For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally and its support rallies, please keep watching this website www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Wednesday 9th June 2010
Chatsworth Rally Show

Once again the Roger Albert Clark Rally was present at the Chatsworth Rally Show which was held last weekend. We were pleased to see so much attention and a number of new members of the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club were signed up during the weekend.

The usual display for the event was this year supplemented by the first draft of the route for the 2010 event. However due to some technical problems the Supplementary Regulations for the event were not ready for publication at the show as had been expected.

Colin Heppenstall, Rally Manager, talking at the Rally Show, said that the wait for regulations and a completed route would be over quite shortly (see above press release...).  In addition he also stated that everyone could expect some innovative changes to the rally for 2010.

On the stand for the duration of the show was Steve and Tony Graham's, glorious Lancia Fulvia, as always attracting much attention.  Chatsworth always springs some surprises and this year was no exception, with Simo Lampinen on hand to take time out to visit the stand and be reunited with one of the many of the cars, which he drove in the 70's The Lancia Fulvia no less.

A number of cars which had competed on the RAC were present at the show including Andrew Siddall's pristine Cossack Escort [LAR 800P] and  Dave Watkins' beautiful Allied Polymers Escort [LAR 801P] which were taking part in the History of Rallying display.

Steve Perez was there as usual with his stable of cars, but as is always the case the one which stole the show was the Lancia Stratos. This was looking and sounding stunning.  It sounded possibly the best I have ever heard it sound with that crisp raucous note cutting through the air. It seems that after its recent rebuild that it may well be able to consolidate its finish last year, wouldn’t it be great to see it win?  Thanks to Steve for his unfaltering perseverance with this car.

Watch for us around the country at different events.

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Thursday 27th May 2010
Belgian Team Plans Roger Albert Clark Rally Return

The Belgian team of Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard are now becoming regular UK competitors and old hands at the Roger Albert Clark Rally.  Away from his natural environment of the predominantly asphalt surfaces of his home country, fishmonger Stouf has shown that he and co-driver Joris Erard can mix it with the best on UK gravel.  After a 12th place overall and 3rd in class on the 2008 Roger Albert Clark Rally, the pair had climbed back up the leader board last year following a second day engine problem in Langdale until they were sidelined by a coming together with the solid log piles in Kielder on the last day of the event.

When we spoke to the crew at the Legend Boucles de Spa earlier this year Stefaan told us that their Escort Mk1 had been so badly damaged that it had needed re-shelling and was undergoing major rebuilding in a UK workshop.  However, that work is now almost complete and the pair are planning a couple of shakedown events in the car before tackling the 2010 Roger Albert in November in the 'new' MkI which will once again be supported by DCC Motorsport and the SMS-Team who ran the Opel Ascona course car for Ari Vatanen on the Boucles de Spa.

The MkI will be given its competitive debut on the  Rally Del Corallo classic in Sardinia at the beginning of June where Stefaan and Joris will be able to track their times on the gravel-only stages against a number of Group B cars which have been given dispensation to compete and I'm sure it will be interesting to compare the performance of such cars as  the Lancia 037 and Audi Quattro against the two wheel drive historics we are used to seeing in the British forests. Then, we can look forward to seeing the pair try their hand again in the Yorkshire forests in September on the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire.  Watch out for them and their enthusiastic army of supporters who followed their progress last November.  Check out their pictures here and follow the team here.

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Wednesday 26th May 2010
Perez Plans Stratos Challenge On Roger Albert Clark Rally

Steve Perez has confirmed plans to contest the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally in his glorious Lancia Stratos and hopes that recent work on the Italian sports car will allow him to challenge the Ford Escort pack on the 26-29 November event.

Perez is heading to Portugal this weekend to campaign the Stratos in Retro Rally Portugal, the support event to the World Rally Championship. He hopes that this will be start of a busy run of events with the VK-backed car.

"It's had a ground-up rebuild since the Roger Albert Clark Rally last November and we've had a new engine built," he said of the evocative 1970s sports car. "My ambition is to get it reliable and competitive. We've got to do something to get in among these Escorts."

On the 2009 Roger Albert Clark Rally, Perez and the Stratos overcame a series of starter motor dramas to finish 20th overall and was the second non-Escort home. This year, a top 10 finish is a clear target.

