News

Rally Anglo Caledonian.
A new event and a new chapter for the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club

This all new rally will be running over the weekend of 22nd - 24th November and takes in some old favourite stage names from the World famous Roger Albert Clark Rally, which as we all know is run every alternate odd year. Based at both H&H Auction Mart at Carlisle and H&H at Lockerbie, the rally will consist of three rallies as is expected of the Clerk of the Course, Colin Heppenstall. Saturday and Sunday is the main event and is the final round of the BHRC . Saturday is also the "Anglo" supporting event which takes in a number for those Saturday stages. The main event continues into Sunday with the "Caledonian" support event taking in a number of the Sunday stages across the border in Scotland.

The BHRC will be settled on this Rally with the likely winner being Seb Perez in his beautiful Porsche 911.

Full details of the event can be found by clicking on this link.

You will be able to follow the event LIVE across all the Rally social media platforms and also follow the "Special Stage " coverage

Yorkshire begins crucial countdown to BHRC title fight.

The famous forests of Yorkshire will play host to the penultimate round of the Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship this weekend, as the Trackrod Historic Cup [27-28 September] continues the scintillating battle for the coveted title.

All season long it's been a tit-for-tat fight for the lead of the Britain's premier historic rally series and with just two rounds, and three-point scoring opportunities remaining, it is set to be a thrilling culmination of the title fight.

The now traditional blast through Dalby under the cover of darkness always provides a fascinating glimpse into what's to come the following day, with five more stages over some of Yorkshire’s finest gravel roads offering the perfect proving ground. Its very fast stages often favour the higher-powered cars but in-roads can still be made through the tricky corners for all others, and the event is all set to provide one of the best entries of the season.

Heading the championship, Seb Perez enjoys the marker of taking the win last time out at the Woodpecker Rally and has racked up two wins so far in his Porsche 911. Along with Gary McElhinney, their performance this season has seen them already clinch the Category Two [Cars registered between 1968 and 1975] title and a strong run here will put them in prime position heading into the Anglo Caledonian Rally’s final event double header in November.

But it’s nip and tuck between Perez and British Champion Mark Higgins, who has threaded his TR7 V8 to multiple wins this season and is the Porsche drivers’ nearest contender. Higgins and co-driver Carl Williamson have been continuously developing the Triumph all season long with gains made on both surfaces throughout the year.

The super-experienced Higgins has reaped rewards and like Perez, a win in Yorkshire will make it much easier in November in terms of points required and assuming rival David Pedley doesn’t start in Yorkshire, he will seal the FIA Category title in the process.

Also in the mix and looking for a decent haul of points to remain in the title fight, will be a trio of Ford Escort MKII crews, in Richard Hill/Patrick Cooper, Adrian Hetherington/Ronan O’Neill and Rudi Lancaster/Guy Weaver. Each one has enjoyed a super consistent season to keep them well in the hunt and just 11 points separate the three.

But potentially stealing points from the leaders will be a fascinating list of BHRC returnees and regulars to head to Yorkshire. Round one winner Mathew Robinson hasn’t been seen since Rally North Wales but returns on home soil with Hannah McKillop on the notes. Fresh from a podium at the Woodpecker, Nick Elliot/Dave Price could well be in the mix in their Fiat 131 Abarth, whilst Daniel Mennell / Richard Wise make their first appearance in the BHRC since a sizeable impact in their Ford Escort MKII at the Argyll Rally.

Ben Friend/Cliffy Simmons [Escort] head to Yorkshire after an impressive Woodpecker Rally, whilst Adam Milner/Roy Jarvis return to the Category Two fight and first rally of the year in their Ford Escort MK1. Fellow Cat2 contender Josh Carr bolsters the Category with a return on home ground with Ian Taylor on the notes in their Escort.

Richard Jordan/Sam Collis [Escort] are another to return, whilst 2019 BHRC champions Simon Webster/Jez Rogers are, like Milner, making their first appearance together in the series this season.

In the Rally2 [non-Historic] category, David Dobson/Brian Hodgson [Escort] resume their tussle with series leader Steve Magson/Steve Bielby.

