Mini Rally Challenge

Kevin & Tarna Ablitt — Greystoke Stages

SS1
Having competed at Greystoke last year, we were looking forward to reasonably smooth gravel, especially after the rough regraded sections at the recent Plains Rally. We’d been told some regrading had taken place here too, but didn’t expect it to be a major issue. It only took the first square right to prove otherwise — already cut up with deep ruts, though at least the line was obvious. Further in, the jump just after the post was interesting, with potential to take it faster next time. As the stage wore on, ruts and corrugations combined for a genuinely uncomfortable drive, though the last mile or so was more like the Greystoke we remembered — a joy.

SS2
Same stage, and we bettered our SS1 time by 15 seconds despite slowing significantly for a stranded car at the hairpin after the jump — a jump we’d attacked with relish, survived, and got fully airborne over. Later in the stage something suddenly fell into my lap; the car was still running fine, so no cause for concern — turned out to be the centre of the steering wheel, not anything vital. In the final mile, the roughness caught up with us and broke a gearbox mount, audible as a loud “clunk” on every gear change on our in-car audio.

Back in service, Ady and Danny of CS Motorsport worked miracles with ratchet straps and pieces of wood to get us out for SS3.

SS3
The plan was to take it steady — smooth gear changes, gentle acceleration — and it worked for a while, until the steering turned heavy and unpredictable through tight corners. We finished the stage inside the maximum but decided to retire rather than risk further damage. Even the drive back to the trailer was sketchy at times.

Thanks to all the hardy marshals for putting up with the rain and the bugs in the forest — great job.

Looking forward to some smooth tarmac at Pendragon next month.

Greystoke Stages
24 - David Burden / Pete Williams
Mini Cooper S R53

Hopes were high for a strong showing at the fabulous Greystoke Stages. David had driven well in earlier rounds to lead the gravel standings, and was keen to extend that advantage in Cumbria.

Reunited with ex-J1000 co-driver Pete Williams, the duo headed into SS1 as first MRC car on the road. David had the bit between his teeth from the off, the agile Mini dancing across the loose, slippery surface. With half a mile to go they’d caught their minute man - then disaster. The car lost all power without warning and coasted to a halt. While David investigated under the bonnet, Pete headed off down the stage to warn following cars.

Recovered to service on the end of a tow rope, the Spark Developments team worked their magic - fixing damaged wiring and checking the fuel pump, fuses and relays - and the car fired back into life.

Out for SS2 as last car on the road, conditions were worse than expected, but they pressed on, caught the minute man in no time, and reached the finish under their own power despite a minor delay in passing.

A longer service gave the car a once-over before SS3, a reconfigured layout still using much of the earlier loop. The car began spluttering intermittently on the road section, and David pressed on as the issue worsened from halfway through, repeatedly trying to restart it. It finally gave out right on the flying finish approach - another tow back to service, and a damage dec prepared. The Spark team fixed them up again, resetting a few faults, and they set off once more.

Into SS4, the car cut out again as David prepped for the start. Nothing for it but to laugh it off and attack anyway. Running from the back of the field, they caught the 2-minute man first in a bad spot - he moved quickly, but a little time was lost. The Mini took some punishment but held up well, and a drag race to the line in the final half mile saw them stop the clock as fastest Mini - what might have been.

SS5 was called off as the last stage of the day due to worsening conditions - an unsurprising but fair call from a CoC who’d been dealt a bad hand and handled it superbly. Sat on the start line, a marshal advised the stage was stopped due to a blockage; after a ten-minute hold, a notional time was awarded instead - a fitting end to a hard day, if nothing else sparing the car another six miles of abuse.

David drove brilliantly all day and handled the conditions superbly. A final result of 32nd overall and 5th in R53 doesn’t reflect his pace, but that’s rallying sometimes.

Fittingly, his efforts were recognised by the Championship with the Andrew Watson Memorial Award, in honour of a fantastic guy who supported the Challenge from the beginning.

Thanks to the organisers, marshals and officials for a cracking event in tough circumstances, to DJB Rallying, the Spark Developments heroes, Henri on the win, and all the Mini crews for a great weekend.

As Paul Stringer put it after the first recovery: “It’s a MINI adventure.”