"I certainly want to be out more regularly in the Stratos; that's always been my intention. I'll obviously do the Roger Albert Clark Rally in November. That's what we built the car for the in the first place." Perez has been a fervent supporter of the Roger Albert Clark Rally since the beginning of the event and the spectacle of the Stratos at full stretch in Dalby forest in the dark stages of Friday evening will be a real highlight of the rally.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally and its support rallies, please keep watching this website www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Wednesday 26th May 2010
Roger Albert Clark Rally At Chatsworth Rally Show

The Roger Albert Clark Rally will once again have a presence at the Rally Show at Chatsworth on the weekend of 5th / 6th June.  This event will see the unveiling of details for this year’s Roger Albert Clark Rally when Rally Manager Colin Heppenstall unveils the route and opens the books for entries.  If you are at the Rally Show, please take the time to come and talk to us about the rally and tell us what you like about the event and what you would change if you had the opportunity.

Of course, the Rally Show is about more than the Roger Albert Clark Rally.  This year the weekend will see an amazing collection of cars representing the ‘History of Rallying – Great British Rally Cars’

One of the last-ever ex works Austin Healeys will lead the demonstration on the Chatsworth stage, followed by a Ford Anglia 105E. Then spectators will have the chance to see the ex works Hillman Imp driven by Andrew Cowan, the legendary winner of the original 1968 London to Sydney Marathon for Rootes, who subsequently became team boss of the Mitsubishi Ralliart WRC Team that gave Tommi Makinen his four World Rally Championship titles. In 1998, on the occasion of Makinen’s hat-trick, the team also won the WRC Manufacturers’ title.

Other cars include a Mini Cooper ‘S’, an ex works Talbot Sunbeam Lotus and a Vauxhall Chevette HS2300 which will be driven by Jimmy McRae, reunited with the car in which he finished 2nd on the 1978 Circuit of Ireland for Dealer Team Vauxhall

Amongst other rare and unique cars that will participate in this demonstration that takes place on both days of the Rally Show is the ex Simo Lampinen Triumph TR7 V8, the Ford Escort MkII that Timo Makinen drove to victory on the 1975 RAC Rally and that has now been fully restored by Dave Watkins and the special-bodied fuel-injected Escort MkII that Hannu Mikkola drove on the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally.

The demonstration finishes with some more modern cars, starting with an ex works ‘Computervision’ Rover Vitesse. Then there is the MG Metro 6R4 of Warren Philliskirk in which he has contested sixty-three rallies since 1995, winning seven of them outright, and finally an example of the fabulous Ford RS200.

Finally, the Rally Show would not be complete without the participation of the Ford World Rally Championship team under the management of M-Sport.  This year M-Sport will support the event with a BP Ford Abu Dhabi Ford Focus RS WRC09, the Monte Carlo winning Fiesta Super 2000 and the Kick Energy Ford Focus WRC02 that Jonathan Greer drove to second on the Malcolm Wilson Rally earlier this year on display.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally team driver Jari-Matti Latvala will be in attendance to put the pair of Focus WRC’s through their paces around the one and a quarter mile stage.  See http://www.therallyshow.org/ for more details

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Wednesday 19th May 2010
Dalby In The Dark For Roger Albert Clark Rally

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.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally and its support rallies, please keep watching this website www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Tuesday 11th May 2010
Jacob Hopes To Tackle Roger Albert Clark Rally

Christophe Jacob, one of the leading preparers of historic rally cars in Belgium, hopes to contest the Roger Albert Clark Rally for the first time in November. If his plans are realised, Jacob will join countrymen Stefaan Stouf and Joris Erard, who are regular competitors on the event.

As a warm-up for the November event, Jacob and co-driver Isabelle Regnier travelled to Carlisle to contest the Pirelli Historic Rally last month and finished 15th in category three in their Escort Mk2.

"I want to do the Roger Albert Clark Rally and Grant Shand, who runs the car for me, suggested I come and sample Kielder Forest," said Jacob, "My only gravel experience was in the French championship six years ago, but I loved it and will definitely be back."

Earlier this year, Jacob prepared two cars for the Boucles de Spa rally, with Bjorn Waldegard driving the Escort Mk2 and Francois Chatriot driving a Mazda RX7 for Jacob's team.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally and its support rallies, please keep watching this website www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Tuesday 11th May 2010
Preparations Well Under Way

It may only be Spring and the nights getting shorter but the preparations for the 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally are already gaining momentum.  A formal announcement of comprehensive details of the event will be made by Colin Heppenstall, Rally Manager of the Roger Albert Clark Rally at the Rally Show at Chatsworth on the weekend of 5^th / 6^th June but in the meantime we recommend that you keep watching this website for a number of important press releases coming soon.

