Just two weeks after the Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker Rally saw Roger Chilman and Patrick Walsh claim their third Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship event win of 2023, the Trackrod Historic Cup will host the penultimate and potentially crucial round of the season this weekend [22-23 September].
The super-fast stages in the Northeast corner of the country will see the BHRC contenders bid for a top score to aid their title chances, as the two-day forest event could well hold a vital link in the race for this year’s championship.
The popular rally takes crews into the legendary stages of Dalby, Cropton and Langdale but with an added twist of a 12-mile blast under the cover of darkness on Friday night to set the tone for Saturday’s action-packed leg.
A good time over the opener will be crucial and currently in the pound-seat is Herefordshire’s Roger Chilman. With three wins to his name so far this season, Chilman and co-driver Patrick Walsh are well-placed to head into the final round in October with a healthy lead once the two dropped scores are taken into account.
But the Ford Escort MKII pairing haven’t had it all their own way this season and a final-stage crash on the Plains Rally means they can’t afford to relax in Yorkshire. Heading the standings are Nick Elliott and Dave Price who have been super-consistent all season in their FIAT 131 Abarth.
The leading BHRC crew on the road will be Tour of Epynt victors Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke who bring their Ford Escort MKII back to gravel specification after a non-championship run on Rali Ceredigion.
Pritchard hasn’t committed to a full season due to concentrating on the Roger Albert Clark Rally at the end of the year but his return to historic rallying has been sublime, building his pace as the season progresses and he adapts back to life in the Ford Escort MKII.
Adrian Hetherington will be aiming to find the pace that eluded him on the Woodpecker in his Ford Escort MK11 and hopefully, the return to some more familiar stages for the Northern Irishman will aid that. Wexford’s Gary Nolan steps into the co-driver’s seat for this event.
Robert Gough and Paul Morris also had a Woodpecker Rally to forget after retiring their Escort MKII on the opening stage of the event but will undoubtedly be looking for redemption this time around.
Richard Jordan’s entry is currently pending after a sizeable accident a few weeks ago in his Ford Escort MKII.
Seb Perez brings the noise with his Porsche 911 RS with Gary McElhinney on the notes, whilst the Woodpecker’s third-placed Gareth James is hoping for another podium in his Escort MKII, this time, with reigning BHRC champion co-driver Dan Petrie in the co-driver’s seat.
After a ceremonial start on Filey seafront crews head out to Dalby for the tricky nighttime test on Friday. Saturday hosts the bulk of the miles, with Cropton, Gale Rigg and Langdale forest stages before returning to Filey to spray the champagne.
