PAYNE FATHER AND SON SET FOR MALTON BATTLE
New BTRDA champion Elliot
Payne will contest Sunday’s Malton Forest Rally and bid to stop his father Charlie winning the Yorkshire event for an eighth time.
The 19th running of the popular rally has attracted its best ever entry of more than 110 cars for six special stages in Langdale, Gale Rigg and Cropton. The Payne father and son plus double winner Stephen Petch top the entry in their Ford Fiestas Rally2s.
Payne Sr first won the rally in
2010 and then won it four times in a row from 2015. He should be back in his own car after Elliot used it on the recent Carlisle Stages.
Payne Jr, who is still 19 years old, says that the local event is another chance to build experience. “We set out to do the BTRDA championship and we’ve got that, so this is just about getting some more seat time and a bit more practising. We haven’t really got much of an idea what we’re going to do next year yet.”
Payne Sr confirmed that whatever his son does next season, the need to gain experience is very important. This year has been Elliot’s second full year in a Rally2 car and he is likely to end the season on the Grizedale Stages in early December. The Lake District event will be his 16th rally of a busy season.