George Lepley and Dafydd Evans couldn’t have asked for a better start to their BHRC campaign, kicking things off in emphatic style with a commanding victory at the Riponian Stages Rally.
Behind the wheel of their mighty Mitsubishi Galant, the pair laid down a marker immediately by setting the fastest time on the opening stage.
From that point on, they controlled the rally from the front, building a relentless pace that their rivals simply couldn’t match.
Clean, committed driving and faultless reliability saw Lepley and Evans extend their advantage stage by stage, eventually securing victory by over eleven minutes from their nearest challengers, Clayton / Johnson in the Peugeot 205 GTI, and banking maximum championship points in the process.
In Category 2, it was a strong and measured performance from Ben Smith and Steve Smith, who guided their Porsche 911 Carrera RS to a well-earned category victory. While the result looks comfortable on paper, the pair had to manage the demanding Riponian stages carefully to bring the iconic Porsche home without drama.
Category 3 provided plenty of twists and turns and was arguably where the rally drama peaked. James Lepley, who was running second overall and leading the class, began to experience unusual handling issues on SS3.
Despite nursing the car back to service, inspection revealed a broken gearbox cross shaft, forcing a frustrating retirement and abruptly ending what had been a very promising run.
By the halfway point of the rally, the Category 3 battle was finely balanced, with the top three crews separated by just four seconds heading into service.
The lead changed hands as Richard Hill, with Patrick Cooper on the notes, edged ahead. Holding his nerve through the remaining stages, Hill delivered a composed and decisive drive in the Ford Escort, maintaining his advantage to secure a hard-fought Category 3 victory.
Elsewhere on the event, Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh emerged victorious overall in the modern rally field, producing a strong performance to get the better of Joe Cunningham and Joshua Beer in the Ford Fiesta.
Completing the podium were Liam Clark and Jack Morton, who rounded out the top three after a consistent run across the stages.
All in all, the Riponian Stages Rally delivered competitive action across the classes, dramatic twists, and a statement win at the top of the BHRC standings — setting the tone for what promises to be a thrilling season ahead.
