The 2026 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship will kick off in spectacular fashion with a bumper entry of registered contenders gearing up for the opening East Riding Stages Rally (21/22 February).
With championship registrations coming in thick and fast on a daily basis, at the time of writing almost 70 Protyre Asphalt crews are on the provisional unseeded entry list – which is a sensational start to the new season!
Reigning champions Sam Touzel/Max Freeman have entered the event in their Michelin-shod Smart Scaffolding/Trade Centre UK Fiesta Rally2, while three-time series runner up Neil Roskell returns with Jack Morton in his ND Civils/Witham Oils Fiesta Rally2.
Other Fiesta Rally2 crews aiming to get their BTRDA series off to a cracking start, and put themselves in contention for an end-of-season prize of a test in a Ford Puma Rally1 at the M-Sport Evaluation Centre test track, are Brad Cole/Jamie Vaughan, David Wright/Jane Nicol, Aled Wyn Morgans/Jack Bowen, Nathan Bolton/Phil Kenny, Darrell Taylor/Martin Brady and Mike English/Andy Robinson.
John Stone/Rhys Stoneman will be challenging for maximum points in their Legend Performance Volkswagen Polo R5 GTI, while Hugh Brunton/Drew Sturrock also appear in a Polo GTI. Mark Ewing/Sion Cunniff, Roger Duckworth/Alun Cook and Aileen and John Forrest have entered in Fiesta R5s.
Other leading 4WD cars aiming for a top overall position, but primarily Class B victory, include defending class champion Adrian Spencer (co-driven by Mark Hewitt in his RED Industries Adgespeed Subaru Impreza S11 WRC replica). Steven Harvey/Robert Bryn Jones and David and Adam Mclachlan are also in Imprezas.
Huw James/Lewis Sim return to defend their Class C and Escort Challenge titles in their A&D Tyres Escort Mk2. They’ll be up against the likes of Alyn Welsby/Daniel Parsons, Phil Turner/Frazer Moss, Gareth Bevan/Dafydd Evans, Russell Addyman/Kev Wilson, Mark Jasper/Don Whyatt, Tim Phelps/Peter Wilson, Kyle Adam/Steven Brown, Ben Hardy/Daniel Long and Lee Edwards/Sam Spencer who also target both titles, while class honours will be the aim for Max Murray/Matthew Owen (Citroen DS3 R3T), Gareth Price/Liam Evans (BMW Compact), Gareth Humphreys/Aaron Mallin (Mini Cooper S R53) and Andy Brinkley/Helena Mayall (BMW E38 M3).
Defending Class E champions Alyn Welsby/Daniel Parsons return in their road rally spec Cymru Camper Furniture/Davies & Davies Furnishers Escort Mk2 and will be battling for the title with the likes of Neil Jones/Alan Thomas (Escort Mk2) and Nathan Evans/Rhys Edwards (Renault Clio 3 RS).
The large assortment of cars continues with defending Class D champion James Lightfoot (co-driven by Chris Pattison in his Peugeot 208 Rally 4), Chris Richmond Hand/Shaun Richards (Toyota Starlet), Jeffrey Simm/Daniel Callaghan (Suzuki Swift Sport), Steven Lawrence/Karl Edwards (Honda Civic), Ben Lyon/Jack Corlett (Renault Clio), Charlie Wright/Adam Westerby (Harper University Fiesta R2T), Peter Harrison/Nigel Morris (Peugeot 106) and Jack and Helen Hall (Proton Compact) – to name but a few.
There is a strong entry in the Historic section, led by Mark Holmes/Tom Simkiss (Escort Mk1), Andrew O’Hanlon/Kevin Hogan (Mini Cooper S), David Iwan Jones/Nigel Roberts (Escort Mk2), Shane Gamble/Julia Perry (Morris Mini Cooper S) and Matthew Baddeley/ Graeme Wood (Escort Mk2)
Reigning Protyre Asphalt Junior champion Luke Constantine has also entered the East Riding Stages Rally, although the talented youngster – who contested the series last year in an Opel Adam R2 – is unsure what car he and co-driver Ifan Devine will contest the event in.
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