Entry for HERO Challenge Three bursting with champions and title aspirants
*Top two in drivers title race absent leaving eight - way fight!
*Navigator’s championship battle also wide open
*HERO Challenge finale to visit South Wales for the first time
A full entry list bursting with champions and title protagonists vying for HERO Challenge Championship titles, will be the most open since the Championship began as the event heads to South Wales for the first time.
With six tests and five regularities to tackle from the event base at Chepstow Race Course, no less than eight drivers will have a realistic crack at the driver’s title due to the absence of the top two in the HERO Challenge Drivers Championship race, Nick Bloxham and Stephen Owens.
The popular one-day format of HERO Challenges, plus the removal of the Master Class has meant a genuinely open championship and big entries in 2025, and subsequently big battles! Both the driver’s and navigator’s titles are prestigious awards in the world of road and regularity rallying, producing full entry lists, including top navigators and drivers.
Mike Cochrane leads the Navigator’s Championship with 29 points, but second place man and current Bob Rutherford Scholarship winner, Miles Fieldhouse (16) who is enjoying a brilliant first season on the maps, is not eligible for HC points as he is competing in the Interclub rally. He relinquishes the chance of a shot at the title in his first season as although the Interclub event runs alongside HERO Challenge Three, including its own Friday prologue, it does not count for the HERO Challenge Championship.
Therefore, the navigator’s title chase will be a fascinating and open affair with Golden Roamer winner Harry Baines on 23 points then former double HERO Challenge Navigator’s Champion Alistair Leckie, who knows how to win these tight contests, on 19 points. Mark Bramhall deserves his hard earned 18 points as does Claire Day on 16 points after her recent podium fights in the rapid Mini Cooper S with husband Christopher driving.
The driver’s contest is even closer with Dave Maryon, James Holt, Dick Baines and Mark Lilllington all on 18 points with Christopher Day just two points behind them on 16 points. Angus McQueen has a score of 15 having enjoyed that great HERO Challenge Two win, the first for the Ford Cortina with Mike Cochrane navigating. They will start as favourites, but when you analyse the pairings, you will see most of the crews are in one title race or the other.
Dick and Harry Baines are back in their Cooper S, James Holt has Alistair Leckie with him again, Christopher Day has wife Claire alongside, whilst Dave Maryon could be propelled to an epic first title win as he has the experienced and winning Tony Brooks navigating. If you are looking for outsiders ghosting down the rails, you will see the rapid 1973 Toyota Corolla of Darell Staniforth with one of the best in the business calling the shots from the navigator’s seat, Henry Carr. Darell is on 16 points and cannot be discounted.
In addition, the HERO Challenges count for points in the HERO-ERA Cup and Golden Roamer overall titles at the end of the season, so there is extra weight in points for leaders Dick and Harry Baines who are aiming to do the double and win back-to-back awards.
Deputy Clerk of the Course, James Phillips commented on the tight fight and the route over which the battle will take place: “It’s an absolute pleasure to be bringing HC3 to South Wales for the first time, particularly as HERO-ERA have such a strong history with the area from PAAI and of course the classic LEJOG (entries still available 😉) – We have produced a really compact event but it’s by no means going to be an easy day for the crews, 6 regularities and 5 tests, all of differing character, narrow bits, wide bits, hilly bits (its Wales after all) and flat bits! Whoever wins will defiantly have worked hard for it and earned it.
“In addition, of course, we are delighted to be running an Interclub event which is the penultimate round of the HRCR Championship, this has attracted a cracking entry as well with some great names and an equally competitive top 10.
“With 120 cars across the two days, its going to be a busy weekend for all the HERO-ERA team, preparations are well underway and the only thing left to chance will be the Welsh weather in October – it could be anything!”
The entry list is bursting with the great names and great cars, many of whom could inadvertently become Championship spoilers as they will be very competitive. Champion Paul Crosby is driving the Porsche 924S of another former champion, Pete Johnson who will navigate. Roger Bricknell who was both a former HERO-ERA Cup and Golden Roamer title winner, will navigate Thomas Bricknell on their welcome return to HERO-ERA rallying. Their VW Golf GTi is a competitive proposition.
The winningest driver ever on LEJOG, with seven gold medals, is Andy Lane and he will be navigating Tom Bennett in a Mini Cooper S, but it is also great to welcome back regular and popular competitors Susan Dixon and Darren Everitt in their wonderful Triumph 2.5.
Paul Hernaman and Ray ‘Crow’ Crowther could pick a fight at the front and be another points remover for the title chasers in their Porsche 924S after their great podium on the recent Scottish Malts. Then Peter and Louise Myles could equally do the same in their Porsche 911 after their successful outing on the same rally in Scotland.
The lure of the HERO Challenges reaches Europe too as Felix Van Haniel (GB) and Caspar Gernhardt from Germany will be competing in a rather different Jaguar, a 1967 3.8 litre S Type! The Swiss crew of Marianne and Philipp Leibundgut will return for more challenge action in the HERO-ERA Arrive & Drive BMW 1602 with which they are familiar. For more different rally cars in action on Saturday 4th October, there is the 1600cc VW Beetle of Alan Selwood and Mike Jones.
Scrutineering will be at Chepstow Race Course on Friday 3rd October with the HERO Challenge Three making for a nail-biting finale on Saturday. There is the promise of technical Welsh roads and fast-flowing tests in what is bound to be a gripping contest, but only when the chequered flag waves and the results have been computed back at Chepstow, will we know the identity of the winning driver and navigator for 2025. They will indeed be fitting title winners after three very competitive rallies.
Until then, the gloves are off!