BHRC preview, round four:
A fabulous 70-car entry will gather in Builth Wells on Saturday (4 June) for round four of the Dunlop/WONAGO MSA British Historic Rally Championship, the Severn Valley National Historic Rally.
The final gravel rally before the summer break and a switch to asphalt will pit crews against classic Welsh forest stages at a time when the overall title contest is building nicely.
Simon Wallis and Graham Wride will lead category one away in their Lotus Cortina, while David Stokes and Guy Weaver are first on the road in category two in their Ford Escort Mk1. In category three, the Ford Escort Mk2 of Julian Reynolds and Ian Oakey will lead the way.Category 1Category one – for the pre ’68 cars – is providing some tremendous competition this season and it is the Lotus Cortina of Wallis and Wride that has set a mighty pace on the gravel events to date. But they have plenty of rivals, including current category leaders Rikki Proffitt and John Stanger-Leathes in their Porsche 911. Consistently strong pace has put Proffitt and Stanger-Leathes to the top of the overall BHRC standings after three rallies and they are determined to maintain that title bid over the balance of the season.
Following Wallis into the stages will be the ever-spectacular Volvo Amazon of Graham Waite and Gill Cotton, which should fly on these stages despite its power disadvantage, while Paul Mankin and Peter Scott are overdue a good result after a run of engine drama to date this season.It has been a trying year to date for former champions Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in their Porsche 911. They have struggled to find their regular form over the opening three rallies, so will be aiming for a return to front-running pace on the Severn Valley.
There will be domestic rivalry in category one as Gwilym Roberts is co-driven by Debby Myers in his Lotus Cortina and Nick Pinkett is partnered by Debby’s husband Hugh in his Saab 96. Meanwhile, brothers John and Stephen Moxon venture onto Welsh gravel with their Volvo Amazon and Edmund Peel and Janet Craine field their Porsche 911.Category 2The contest at the head of category two for the cars from 1968 to 1974 should be one of the best of the rally with three Escort Mk1s going head to head. Stokes and Weaver currently have the upper hand with three victories from three rallies, but they are under major attack by Rupert Lomax/David Alcock and Stefaan Stouf/Joris Erard.
Lomax has suffered some bad luck so far but has the pace to win, while Stouf is getting quicker and quicker as his experience of the Welsh forests builds. Stokes remains a formidable benchmark, but he knows he will need another maximum attack to fend off his challengers. Other front runners in class C5 include Chris Browne and Liz Jordan in their Escort Mk1 and the similar car of Peter Smith/Russ Langthorne.The contest for class C3 is without Andrew Siddall this time as he is away competing on Rally Barbados, but there should still be a great contest between the Escorts of Tim Jones/Don James and Dick Slaughter/Geoff Dearing. Chasing them will be BHRC newcomers Mark Holmes and Tony Lindsay in their Escort Mk1, while brothers James and David Young should be quick. Taking the fight to the Escorts will be the BMW 2002 Ti of Terry Cree and Richard Shores.
Class C2, for the 1600cc cars, will be a battle between the Escort Mk1s of Nick Danks/Martin Corbett, Rex Ireland/Adrian Scadding and David Kirby/Sean Kennedy, while the Lancia Fulvia of Steve and Tony Graham runs in class C1. The Lancia will again run at the tail of the category one pack.Category 3The contest at the head of category three for the 1975-1981 cars has been dominated by two crews to date this season and this event will mark another instalment in the fabulous battle between the Ford Escort Mk2s of Nick Elliott/Chris Brooks and Reynolds/Oakey. Both crews are performing superbly this season and there will be little to choose between them again over these classic Welsh stages.However, the chasing pack is working hard to close the gap to Elliott and Reynolds and a gaggle of quick Escorts will be in hot pursuit, headed by Will Onions/Dave Williams. More rapid Escorts are campaigned by Tim Pearcey/Neil Shanks, Alan Walker/Jez Rogers, Richard Lane/Frank Richer, Nick Woodman/Simon Mills and Gareth Lloyd/Ryland James.
But category three is not just about Escorts and three cars from class D4 stand out as big threats the Fords. Making a welcome return to competition will be Richard Tuthill in a Porsche 911 and he could just be the man to take the fight to Elliott and Reynolds. Back after engine problems on the opening rally of the season is the Vauxhall Chevette of Rob Smith/Shaun O’Gorman, while the Opel Ascona of Steve Magson/Geoff Atkinson should also be right up there.
In class D3, the Escort Mk2 of Stuart Clarke/Andy Ballantyne should set the pace, battling hard with the non-BHRC registered car of Guy Woodcock/Hu Kent, while Shawn Rayner and Declan Dear will be aiming to close in further on the class pacesetters.The 1600cc Escort Mk2 of Vince Bristow and Tim Sayer will start alone in class D2, but their aim will be to beat as many more powerful cars as possible.The Severn Valley Historic Rally is organised by Midland Manor Motor Club Ltd. For more details about the event, please visit the website at: severnvalleynational.co.uk
