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Roger Albert Clark Rally - 26-29 Nov 10

Posted: November 29, 2010 9:29 PM - 14644 Hits


Winners: Stefaan Stouf/Joris Erard (Ford Escort RS1600)

Photos

Posted: November 29, 2010 9:29 PM

Tuthill Porsche wins class on Roger Albert Clark Rally

Posted: November 29, 2010 9:24 PM

Tuthill Porsche has won its class on the Roger Albert Clark Rally, thanks to 28th place overall for company founder Francis Tuthill and his journalist co-driver Franca Davenport.

The duo in the Tuthill Porsche 911 triumphed despite going off after hitting a rock on Saturday evening, which meant that they took several maximum lateness penalties.

A spin on Friday and a puncture on Sunday also hampered their progress, but in spite of these setbacks - as well as bad weather that made headlines all over the country - Francis and Franca brought home a great result on their first rally together, and the first rally that Francis had contested in four years.

Their 3.0 litre Porsche 911 was in exactly the same specification as will be used for next year's Tuthill Porsche Challenge. The engine in the car is also identical to the one that recently took world rally legend Michele Mouton to second overall on the Rallye International du Maroc.

Thick snow, which covered practically every stage of the Robert Albert Clark Rally, could not have presented a greater contrast to the African desert. Once more though, the Tuthill Porsche proved to be completely reliable in the harsh conditions.

The Roger Albert Clark Rally covered four days and was designed to capture the spirit of the old RAC Rally, with competitors travelling the length and breadth of the country from November 26-29. There were several delays and interruptions due to the bad weather, which only added to the challenge.

"We had a lot of fun," said Francis at the finish on Monday afternoon. "I think we were both a bit rusty, but towards the end of it we were beginning to show what the car can do. Apart from the ones of our own making, we had no problems at all, which I think is a great tribute to the quality and driveability of these cars."

Franca, who contributes to the Daily Telegraph, added:
"It was quite hard to get used to reading notes from maps, particularly after having had some experience of pace notes in the past. But Francis at least pretended that some of what I was saying made sense, and we had an absolutely great time! To get the class win too was the icing on the cake. It's a fantastic experience that I would recommend to anyone."

Top 20 for Perez in Great White Adventure

Posted: November 29, 2010 9:23 PM

Kick Energy rally driver Steve Perez overcame some of the most difficult driving conditions he'd encountered in his career to post a battling 17th position overall on the four-day Roger Albert Clark Rally which finished in Carlisle this afternoon.

Driving the iconic BTR-prepared Lancia Stratos, which he was sharing with Welsh co-driver Paul Spooner and which was decked out with decals of the individuals and companies who have donated to the fund set up by the Chesterfield driver in aid of the family of fellow competitor Martyn Lewis who was killed earlier this year on the Dukeries Rally, Perez showed his intentions and held third place overall during Friday night's Yorkshire stages.

With the weather doing its best to disrupt proceedings with heavy snow, organisers battled to keep the event on schedule during Saturday's loop around Scarborough and after the second run around Olivers Mount, Perez held ninth overall. However, going into the second Langdale stage late on Saturday afternoon, Steve lost control on the ice and ended up beached on a snow bank, losing ten minutes as help was mustered to extract the car.

The resulting time loss meant he dropped way down the leaderboard but a spirited fight back in the evening's Hamsterley and Kielder stages saw the former British Historic and National Rally Champion, and this year's BTRDA Champion, claw his way up to 26th at the Carlisle overnight halt.

It was on to Scotland for Sunday's stages whereby Perez had a relatively trouble free run to arrive back in Carlisle in 15th position but with the weather worsening, the organisers had to cancel a number of planned stages in the Kielder complex meaning just two tests remained in Kershope forest this morning. There, Steve suffered a puncture on the very first stage meaning he dropped to 17th at the Carlisle finish on what was his seventh Roger Albert Clark Rally finish, and his toughest to date.

