The West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship heads back to Wales for round four on the Severn Valley Stages (Saturday 31 May). The classic stages in the Crychan region will deliver another great event for 70 championship contenders on a rally that is one of the most popular on the schedule.The event will mark the third event in the Geoff Jones Motorsport Welsh Challenge as well as the next round of the highly successful Kumho Clubmans Challenge for crews competing on a maximum of six tyres for the event.Once again, there is a tremendous line-up of 19 pre ’68 cars in the Walker Diecastings Category 1, which includes contenders in the Aldon Automotive Mini and Imp Cup. Heading the field away, thanks to two victories in Wales already this season, is the Mini Cooper of Ray Cunningham and Gary McElhinney and the Irish crew will fly on these stages. However, Tour of Hamsterley winners Graham Waite/Gill Cotton will be hurling the Volvo Amazon around in fine style and a trio of Lotus Cortinas will be right in the mix in the hands of Gwilym Roberts/Don James, Simon Wallis/Graham Wride and Paul Mankin/Desmond Bell. Ranged against the Cortinas in class B4 will be the Volvo PV544 of Ian Beveridge/Paul Price and the Alfa Romeo Junior GT of John Everard/Mark Sharpley.Class B3 should be a battle of three classic Fords: the Cortina Mk2 of Bob and Dale Gibbons, the Ford Anglia of Peter Stimson/Mark Butler and the Cortina Mk1 of Callum Barney and Ron Channon, who make a welcome return after rolling out of the opening event of the season.Adding tremendous depth to the Mini and Imp Cup are the Minis of Ross and Arron Forde and Clive King/Bob Ward as well as the Sunbeam Imp Sport of Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill. With the Porsche 911 of Edmund Peel/Jane Edgington and the Saab 96 of Stephen Higgins/Don Bramfoot, it is another glorious Category 1 entry for the R.A.C. Championship.In the Capital Construction Category 2, David Stokes and Guy Weaver are in fine form in their Ford Escort Mk1 and head to an event they know well on the back of two victories. Offering opposition in the category and class C5 are similar cars for Warren Philliskirk/Nigel Hutchinson, Chris Browne/Ali Cornwell-Browne, Roger Matthews/Paul Morris and welcome championship newcomers Ernie and Will Graham.Class C3 is enjoying a great season of varied competition and the entry is topped by the Opel Ascona A of Peter Smith/Paul Spooner, who will expect a tough challenge from the Pinto-powered Ford Escort Mk1s of David Kirby/Chris Rixon, Peter Egerton/Alun Cook, Simon Pickering/Colin Jenkins and championship newcomers Nick Danks/Martin Corbett and Ian Drummond/Hu Kent. Class C2 is home to the 1600cc cars in Category 2 and the benchmark is the Escort Mk1 of Robin Shuttleworth/Mark Midgley. But the Leeds crew can expect a big challenge from similar cars of Paul and Daniel May and Stuart and Linda Cariss as well as the fresh Hillman Avenger in the very capable hands of Barry Jordan/James Gratton-Smith.The very fastest cars are spilt across class D5 in Category 3 and Category K for FIA specification cars and the event has drawn a stunning entry of most of the leading contenders in this type of car.From the Holton Homes Category K comes the very rapid Ford Escort Mk2 of Jason Pritchard/Phil Clarke, who will be fresh from victory on the Isle of Man in their Ford Focus WRC. Other Category K Escorts include those of Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies and Darren Moon/Tim Sayer and all three crews are capable of a top overall result.Nick Elliott and Dave Price head another superb entry for the Rob Smith Rallying Category 3 in their Ford Escort Mk2 and will be keen to repeat their victory on round two, the Mid Wales Stages. Tour of Hamsterley winner Matt Edwards, with Sam Collis back in the co-driver’s seat, will head the chase of Elliott along with Richard Hill/Steffan Evans, Meirion Evans/Iwan Jones and Talbot Sunbeam Lotus crew Owen Murphy/James O’Brien, who head the class D4 runners. Add in accomplished Escort pilots like Terry Brown, Tim Freeman, James Potter, Gareth Lloyd and Richard Lane and it all makes for a sensational entry.Class D3 for the Pinto-engined Escort Mk2s is enjoying a great season of competition and is wide open going into the Severn Valley. Gareth Lewis/Dan Holley, Mike Reed/Joe Sturdy, Adrian Young/Gwynfor Jones, Ben Friend/Sean Kennedy and Paul Fry/Mike Steele are all in the mix is this very open and competitive class.Meanwhile, class D2 for the 1600cc cars in Category 3 is set to be a contest between the Hillman Avengers of Keith Davison/Henry Richardson, Graham Thatcher/Robert James and the Sunbeam Talbot of David Hopkins/Tony Vart.Running alongside the historics are the cars in R.A.C. Category O for open two-wheel drive cars and the entry includes the lovely Opel Manta of Simon and Alister Crook. They face the rapid Toyota Starlet of Layton Waters/Kevin Bowcott and the Escorts of Barry Stevenson-Wheeler/John Pickavance, Alan and Liam Carfrae and Neil and Simon Dwyer.The rally will be based at the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells. The first historic car will start at 8.30am and return to the finish shortly before 3pm. The Severn Valley Stages is organised by Midland Manor Motor Club