Sam Kelter Motorsport

2025 roundup and my favourite selection of images. 12 events, 1 class win, 1 second in class, only 2 DNF, official duties & thousands of miles covered around the UK with 9 different drivers and teams.
It’s been quite the year and despite it supposedly being the quieter year I set out for, it turned out to be the biggest year yet.
Massive thanks to everyone who makes this possible. It’s not just the events, it’s the people around you that make them possible, a brilliant craic and why you choose to ‘go rallying’,
Sophie for supporting me in this crazy passion / obsession and everyone involved looking after the cars on events, including getting us out the s**t on a few occasions!
Riponian Rally: Neil Commons - Fiesta R2
Moonbeam Rally: Dave Green - Es**rt MK2
AGBO stages: Dave Hopwood - Es**rt MK2
SMC stages: Storm Stacey - Fiesta R2
Border Counties Rally: Spike / Dad - Es**rt MK2
Nicky Grist Stages: Spike / Dad - Es**rt MK2
Catterick Targa Rally: Jeff Sharp - Peugeot 205 GTi
Woodpecker Rally: Simon Millington - Es**rt MK2
Oaks Trophy Rally: Ed Wain - swift sport (time car)
Mull Rally: Dan Simcock - Lancer Evo 6
Cambrian Rally: Simon Millington - Es**rt MK2 Cadwell stages: Storm Stacey- Fiesta R2

NHMC Cadwell Stages done in style. A day of full sends sat alongside in his newly acquired Fiesta R2, running as car 52.
That was some serious commitment throwing the car about setting stage times inside the top 15 - incredible.
To be going that hard and sideways in a screaming fwd car never feeling out of control, was an absolutely awesome sensation - a privilege & a pleasure to be sat in the car.
Despite a small throttle body issue in the first 2 stages, with the car needing a switch off & on mid-stage, we went on to take the class lead, maintain and build on it to the end. Quick turnaround to diagnose & sort the issue from / and we were back on it.
Great to have had 2 team WB Motorsport cars collecting class awards at the end of a great fun rally with Mark & taking class 1. Top job team!
Thanks to organisers, officials, radio & Marshalls as well as / broadcasting the event.

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2025 completed starting at car 87 for the second year running with Simon Millington!
Eventful and long day had in the car. With the first stage (elsi) cancelled due to an incident very early on, stage 2 (clocaenog) having a delay & our initial start not being until after 10am, we didn’t end up giving any big revs till nearly half 1 in the afternoon!
Lots of attrition ahead of us, challenging conditions and road conditions but we got out heads down to do our best to make it through the day and try for a decent finish while we were at it.
In the end, we finished 41st overall from 70 finishers in the interclub section of the rally.
Big thanks to the gang in service - Pete, Dave & dad / spike making sure we were set for a second loop in the woods.
Miserable day for marshals stood out & plenty of work needed from the recovery crews - massive thanks to you guys!

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📸 - JH media
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Another adventure complete for 2025. One hell of a mission just to get there with ferry cancellations, storm damage and power outages and then a rally with everything getting thrown at us.
Car misfiring problem on boost, puncture on stage 3 we had to stop & change and a small off in same stage gave us a max time and remaining in the event with only 6 minutes to OTL.
We set about climbing from 94th after Friday night and seeing where we would end up with just finishing the event. In the end, we got back up to 60th and made the finish of the rally.
Dan drove well to manage the car and we still set some half respectable times even with only half throttle to avoid full misfiring for most of the rally.
Full marks to the organisers for a backup route after a series of rock falls resulting in several classic stages being scrubbed with 8 weeks to go but retaining over 95% of the mileage. I did enjoy longer service times too! All the Marshalls, radio & officials on the island ensured putting on a great event and it ran faultless to once again be THE BEST RALLY IN THE WORLD.

📸 Lindsay Photo Sport /
📹 Spike / Dad
📸 MC Photography

Woodpecker Rally with Simon Millington for his first event since the Cambrian back in October 24.
It was a challenging event all round with the conditions and catching cars which having nowhere to go - thankfully always near the end of stages.
Simon drove a great rally, neat and tidy, and on the faster sections pushed on more after building up confidence.
Great to see plenty of spectators & camera flashes even in the autumnal weather.
Thanks to organisers for a brilliantly ran event and to all the marshals, officials and recovery crews who were kept busy all day.
Special thanks to Dave & Dad (Spike) making the journey with us and in service this weekend & to Sophie making the drive out on the morning supporting us in stages & service.

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📹 - Sophie
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📹 - Rallying Sights & Sounds

Yesterday’s stages was a scorcher! Second attempt for us, (3rd attempt - 2 NG stages & a Quinton for dad) and sadly not to be for us. Going well enough and building confidence in the 3 stages we did competitively before service with stage 4 non competitive for us. More of a charge in the afternoon loop but overheating towards the end of the second Route 60 stage saw us having to retire the car not much further after the finish. We had battled to keep the temperature low enough all day up to that point but we couldn’t do any more and the coolant decided it wanted out!!

Thanks to everyone who to support and help us with special spanner handlers Dave & Simon on what felt like the hottest day ever known!

Yet again a brilliant event, excellent stages, super friendly atmosphere and a great weekend away doing what we love.
All the Marshalls out i definitely felt for you! You did an absolutely sterling job in the blinding sun and blistering heat, we are all so so thankful that you were happy to do just that to ensure the event was to run and also making sure we all kept hydrated during the event!