The first route draft has been completed with Colin quoted as saying “Things are coming along nicely and Nicola and I will be out over the next few weekends working on the route survey and I am ensuring that all on-event officials will be formally invited to assist with the event within the next week as we build up the pace towards the rally”.

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Tuesday 11th May 2010
Roger Albert Clark Rally Saab Team Update

Following on from the February announcement of the formation of a Saab team for this year's Roger Albert Clark Rally, Jim Valentine, whose Saab 96 has become a familiar sight on recent "Roger Alberts"  has been quoted in Octane Magazine as saying that plans for the team are now well advanced for the squad.

Spurred into action by Saab’s expected demise, followed by saviour Spyker’s decision to run the Mille Miglia in a pair of recreated 93’s, Jim wanted to mark the fiftieth anniversary of driving legend Eric Carlsson's domination of the 1960 RAC Rally in his event-winning two-stroke Saab 96 and he has now succeeded in gathering an incredible eight cars and crews for the event in November.

The team will be made up of four 96 two-strokes including Valentine’s own, three 96 v4’s to run in the historic rally plus a 900 for the open event.

“Support has come from many sources already” said Jim “we will officially launch our team at July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and we hope to have the numbers up to ten by then, so join us in the adventure of a lifetime!”

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome was agreeing a name, with suggestions ranging from “Team Saab Re-Bjorn” to Team RIP-Troll” but Jim said “as you would expect from such and individualistic marque there were plenty of votes for all the suggested names and we are slightly sad that “Carlson Black Label” and “Saaboteurs” didn’t make it.  But we settled on “Saab Historic Rally Team” as the most popular choice”. 

To join the team you can email Jim on xandj@btinternet.com

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Tuesday 11th May 2010
A Year For Anniversaries

This year will see the seventh anniversary of the inception of the Roger Albert Clark Rally.  Easy to write, but how difficult it is to think that this was the event that doubters thought would never get off the ground and even in its second year the rally forums were full of ‘will it, won’t it’ comments.  Well, we all know what happened and the event is going from strength to strength.  What else are we celebrating this year in rally circles?  Well, it’s fifty years since the original  R.A.C. Rally first took to the forests and it’s the fortieth anniversary of the World Cup Rally to Mexico.

As those of you who are old enough, will doubtless remember, Ford were successful on the World Cup Rally with the Escort, FEV1H crewed by a young Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm. This sparked the birth of the Ford Escort Mexico and the continued dominance of the Ford Escort for many years to come. Remind me again how many Escorts are there on the Roger Albert Clark Rally?

The Roger Albert Clark Rally is considered by many to be a long event but the World Cup Rally was conceived to link the home city of the 1966 football World Cup with the location of the 1970 event in Mexico City, giving a route of over 16,000 miles.  Yes, you read that correctly, sixteen THOUSAND miles and many of the stages were hundreds of miles in length driven at average speeds well in excess of 100MPH.

Crews set off from Wembley stadium, London, through Europe to Lisbon and then after a sea voyage, through South America to finish at the Aztec stadium in Mexico City in time for the 1970 World Cup. Nearly 100 cars set off from Wembley on the 19th April 1970 for the 6 week event but by the time the finish was in sight, only 23 cars remained in the running, so gruelling was the terrain and the pace of the event.

A few weeks ago, many of the organisers, crews and mechanics from the event were reunited at The Motor Heritage Museum at Gaydon on a day which was designed to bring together as many of the original cars and crews as were still around today and to be a celebration of the event.  How could we not go to this and wallow in nostalgia?

We were surprised and fascinated to see so many vehicles in the World Cup livery, Austin Morris 1800s, Maxis, Triumph 2.5s; cars you don’t see many of these days – we were like kids in a sweetshop.

Difficult to remember now, but the World Cup Rally was a huge event and it attracted manufacturers from around the World, with marques such as Austin/Morris, Ford, Citroen, BMW, Datsun, Mercedes Benz, Peugeot, Moskvitch and many more besides. Triumph were particularly keen to beat Ford and they did in fact come a very close second in a car crewed by Brian Culcheth. We commented on the day that we wonder what would have happened to Ford had Triumph won….now that’s worth thinking about!

