Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship round three: Pirelli Historic Rally

Contenders in the Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship head north on Saturday (30 April) for round three, the Pirelli Historic Rally, where the tremendous challenge of Kielder forests awaits the crews.

While the Kielder stages are very different to the Welsh forests, home to the opening two rallies of the season, the level of competition across all three categories will be no less intense.

Simon Wallis and Graham Wride will lead category one away in their Lotus Cortina, while David Stokes and Guy Weaver are bidding for a hat-trick of wins in category two in their Ford Escort Mk1. In category three, the Ford Escort Mk2s of Nick Elliott and Julian Reynolds will renew their spectacular rivalry.Category 1Category one – for the pre ’68 cars – has a new car at the head of the pack as Wallis and Wride run first on the road after showing fabulous speed over the opening two rallies. They don’t know the Kielder stages as well as Wales, but will surely set a cracking pace as they strive to fend off the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride. After a troubled couple of rallies, Nutt will be eager to return to winning form in what is proving to be a very open season for category one.

More than capable of challenging for victory is the Volvo Amazon of Graham Waite and Gill Cotton, while Paul Mankin – on his home event – is partnered by Peter Scott in his Lotus Cortina. Electrical dramas have cost Mankin the last two rallies, but if all is well, he is another contender in their absorbing contest.

Then comes Rikki Proffitt in his Porsche 911, maximum scorer last time out on the Bulldog Rally. His pace should be boosted by the fact that co-driver John Stanger-Leathes is also on home ground and has been competing in Kielder for decades.

Dave Reynolds is joined by Bob Duck in his increasingly rapid Volvo Amazon, while brothers John and Stephen Moxon make a welcome appearance on gravel in their Amazon. Geoff Taylor and Steve Greenhill head the smaller-engined cars in their Sunbeam Imp Sport.Category 2A year ago Stokes and Weaver had a terrible start to their season and lost victory in Kielder when the car was sucked into a ditch within sight of the finish. This time around, they arrive in Carlisle riding high after two wins and now want to complete the hat-trick. But the opposition is strong and headed by the Escorts of Rupert Lomax/David Alcock and Stefaan Stouf/Joris Erard. Having upped their pace on the Bulldog, Stouf and Erard should be stronger still in Kielder, where they have built up some recent experience.

The contest for class C3 seems likely to be fought out between the Pinto-engined Escort Mk1s of Andrew Siddall/Carl Williamson and Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing. Slaughter ended last year’s event with a roll, so will be keen to stay the right way up this time, while relative newcomers Mark Holmes and Tony Lindsay are showing encouraging pace in their class C3 Escort Mk1.

Irish crew Keith McIvor and David Burns are learning about the British forests in their Porsche 911 and head class C4, while C2, for the 1600cc cars, will be a battle between the Escort Mk1s of Nick Danks/Martin Corbett and David Kirby/Sean Kennedy.Category 3The score in category three currently stands as a win apiece for Reynolds/Ian Oakey and Elliott/Chris Brooks, but Kielder could really turn the form book on its head. Neither crew is particularly at home in the area, nor has that much experience of Kielder. A year ago, Elliott crashed out and so it is hard to predict how this one will turn out. Though not BHRC registered, the presence of Steve Bannister and Louise Sutherland at the head of the field adds another dynamic and Bannister has plenty of Kielder experience.

The event also offers several other crews a shot at battling for victory, notably 2010 winners Will Onion and David Williams. They turned in a superb performance last year and will be very strong, while Paul Griffiths/Paul Williams, Tim Pearcey/Neil Shanks and Alan Walker/Jez Rogers are all strong contenders in their Escort Mk2s.

Making a welcome BHRC return to run within the Tuthill Porsche Challenge will be Jimmy McRae, partnered by Pauline Gullick, and he should head the D4 class along with the rapid Opel Ascona 400 of Steve Magson/Geoff Atkinson.

A fearsome pace in class D3 is being set by the non-registered Guy Woodcock/Hu Kent in their Escort Mk2, while the contest for top D3 points should be between the Escorts of Wayne Bonser/Richard Aston, John Worthing/John Cadwallader and Chris Shooter/Bev LeGood.