The Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship will make its first trip to the Dunoon Presents Argyll Rally this weekend as the closed-road event plays host to the fifth round of the 2024 season.
Making its debut in the Cowal Peninsula, nestled in the far western corner of Scotland, the BHRC continues its run of asphalt events after May’s Manx Rally hosted a thrilling double header on the iconic lanes of the Isle of Man.
The closed public roads in Argyll offer a more technical challenge but also include several stages under the cover of darkness on Friday night and over 75 stage miles in store during the weekend to test the BHRC crew’s asphalt prowess.
Heading to Scotland as championship leaders, are the ultra-consistent crew of Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper, who have been quietly plugging away with their Ford Escort MKII all season long.
They have yet to win a round, but that’s arguably not far away. After making a comeback to the series in 2024 from a nine year sabbatical, they have progressively worked their way towards the front, although more solid points will do them no harm at all in Argyll.
Hot on their heels though, is the rapid Porsche 911 pairing of Seb Perez and Gary McElhinney. Just three points adrift, Perez has secured one overall win so far this season, which was a first for a Category Two [cars registered between 1968 and 1975] example in several years.
Like Hill, regular solid scores across the season put him well in contention to fight for the title as the season continues. A strong Manx pace also indicates Perez’s confidence on a sealed surface in the car.
But the arch rivalry will resume in Dunoon between Perez and former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins. Driving the raucous Triumph TR7 V8, Higgins and co-driver Carl Williamson produced a masterclass on home turf in the Isle of Man, just technical issues keeping them away from taking two maximum scores on the island; one however was a positive step in the car’s development.
Adrian Hetherington is another not to have won a round of the BHRC this season, but that hasn’t stopped the Irishman from sitting third in the championship tables and just four points away from Perez.
The Ford Escort MKII driver, along with Ronan O’Neil were not quite as strong on tar as their gravel pace has shown this season, but with none of the drivers having contested Argyll before, it should level the playing field somewhat.
Skipping the Manx, Daniel Mennell returns to the fold in Scotland for his first-ever asphalt event in historic machinery. He and Richard Wise have impressed on their debut BHRC season with second place at Rally North Wales a highlight in their Escort MKII. A good result here could put them in a good place as the season reaches the halfway point.
