Words and Photography by James Downie for Rally Media UK.
Round two of the BTRDA Rally Championship was the SG Petch Kielder Forest Rally. The start, finish and service were in Hexham, and 2 loops of 3 stages in the central section of the forest made up the competitive element this year. The weather was forecast to be mixed all day with regular showers likely to make the stages slippery.
Reigning Gold Star Champion Matthew Hirst with Jack Bowen alongside led away the relatively small field of 76 crews in the Skoda Fabia. Elliott Payne had taken maximum points on the previous round in North Wales thanks to the improved performance of the 2026 Fiesta and a spin from Hirst, and he and co-driver Patrick Walsh were seeded at 2. Third in the Gold Star Championship, Alex Vassallo and Chris Lees started number 3 in another Fiesta with Icelandic siblings Daniel Sigurdarson and Asta Sigurdardottir at 4 in a Fabia. Flying Kiwi Boyd Kershaw was favourite to take another Silver Star win, whilst the inimitable Dave Brick and the howling turquoise Nova would be tough to beat in the Bronze Star.
Continue reading the article at rallymedia.uk.