First go at the Border Counties Rally didn’t disappoint!! Fantastic stages, beautiful locations, a dust infested and very hot car, but a brilliant day sat with my old man. Steady start lacking some confidence after 7 months and slippy marble-like surface but improving throughout the day hugely. We finished yet another event this time 50th O/A with the goal of getting some points on the BTRDA class E table for both of us.
Massive thanks to the organisers, marshals and officials on an extremely enjoyable rally and weekend, couldn’t do more for us on the day even providing us some water at regroups!
Cheers to the gang in service keeping us running and fed during 2 visits to service - Dave, Simon, Jacob, Jacquie

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📸 ChasingTheCars.com
📸 .kelter
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SMC stages at the weekend was always going to be interesting. 4th visit to rally there and with a new driver in for his first rally! Some head scratching was done around the service area as we were lying 19th O/A and 1st in class by over 30 seconds at the end of stage 3.
After stopping in stage 4, the gang in service got us going again with time to spare where we climbed back up from 10th in class, to 4th going into stage 7 with a slim gap to 3rd.
In the end it wasn’t a battle after finishing the last stage 2 laps early just to ensure we finished the event.
What a drive it was though, the little R2 didn’t know what it was in for!
Huge thanks to Storm for the opportunity to jump in with him for the day to navigate.
Massive thanks to & keeping us, and 5 other cars, running on the event.
As always we couldn’t do it without Marshalls. Thank you!
To the organisers at thank you for putting in the time to run a great event and final circuit championship round.

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Last weekend saw me compete on my second AGBO stages ran by sat along side Dave Hopwood and what a day it was. A clear sunny day saw a great day for everyone - couldn’t have been better!
We started the day with a 5th quickest time in SS1 and remained in the top 10 all day long overall. And posting 8 top 10 times on the day.
We came away with 9th O/A and 2nd in class C 🥈 after a day long battle with 1 second separating us and 1st in class / 8th overall at the finish.
Awesome days sport, the car behaved perfectly and was pedalled by Dave extremely well and committed.
Thanks to all officials and organisers for putting on a brilliant rally, and thanks to the orange army out in force.
Also big thanks to Al and spike servicing for us as well as Soph, Jacquie, Trudi & Thomas keeping us refreshed and fed.
Final thanks to Dave for giving me the seat for the day and my best overall stage rally result yet!

📸 Reuben jones
📹 Soph
📸 Reuben Jones
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First event of the year done and dusted on the Riponian rally. A new event for me but in the seemingly familiar Yorkshire forests. Back in with Neil Commons again for this one in the WB Mechanical services Ltd / Ben Bloor prepared hire fiesta R2 with the aim to get Neil his first riponian finish after a few attempts with no avail.
Tricky day due to the slippy nature of the stages mixed with added mud and changeable grip topped off with no intercom for the first stage - Gale Rigg. We had a bit more confidence in the afternoon and with the car so we pushed on a little where we were hesitant in the morning. Slightly misjudging the fuel we had used due to delays meant we ran out and had to push the last 1/3 mile to the final time control and event finish.

Thanks to Ripon motorsport club, putting on a thoroughly enjoyable and ultra smooth running event. Massive thanks to the Marshalls stood out ensuring the even ran smoothly and the communication to crews stage end and arrival was a huge help!
Huge thanks to Neil for the offer to sit in the codrivers seat again, and to Ben and the team at WB motorsport for preparing a mega reliable and awesome car! 🏁

📸 Andrew Scott Photo
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📸 sybille commons
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Another weekend, another rally!
Last weekend saw me be drafted in fairly last minute to sit in a fiesta on the Malton Forest rally with driver Neil Commons. Not just any old fiesta, but a proper R2 1600 fiesta. What an experience it was! A rally I did last year, but to be asked to sit in a modern car like that was a an experience I couldn’t say no to!
A challenge in sitting on the wrong side of the car 😉 and a new note system for me with delivering the 6 fastest system, but playing rally games for 20 years definitely didn’t do any harm!
Neil drove well to the conditions being of the first few cars on the road, listening all day and trusting me where we could push on was everything I could’ve asked having only met him 18 hours prior to the rally!
Getting a finish under our belt, have a good laugh and enjoy the long straights was the aim of the day and in the end finishing 66th overall as per seeding number and 5th in our class.
Thanks to WB mechanical services and Ben for the call and for preparing and running a mega car!
Massive thanks to the organisers from malton motor club for putting on another truly brilliantly ran rally. Huge thanks to all Marshalls, officials and safety teams out on the route!!!

📸 rallyscene photography
📹 dale proud
📸 Cleveland mountain rescue

The mud has now well and truly dried after the Cambrian Rally on Saturday! What a mega day we had in the forests of north wales. Running right at the back of the field at car 87 meant it would be a difficult day on the Welsh stages on both the car and on us physically. Lovely and fast in many places carrying big speed which you don’t get often in forest rallying.
Somehow we had managed to escape a double puncture, finding we broke a wheel which held the bead of the tyre just about to stop it deflating and a big slash on the inside of another!
Over the moon to come away with max BTRDA class points as well as taking a 2nd in class award on the rally was the cherry on the cake after a thoroughly enjoyable day in the car.
Huge thanks to the organisers, officials and Marshalls for their work, especially CLOs who I had contacted with concern we wouldn’t make scrutineering in time but they managed to squeeze us in as the last car to be done!!
Brilliant drive all day from Simon and thank you for trusting me on the notes all day again.
Many thanks to Pete and dad in service, Soph for all support and Winnie (rally dog).

📸 chasing the cars
📹 Soph
📸 mikeyrowlands
📸 Griffiths Colin
📸 Gez Wyn