If you have never visited the Motor Heritage Museum we recommend that that you do so. Here are the details, admission is £9.00, but the collection of rare cars is well worth it, www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

Banbury Road
Kineton, Warwick CV35
01926 641 188

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Friday 9th April 2010
Boucles De Spa Update

OK, it has taken a while, but prompted by an email from Jörg Ufer of Rally Koeln-Ahrweiler, the biggest historic rally in Germany  (http://www.rallye-koeln-ahrweiler.de) I felt that it was about time Malcolm and I gave you the low-down on our recent visit to the Boucles De Spa rally.

This was a magnificent event and possibly one of the best rally experiences we have had and we want to thank Joris Erard for suggesting that we make the trip; our hosts Pierre Delettre and Marie-charlotte Leduc of the Royal Automobile Club de Spa for their help and hospitality and Colin Heppenstall, Rally Manager of the Roger Albert Clark Rally for making it happen.  Thank you all for the experience.

In 2009, the event ran in very snowy conditions as it took in challenging sections around the town of Spa-Francorchamps and as of a few days prior to our departure, there was still almost two feet of snow in the area and the weather forecast promises a daytime high of minus five so we would be wrapping up warm!  So it was that on Thursday 18th February we set off to Dover to catch the early morning ferry the next morning. Thankfully Friday dawned calm, grey, but calm, in fact the same as the sea. After an uneventful crossing, France appeared through the gloom and so started a quick hop through northern France and a slightly longer run across Belgium.

Upon our arrival in the town of Spa, it was obvious that there was a “buzz” around and to be honest it reminded us of the days when the RAC Rally would descend upon towns up and down the UK and take over.  Where else could you see the service area taking up the entire length of the main street of the town for at least a mile?  Having met with the Organisers where we received our passes for the weekend we went to have a look around. The cars, which we saw took us back, there were Fiat Spiders, Simca 1000s, Volvo PV544s, Mazda RX7s, Porsche 911 and more Escorts than you could shake a stick at.

So it was that we retired to the Hotel for a beer, a meal, and a good night’s sleep after the long journey. At the dinner table we met a couple of Belgian competitors, who were very interested in the Roger Albert Clark Rally and talked with them for at least an hour. It was interesting for them to highlight the same problems with events in Europe as we have here, i.e. lack of marshals etc.

We arose bright and early on Saturday; in fact we were woken by the sounds of the beer tent setting up at the entrance to the Clementine stage, which was only a couple of hundred yards from the hotel, RESULT!

The rally itself would start at a very civilised time of 10am then tackling a couple of loops of stages in and around the town of Spa before returning to the finish in the early hours of Sunday. So it was then that we wandered amongst the cars in the pre start holding, handing out leaflets for the Roger Albert Clark Rally to competitors and spectators alike. I had forgotten how passionate the Belgian fans are and to be drunk at 0930 is a feat to be admired.

After a morning out in the countryside we returned to the Clementine Stage and set ourselves up for an afternoon of spectating in the freezing cold. The crowds were huge and they were noisy enthusiastic and yes drunk mostly, the beer tent down the road assisting in this no doubt.

We stayed into the gloom to see cars, it seemed like hundreds of them, racing past I a blaze of light, cheering on the Brits, Richard Lepley and Mark Solloway.

The organisation of this huge event must be challenging.  Think of over three hundred competing cars and crews being accommodated in the area for the duration of the rally besides coping with the entourage of enthusiastic fans who want to be in on the action.  Then remember the work that goes into closing public roads and providing marshals for stages that remain open for twelve hours or more.  This is a one-day rally but a marathon nevertheless.

For the record, the event was won by Bruno Thiry in a Group 4 Audi Quattro, Bjorn Waldegaard in a Group 4 Escort Mk II was second and third place was taken by last year's winner, Patrick Snijers in his Group 4 Mk II. In the end, former European champion Thiry was one of the pre-events favorites, who neither had a WRC-title nor a Spa-victory.

Actually there was no real 'Quattro-weather'. The stages around Spa were mostly free of snow and ice and the temperatures hovered just above freezing point. It was only on “Ster”, the highest stage of the event, located 500 metres above sea level where snow properly covered the tarmac. After sunset a heavy snow shower came down and within minutes there were two inches of snow and one stage cancelled.

From the beginning, Thiry took the lead. From the MkII Escorts, 66 year old Björn Waldegaard, Kurt Heckters and Robert Droogmans followed, while Snijers started with times outside the top ten. After Thiry got a puncture on SS 11, Waldegaard was heading the field. One stage later and the old order was back. And with seven out of fourteen possible fastest times, the Belgian was the dominant driver of the event.

