Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship - Preview, round eight: Trackrod Historic Cup

It is back to gravel for the final round of the Dunlop/Gambia MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Trackrod Historic Cup (26 September).

The season decider will be played out in the famous Yorkshire forests, starting with a 16-mile stage in Dalby and a superb field of nearly 70 cars will gather in Pickering for an early start on Saturday morning.Category 1Heading the field away will be the category one pre '68 cars and it is the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride that has the best chance of winning the overall BHRC title. If the Irish crew win the category, they will repeat their 2004 crown and that is a result well within their reach. However, it only needs a small problem or a puncture to shake things up.Leading the chase of the Porsche will be the Lotus Cortina of Paul Mankin/Desmond Bell, who also top class B4. Chasing them will be the Porsche 911 of Phil and Barbara Smith, fresh from contesting Tour Britannia, while the Saab 96 of Nick Pinkett/Jonathan Lodge tops class B3.In B1, it will be a head to head between the Sunbeam Imp Sport of Geoff Taylor/Steve Greenhill and the Sunbeam Stiletto of Mike Barratt/Jody Watson. Barratt had a great run in Flanders as he fought back from an early delay, only to be denied a finish due to driveshaft dramas. He will be keen to make amends in Yorkshire.Adding to the category one field are crew contesting the HRCR Historic Stage Rally Challenge and the Mini 50 Cup, which has boosted the field to 18 cars. Notable front-runners include the Volvo Amazon of Graham Waite/Gill Cotton and the Minis of Clive King/Bob Ward and Terry Cree/Richard Shores.Category 2Category two is for the cars from 1968 to 1974, with David Stokes and Guy Weaver chasing the overall title in their Ford Escort Mk1. They can only go all out to win the category and see if Nutt has done the same. If Nutt does win category one, Stokes cannot be champion.In class C5 it is Belgian crew Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard who are the major rivals to Stokes, while the class also include local legend Bob Bean, partnered by Malcolm Smithson in his Escort Mk1. Also set to feature in C5 is the glorious Lancia Stratos of Steve Perez and Paul Spooner.Taking the fight to the Escorts in category two will be the fastest of the Porsche 911s and two Yorkshire drivers will be right on the pace. Peter Smith and Russ Langthorne are getting quicker and quicker in their 911, while Tim Mason and Graham Wild will be bang on the pace after a short break from competition.Meanwhile, the contest for class C3 will be as fierce as ever, with three cars at the head of the action. Andrew Siddall and Captain Thompson took their Escort Mk1 to a fine victory in Flanders, but Ken Forster and John Stanger-Leathes will be out to turn the tables. If their entry is confirmed, Drew Wylie and Howard Pridmore will be right in the thick of the battle. But with more very quick C3 Escorts in the hands of drivers like Russell Morgan, James Slaughter and Robin Shuttleworth, the class is wide open.A good C2 entry among the 1600cc Escorts should be headed by Vincent Bristow and Tim Sayer, but Neil Rudd/Brian Hodgson and Richard Williams/Joe Cruttenden will take the fight to the Sussex driver.Category 3Category three is for the most recent cars up to 1981 and is set to deliver a spectacular contest among four very quick Mk2 Escorts. Darren Moon and Chris Parsons are on target to win the category in the championship and will want to wrap up the season with a big result in Moon's native Yorkshire. However, after missing the most recent asphalt rounds, Nick Elliott/Dave Price and Julian Reynolds/Ian Oakey are back in harness and will surely have another monster contest. Elliott won the event a year ago, while Reynolds is not as familiar with the Yorkshire stages as some of his rivals.But they will all be watching the pace of Martin McCormack and Jim Goodman with great interest as McCormack drives his Escort Mk2 for the first time in 10 months. Having not been out this year in the car, McCormack is not registered for the championship, but he is sure to be very quick.Leading the chase of the big four Escorts will be the similar cars of Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing, local legend Peter Slights and Joyce Champion, Charlie Taylor/Steve Bielby and James Potter/Bob Duck.In class D3, the contest will be among more Escort Mk2s, this time Pinto-powered, with Richard Lane and Frank Richer likely to set the pace from Wayne Bonser and Richard Aston.Finally, in class D2 and fresh from a great result in Flanders, it is Jacob Scannell and Nina Thompson who should take the spoils in their Escort Mk2.The Trackrod Historic Cup starts at 7.30am on Saturday 26 September from Pickering Showground. For more details about the event, please visit the website at: rallyyorkshire.co.uk