Historic rallying on a budget: meet the HRCR Clubmans competitors

Once they’ve had four or more finishes in the top 25 places of either HRCR events or other historic rallies, they enter the Expert level, while a further four finishes in the top 10 bumps them into the Masters category.

Everything from a Peugeot hatchback (middle) to Lancia coupés are eligible for the HRCR Clubmans Road Rallying Championship

Each event of 130-150 miles consists of regularity rallies on public roads, where teams of drivers and navigators must successfully plot their route and keep to an average speed, with breaks in the form of special tests.

Held at private venues, these tests free the drivers from the constraints of the Highway Code as they are asked to set as fast a time as possible on tight, technical courses.

Winners, whether overall, by category or by experience level, are those who do best across both disciplines.

Points are earned by individuals, so entrants can swap cars – and even teammates – during the season.

The 2025 series kicked off with the Tour of Cheshire on 1 March.

On 11 January, we visited the HRCR Open Day at the British Motor Museum to meet some of this year’s competitors.

Images: Jack Harrison/M&H Photography/Colin Green

Les Andrew: 1981 Peugeot 104 ZS

The Peugeot 104 ZS is a rare sight on UK roads, let alone in the HRCR Clubmans championship

“I’ve had the 104 for more than 20 years,” says Les of his rare French hatchback.

“I bought it to do trials, won the MSA Production Car Trials Championship in it, then parked it up in 2007.”

After nearly a decade out of motorsport, Les was tempted into historic rallying and initially followed the well-travelled route of an MGB, not even considering his little Peugeot at first: “I did well in the MG, but the more I did it, the more I thought my 104 would be faster and better.”

A full restoration of the Peugeot followed, the car’s bodywork having suffered particularly after more than a decade of standing.

This Peugeot 104 ZS was restored and rebuilt as a rally car

With just 21 other 104s currently on UK roads, spare parts are hard to come by, but Les is sorted for most pieces having spent years on the lookout, with extra engines and axles among various other items in his garage.

Once the ZS had been rebuilt as a rally car with Weber carbs, upgraded suspension, thicker anti-roll bars and ventilated disc brakes, Les began competing four years ago and has been unbeaten in his class since.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done with the car,” he enthuses.

The light and agile Peugeot 104 ZS came to rallying late, but it is proving well suited to the HRCR championship

Though powered by just a 1360cc engine, its 90bhp is close to the output of an MGB, yet its body is far lighter – giving a manoeuvrability that is particularly helpful on the HRCR Clubmans special tests.

“It has been nicknamed ‘The Dodgem’ by other drivers,” Les says, “and though it looks tight inside because of the large seats I have in there, it’s more spacious than a Mini, so you’re not clashing elbows with your navigator or anything.”

The car can be more of a handful on gravel thanks to its short wheelbase, though Les says he’s learnt how to handle the front-heavy hatchback.

David Morris: 1966 MGB GT

David Morris has had plenty of success with his MGB GT

Having navigated in the late 1970s, David returned to the sport with his wife, Jac, two years ago in his MGB GT.

More familiar with maps and plotting, David navigated for their debut year in 2023, during which the couple won the Don Barrow Trophy for the highest-placed Category 1 (pre-’68) car.

It’s this distinction that makes early MGB GTs far more desirable for competition in the HRCR Clubmans series, the Abingdon sports car being much more competitive in the older class.

This MGB GT rally car’s interior has improved lighting and a tripmeter, otherwise it’s mostly standard

For 2024 David took the wheel, winning that year’s Novice Trophy.

David bought the MG as a standard road car, and it remains largely stock except for a few rallying additions such as better interior lighting and a fast-road camshaft.

“The cam doesn’t make much of a difference and you really don’t need it,” he says.

“It is supposed to have 95bhp at the flywheel, but we recorded just 64bhp at the wheels on a rolling road, which is less than you’d expect, but plenty good enough for these events.”

A fast-road camshaft is among this MGB GT’s few upgrades

Like so many Clubmans competitors, the MG is proving to be a first stepping stone for David, who completed his final rally of 2024 in a Mk2 Ford Cortina.