The first ever world rally champion Waldegaard took second spot ahead of eight times Spa-winner Snijers and Freddy Loix, who came home with a close-to-producion Fiat Ritmo Abarth on a superb fourth overall. The Escorts of Kurt Heckters, Thierry Neuville and Stig Blomqvist followed. One of the crowds favorites, Francois de Spa, finished eight in a Mini Cooper S. Finland's Harri Rovanperä brought home a Porsche 911 in ninth. Pascal Gaban, former group N-world champion, in an Opel Kadett C completed the top ten ahead of Jean-Pierre van de Wauwer with the rare Lancia Beta Monte Carlo.

Stig Blomqvist and Marc Duez (Porsche 911) were among the 30 competitors, who damaged their cars on the opening stage at a misplaced straw bale. The Swede came home in seventh with Duez down in thirty fifth. Before Francois Duval could bend his Fiat 124 Spider Abarth in his typical style, the engine blew on SS1 and special guest Francois Chatriot ,  had to retire with the Mazda RX-7 after a broken gear-box on SS3.

Ari Vatanen, with his son Max as co-driver, drove  the zero-car, an 1974 Opel Ascona, in spectacular style. Belgian hero, Stefaan Stouf with Joris Erard in the hot seat came home in sixteenth place.
 

Final result of the Boucles de Spa 2010:

1. Thiry/Gilsoul (Audi Quattro) 460,74 points
2. Waldegaard/Prevot (Ford Escort MkII) 483,36
3. Snijers/Soenens (Ford Escort MkII) 515,63
4. Loix/Gandolfi (Fiat Ritmo Abarth 125 TC) 590,96
5. Heckters/Didion (Ford Escort MkII) 600,46
6. Neuville /Braquet (Ford Escort MkII) 647,52
7. Blomqvist/Jakobsson (Ford Escort MkII) 671,50
8. De Spa/Grogna (Mini Cooper S) 736,64
9. Rovanperä/Muth (Porsche 911) 745,38
10. Gaban/Andre (Opel Kadett GT/E) 786,17
11. van de Wauwer/Marnette (Lancia Beta Monte Carlo) 813,20
26. van de Poele/Chaumont (Porsche 911) 1175,22
35. Duez/Wauters (Porsche 911) 1311,68

Thanks Jörg for the photographs and your help with the reporting.  We look forward to seeing you in November.

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Tuesday 6th April 2010
Clarke unveils Roger Albert Clark Rally plan
 
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."
 
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 Rally.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please keep watching this website www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Tuesday 30th March 2010
Edgingtons aim for Roger Albert Clark Rally 

Husband and wife rally crew Gary and Jane Edgington are planning their first attempt at the Roger Albert Clark Rally in November, after completing the build of a Hillman Avenger for historic rallying.

The Corwen, North Wales, crew have become well known for some giant killing performances in a diminutive Singer Chamois, but have now decided to keep the 43-year old car for asphalt events only.

For gravel rallies, the Avenger is being used and it took third in class C2 on the Bulldog Historic Rally last weekend. They will continue to develop the Avenger this year and if all goes well they intend to enter the Roger Albert Clark for the first time.

"The intention is to do more forest events in the Avenger and then finish the year by doing the Roger Albert Clark for the first time," said Gary as he celebrated his 48th birthday on the Bulldog.

For more details about the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and its support rallies, please keep watching this website www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Tuesday 30th March 2010
Race Retro Reaches Seven Year High

The Roger Albert Clark Rally recently exhibited at Race Retro at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire and came away impressed with the show and the enthusiastically knowledgeable visitors who made this the most visited Race Retro in the show's history.  This year's event reached a seven year high as just under 27,000 motorsport enthusiasts attended the three-day event held at Stoneleigh Park. This was an increase of around 3,000 people from the 2009 event.

The new outdoor all-tarmac rally stage also proved popular with both the drivers and visitors.  With the start and finish line adjacent to a spectator area the course begins with a 90 degree left turn into a fast straight with a midpoint 'yump', then left again along a shorter straight before a sharp left and right complex. This is followed by a dramatic double left directly in front of the spectator viewing area, so  the fast boys to made this one long power slide before they made a 90 degree right back to the start/finish. The stage lap length is 0.5 of a mile and cars completed two laps on each run allowing two cars to be in action on the stage at any one time.