"That can only be described as a great white adventure and after three days and one night of virtually non stop driving, it's been very tough so I'm delighted to make the finish. The car ran like a Swiss watch all weekend, I thought I was in a VW so thanks to Tim Ashton at BTR. The only problems we had were the puncture at the end and me putting it off the road on Saturday and I must say thanks to Ryan Champion and his mates for helping us get the car out! We had to keep going for the fans and marshals who were wonderful as ever, and thanks to those who made donations, but my heartfelt thanks have to go to the organisers for doing an amazing job in impossible conditions. They are the real stars of the rally for me."

Perez has no plans to contest events for the next couple of months during which time he hopes to put a schedule together for 2011 which will see him concentrate his efforts in developing the Lancia Stratos next season.

Full Results (All Events)

Posted: November 29, 2010 9:19 PM

Video Clips - Day 2 & Day 3

Posted: November 29, 2010 8:34 PM



MONDAY STAGES - Moved from Kielder to Kershope

Posted: November 28, 2010 8:58 PM

"As you will already know, the organisers have been battling the exceptionally adverse weather conditions on the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally since day one.

As we enter Scotland the short term weather forecast is for snow falls overnight, plummeting temperatures and high winds leading to possible drifting in Kielder, which already has a substantial accumulation of snow. Unfortunately therefore this has meant that Colin Heppenstall, Rally Manager, has had to make the tough decision to cancel all Monday's Kielder stages. This has been disappointing for the Kielder challenge crews especially as this was the largest field of entrants since the inception of the Kielder Challenge event.

However, thanks to Colin's hard work and the full cooperation of local Forestry officials we have managed to secure replacement mileage in Kershope forest for Monday morning.

Due to anticipated access issues we will be unable to publish any details of these special stages and as with Langdale on Saturday this will mean that there will be no spectator access to this leg of the event.

We ask you for your understanding and cooperation with this to enable the event to come to a successful conclusion.

Speaking at Heathall service Colin said
"I would just like to say that I share your frustration because I rely on your continued support for the success of the event going forward. "

Day 1 Video Clip

Posted: November 27, 2010 8:36 AM

Timetable

Posted: November 26, 2010 3:52 PM

Friday 26th November

Start - Pickering Showground - 18:31

SS 1 - Showground 1 - 0.5miles - 18:37
SS 2 - Dalby 1 - 8.9m - 19:15

Service - Pickering Showground - 19:52

SS 3 - Showground 2 - 0.5m - 20:38
SS 4 - Dalby 2 - 8.9m - 21:16

Service - Pickering Showground - 21:53

Saturday 27th November

Restart - Pickering Showground - 09:01

SS 5 - Olivers Mount 1 - 4.1m - 09:49
SS 6 - Olivers Mount 2 - 4.1m - 10:13
SS 7 - Langdale 1 - 7.3m - 11:02

Service - Pickering Showground - 11:52

SS 8 - Olivers Mount 3 - 4.1m - 13:20
SS 9 - Olivers Mount 4 - 4.1m - 13:44
SS 10 - Langdale 2 - 7.3m - 14:33
SS 11 - Hamsterley - 6.0m - 17:26
SS 12 - Shepherdshield - 6.3m - 19:19

Service - Carlisle Racecourse - 20:44

Sunday 28th November

Restart - Carlisle Racecourse - 08:16

SS 13 - Ae 1 - 14.5m - 09:38
SS 14 - Twiglees 1 - 8.9m - 10:56

Service - Dumfries - 11:57

SS 15 - Heathall 1 - 0.7m - 12:25
SS 16 - Ae 2 - 14.5m - 13:08

Service - Dumfries - 14:38

SS 17 - Heathall 2 - 0.7m - 15:06
SS 18 - Twiglees 2 - 8.9m - 16:04
SS 19 - Newcastleton 1 - 12.0m - 17:28

Service - Carlisle Racecourse - 18:49

SS 20 - Newcastleton 2 - 12.0m - 20:17

Service - Carlisle Racecourse - 21:38

Monday 29th November

Restart - Carlisle Racecourse - 06:41

SS 21 - Rooken 1 - 8.9m - 08:56
SS 22 - Highfield 1 - 8.9m - 09:24

Service - Kielder Water - 09:51

SS 23 - Rooken 2 - 8.9m - 11:19
SS 24 - Highfield 2 - 8.9m - 11:47

Finish - Carlisle City Centre - 14.15

Perez Aims for Buckets of Success on RAC Rally

Posted: November 24, 2010 7:09 PM

Kick Energy rally driver Steve Perez is preparing for this weekend's arduous Roger Albert Clark Rally, but as well as aiming for a decent finish, he'll be tackling the four-day event with added purpose when the rally gets underway in Pickering on Friday evening.

