A brilliant weekend of class racing before a sell out crowd on the Saturday because of the excellent firework display, but, it introduces the next generation of potential Rallycrossers 😉
Before we proceed: just the usual reminder:
Remember that I pretty much do this out of passion, and for free,…unless of course anyone wishes to purchase prints which can be arranged by emailing me here: Richard@NTphotoworks.com
Plus, a quick reminder about copyright: click on the picture to the left for a bit of info about how this works for now…these are the rules!
Once again, I’m not going to faff about here and pretty much dump the lot in here, although I have segmented a few off to make it easier to get through as there are a good couple of hundred pictures for you here, I’ve added the entry list in the final gallery should you need to add names to cars to faces.
It takes time and headspace to do this so bear with me please, I may well just add a few words but will heartily resist the natural urge to do a full on report like I used to have to do.
It’s not my job anymore, I do this for fun, off my own back…and I make it up as I go along!
So if you like what we do here then just remember us when you have that spare pass as it saves me so much time and humping gear, that access makes it easier to get around the circuit in a more timely manner and to do this.
Let’s start with a bit of Super Retro and a bunch of galleries covering each day…
The cat and mouse game continues…Charlie and Alan having provided the closest ever racing throughout the season, just like the old days, two rivals velcro’d together through heats and finals all year. We expected no less of them this weekend and that was indeed the case with the 2025 Super Retro crown in the balance until the very last.
Great respect to both for the entertainment they’ve wowed the whole of Rallycross with performance like this all year long.
Retro looks like ever increasing fun now…
No real surprise in the >1660cc Retro class with Dan Swayland, like Charlie French, also grabbing his second consecutive title via a series of good solid drives despite facing some serious competition from the rapid starting Ian Biagi who’s super quick Mini with a chassis dating to 1961 could be / should be the oldest racing Mini in the world!
Old and young together gapping the rest of the field nicely all weekend to complete what Retro Rallycross have been doing more and more and more…great racing, great entertainment from a culture of racers and support that Rallycross has never before seen the like of. Great drives also in this increasingly popular category from Joe Luke-Eastwood, his 1400cc Metro showing signs of healing following a roll in September and a fun drive from Simon Hart in the emotive, if you’re a Kent boy, Haynes liveried Mk1 Escort
Sticking with Retro Rallycross for a moment…
The Retro series provides such great racing and value for money, even for entry level so there’s been more entrants this year in the form of born again Rallycrosser Ian Halfhide (Peugeot 205) and 731/2, in this gallery giving himself a bit of a scaring! Pete Christmas wiht his very tidy Toyota Corolla, and on her first brave outing, Hannah Stewart putting getting to grips not just with the first time shock of racing with these guys, but with a freshly built and very pretty pinto powered Talbot Sunbeam.
There’s more to come; many couldn’t help but notice the absence of the unflappable John Cross, who is currently in process of replacing his adored Lancia Stratos with a new, not so secret “Project VMW” More still, expect to see a twin cam propelled Toyota Starlet, hopefully next time.
Supercars…Super Furious!
Supercars as always providing some amazing racing with entries this time from over the Channel including Tom Van Den Heuvel in a very quick Polo and the incredibly popular Frenchman Andrea Duborg who gave a superb display of quality driving in a gorgeously prepared Peugeot 308, winning Day Two Q3 by half a second from then reigning British Champ, Patrick O’Donovan over Derek Tohill in 3rd.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough he got to grips with Lydden so well…he took first place overall in the day’s final! Something of a spoiler in the cat and mouse chase between Patrick and Derek!
Patrick looking ominously fast as ever, great driving all weekend fastest and out qualifying his rival on all but one occasion with both he and Derek missing their heat making me old matre Julain Godfrey the main beneficiary making fastest time, thus keeping everyone guessing as to the eventual outcome!
As Night Falls…
More action from my Retro crew….
I’ve never quite got to grips with photographing the night races so…forgive me here
Derek Tohill though. Something of a torturous day with that damage early on, but managing to drive smart enough and beautifully enough to go fastest in Q2 and then to capitalise on the 20 point lead he had, securing his second British crown on Saturday with what must have been a relief of a win, taking that “just enough to do it” 2nd step on the podium.
Patrick, by the end of the second day not going home empty handed, a well earned and much deserved 2025 Teams’ Champions cup for him and Dad, Ollie and Team RX Racing.
So there endeth day one…so now let’s meet some Rallycross People
More Entertainment…
Before we move on to day two, here’s a round up of some of the other categories and on site spectacles and attractions provided by Swifts and Cross cars and their juniors with on track demos by the spectacular Autocross cars, they providing the most spectacular crash of the weekend for all, an accidental clip with another car sending Liam Doran airborne and into a seemingly unending series of cartwheels. Oops.
He was okay though, just some bruises to show just how tough race cars can be.
Day Two
Getting to the top of that darn hill is a killer, but worth every step to see so many passionate drives…Pat Doran getting larger in the mirrors of Charlie and Alan with every meet as their chase goes on and on…
Hannah Stewart finding her feet in the Talbot and taking on Martin West in an interesting race with more great close competiton between Vince Bristow (BMW), my old pal Andy Grant making headway with the ex-Lee Wood championship winning Escort and then, Nigel Davey and that beast of a Triumph making good, latterly with a podium.
Again, fantastically brutal action in the Supercars…so fast, so competitive!
..and so, over to Chessons Drift for the last photos of the day so take a look at this lot!
Sorry Pat, but it’s always going to be called that to us more mature folks of Rallycross!
Whilst using his name in vain, how about a proper sportsmanship mention to me old mate Pat Doran who, after taking out Stewart Emery (Volvo 242) who’d been putting in a series of solid good drives, had the integrity to not just apologise for getting carried away, but to ask the clerks to exclude him from results, handing a podium to Nigel Davey who’s finally got the mighty TR7 V8 up to a competitive state as well as having to overcome the new to him, experience of coping with the MRF tires.
Doffing my cap to Stewart Emery, as the nett loser in the outcome for this one sadly, having been driving so well all weekend.
So that’s all folks. Get in touch if you want prints, how to do that is outlined at the top end here and I’ll see you all next year!
