PAYNE CHASES BTRDA POINTS ON WOODPECKER
Elliot Payne could move a step closer to the BTRDA Gold Star title this weekend if he can scoop maximum points on Saturday’s Woodpecker Rally.
The Yorkshire youngster already has two wins and two seconds from the five events run to date and another maximum would strengthen his place at the top of the table going into the final two rounds, the Trackrod Rally at end of September and the Cambrian Rally a month later.
Drivers count their best six scores from the eight events and Payne didn’t score on the seasonopening Malcolm Wilson Rally after his Ford Fiesta Rally2 suffered suspension damage.
Though Richard Hill (Mitsubishi Lancer E9) currently tops the Gold Star points after five good scores, he will struggle to stay ahead once dropped scores become a factor. Stephen Petch, Matthew Hirst and Perry Gardener are the other key players and it is Hirst who could be the biggest challenger to Payne. With two wins, including on the most recent Nicky Grist
Stages, Hirst is possibly the driver best placed to come between Payne and a maximum score on the Woodpecker.
After an eight-week summer break, the BTRDA Rally Series resumes with a capacity entry of 170 cars for the Ludlow-based event, which features stages in Haye Park for the first time since 2019 and Radnor.