With the iconic BTR-prepared Lancia Stratos now decked out with decals of the individuals and companies who have donated to the fund set up by the Chesterfield driver in aid of the family of fellow competitor Martyn Lewis, who was killed earlier this year on the Dukeries Rally, Perez is hoping for a change of luck on what has been one of his bogey events in recent years.

"It was unfortunate that the Premier Rally last weekend had to be cancelled so I'm planning on holding the co-driving experience that was auctioned off on eBay until another event. But I wanted to keep the momentum going so we have decided to include a decal on the car for everyone who has donated to this cause and what better event to do this at than the RAC," said the former British Historic and National Rally Champion who also clinched this year's BTRDA series.

He continued:
"We will have collection buckets around the truck in the service areas and also, people can just give me or my co-driver Paul Spooner some cash when they see us in the car. It's quite compact in the cockpit, with not much room, so we prefer notes rather than loose change if possible...!. All the proceeds will be passed onto Martyn's widow Catherine and his son Charlie, all of which is being audited by Howard Wilcock of the BTRDA."

The rally starts in Pickering on Friday evening and finishes in Carlisle on Monday afternoon.

SAAB HISTORIC RALLY TEAM PREPARES FOR ROGER ALBERT CLARK RALLY

Posted: November 23, 2010 9:01 PM

This weekend (Friday 26 November – Monday 29 November) marks the beginning of the Roger Albert Clark Rally and is a perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse of some truly iconic Saabs as well as rally legend Erik Carlsson.

It’s now been half a century since the legendary Erick Carlsson won the British RAC Rally for the first time in a Saab 96. In celebration of this milestone and the huge effect that rallying successes have had on Saab’s history, Erik will be joining members of the Saab Historic Rally Team as they take part in this year’s rally.

Five members from the Saab Historic Rally Team from Southampton to Sheffield will take the trip up to the small village of Pickering in North Yorkshire, for the start of the rally on the Friday (26 November) evening.

Erik will wave the competitors off as they begin the 170-mile route off-road through daunting forests and mixed terrain before ending up in Carlisle city centre on the Monday (29 November) afternoon.

The Saab squad will be made up of a classic Saab 900 plus four iconic Saab 96 vehicles. Erik Carlsson’s Saab 96, a replica of the model he celebrated his RAC victories in, will also be on show at the start of the race alongside a brand new limited edition Saab 9-3 Aero Carlsson. The car has been designed in Erik’s name as part of Saab’s 50th anniversary, with just 96 models being produced in the UK.

Before officially waving competitors off, Erik will also be joined by Stuart Turner, his co-driver in 1960, to host a special rally forum at Eden Camp Museum in Pickering on Friday (26 November) afternoon.

Seeded Entry Lists

Posted: November 19, 2010 9:36 PM

Available at:

Record entry for Roger Albert Clark Rally

Posted: November 11, 2010 11:08 AM

The best ever entry, in terms of both quality and quantity, will line up for the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally when the classic event starts in Pickering on Friday 26 November.

A fabulous total of 78 cars will contest the historic and open elements of the rally and two former British Rally champions will head the main field as they each bid to become the first driver to win the event twice.

Starting as car number one will be Gwyndaf Evans and John Millington in the Ford Escort Mk2 from Viking Motorsport and they will go head to head with Mark Higgins and Dale Furniss in a similar car from Historic Rallysport. Evans won the Roger Albert Clark last year, while Higgins was victorious in 2005, the only time he previously tackled the rally. However, Millington will be bidding for a hat-trick of co-driver wins, having also partnered Malcolm Wilson to victory in 2008.

"I enjoy the event immensely," said Evans. "It's a challenge and you know you've done it when you finish. I'm not going to let Mark have it his own way. Last year was a dream and you don't get rallies like that all the time."

