Summer Trial 2024 – a sell out!
*Chester based three-day rally overflows with 86 rally cars
*395-mile route encompasses the best rally roads in Cheshire, Flintshire and Shropshire
The entry for the 2024 Summer Trial has overflowed to the extent that the expression ‘oversubscribed’ was applied after 86 crews signed up for the ever-attractive green level rally!
The Summer Trial has a popular three day format which eases crews into the event at the start, with the regularity and navigational challenges increasing with each leg over the best rally roads Cheshire, Flintshire and Shropshire can offer. Crews also appreciate that they can scrutineer and then start the event on Friday afternoon, to finish by lunch on Sunday in time to enjoy the prize giving over a meal.
The annual summer motorsport sojourn changes backdrop each year, but not formats, which help it produce such an eclectic entry of both crews and cars. On the list there are competitors from as far as Australia, Malaysia and the USA with two teams from Switzerland to tackle the 10 tests and 14 regularities.
The citizens of Chester are in for a Classic Car treat at the start line at St Davids Park Hotel, Ewloe on Friday 19th July. They will see a bewildering variety of fabulous memory jerking machines, from an open top 1936 Riley Special to a 1968 Sunbeam Stiletto and a rarer Gilbern GT of John and Aileen Croft from the same year. The historic cars span an incredible 88 years, but inside each car the crews have a variety of experience and goals, some chasing glory, some just wanting to learn, but many aiming just to finish back in Chester on Sunday 21st July.
A ringing endorsement of the rally comes in the presence on the entry list of a selection of champions and winners in the ranks. Stephen Owens is car number one in his 1962 Porsche 356B, he is the 2022 HERO Cup Champion with a six-time Le Jog Gold medal winner Iain Tullie alongside him in the navigator’s seat. Roger Bricknell, navigating Andy Simpson in his 1980 Mini 1275 GT, is the only HERO-ERA competitor to win both the HERO Cup for drivers in 2011 and the annual championship for navigators, the winner receiving the Golden Roamer Trophy for navigators in 2019. Matt Outhwaite who is navigating for Rob Robinson in his Mazda MX5, was back to back HERO Challenge Championship navigator in 2021 – 2022.
Whatever they say, they will be aiming for glory, but whatever they do they will be hard pushed to beat the fame of Bron Burrell who competed in the 1970 World Cup Rally to Mexico in an Austin Maxi – the very same car she will compete in on Summer Trial with Suzanne Barker, in the rescued and resuscitated original ‘Puff the Magic Wagon.’
Dick and Harry Baines in their Mini Cooper S, won the 2022 London to Lisbon rally, the father and son team are a competitive force as are Ken and Sarah Binstead in their TR6, who were close runners up in the 2024 running of the L2L in their Austin Healey 3 Litre. Pushing for silver plates will be Pete Johnson who was a Golden Roamer navigator’s champion, and he is sitting with podium winning driver James Holt, both are competitive, they will be in a BMW 325i. Also BMW mounted are Richard and Sue Boughton in their 2002 Tii, and equally up for the contest.
Henry Carr is a front-line navigator who has competed in many different rally cars, this time he will be in a 1984 Citroen Visa SE driven by Kieth Davis. Citroen Visas competed in the British Rally Championship in the 80’s with works driver John Weatherly and navigator Rick Smith, so maybe they could be dark horses for podium success.
The Summer Trial will see the debut of a rare but thunderous beast from the stable of Malcolm Dunderdale – a 1981 V8 3.5 litre Triumph TR8. Amongst his Cosworth engined Mercedes or famous Renault 8 Gordini in works colours, this TR8 is another great car with which he and navigator Anita Wickens are bound to entertain in spectacular style on the ten tests during the rally.
There is a Hilman Imp from 1967 crewed by Ed Linton and John Youd, but then the rally will see its pretty sloping roof sister who is one year younger. the Sunbeam Stiletto of driver Peter Nedin and navigator Clare Nedin who recently enjoyed an Icelandic marriage. Her father Peter was part of the driving force behind Le Jog with John Brown from 1993, whether marshalling, planning or as Clerk of the Course, so experience should tell, but they will both tell you why they love this event!
The Summer Trial is an equally great platform for crews to exercise their historic vehicles. An absolute aesthetic treat is at car 67, the 1973 Renault Alpine A110 of Edward and Henry Vandyk, the blue French machine which evokes memories of Ove Andersson or Portugal winner Jean Todt on Monte Carlo rallies from that period, or indeed another 70s Monte Carlo winning car, the Lancia Fulvia. David and Sally Ward have left their piece of automotive exotica back in the garage, their Ferrari Dino 208 GT4, in favour of their 1972 HF 1600 Fulvia.
Lotus are represented by the Elan of Graham Walker and Matthew Montagu, with the enlarged Elan +2 of Colin Newbold at number 61 on the entry. The navigator, Tony Brooks has just returned from the first successful HERO-ERA Arctic Midnight Sun Rally where he finished 8th overall and won the class with his driver Rob Collinge in their Ford Mustang.
The reputation of the Summer Trial has percolated as far as Australia, Malaysia and the USA! Ernst and Sonja Luthi are making the trip over from Australia to compete in the HERO-ERA Arrive Drive MGA. Adam Davis from Malaysia will compete in an MGB with Graeme Presswell in the hot seat.
In another Arrive Drive car, the Mini Cooper S, are Paul McGeehan and Alan Greene from the United States, with a further two Swiss crews entered to add to the international flavour. Alexander and Max Geigy are in their 1959 Triumph TR3A whilst Damian and Florian Meier will compete in their 1982 Mercedes Benz 280 E.
The Summer Trial is set to be another classic event, this time in Wales and England as Clerk of the Course and Competition Director Guy Woodcock outlined;
“ It is a great event for newcomers. We start off with an easy Friday afternoon. giving them an example of each of the types of regularity they'll come across. It is kept very simple for all the new or less experienced competitors, just so they can put their toe in the water.
“We move on to the longer day two, taking ourselves into mid Wales over some great driving roads, hopefully the weather will be good so that people can see the major scenery. There will be a couple of great tests throughout the day where everybody can have fun, including on the Rikki Proffitt’s field which is always entertaining. The final afternoon and last morning of the event is where we ramp it up a little bit. The navigation is a little bit harder in terms of the instructions, so the navigators will need to be on their metal.
“We finish off with a with a lovely Jacob's Ladder test, which everybody seems to worry about, but they don’t need to. It’s actually very easy once you look at it and concentrate. Essentially the event gets harder as you go through the weekend, that's the whole idea of the Summer Trial.
“The Summer Trial attracts competitors from right across the board. From people who have won events such as the Baines in their Mini, to people who are knocking on the door, for example the Binsteads, who I think are amongst the favorites for this weekend.
There is always a dark horse on the Summer Trial, that's what we like about the event. It's there for people to get a great result. It's not too taxing on the car or on the navigators, but it is an event that everybody seems to love. We've got a full entry with 86 cars, plus those people on the reserve list which tells you just how popular this rally is.”