Tim Kirvan-Rodgers / Mason Woodford — Greystoke Stages

Heading into Greystoke, we were looking forward to the event — only the car’s second outing, after a Stage 2 retirement at Plains due to component failures.

For Mason, this was his second gravel rally and his first time using an OS map extensively on a stage rally. He’d used OS maps on 12-car rallies before, but this was a different challenge altogether, and one he was keen to take on.

Tom Hutchinson joined the service crew, helping with both servicing and notes over the weekend. Tom brings a wealth of co-driving experience across all levels of the sport and is well respected in the rallying community — his support was invaluable.

Stage 1’s aim was simple: settle back into the car, build confidence, get a feel for the conditions. Before the start, the windscreen wouldn’t stop steaming up, leaving us with very limited visibility. During the stage, Tim reported a significant lack of power, while the engine temperature began climbing again.

On Stage 2, we landed heavily off a crest — the impact bent an engine mounting bracket, split the exhaust and damaged the manifold flexi section. We suspect the alternator packed in too, costing us the power steering and forcing us to nurse the car through the final three-quarters of the stage back to service. With too many issues to continue, we made the call to retire.

Not the result we’d hoped for, but a great weekend and another valuable learning experience for the team. Disappointing not to get more competitive miles in, but we’ll regroup, repair the car, and come back stronger for Trackrod.

Hats off to the Hills Ford Stages team for this initiative well beyond organising the rally.

LOCAL BUSINESSES INVITED TO BE PART OF THE HILLS FORD STAGES RALLY FESTIVAL

We're inviting local businesses, independent traders, charities, community groups and motorsport suppliers to become part of something new this September.

Alongside the opening day of the Hills Ford Stages Rally at Weston Park, we're creating a brand-new Rally Festival – combining spectacular rally action with trade stands, local businesses, family attractions, our PATHWAYS education zone and DriveWise road safety initiative.

This isn't about creating another expensive trade event.

It's about building something that showcases the very best of Shropshire, supports local businesses and gives visitors a fantastic day out.

As a not-for-profit event, every trade stand contribution this year will go towards a special thank-you prize draw for the volunteer marshals and officials whose dedication makes the rally possible.

If you're a local retailer, craft business, vehicle specialist, motorsport supplier, charity or community organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

Please note: There is an exclusive supplier of food for the event, so we may not be able to help in this area.

Read more and find out how to get involved:

https://hillsfordstages.co.uk/2026/07/16/weston-park-rally-festival/

www.hillsfordstages.co.uk

Trade Stand Enquiries:
[email protected]

Greystoke Stages report, car 48 Steve Burles/ Rob Thompson

This was only our second ever gravel stage rally, so our intention was to continue to build speed and become more competitive throughout the day, but most importantly keep the car in one piece.

We took stage 1 fairly steadily, but were slowed by a stopped car and we were too hot into the final corner, sliding wide and having to restart the engine.

We were 23 seconds quicker on the second stage, despite being slowed again by two stopped cars, continuing to gain confidence and getting faster every time. At the stage finish we were told that a marshal back in the stage had our spare wheel. We initially looked at each other in confusion. The spare wheel, together with a bag containing jack, wrench, etc, had been tightly ratcheted down in the back. Due to the roughness of the stage, they had somehow broken free and then forced their way out of the closed rear window! They were both later returned to us in the service area.

Unfortunately, that was the end of our day. The flexi on the exhaust manifold had broken. On further inspection, the left rear damper was also close to parting company with the car at the bottom mount. Generally the underside of the car had taken quite a beating.

We are really enjoying the Championship, really well organised, with friendly competitors.

Greystoke Stages -John Barker / Andrew Side

The plan was simple: take it easy. It was John's first event since the Mini Challenge RAC back in November, and after months on the sidelines he was chomping at the bit — entries had been hard to come by too, with most events heavily oversubscribed, so just reaching the start line felt like a win.

Joining him was 2026 Scottish Single Venue Champion co-driver Andrew Side, locked in a fierce fight for this year's Mini Rally Challenge Championship. Sitting second overall, Andrew is battling teammate Tarna Ablitt and the CS Motorsport crew for the title. The objective: bring the car home in one piece, score points, and ideally finish ahead of the Ablitt’s. Starting 53rd on the road against their 50th, we knew we had our work cut out to catch them.

