Mid-Derbyshire Motor Club members competing and winning

Other club members were out spectating with one pair living out of a service van for the whole time.

The Roger Albert Clark rally is a ‘Clubmans’ event run for historic rally cars and aims to recreate the challenge of the old RAC (Royal Automobile Club) rallies which from 1998 became known as Rally GB.

Its popularity meant it had over 150 entries including a significant number from around the world. It also attracted a few professional drivers with very recent experience of the World and European Rally Championships.

The road mileage was over 1,200 with 350 stage miles. Modern World and European events are significantly shorter, more prescriptive in format and more of a sprint than an endurance.

Cars are split into categories ranging from those registered before 1968 to those registered between 1986 and 1990 with individual classes determined by engine capacity.

Club member Richard Holdsworth from Derby entered his pre 1968 Ford Cortina GT with Harry Walshaw in the navigator’s seat. Two engine failures meant that their preparation was severely affected so they didn’t get to compete on either of the events earmarked for testing everything worked properly.

On Thursday, the first day they chose to start steadily but on Friday gearbox issues meant that the service crew including three MDMC members, Chris Walker, Pete Burford and Luke Soanes managed to change it in 30 minutes instead of the usual one hour.

Near the end of the day they hit a rock but were able to get out of the stage. The repairs kept the service crew up until 4:00 am on Saturday morning and they had to get up again at 6:30. A differential failure late that day meant more work for the service crew.

By Sunday it was a case of ensuring they got the end of the punishing event – the last stage of the event on Monday was 39 miles – but such is the nature a long event that Richard and Harry still managed to win their class. A great achievement.

Club members and father and son duo Alan and Ash Young entered their Ford Escort Mk 2. They, too, had an engine failure in pre-event testing and the car was only completed the day before the start. This was their first attempt at such a long event and understandably found the long days and nights tiring. At one point they sild into a ditch but with the help of enthusiastic spectators were pushed back onto the forest track.

The next issue was a puncture that they dealt with on the stage to avoid damaging the car. Sunday was another long day during which they damaged their steering and as a result their service crew didn’t get to bed until 3:00 am. The length of the event meant that they got more and more comfortable with such slippery conditions allowing them to go significantly faster than at the start of the event. They were also particularly encouraged to see spectating MDMC members cheering them on throughout the event.

Alan and Ash were eventually classified as twelfth in class but just to finish was a major achievement considering almost a third of the field retired from this gruelling event.

Club member James Gratton-Smith from Chesterfield navigated for Richard Jordan in his Ford Escort Mk2. This was their first time out since the car had been rebuilt after a big accident on the Woodpecker rally but they were still amongst the fastest cars on the event.

They were running on the edge of the top ten before having to change a puncture in the dark. Later they lost more time getting stuck in a ditch but were pushed out by spectators. They then set a series of top six times before getting caught in another ditch on the last 39-mile stage. The delay meant they were classified as 35th overall and fifth in class.

Club member Tracy Wood from Ilkeston navigated for Keith Turner in his Ford Escort Mk 2. This was her first Roger Albert Clark rally and her second time navigating for Keith.

They started steadily but picked up a puncture on each of the first two days. On the last stage of the third day they got stuck in a ditch and were eventually pulled out. Sunday, the fourth day passed without any problems but they were then gutted to have a front wheel snap off on the first stage of Monday, the last day so they had to retire.

The event attracted enormous crowds. At the opening ceremony in Carmarthen it was near impossible to get into a pub and drinks had to be passed ‘down the line’ to those outside.

During the event spectator car parks were often closed long before the first cars arrived at some stages. The event seemed as popular as when Colin McRae and Richard Burns were at the height of their powers and one of the very few professional drivers said the crowds were bigger than on World Rally Championship events.

Whilst the Ford Escort is still the most popular car for competitors others were also a major draw. Undoubtedly the most anticipated car was the Lancia Stratos driven by Chestefield’s Seb Perez but also competing were several less common rally cars such as Porsche 911s, Triumph TR7 V8s, Hillman Avengers, Talbot Sunbeams, Opel Kadetts, a Datsun 240Z and even a Volvo P544 first produced in the 1950s.