Mark Turner had an eventful East Riding Stages Rally, yet still secured an excellent finish in the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship in his Custom Van / Creations.co.uk Mini Cooper S.
This is Mark’s third year of stage rallying, having finished third in the overall EMAMC Championship drivers’ standings in 2024 and third in the EMAMC Class 2 title race in 2025.
His debut in the Protyre Asphalt Championship saw the Gainsborough driver finish eighth in Class 3, despite fearing that damage caused by a 360-degree spin on leg one might signal the end of his event – only for a titanic effort from the service crew to save him from an early bath.
Mark’s Mini has been upgraded by Spark Developments Motorsport from a naturally aspirated R50 Cooper to a supercharged Cooper S specification for the 2026 season, bringing a serious step up in power, performance and potential.
That, together with the CS Motorsport-sorted Fulcrum Motorsport cage, reinforced struts and a solid shell, gave Mark the confidence to push from the start of the East Riding Stages. And it was that meticulous build and preparation that saw him continue after a scary Saturday night off.
“Once the dust had properly settled, another fantastic East Riding Stages Rally was in the books – and what a weekend it turned out to be,” said Mark.
“Saturday night stages brought the drama. On SS4, not far from the finish, we had a fairly sizeable moment; a full 360-degree spin at speed. Thankfully, we kept the shiny side up, but it cost us a serious chunk of time. As if that wasn’t enough, the impact popped the tailgate open and half our kit decided it fancied spectating. Cue an unexpected bit of hedge trimming along the way!
“After gathering up most of our belongings from the Yorkshire countryside and giving the Mini a thorough check-over, we realised she was still good to go. We pushed on to the stage finish, but driving back to service, I genuinely thought our rally was over. The steering wheel was sitting well out of line, and it didn’t feel promising.
“Back in service, though, the real heroes stepped in.
“The DC Motorsport lads absolutely swarmed over the Mini. Full inspection. No panic. Just methodical, experienced teamwork. They worked their magic into the early hours – a 1am finish after replacing bent components and making sure everything was safe. Then it was a seven am restart. No complaints. Just graft.
“A huge thank you as well to the CS Motorsport guys for supplying some much-needed parts to get us back out there. Support like that makes all the difference when you’re up against it on a rally weekend.
“By Sunday morning, the car was mechanically spot on. Properly aligned, dialled in and ready to go again – even if the bodywork was held together with a healthy amount of gaffer tape.
“With Phil Bramma on the notes for the Sunday daylight stages, we were back in form. The car performed perfectly, confidence grew stage by stage, and we started clawing back positions. From being seeded at 111, we pulled ourselves back up to finish 93rd overall. A result that felt like a win after Saturday night’s chaos.
“It was a massive team effort all round. Proper rallying experience – plenty of highs, plenty of lows, and a proper fightback.
The plan for the rest of the season is to build on the experience gained in the Mini Rally Challenge, gain more seat time and continue developing both the car and myself as a driver.
“Every stage mile counts, and every rally is another step forward.”
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