ROBINSON SEEKS MORE BHRC POINTS ON RALLY NORTH WALES
Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis will aim to make it two maximum BHRC scores to open the season when round two runs on this Saturday’s Rally North Wales.
Robinson and Collis will enter their regular Ford Escort Mk2 in a quality packed field for eight special stages in the Gartheiniog, Dyfi and Dyfnant forests from a rally base in Welshpool. They will face a stern challenge from the similar cars of Ben Friend, Adrian Hetherington, Richard Hill and Daniel Mennell as well as the Fiat 131 of Nick Elliot and the Porsche 911RS of Seb Perez.
Also Ford Escort Mk2-mounted and aiming to repeat their 2023 win on the historic rally will be Joe Price and Chris Brooks. However, the Ludlow ace is not currently registered for BHRC points as he is contesting only selected rallies this season.
Likely to set the absolute pace in the historic field is the Mitsubishi Galant VR4 of George Lepley and Dale Bowen, which took overall historic victory on the Riponian Stages last month. Though not eligible for overall BHRC points, Lepley will surely be tough to beat across the flowing Welsh stages.
Ranged against the BHRC regulars will be the David Appleby Engineering Triumph TR7 V8, driven recently by Chris Ingram. For Rally North Wales, the car has been entrusted to three-time British Rally champion Mark Higgins who will make a rare competitive outing to handle the developing V8 machine.
Higgins has not rallied regularly for seven years and has done just one event in that time, which was the corresponding Rally North Wales in 2022 when he had a guest run in a Land Rover Bowler. His last competitive outing in a historic car was on the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally, an event he won overall in 2005.