The organisers of the 2014 Severn Valley Stages (Saturday 31 May) are delighted with the early response to the rally after meeting many crews at last weekend’s Mid Wales Stages.“We had extremely positive feedback about our plans for the 2014 event,” said Secretary of the Meeting Steven Tibbetts. “Going to the Mid Wales to meet our customers proved to be very worthwhile.”With nearly three months to go to the event, the first entry is already in and marks a new record for the earliest entry in the 40-year history of the rally.Twenty-three years after he last rallied, Northampton motor sport accountant Phil Harris will make a comeback to the sport in his Mini Cooper. “I bought my Mini when I was 19 in 1976,” said Phil. “We built it into a rally car and had a whale of a time. I re-shelled it in 1989 and then I started a business and had to stop rallying.”“I gave the car to Rob Smith Rallying to sort out and it has now had a bare shell rebuild. I hadn’t thought about rallying it for 23 years but now I can’t wait!” He will contest the Aldon Automotive Mini and Imp Cup within the WWRS R.A.C. Rally Championship and will be co-driven by his niece Jenny Bradshaw.Midland Manor Motor Club has refreshed and re-branded the Severn Valley Stages for 2014 and will deliver a competitor-focused event offering 44 stage miles for £475. The route will take in special stages in Cefn, Crychan and Halfway forests, and both Cefn and Crychan will not have been used for 10 months by the time of the 31 May rally.The Severn Valley Stages is round four of the West Wales Rally Spares R.A.C. Rally Championship, round five of the Brian Dennis Motorsport Welsh Historic Rally Championship and round five of the Pirelli MSA Welsh Stage Rally Championship. The rally will once again be based at the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells.The Regulations and Entry Form can be downloaded from www.severnvalleystages.co.uk