For more information on any of the Championships promoted by the RACMRC, please visit:

www.racrmc.org

Taurus Navigation Rally 2025 - Plans are underway for the 2025 version of this event, which will be under the leadership of Ken Quinn (Clerk of the Course) this time. The route is all but sorted with final negotiations taking place with a start and finish venue. The team aim to make a formal announcement after final sign off by the Club Management Committee this week. It is expected to follow a familiar format with pre plot a given. The route will head out in a new direction we are told.
The date for your diary is Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th April. This date has been agreed with other local motor clubs in a "triway" agreement, and will give the team greater flexibility with hours of darkness.

In memorium - Tony Conway, if you are of a certain age then you will no doubt remember our old friend and old member Tony. He was a prolific competitor in the late 1970s and 80s road rallying scene. Then together with his wife co driving he competed on stage rallies well into the noughties. As the Clerk of the Course on the first ever Thor Hammer Stages at Driffield I was delighted to welcome them home as winners that hot dusty day in September 2004. Sadly Tony lost his wife, June some years and he has continued with his loving family around him.

Then last week we here at De Lacy Motor Club learnt of his untimely death, succumbing to cancer in the Prince of Wales Hospice, Pontefract.

His funeral will be held at Pontefract Crematorium at 3pm on Tuesday 3rd September. Those of us who knew him look forward to paying out respects and watch him cross the final Stop Line!

Farewell old friend.

THE ROGER ALBERT CLARK RALLY BOOK:- Available to order NOW!

The full story of the first 20 years of Britain’s toughest special stage rally - available January 2024 to include the 2023 rally.

SPECIAL PRE-PUBLICATION OFFER – SAVE £10

Normal price: £35 plus £5 postage and packing

Order before 31.12.23 and pay only £30 including postage and packing

Copies will be dispatched in mid-January 2024

• The definitive story of this epic rally
• Hard-back, full colour book with over 300 pages
• Every rally reported in detail, including the 2023 event
• 500 photographs covering many competitors
• Full results for each event with complete entry lists

This is the story of Britain's most challenging special stage rally for a generation. The initial idea was to run a ‘proper rally’ and that has certainly been achieved through the dedication and determination of Colin Heppenstall, his family and a fantastic team of volunteers.

Across 20 years, the Roger Albert Clark Rally has run 15 times. It is an event that has no rival as it recreates a golden era of rallying in the UK when Roger Clark was at his peak, and the original RAC Rally was a multi-day test for every competitor.

Since it first ran in 2004, the Roger Albert Clark Rally has grown in stature and following and now has huge competitor interest, big crowds and a vast online following. It is a rally like no other in terms of atmosphere, challenge and sense of achievement for those who get to the finish.

This book, with over 500 photographs, many of which have never been seen before, tells the story of each rally and looks at some of the people involved; both competitors and organisers. It details how the organisers coped with heavy snow in 2010 and Storm Arwen in 2021.

The 2023 event will be the biggest and toughest yet, covering 350 special stage miles in the forests of England, Scotland, and Wales.

For anyone who has been involved in this rally, this book will bring back fabulous memories and will serve as the definitive record of the rally’s first 20 years.

How to order:

• On-line: http://www.tfmpublishing.com/roger-albert-clark-rally-the...

• Or, call 07778 547918 and have your credit card ready

• Or, send a cheque to:
TFM Publishing Ltd, Castle Hill Barns, Harley, Shrewsbury, SY5 6LX
Don’t forget to include your name and address details.

DVLA Tax renewal changes! Beware you don't fall foul of the changes;

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has brought into force a change in the way it reminds people when their car tax is due for renewal, with the rules in force from the start of August 2023. Drivers can now opt for digital tax reminders instead of waiting for a paper slip to be sent in the post.

Drivers will be able to set up vehicle tax reminders by email and text message. Road users can also choose to stop getting tax reminders sent through the post if they wish. Motorists can also view their driving licence information on the service, including how many penalty points are on their record.

Set up your account here

StreetCar arrives at DeLacy: -De Lacy Motor Club are proud to announce that after hard work by our Motorsport committee, we have been accepted into the MSUK StreetCar initiative. This means that we will now be marketing ourselves as a StreetCar recognised club on all our correspondence. This initiative has been designed to encourage more people into Motorsport, who might not have the resources to participate other than with their own cars.
We will be promoting this through the local press as well as by our various social media feeds. We hope to attract more new members.