Evans also says that this is far from being a two-way contest, pointing to the fact the field is full of quality crews. "With people like Geoff Jones and Nick Elliott entered, it should be a cracking rally," he said.

Elliott and Dave Price will start at number three in their Escort Mk2 as they tackle the event for the first time, while Jones and Phil Clarke are at four in another Escort Mk2. The very rapid Welshman does not do a lot of competitive rallying these days, but is renowned for his pace.

Will Onions and Paul Wakely run at number five in their Escort Mk2 on the back of a superb season in the British Historic Rally Championship, while at six is the first Escort Mk1, that of current BHRC champions David Stokes and Guy Weaver. They finished second overall to Wilson in 2008 and will be aiming for another podium finish.

Third last year were Paul Griffiths and Sam Collis and they start at seven this year in a freshly-prepared Escort Mk2, followed by the first non-Escort, the Vauxhall Chevette of Rob Smith and Shaun O'Gorman. Phil Collins and Nicky Grist are next away in their Opel Ascona 400, while young Connor Corkill and Andrew Edwards complete the top 10 in their Escort Mk2.

In the category one field, which runs at the front of the rally, it is veteran Bob Bean and Don Griffiths in Bob's venerable Lotus Cortina at the front of the pack. Meanwhile Marcus Noble and Brian Hodgson (Escort Mk2) lead the open rally away in a bid to repeat their 2009 victory.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit

Evans and Higgins Confirmed For 2010 Roger Albert

Posted: November 11, 2010 11:07 AM

So, maybe one of the least best-kept secrets is out. The organisers of the Roger Albert Clark Rally are pleased to formally announce today that former event winners Gwyndaf Evans and Mark Higgins will go head to head on this year's event.
Gwyndaf will again be at the wheel of a Viking Motorsport prepared car whilst Mark will be driving a car prepared and entered by Mark Solloway's Historic Rallysport team.
Whilst these stars will be keen to add a second Roger Albert victory to their list of honours, with a quality entry already on the books they will have a battle on their hands I'm sure.

Entry Beats Previous Record

Posted: November 9, 2010 11:16 AM

With another ten days still to go before entries officially close for the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally, the organisers are pleased to announce that the entry list has now beaten the previous entry record for this popular event. With an entry list now numbering over seventy crews, this beats the previous entry record of sixty-eight crews in 2006. Rally Manager, Colin Heppenstall, says
"This is great achievement and a testimony to the success of this event" With more entries still to come it looks as if we are in for a classic event.

List of Entries at:

Updated List of Entries

Posted: October 19, 2010 7:55 PM

Roger Albert Clark Rally stages in prime condition

Posted: October 12, 2010 4:01 PM

The stages for this year's Roger Albert Clark Rally are in as good a condition as they have even been since the event first ran in 2004. That's the view of rally manager Colin Heppenstall after he completed an entire route survey in the second half of September.

Heppenstall drove every one of the event's 170 stage miles in his planning for the 26-29 November event and came away delighted with the condition of the stages.

He reported that the stages in Scotland and Kielder that were used by rallies earlier this year have been completely re-graded and have settled well during the summer months.

"The stages for this year are in beautiful condition; really, really good," said Heppenstall.
"The Scottish stages have all been re-graded and Kielder is lovely. I think the stages are as good as they have ever been for the Roger Albert Clark Rally."

With interest from within the UK and further afield running at record levels, Heppenstall is hopeful of having the biggest entry yet for the event that starts from Pickering on Friday 26 November.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit

Siddall set for New Zealand and Roger Albert Clark double

Posted: September 29, 2010 1:44 PM

Andrew Siddall and Colin 'Captain' Thompson will fly half way around the world to contest the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally in their Ford Escort Mk1.

The Yorkshire-based crew are competing on two of the biggest events in historic rallying back-to-back and will have just three days to recover from jet lag before starting the Roger Albert Clark on Friday 26 November.

Siddall says that competing on the Silver Fern Rally in New Zealand and the Roger Albert Clark Rally in the space of two weeks will be the toughest challenge he has faced in historic rallying.

