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HERO Challenge One

HERO-ERA

22nd March 2025


HERO Challenge One
Winners: Stephen Owens/Iain Tullie (Porsche 911 SWB)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA/Will Broadbent

Organiser: HERO ERA

Date: 22nd March 2025

Clerk of the Course: Guy Woodcock

Route: 148 Miles (6 Regs, 8 Tests)

Base: Chesterfield

Starters: 103


The HERO Challenge One attracted a record entry of 105 cars, proving that the one day historic format is popular with competitors. This was the first of three events that will constitute the 2025 HERO Challenge.

Two cars broke down on the way to the Chesterfield start and so it was 103 crews who took the flag from the Casa Hotel on Saturday morning. They faced a 148 miles route in the Derbyshire/Staffordshire Peak District, with six regularities and eight tests.

Competition opened with three tests at Walton Lodge, on the outskirts of Chesterfield. Due to the large entry the scoring on tests for the event had been altered from that normally used. It was still based in the class improvement system, but instead of a fixed score based on their class position on a test, it still had the fastest in class getting zero, but everyone else would then get a penalty of how far behind they were from the best time.

At the end of the three tests three crews had been fastest in their class on all the tests and so left Walton Lodge with zero penalties; these were Matthew Boland/Antony James Boland (Jaguar XK150), Stephen Owens/Iain Tullie (Porsche 911 SWB) and Nick Bloxham/Emily Anderson (Ford Escort Mexico).

Test 2 proved to be problematic for one of the pre-event favourites, James Holt/Alistair Leckie (BMW 325i), the winners of the final Challenge in 2024. They slid into a ditch and took a test maximum before regaining the road. The tests also saw the demise of the Porche 911 of Graeme Bolt/Caroline Bolt, a broken gear linkage put them out of the event.

The first regularity started just over the road from Walton Lodge and, after using the lanes to the west of Wingerworth, ran through to finish near Darley Forest Grange. It was a Jogularity just over ten miles in length, with three timing points.

Darell Staniforth/Richard Ekin (Toyota Corolla) and Michael Moss/Andrew Duerden (VW Golf GTi) hit all three timing points exactly on target and added no more time to their totals. Bloxham/Anderson dropped just one second and took a clear, if narrow lead, of two seconds over Owens/Tullie.

The next regularity was defined by a speed table; it started near Coldeaton and ran south until turning west at Mapleton and finishing at Latham Hall. Again, there were three timing points. Bron Burrell/Suzanne Barker (Austin Maxi) and Tim Birkin/Ruth Birkin (Ford Escort RS2000) did best over this section, dropping just one second each. The battle for first place remained unchanged as both Bloxham/Anderson and Owens/Tullie added three seconds to their scores.

HERO Challenge One
Runners Up: John King/Mike Cochrane (Lotus Elan Plus 2)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA/Will Broadbent

Therefore, at the morning coffee halt the Escort Mexico crew led the Porsche 911 by two seconds, with Mark Lillington/Mark Bramall (MG B) in third place, five second off first. Things were close, with 37 cars still with penalties of fewer than one minute.

The next regularity was a 15 mile section that started at Bottom End and wound its way to Upper Hulme. There were six timing points. Near Ecton Bloxham/Anderson met a non-competitor in an Audi, who didn't know how to reverse; they were 49 seconds late at the next timing point. The Joker, would have reduced this to 15 seconds, but then they met another competitor who had missed a slot and the erstwhile leaders were a minute late at the following control. They fell down the leader board to eleventh place.

In contrast, Owens/Tullie, along with Birkin/Birkin, put in the best performance on the section and the Porsche crew ended it with a lead of nine seconds over John King/Mike Cochrane. The latter pair were debuting a Lotus Elan Plus 2, which they were finding to have a number of set up issues that would need attention; these included an engine misfire when the car accelerated from the start of a test.

The fourth regularity finished next to the lunch halt, the Winking Man Pub; but there were three tests to complete before crews could have their meal. On the reg, Owens/Tullie were won of five cars to post a best time of two seconds, three fewer than King/Cochrane. Although these two crews had now pulled clear of the field; Chris Day/Claire Day (Mini Cooper S) and Lillington/Bramall shared third place, 17 seconds off the runner up spot.

Tests 4 and 5 were at Wetwood Farm, while Test 6 used tracks at Red Earth Farm, both these venues were north of Leek. Out of the top four crews, only King/Cochrane added to their total, being four seconds off fastest in their class on Test 6.

In fifth place at this point were Dave Alcock/Miles Fieldhouse (Datsun 280Z); the event was the navigator's second rally in his four rally Bob Rutherford Scholarship prize. The duo had lost some time on the opening tests, overshooting a hairpin and ended 14 seconds behind fastest in class, Jason Stone/Daniel Stone (Ford Escort), Stone was to go on to win the Test Pilot Award at the Finish. Having dropped 30 seconds on those three tests, Alcock/Fieldhouse were on a total of one minute at lunch.

HERO Challenge One
Third Placed: Dave Alcock/Miles Fieldhouse (Datsun 280Z)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA/Will Broadbent

The afternoon contained two more regularities and two further tests at Walton Lodge to close proceedings. Regularity Five proved difficult for Day/Day as they added 46 seconds to their total, this included a maximum one minute penalty at the second timing point, this was reduced to 15 seconds thanks to the Joker. They fell to tenth place.

Up front Owens/Tullie put in the third best performance, while King/Cochrane had to use their Joker and ended the section 31 seconds off the lead. Alock/Fieldhouse were now up to third, fifteen seconds behind the Lotus Elan.

The final regularity used the lanes between Bakewell and Chesterfield. Early on there was an instruction to "Follow Sign to Barlow", this would indicate that the route lay straight ahead, however, just before the correct sign was one pointing to the right, signposted "Baslow" - many made the wrong calculation and turned right and miss a timing point.

The biggest loser here were Peter Myles/Louise Myles (Porsche 911), who had been in sixth place, but missed two timing points due to the error. King/Cochrane shared the honour of being best on the section with Dave Manyon/Henry Carr (MG B Roadster), each adding five seconds to their totals and pushing the latter crew into fifth place. Owens/Tullie only dropped four seconds to the rivals and so entered the final test with a comfortable lead.

On Test 7 the Hillman Imp of Ed Linton/John Youd broke a drive shaft and blocked the road; Les McGuffog/Tim Sawyer put their Austin Healey 3000 on to the grass in an attempt to get by, but got stuck instead, they took a test maximum.

Heavy rain had been falling for the latter part of the afternoon and so it was a field of damp competitors who made their way back to the Finish at the Casa Hotel.

Owens/Tullie were three seconds slower than the fastest in their class on the final test, but still came home with a victory margin of 35 seconds, having dropped only 36 themselves. Tullie also took the Clockwatchers Award for the least penalties incurred on the six regularities. King/Cochrane were very pleased to bring their new car into the runner up spot, well clear of third place.

Alcock/Fieldhouse held off a storming charge from Holt/Leckie, who recovered from their Test 2 maximum, to finish just two seconds off the podium.

It was another exceptional performance from Fieldhouse, as he was only three seconds behind Tuliie in the total regularity penalties.

Astoundingly, 100 of the 103 starters made the Finish.


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