ALBERT CLARK HISTORIC ASPHALT RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Press release: Monday February 23, 2026

DAVIES HEADS NEW HISTORIC ASPHALT CHAMPIONSHIP

The new Roger Albert Clark Historic Asphalt Rally Championship got off to an excellent start on the East Riding Stages Rally on February 21-22.

The Historic Asphalt Championship is taking in five high-profile UK closed-road rallies and is open to competitors in all categories of historic car, including the new categories four and five.

The season opened on the closed roads of East Yorkshire during the fifth running of the East Riding Stages Rally. Initially, as many as 18 historic crews entered the event, but with one or two cars not ready the final start list was an impressive 14 cars to give the new championship an excellent opening round.

Leading the historic crews were Stefan Davies and Michael Gilbey in their Ford Escort Mk2 and they headed the finishers back to Beverley on Sunday afternoon to spray the champagne in front of a big crowd in the market square.

Category 1

Victory in Category 1 for the pre '68 cars went to Shane Gamble and Julia Perry in their Mini Cooper S who had a trouble free run and thoroughly enjoyed the whole event to take maximum category points on the opening round. Leading the chase of Gamble and Perry was the similar Mini Cooper of Les Allfrey and Keith Fellows after a late change of car from their intended Peugeot 205 GTi.

Category 2

Category 2 for the 1968-74 cars fell to local crew Dave Watkins and Dave Shepherd in their ex-works Ford Escort Mk1. "We had absolutely no issues. We've had a great day,” said Watkins who lives in the rally's home town of Beverley. Behind them came the Mini Cooper of Andrew O'Hanlon and Kevin Hogan and the Hillman Avenger of Ian Robertson and Andrew Scott.

Category 3

Category 3 for the 1974-81 cars was all about the Ford Escort Mk2s and it was Davies and Gilbey who took control on the four stages that ran in the darkness on Saturday evening. Then on Sunday they were able to build their advantage as the roads steadily dried and end the day just over a minute clear of Will Rowlands and Emyr Hall.

Mike Simpson and Dale Gibbons wrapped up the final podium position after Iwan Jones and Nigel Roberts went off late on Sunday afternoon in their Escort Mk2.

"It was good to get into the championship first time out in this car on closed roads,” said Davies. "We had some good stages last night, and we've just extended our lead through the day. It's gone very well.” Rowlands lost time on Saturday night when he caught a slower car, and even once he got past the lights from the following car were a significant distraction.

Next up in Category 3 were Matthew Baddeley and Graham Wood in their 1600cc cross-flow Escort Mk2, who just made it home with a failed alternator. However, they battled on and got to the finish after enjoying their first event in the car.

Sadly, Barry Connolly and Clive Allford joined the retirements list in their Ford Escort Mk2 after engine dramas on Saturday evening

Category 4

Category 4 for the pre-1990 cars was all about the superb Ford Sierra RS Cosworth of Simon Bowen and Craig Simkiss, which grabbed a great deal of attention as it headed into its debut rally. After a good run through the Saturday evening stages they were unfortunately out on the opening stage of Sunday when they slid off in slippery conditions and damaged the front of the car.

Championship Manager Colin Heppenstall said: "We're absolutely delighted with the response to the championship. For the opening round, we've had good competition, a really good atmosphere and the event has run extremely well with all the crews getting all the stage miles they expected.”

Next up for the Roger Albert Clark Historic Asphalt Rally Championship is the double-header rounds two and three on the Manx National Rally on May 8-9.

Historic Asphalt Rally Championship remaining calendar:

8-9 May:                Manx National Rally

24 May:                  Jim Clark Reivers Rally

19-20 June:            Argyll Rally

19-20 September:   Hills Ford Stages

More information is on the championship Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/RACRMCrallychampionship

-ends-

Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmpr.com or tel 07778 547918

Photo: Ben Lawrence