As mentioned above, the Motorsport UK English Rally Championship, sponsored by Kingfisher Insurance, also reaches the end of the road in the Lake District. Leader following the Wyedean Stages, Matthew Hirst (Fabia R5), is sitting this one out and, while Lewis Hooper (Fiesta R2) is the only driver who could possibly knock him off his perch, the permutations for 2nd and 3rd are endless!

<<<< Lewis Hooper/Rhys Edwards (Fiesta R2) on the Woodpecker

2024 Champion Elliot Payne is currently just outside the Top Ten but could well move up into a podium spot, as might Nigel Jenkins, Tom Constantine, Alex Vassallo and Riley Chester & Ashleigh Morris (both Fiestas). With the Championship’s class-based format, what matters most is how competitors perform in relation to others in similar powered vehicles. In this way, power is not necessarily seen as an advantage, as exemplified by past Champions such as Steve Black (1400cc Suzuki Ignis – pictured below) and Ernie Graham’s Mark I Ford Escort RS1600…

SPECTATORS: The first car leaves the start at Skelwith Fold at 9.30am on Saturday 6th December. Full details available via the website:  https://www.grizedalestages.co.uk/index.php/spectators
All photos © Kevin Money
Further information on the Protyre Autocare BTRDA Rally Series : www.btrdarally.com
English Rally Championship sponsored by Kingfisher Insurance : www.englishrally.co.uk