ESCORT RALLY CHALLENGE

Last year’s one-off event was such a huge success, the organisers decided to bring it back — and with over 100 Escorts taking part, it didn’t disappoint.

Over 100 Escorts tackle Belgian stages.

With an incredible 107 Escorts — both Mk1 and Mk2 — with different power units including the Pinto, BDA, BDG, BDX, Cosworth, Holbay, Millington and even Honda, the second edition of the Escort Rally Special was held last month at the old Chimay Circuit in Belgium. Thousands of spectators came along to watch the three categories (swapped or modern engines, homologated and historicdemo) at the show stage in the midfield of the circuit on Saturday evening. Starting at 7 pm in reverse order meant the big names like Alistar McRae, Frank Kelly, Osian Pryce, Martin McCormack, Jack Newman, François Duval, Christophe Jacob, Florion Gonon, Raphaël de Borman and Bob Kellen had their first fight for those vital seconds in the dark. It was Belgium’s François Duval and co-driver, Ludovic Blaton in their Scott Williams Motorsport-prepared Mk2 who came in the service area with an incredible 8 seconds advantage over the rest of the field.

In Sunday’s program with eight special stages and the final show stage, there were no big changes in the top positions — Duval won five of the stages, Kelly two and Newman two, and at the end the Belgian had a 1 minute, 6 second lead from Kelly, Davies, McRae and Kellen. In the very last stage, the Irishman, Jack Newman hit the wall and had to abandon his Honda-powered Mk2 while lying on second place. In the homologated category, Swissman Fabian Gonon in his beautiful Mk1, won by just 1 second from Adrien Fernémont and Christophe Jacob, both Mk2s.

The Escort Rally Special will return in 2020.

Duval and Blaton side their way to win the rally. Sideways is more fun. Fact. Interesting modern lighting set-up on Alistar McRae’s Escort. Pieter-Jan Maeyaert lost his bonnet at the jump on stage one. Bob Kellen chases his tail. Beautiful, Cosworth YBpowered Mk1 from France. Richard Lane and Sean Kennedy run a Pinto in their Mk1. Adrien Fernemont gives everything to be second in the classic category Gonon gets some air on stage five. McRae and Prevot finished fourth in their modern-spec Mk2. Osian Pryce takes the racing line. Fabian Gonon from Switzerland in his stunning BDA-powered Mk1. Nothing looks better than an Escort sideways, right?

Wilcox 2-litre BDG looks right at home in this Escort. Gwyndaf Evans took part in this year’s event, though sadly he didn’t finish. WWRS’s Gareth Lloyd and Ryland James had a great run in Gareth’s BD-powered Mk2. Stevenson-Wheeler and Pickavance press on in a BDG Mk2 to finish 14th. Yes please: 340 bhp Millington engine. Thomas and Eurig Davies finished third. Alister Crook in the BDG Mk2 finished eighth in the classic category. 107 Escorts line up on the start line of Chimay’s former race track. Class Mk2 RS2000 ran in the demo category. Tim Pearcy runs through the grass on the night show stage.