Siddall and Thompson will contest the week-long Silver Fern Rally in Nez Zealand in Siddall's ex-Roger Clark Ford Escort Mk2, the car they used on the 2009 Roger Albert. That event finishes on Sunday 21 November and they will fly home through Monday and Tuesday via Los Angeles.

"The Silver Fern looks to be a fantastic event with some incredible stages," said Siddall ahead of his first trip to New Zealand. "I'll be absolutely done in by the end of the Roger Albert."

The Mk2 was shipped to New Zealand in late July, while the Mk1 successfully completed the recent Trackrod Historic Cup in Yorkshire.

"Historic rallying is absolutely fabulous with great camaraderie. It's how it used to be in years gone by," said Thompson, the Cleckheaton playboy. "We went to Sweden in July and did the Midnight Sun Rally for four days and took fourth in class and 12th overall from 150 cars in Andrew's ex-Roger Clark Mk2, LAR 800P."

Updated list of Entries

Posted: September 28, 2010 11:17 AM

Support Events - Regulations and Details:

Posted: September 17, 2010 8:06 AM

  • The Kall Kwik Bradford Rally 2010 – 26th 27th November 2010
  • The Dalby Night Rally - Friday 26th November 2010
  • The Roger Albert Clark Clubman’s Rally - Sunday 28th November 2010
  • The Kielder Challenge - Monday 29th November 2010

Boom in overseas interest in the Roger Albert Clark Rally

Posted: August 11, 2010 12:55 PM

An unprecedented level of overseas interest in the Roger Albert Clark Rally could see up to 10 foreign crews start the event in November.

The growing reputation of the event in the world of historic rallying has sparked record demand for information from outside the UK and rally manager Colin Heppenstall says that interest from Europe is very high. "We're having serious dialogue with 19 crews from outside the UK, including Belgium, France, Italy and Holland," said Heppenstall. "The reputation of the rally is clearly getting out there and having foreign crews adds to the kudos of the event," said Heppenstall. "If we get ten entries from those 19 people, I'll be overjoyed."

Leading the visiting entry will be six cars from Regnier Sport Organisation, led by team boss Pascal Regnier in his Escort Mk2. More Escorts will be campaigned by Arnaud Clause, Julian Ellebout and Bruno Lacroix, while Jean Pierre Ansiaux (Sunbeam Lotus) and Andre Lausberg (Opel Kadett) will also line up in Pickering on Friday 26 November.

Joining their countrymen will be RAC regulars Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard in their Escort Mk1, and they hope to be joined by two more Belgian crews.

As well as a package of support for crews from Europe, Heppenstall is also offering practical support for the visitors. The overseas cars will need MSA log books and Heppenstall has arranged for them to be inspected the day before the rally. "We'll try and help them get over any hurdles and we're helping with any issues from the safety regulations, including fire extinguishers," said Heppenstall.

Hamsterley confirmed for 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally

Posted: July 15, 2010 7:10 PM

The classic Hamsterley forest stage, once a famous test on the Lombard RAC Rally, will feature on the route for the Roger Albert Clark Rally for the first time in November.

A six-mile stage will be run in the forest near Bishop Auckland on Saturday afternoon (27 November) as crews head north from Yorkshire into the Kielder complex for the Pundershaw stage. The first car will be due at Hamsterley at around 16.40, so the stage will run in darkness.

Rally manager Colin Heppenstall is delighted to be able to confirm the use of another classic stage from the history of the original RAC Rally. "I've been trying for six years to get a stage in Hamsterley and this is the first time we've been able to use it. It is ideally sited to break up the long road section from Langdale to Pundershaw, as it is almost exactly halfway between them."

List of Entries Received:

Posted: July 14, 2010 12:40 PM

Regulations available

Posted: July 14, 2010 12:39 PM

Route for 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally unveiled

Posted: June 9, 2010 11:37 AM

The route for this year's Roger Albert Clark Rally has been announced, with more stage miles and longer stages being the key features of the 26-29 November event.

The provisional route includes two 14-mile stages in Ae and two 12-miles stages in Newcastleton, which rally manager Colin Heppenstall says is in response to requests from competitors for longer stages.

