Rally North Wales - (Sat) 24 Mar 18

Two Historic Reunions planned for 2018

Posted: October 22, 2017 5:31 AM

Two reunions for historic stage rally cars will be held next year, during Rally North Wales in March and the Red Kite Stages in June.

The pair of gravel rallies will run to the new Rally 2WD format and the team behind Rally 2WD is working to encourage as many historic crews as possible to support these Historic Reunion events in particular.

Rally North Wales (Saturday 24 March) and the Red Kite Stages (Saturday 23 June) will offer historic crews the best possible stage conditions by running all the two-wheel drive mileage ahead of the four-wheel drive cars and the plan is to build significant historic entries by making these two rallies a celebration of historic rallying on gravel.

As well as generating strong entries for the two rallies, the idea of the Historic Reunions is to bring back the atmosphere, camaraderie and fun that was always a key element of historic rallying. Unfortunately, the changes to event running order brought in on safety grounds have fragmented and decimated the historic entry.

“In 2014 there were 95 historic cars entered on the Mid Wales Stages and a total of 111 two-wheel drive cars,” said Simon Wallis from Rally 2WD. “Rally2WD is designed to encourage historic and all two-wheel drive cars back to the forests, but it needs everybody's support to make it work or one day we won't have any rallies left.

“We already have pledges from over 25 competitors to enter Rally North Wales in March, which will be the first event run to this new format. The idea behind the Historic Reunion is to ensure that this movement does not disappear with cars being left unused in garages and competitors finding other things to do with their time and money.”

Rally 2WD is a bold new initiative that has been launched in a bid to rekindle support for gravel rallying for modern and historic two-wheel drive cars. Rally 2WD events will put the entire two-wheel drive field through all stages first to complete their competitive mileage, followed as soon as possible by the four-wheel drive field. It has been created to try and reverse the alarming decline in the number of entries on many gravel rallies this season, a decline that is widely regarded as a key result of the change to running order on rallies.

Rally North Wales partners with Rally 2WD

Posted: September 13, 2017 6:15 AM

ally North Wales will be the first rally to be organised to the new Rally 2WD format when the popular event runs in classic Welsh forests on Saturday 24 March.

The organising team from Wolverhampton and South Staffs Car Club has confirmed a partnership with R2WD, the new initiative designed to rekindle support for gravel rallying for all two-wheel drive cars, both modern and historic.

Rally2WD has been developed to encourage back the groups most adversely affected by the move to a single field running in performance order. The historic and lower powered front-wheel drive entries have been decimated as a result and it is those competitors that are the target for Rally 2WD, along with all other two-wheel drive cars, historic or modern, that have disappeared from the sport.

“As one of the longest established clubs we need to ensure that our major event of the year is on a sound financial platform,” said Guy Weaver, chairman of WSSCC. “We see R2WD as a way of building support for Rally North Wales by attracting back crews in two-wheel drive cars who have been put off by the changes to running order. When added to the excellent re-grading work being completed by Rally 4 Wales, we are confident that we can offer an event that will give everyone a tremendous gravel experience, no matter what type of car they are using.”

Simon Wallis from R2WD said:
“There is a great deal of concern about the viability of gravel events for 2018 and beyond. Rally North Wales is a superb event, typically running over world-class stages. This will be an ideal opportunity to get competitors in all types of two-wheel drive cars, both modern and historic, back out rallying again.”

The team behind R2WD has already received pledges of support for the event from 20 crews and this number is growing rapidly. The RNW organisers are considering capping the entry at a maximum of 120 cars and may introduce an entry deposit scheme later in the year.

Events choosing to adopt the Rally 2WD concept will effectively run two back-to-back rallies: the first one for all two-wheel drive cars, both modern and historic, and the second event for all four-wheel drive cars. The concept allows both events to run within one day, with all stage action running between 9am and 5pm while fully meeting all MSA requirements.

The concept for Rally 2WD events will put the entire two-wheel drive field through all stages first to complete their competitive mileage, followed as soon as possible by the four-wheel drive field. It is expected that the on-going work of Rally4Wales will ensure that the four-wheel drive cars will still enjoy very good road conditions.

Event Website

Posted: September 13, 2017 6:15 AM

Rally North Wales