He plans to keep both, using the BGT on easier-going Tarmac events, while the Ford will take on gravel and night-time rallies: “We always drive to and from the events, which does make you a little bit more cautious on the rally because it’s got to get you home again!”

Ian Crammond: 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SL

Ian Crammond and his Mercedes-Benz 280SL began competing in HRCR events more than two decades ago

Proof that nearly any kind of classic can be a successful historic rallying competitor, this 280SL Pagoda began its competition career in the hands of ex-works Mercedes-Benz driver Tony Fowkes in 1999, shortly before Ian bought the car.

He’s rallied the 280SL every year since, taking part in his first HRCR event in 2001.

Since then, he and the car have finished in the top five of the Clubmans Road Rallying Championship five times, winning in 2018 and 2024.

This Mercedes-Benz 280SL has a stripped-out cabin, although the Pagoda’s automatic gearbox remains

“It’s a classic example of a car that started completely standard and is being gently developed,” says Ian.

Still using its original four-speed automatic gearbox, straight-six engine and brakes, the car has since gained a limited-slip diff, hydraulic handbrake, underbody shielding, aftermarket steering wheel and period Mercedes 15in steel wheels to allow the fitment of mud/snow tyres.

Like many Clubmans competitors, Ian makes a point of driving his Mercedes 280SL to and from events rather than trailering it, where its comfort shines.

The Mercedes-Benz 280SL brings glamour to the HRCR Clubmans Road Rallying Championship’s night sections

“Most people comment that it is a huge car for rallying,” says Ian, “but it’s got the turning circle of a taxi, it is very strong and it has great ground clearance for a sports car – more than a Mini or a Porsche 911 for sure.”

Across his 25 years with the 280SL, Ian has shared the cockpit with many navigators including the late Nigel Raeburn, winner of the 1970 British Rally Championship, but since 2016 he has teamed up with Matthew Vokes, now 33, who started navigating at just 16 years old.

Richard Harrison: 1981 Volkswagen Golf GTI

The Volkswagen Golf GTI humbles MGBs on HRCR events, with Richard Harrison driving and friend Peter Boyce in the navigator’s seat

Richard started out road-rallying in an MGB GT 15 years ago, but when a fellow competitor was looking to sell a fully prepared Volkswagen Golf GTI, nostalgia pulled at his heart strings: Richard had owned – and twice lost to theft – a red Mk1 GTI of a similar spec in the 1980s.

While it had already completed a few rallies, Richard quickly decided that the Golf needed lifting – the opposite direction to that in which most Golf GTIs tend to be modified.

Custom-made Gaz suspension has raised the car by 3in from standard, which Richard says has transformed the VW.

Richard Harrison has had better luck with his second Volkswagen Golf GTI

“It’s much quicker than the MGB, twice as fast, although the brakes are rubbish,” he says. “It’s a great little car, though I’m going the other way!”

Once a regular at the top of the Expert level, Richard now sits comfortably in mid-table with the help of 90-year-old navigator Peter Boyce, who had previously taught Richard geography at grammar school: “We do a bit of everything, including stuff beyond the HRCR.

“We particularly like the longer events and recently did Rally of the Tests.”

Sandra & Paul Heaney: 1969 Lancia Fulvia Coupé

Once the Lancia Fulvia Coupé’s teething troubles had been resolved, it proved ideal – landing Sandra (left) and Paul Heaney the Novice title

Sandra and Paul began their rallying journey with relaxed classic car tours in their Triumph TR6, but after trying out three HRCR events, Sandra soon realised that the rallies were significantly more involved driving events than any tour.

If she was to carry on, she told husband Paul, the car needed to be fitted with a full rollcage.

That turned out to be difficult – if not impossible – in the Triumph, creating the not entirely onerous necessity to buy a Lancia Fulvia.

The Lancia Fulvia Coupé’s cabin has been kitted out with road-rallying equipment

Originally an Italian-market car, the 1.3-litre Coupé was fitted with a cage as the UK came out of the COVID-enforced lockdown in 2020, and the couple began doing HRCR championship rallies straight away.