"Friday evening in Dalby will be a great start to the event, but it is Sunday that will be the make or break day with 71 stage miles and four long stages. It is a long, hard day," said Heppenstall.

"Competitors wanted longer stages and so we've done just that. The whole plan of the event is to give value for money. The total stage mileage is 170, which is 20 more than last year and I'm really pleased with the route we've put together.

"It is important to refresh the route every year and we've not done the Monday stages north of Kielder Water for six years," said Heppenstall. " I think it is going to be a very good year."

Support events will include a night event on Friday, the Kall Kwik Clubmans Rally on Friday and Saturday, the Clubmans Rally over the Scottish stages on Sunday and the Kielder Challenge on Monday. More details of the support events will be announced in due course.

The provisional route is:

    Friday 26 November
    Start Pickering Showground 18:30
    SS 1 Showground 1 0.5m 18:35
    SS 2 Dalby 1 8.9m 19:10
    Service Pickering Showground 19:40
    SS 3 Showground 2 0.5m 20:19
    SS 4 Dalby 2 8.9m 20:55
    Service Pickering Showground 21:25

    Saturday 27 November
    Restart Pickering Showground 08:30
    SS 5 Olivers Mount 1 4.1m 09:15
    SS 6 Olivers Mount 2 4.1m 09:40
    SS 7 Langdale 1 7.3m 10:35
    Service Pickering Showground 11:15
    SS 8 Olivers Mount 3 4.1m 12:35
    SS 9 Olivers Mount 4 4.1m 13:00
    SS 10 Langdale 2 7.3m 13:50
    SS 11 TBA 6.0m 16:40
    SS 12 Pundershaw 7.3m 18:55
    Service Carlisle Racecourse 20:00

    Sunday 28 November
    Restart Carlisle Racecourse 07:15
    SS 13 Ae 1 14.5m 09:00
    SS 14 Twiglees 1 8.9m 09:55
    Service Heathhall 10:50
    SS 15 Heathhall 1 0.7m 11:15
    SS 16 Ae 2 14.5m 13:14
    Service Heathhall 14:10
    SS 17 Heathhall 2 0.7m 14:50
    SS 18 Twiglees 2 8.9m 15:50
    SS 19 Newcastleton 1 12.0m 17:10
    Service Carlisle Racecourse 18:00
    SS 20 Newcastleton 2 12.0m 19:10
    Service Carlisle Racecourse 20:00

    Monday 29 November
    Restart Carlisle Racecourse 07:00
    SS 21 Rooken 1 8.9m 08:45
    SS 22 Highfield 1 8.9m 09:10
    Service Kielder Water 09:40
    SS 23 Rooken 2 8.9m 10:55
    SS 24 Highfield 2 8.9m 11:20
    Finish Carlisle City Centre 13:30
For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit

Dalby in the dark for Roger Albert Clark Rally

Posted: May 19, 2010 1:23 PM

The unique challenge of special stages in Dalby forest in the dark will get this year's Roger Albert Clark Rally off to a demanding start when competitors tackle 20 stage miles in the famous Yorkshire forest on the evening of Friday 26 November.  

Use of the Dalby complex for rallying has been drastically reduced in recent years, but rally manager Colin Heppenstall has worked closely with the Forestry Commission and local residents to gain access for the Roger Albert Clark.  

The news that the 2010 Roger Albert will feature the dauntingly fast straights and tight corners of Dalby is a tremendous boost to rallying in Yorkshire. It will be the first time for several years that rally cars will have tackled the forest complex in darkness and will provide a spectacular start to the 2010 rally. Dalby is steeped in rallying history and is the perfect venue for the first competitive miles of this hugely popular event.  

"Being able to use Dalby once again will give the 2010 event a great start and offer a big challenge to the competitors on the first night," said Heppenstall. "It will also offer unrivalled spectating in the famous Dalby Woodyard, which will be floodlight for the event. Thanks must be given to the residents of Low Dalby for allowing the event into the forest on Friday night, which has only been possible due to the good spectator behaviour the last time the event went into Dalby."  