If the course isn't enough to get you excited, then the line-up of cars was sure to get the blood pumping. Visitors saw an iconic selection of genuine ex works Audi quattros. From the original long wheelbase A2 coupe that shook the rallying world on its debut in 1980, to the outrageous short wheelbase S1 Evo 2, Audi's final statement of the Group B era, all were part of the show's celebration of thirty years of the quattro.

Joining the quattros were a further selection of Group B rallying monsters from the recently formed, 'Rallying with Group B' club with  Ford RS200, MG 6R4, Lancia 037, Peugeot 205T16, Porsche RSR supported by Stratos, Rover V8 SD1, Manta 400, TR7V8, and of course the Rothmans Escort, all on display from rallying's glorious past.

Driving appearances by Roger Albert winner Stig Blomqvist as well as Russell Brookes and current British Rally Champion Keith Cronin kept the crowds happy and we're told that the 'Wall of Death' was worth seeing.

At the H&H Auction, one of two LG45 Tourers entered by Lagonda for the 1936 Monte Carlo Rally was the undisputed star. Though the car slid out of the rally after just 200 miles, this magnificent Post Vintage Thoroughbred has survived the last 74 years without further mishap and, resplendent in cream coachwork complemented by green leather upholstery, it sold for £167,200 - way over even its top estimate.

Plans are already underway for 2011 with the show returning to its original timing at the end of February. Robert Limming, Director of Live Promotions the organisers of Race Retro, said: "As the historic motorsport season continues to add more events each year, the season has crept forward and now starts earlier in the year. We have always positioned the show as the kick-off for the new season and to accommodate the needs of the industry, we have moved the show to the 25th, 26th and 27th February for the 2011 event."

Fans of the Roger Albert Clark Rally can see our display again at the Rally Show at Chatsworth on the weekend of 5th and 6th of June where details of the 2010 event will be unveiled.

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Wednesday 3rd February 2010
Saab team formed for Roger Albert Clark Rally
 
A squad of Saabs will tackle the Roger Albert Clark Rally 2010 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".
 
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.                                                        Photograph Courtesy of Paul Lawrence
                                                                                                                              
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.

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Tuesday 26th January 2010
Early details announced for 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally
 
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                                                           Photograph Courtesy of Paul Lawrence 
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 keep watching this website www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Wednesday 6th January 2010
Photo Competition Winners Announced

The Roger Albert Clark Rally 2009 Photo Competition has now closed and the winners have been announced.  Our grateful thanks go to everyone who entered; Simon Clark for organising the competition in association with the Britishrally.co.uk forum and to Jon 'polo' Petford, himself a former winner of the competition, for undertaking the difficult job of judging the contest and choosing our winners. The winning photographs will be on display next week on the
Roger Albert Clark Rally stand at the Autosport show.

http://www.britishrally.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=25

Jon pored extensively over the entries and this is his verdict...

1st - Paul Commons

"I am ecstatic, if a little shocked to have won such a fab prize.  Having my dad to blame (sorry, thank) for my first RAC attendance at the age of 2 months in 1983, and being hooked ever since, it was only natural that we would follow the 2009 Roger Albert Clark Rally all the way up to Scotland.  Being unable to find the entrance to the Holehouse Hill stage, we were a little disappointed to end up in the Ae spectator car park for the third year in a row with light rain in the air.
A two mile walk later and we had found a nice open section.  Typically thick fog came down just as the first car came through, but fortunately the light improved just as LAR801P arrived.  A truly great event which we are already looking forward to attending in 2010"

Jon's comment, "I like the atmosphere in this shot, its simple. I like the composition as well, you get a sense of anticipation. The image is not perfect, it is a little flat and a quick tweak of the colours and levels will lift it."

2nd - David Powley

"My name is David Powley, I live in Norwich, so to get this shot involved a 500 mile round trip, but it was well worth the journey as I enjoyed every minute I spent at the Rally!  I travelled up on Friday to go to the Langdale stage in the evening, and what a very wet evening it was too!!!!  Luckily I had a room booked in Scarborough so managed to dry off before the Saturday stages at Olivers Mount.

I am just getting back into Rally photography after a lay off whilst my children were growing up.  This was my first trip up to the Rally and I am already looking forward to this year’s event, hopefully for the four days this year.

More photographs from the Rally and other events can be found on my website: www.dpphotographic.co.uk"

Jon's comment, "Love the look on the driver's face, and you get a real sense of speed."