SS1
Lined up between an R53 Mini and a Mk2 Es**rt, we'd agreed beforehand to let the Es**rt through at the first safe opportunity if it caught us — no point putting John under pressure so early into his comeback. Three miles in, on a fast sweeping right into a loose, slippery climb, the Es**rt appeared in the mirrors. We pulled over to let it past, sportingly — and promptly found a ditch hidden in the long grass that none of us saw coming. Well and truly beached.

Andrew was already eyeing up the passage board as a makeshift recovery tool before a marshal turned up. Being near the back of the field meant help wasn't far away, and ten minutes later we were pulled free, if with a stage maximum to our name. Adding insult to injury: the Es**rt we'd so kindly let through had retired by the end of the stage.

SS2
After that opener, and with conditions clearly rough, we switched to survival mode — stay out of trouble, get to the finish. Back in service, fellow competitor Ben Hearsey came over needing help after destroying several wheels the stage before. We loaned him a set to keep him going.

SS3
More of the same — surfing gravel, bouncing ruts, more sump-guard skidding than we'd have liked, but we kept moving. Ben came back needing another wheel; we had one more spare, so helped him out again. Rallying's competitive, but it's a community too.

SS4
Word came through that the Ablitt’s — Andrew's CS Motorsport teammates and championship rivals — had retired. From there the mission was simple: get the car home and bank the points.

SS5
With the final stage already cancelled for horrendous conditions, SS5 was the last test of the day — until that too was cancelled with a minute to go, the route blocked. Our day ended there.

Despite the drama, the recovery, and the brutal conditions, we came away 6th overall in the R50s — a fantastic finish for John on his first event back in eight months, and valuable points keeping Andrew's championship hopes alive and his Gravel Cup challenge on track.

Sometimes rallying isn't about outright speed — it's about surviving what the stages throw at you, helping fellow competitors along the way, and still coming home smiling. This was one of those days.

The Mini Rally Challenge is excited to be invited to take part in The Hills Ford Stages on 19/20 September 2026.
Based in Shrewsbury this brand new event offers 70 miles of asphalt stages at Weston Park and on closed public roads.
Regulations are out now and entries open at 7pm on Monday 13th July.

https://hillsfordstages.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Low-Res-Hills-Ford-Stages-Supplementary-Regulations-V2.pdf

Alex Stopps / Alan Edwards — Car 47 "Don't Cut" Mini
After class podiums at Anglesey and Plains, I was looking forward to Greystoke and reuniting with Alan. A rally closer to home meant driving the car to scrutineering and a comfy night at home before Sunday — that's where the comfort ended.
Prep: Full batten-down-the-hatches mode. Ride height to maximum, extra zip ties, extra tape round the relays, extra bolt checks. It was going to be a rough one.
SS1: Steady away, comfortable in the quickly forming ruts. A long stage — longer than anything at Plains — gave us time to settle in. We caught the car ahead but couldn't pass before the flying finish. The number of stricken cars told us what the rest of the day had in store.
SS2: More stricken cars, ruts deepening. We pushed harder on the straighter, smoother sections, letting the car slither through the mud — what a thrill. Caught the car ahead again, driving blind through the spray off its back, and managed to pass about a mile from the finish. Credit to them for seeing us at all. 3rd in stage in the R50s.
Quick service: scrub the wheels clean where rim and caliper were getting close, and risk a bit more ride height — sacrificing any balance or handling in the process.
SS3: With retirements mounting, we realised driving round slowly might get us a podium, or better — so that's what we did. I wouldn't have minded being caught, it would've meant the tactic was working. A mile in, the rear right damper bolt let go and the corner collapsed. We beached it at a marshal post rather than risk the brake line and caliper. Rally over — no spare strut, and the 12.9 bolt was seized in the trailing arm, wouldn't drill out. Marshals to the rescue: a bacon butty, a chop saw, and a length of silver birch propping up the corner got us driven out after SS4. Broken trailing arm, broken shock, both rear control arms gone — all from one bolt. Watching cars come through SS4 sounded like excavator buckets in a quarry — metal sumps on stone.
Highlight of the day: watching every other crew's hacks and bodges to keep going despite the carnage. Outstanding work given the conditions and the clock.
Thanks to MRC, Ty my mechanic, Alan for navving, and Rachel for the smiles. Hopefully the car's fixed before Pendragon!