Historic race and rally news
Former BTRDA champion relishing forest comeback in Ford Escort
After 17 years out of rallying and losing a leg in a motorbike accident, Pete Littler is back competing this season in a build up to contesting the Roger Albert Clark Rally.
The Cheshire driver won the BTRDA title in 1997 in a Ford Escort Cosworth but stopped rallying after the
Jim Clark Rally in 2002. A subsequent off-road motorbike accident exacerbated an earlier motorbike injury and he lost his right leg. However, with a prosthetic leg he is now able to rally again.
Littler returned to rallying earlier this season in a historicspecification Ford Escort Mk2 from RED Historic Rallysport and has done a mix of events as a build-up to tackling the Roger Albert Clark Rally for the first time.
“It’s great to be back and the pace is betting better,” said Littler. “The plan was always to gain some experience in the car before the Roger Albert Clark, we’ll do the Trackrod Rally at the end of the month and then get the car rebuilt ready for November.”
A final shakedown on the Wyedean Stages is a possible option ahead of the five-day challenge.
Aside from some modifications to the pedals to stop his leg slipping to the right of the throttle, the Ford Escort is to normal specification and Littler says that he has adapted well to being back in a rally car.
Previously, he did some racing in 2014 and 2015 in the VW Racing Cup and the British GT Championship but has now returned to his first love of rallying.