3rd - Luke Harvey

"My interest in rallying started back in 1998 when I attended my first ever rally the Wyedean Forest Rally at just 8 years old. Since then I have been attending events all over the country as my passion for the sport grew. I started taking pictures at the end of 2008 on the Roger Albert Clark Rally and gradually progressed throughout 2009. Most of my time at rallying is spent filming as I'm more of a cameraman than a photographer, but there's always something special when you capture a great photo."

Jon's comment, "A nice atmospheric service area shot."

=4th - Kathrine Jones

My name is Kathrine Jones from a small town called Llanfyllin in Mid Wales, I have been taking photos at rallies for nearly a year now, and it something I really enjoy, both road and stage rallies! I travelled 388 miles there and back on this particular rally, was definitely worth the trip! Hopefully will get to more rallies in 2010 so look out for KMJ Photography!

Jon's comment, "Not normally a fan of this type of shot but this works well due to the colour of the car and is framed well by the bales as well, something a little different."

=4th - Gary Simpson

"A rainy night in Yorkshire"

"Standing on a 90 left in Langdale with my friends Becky and Tim, wrapped up as well as we can be against the rotten weather, camera set on a slowish shutter speed to try and capture the rain.

Lights pierce the night sky, engine howling down the straight, the Mk 1 comes into view, drops a gear, takes the corner, kicks the rear out on the exit, powers away down the next straight and out of sight. Look at the camera screen, yeah, quite pleased with that shot. Wait for the next car. Getting colder and wetter by the minute. Are we mad? Probably. Would we do it all again in 2010? Of course!

More images from the event are available to view on www.songasport.co.uk"

Jon's comment, "Sums up the rally for all those out in the rain on Friday night."

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Wednesday 2nd December 2009
Smith plans ahead for 2010 Roger Albert Clark Rally
 
Less than a month after taking a superb fifth overall on the 2009 Roger Albert Clark Rally, Rob Smith and Shaun O'Gorman are already hatching plans to contest the 2010 event in their Vauxhall Chevette.
 
Smith and O'Gorman were among the stars of the '09 rally, giving the Chevette its best result to date and running up among the leading Ford Escorts. Their target for 2010 is to challenge for an overall top three finish and Smith says that competing on the Roger Albert is an amazing experience.
 
"People were so good on the rally; we had a lot of moral support and the spectators were so animated," he said. "They were jumping up and down and waving at us in the stages.                                           Photograph Courtesy of Paul Lawrence 
We'll definitely do the RAC again in 2010 and a top three finish is possible with the Chevette."
 
Before the rally, their first aim was to finish and a place in the top 10 was a dream. "We're chuffed to bits with the result; the Chevette really proved itself," said Smith.

Press Release Issued by Paul Lawrence, e-mail: paul@tfmmedia.com

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Wednesday 25th November 2009
Perez Planning 'Roger Albert' Return In 2010

I'm sure that all you Lancia Stratos fans will be pleased to see it reported in Motorsport News today that Steve Perez is planning a renewed assault on the Roger Albert Clark Rally 2010 after completing the event with his car intact for the first time since 2005.  Steve missed the prize giving in Carlisle as he was already on his way to Mombasa to compete in the East African Safari Classic where he eventually finished fifth overall but rumours were already flying that he planned to have the Stratos stripped back and rebuilt to original specifications which will improve the car's chances of a good finish by making it lighter and faster than it is currently.

After a fraught start to this year's event when it looked at first as if the car wouldn't make it to the start line and then suffering a broken half shaft in Langdale on the first evening we can only hope that robust strength and reliability are also on the agenda for the rebuild!                                                                   Picture By Mark Sayer/www.mppix.com
 

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Tuesday 17th November 2009
Gwyndaf Evans And John Millington 2009 Winners!

Gwyndaf Evans and John Millington took the winners laurels in Carlisle yesterday. At the end of a cold, wet and gruelling Roger Albert Clark Rally the Viking Motorsport crew came home four minutes and two seconds ahead of  Jeremy Easson and Alun Cook.  For the second year running John Millington has become the winning co-driver after reading the maps for 2008 winner Malcolm Wilson.

In the Roger Albert Clark Open Rally, Marcus Noble and Brian Hodgson came home in first place, four minutes and three seconds ahead of second placed crew Nigel Barber and Stuart Popplewell.
 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Picture By Chris Horner/www.mccrash.co.uk
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