The seventh running of the event, which recreates the RAC Rallies of the 1960s and 1970s, will again start from Pickering Showground, where administration and scrutineering will be held during Friday. The rally focus will then switch to Carlisle for Sunday and Monday. Saturday's leg in Yorkshire will take in stages in Langdale and at the Oliver's Mount motor-cycle track near Scarborough, with two visits to each venue.  

More details of the event will be announced shortly, while membership renewals for the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club are now due.

Clarke unveils Roger Albert Clark Rally plan

Posted: April 7, 2010 2:27 PM

Seasoned Escort driver Stuart Clarke has unveiled plans to contest the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally. If all goes to plan, Clarke will realise a long-held ambition by campaigning a Ford Escort Mk2 on the 26-29 November event.

Clarke, based at Usk in Monmouthshire, is spending the 2010 season preparing for the big event and says that watching the 2009 rally sealed his determination to take part. He plans to use an Escort Mk2 prepared by Rally Weld in South Wales.

"My goal is to do the Roger Albert Clark Rally," he said. "I went and watched it last year; it's an awesome event. It is something really special. But I've never done any of the stages used on the Roger Albert Clark."

Andy Ballantyne, who co-drove Matt Fowle to class C2 victory in 2009, will partner Clarke on the four-day rally and they have already done two events together as a warm-up. They contested both the Wyedean and Bulldog events earlier this year to prepare for the Roger Albert Clark.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit

Saab team formed for Roger Albert Clark Rally

Posted: February 3, 2010 2:23 PM

A squad of Saabs will tackle the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally in celebration of Saab legend Eric Carlsson winning the 1960 RAC Rally in a two-stroke Saab 96.  

Inspired by Saab enthusiast Jim Valentine, at least four Saabs will be on the start list when the Roger Albert Clark Rally starts on 25 November. If all goes to plan, Carlsson and his 1960 co-driver Stuart Turner will be there to see the cars away, 50 years on from their famous victory on the rally that is now re-created by the Roger Albert Clark.  

Valentine has been a loyal supporter of the event in his two-stroke Saab 96 and is now encouraging other Saab owners to commit to the event. Three others have confirmed plans to enter and Valentine reckons there could be as many as eight cars if everyone who has expressed an interest in competing is able to finalise plans. In the first four cars Nick Pinkett and Patrice Wattine in early two-strokes and Richard Simpson in a later V4-engined 96 will join Valentine in the team.  

The 1960 event marked the first of a hat-trick of victories for Carlsson, who earned the nick-name of 'Pa Taket' for his ability to roll a Saab and carry on undeterred. 'Pa Taket' translates from Swedish to 'on the roof'.  

"There may never be a finer moment for Saabs to put on a bit of a show,"
said Valentine.
"I'm looking forward to a gathering of people who use their Saabs for rallying and it would be a fantastic achievement to get all the cars to the finish. It's going to be fabulous; the RAC is the most fun I have ever had rallying."

  To maintain the Saab theme, Valentine hopes to have as many of the entries as possible supported by a Saab estate car running as a management vehicle. For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit:

Early details announced for 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally

Posted: January 26, 2010 9:15 PM

Colin Heppenstall, rally manager for the Roger Albert Clark Rally, has announced the date and early route details of the 2010 event, the seventh running of the event that re-creates the RAC Rallies of the 1960s and 1970s.  

First details of the 2010 rally include a late November date and two overnight halts in Carlisle, but the start venue and first day's route will not be announced until early June.  

The date has been confirmed as 26-29 November, which is later in the month than before to avoid a clash with Rally GB. Saturday and Sunday nights will be spent in Carlisle, which is also the venue for the finish on Monday.  

"We'll announce the start venue and opening legs when we release the regulations at the Chatsworth Rally Show on 5/6 June," said Heppenstall. "We're planning an increase in forest mileage and want to run some longer stages." Current plans include a 13/14-mile stage in the Ae and Hope House complex and a 20-mile stage in Kielder to finish the rally in style. A long stage in Kershope is likely, as the rally will again spend Sunday and Monday in the Scottish borders and Kielder.  

Meanwhile, membership of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club is now over 300 and continues to grow. Membership renewals will be due in May.  

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please visit

Event Website

Posted: January 26, 2010 9:14 PM

Topics: Roger Albert Clark Rally 

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