Each event revealed a new weak point on the car in the early days, with the gearbox going first, then the engine, later the wheel bearings.

Like water finding the path of least resistance, the tough use of road rallying exposes any component on the verge of needing replacement – though there’s no fixing the Fulvia’s feeble heater.

‘Like water finding the path of least resistance, the tough use of road rallying soon exposes any weak component’

Success came quickly to the couple, however.

“We won the Novice championship in the first year we joined,” says Sandra, “now we’re bumbling along at the bottom or in the middle of the Expert level, and that suits us – the pressure is off.”

“That is one of the very positive sides of the sport,” adds Paul. “When we first took part and we were doing things wrong, there was no moaning or judgement – everyone is just very encouraging. People are only ever critical of themselves.”

Chris Lacey: 1967 MGB GT

This 1967 MGB GT was modified by Rally Preparation Services in Oxfordshire, UK

Chris is an old hand at road-rallying, but hadn’t contested any kind of event for more than 20 years when he bought his MGB GT to start competing again in 2023.

Looking to get himself back into the mix as quickly as possible, he did the sensible thing and bought a BGT already primed for the sport by Oxfordshire-based Rally Preparation Services.

Strong, reliable and supported by an endless parts supply, the MG is the default choice in the HRCR Clubmans series for good reason.

The MGB GT is a popular choice for historic rallying

“I’ve only failed to finish once, but rather dishearteningly at the time it was my first event – just three miles from the finish when the rear axle failed,” Chris says. “It turned out to be a weak axle fitted by the previous owner, not RPS!”

Since then he has done a further 14 events in two years, and has found himself bitten by the bug once again.

“It was pretty much a road race back in the 1970s, now you’ve got to keep an average speed and the navigation is much more of a challenge,” he says, “but that doesn’t make it dull or slow.

“If you have a lot of junctions to go through and you get held up, you’ve got to work hard to catch up to your average speed.”

Chris Lacey’s MGB GT failed to finish on its first event, but has proved reliable ever since, despite regular hard use

Looking to go faster in the special tests, Chris is now building a Vauxhall Nova GTE that should allow him to get closer to the Mini Coopers, which tend to dominate the tight courses held on private land.

“I don’t drive as quickly as I used to, though,” he says. “I just go to the events to enjoy them and to finish them, which is what I like about the approach of the HRCR.”

Sally & Nigel Woof: 1961 Volvo PV544

Sally and Nigel Woof bought this Volvo PV544 to compete in long-distance events

Despite having started rallying just four years ago, Sally and Nigel already own four historic rally cars: the Volvo PV544, an Alfa Romeo, a VW Golf GTI Mk2 and a 1913 Talbot.

While Nigel had rallied when he was younger, the sport was new to Sally.

“I never thought she’d be into it,” says Nigel… “And it’s become an obsession,” cuts in Sally. 

Fixing cars, rallying them and preparing for the next event has become the couple’s main preoccupation, with HRCR Clubmans regularities jostling for time among longer events from HERO-ERA and Rally the Globe.

The Woofs’ Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint makes a splash

Bought in 2022 as they sought a car that was better suited to long-distance events, the Woofs’ Volvo has a stroked B18 engine, while a hydraulic handbrake and limited-slip diff give extra agility on special tests.

The couple’s Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint is their fair-weather car, while the more modern Volkswagen fills in on wintry rallies.

“Getting started in historic road rallying just requires a vehicle of the appropriate age category, with a tripmeter fitted and probably a sump-guard,” says Nigel.

“But once you get hooked, you will probably strive to improve your car’s reliability and survivability. In rallying, to finish first, first you have to finish.”

“Getting started in historic road rallying just requires a vehicle of the appropriate age category, with a tripmeter fitted and probably a sump-guard”

Having spent their final HRCR Clubmans season at Novice level in 2024, the Woofs expect fewer awards in 2025 as they mix with a more experienced field.

“It’s about seat time as much as anything,” says Nigel.

“Sally is a natural, as I suspected she would be – she needs a better driver now!”

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