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HERO Challenge Two

HERO-ERA

31st May 2025


HERO Challenge Two
Winners: Angus McQueen/Mike Cochrane (Ford Cortina)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Organiser: HERO ERA

Date: 31st May 2025

Clerk of the Course: George Mullins

Deputy Clerk of the Course: Stanka Obermajerova

Route: 148 Miles (6 Regs, 6 Tests)

Base: Silverstone

Starters: 93


Round Two of HERO's Challenge series was based at the Silverstone Golf Club Hotel and saw 93 crews tackle six tests and six regularities.

The first section was a 14 mile regularity which ran around the outside of the Stowe Estate and had four timing points. Patrick Lynch/Hubert Lynch (Mini Cooper S) were best here, dropping two seconds, which was one better than a trio of cars on three; these were Angus McQueen/Mick Cochrane (Ford Lotus Cortina), Steve Farmer/Phillip McNeelance (Volvo Amazon 123GT) and Malcolm Dunderdale/Anita Wickins (Renault 8 Gordini).

Thomas Bricknell/Roger Bricknell (Triumph TR4) were one of a number of crews to lose time at TP1B, which was situated on the triangle north-west of Lillingstone Lovell; they overshot the junction and lost 29 seconds retracing their steps to get the correct approach. The event was using the Joker System, so their penalty was reduced to 15 seconds.

All crews found the Route Check that sat between the first two regularities as the route moved towards Winslow, where Reg 2 started. This section was defined by a speed table; it was 12 miles long with three timing points. It ran through Granborough, and looped around Claydon House, before finishing near Padbury.

In difficulty from the start was the Lotus Elan Plus 2 of John King/Pete Johnson; the car had developed a misfire; it got worse and caused the car to stop on the second regularity. The problem was eventually solved by replacing the distributor rotor arm, which had burnt out. However, by the time the car was once again running smoothly, too much time had been lost and they retired. This was a bitter disappointment to the driver, who had finished second on Challenge One.

Three crews shared the 'Best On Reg' honours, dropping a single second; these were: Mark Lillington/Mark Bramall (MG B), Chris Day/Claire Day (Mini Cooper S) and Paul Hernaman/Ray Crowther (Porsche 924S). This gave Day/Day a share of the lead with McQueen/Cochrane, who had picked up two one second penalties on the reg.

HERO Challenge Two
Fourth Placed: Dan Willan/Miles Fieldhouse (Fiat 124 Sport Spider)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

After a coffee break at Preston Bissett, competitors tackled four tests at Bicester Airfield. As on Challenge One, test scoring on Challenge Two was by Class Improvement, with the fastest in each class getting zero penalties, while others got the number of seconds, up to a maximum of 20, that they were slower than the fastest in class.

Day/Day took a clear lead after Test 1, but their success was short lived as they were penalised for a stop astride fault on Test 2, which added ten seconds to their score. This allowed Dick Baines/Harry Baines (Mini Cooper S) to gain a zero in the class on the test, this was enough for them to move from third to first place overall. However, like their Mini compatriots, their tenure at the top of the leader board only lasted until the next test, where they were 11 seconds slower than the fastest in class.

It was the turn of Dan Willan/Miles Fieldhouse to hold first place after Test 3. The Bob Rutherford Scholarship winning navigator was having the third of his prize drives and had Willan piloting an Arrive & Drive Fiat 124 Sport Spider. Willan relished driving the car and successive fastest class times on Tests 2 and 3 put them at the top of the leader board, but, in this extremely tight battle, only until Test 4.

Nick Bloxham/Nick Darkin (Ford Escort Mexico) were fastest in Class 6 on all four tests and this put them on top of the pile as crews left Bicester Heritage. They led Willan/Fieldhouse by four seconds at this point.

The Escort pairing extended their advantage to seven seconds as they dropped only two seconds on the third regularity, which used a tricky section around the HERO House at Hardwick. Day/Day, who had been in third, dropped out of the top ten as they picked up early penalties of 41 seconds. Their place in the standings was taken by Paul Bloxidge/James Bloxidge (VW Golf GTi), who cleaned the entire regularity.

Action then moved to a new test venue at Middleton Stoney, where a superb three-quarter mile test had been laid on. Once again, Bloxham/Darkin were fastest in their class, but so were both Willan/Fieldhouse and Bloxidge/Bloxidge, so the top positions remained unchanged.

James Holt/Alistair Leckie (BMW 325i), who had been in fifth, dropped two places on the test as they went the wrong side at the start of a slalom and had to reverse to follow the correct route.

The lead changed again on the fourth regularity, a fourteen miles speed table section, with five timing points. Bloxham/Darkin lost time finding the correct route at the third timing point, which was in a farmyard near Radfordbridge; they were 40 seconds late. The Joker reduced this to 15 seconds, but this was enough to see them fall from first to a second place shared with Willan/Fieldhouse. It was Bloxidge/Bloxidge who now led, taking a narrow three second lead into the lunch halt, which was taken at Hopcrofts Holt.

At this point, McQueen/Cochrane were in fourth, a place they'd held since Test 4; they were six seconds off the lead.

HERO Challenge Two
Sixth Placed: Dick Baines/Harry Baines (Mini Cooper S)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Crews returned to Middleton Stoney for a second go at the new test. It proved to be critical for the overall results. Both Bloxidge/Bloxidge and Willan/Fieldhouse were penalised ten seconds for hitting a cone, this allowed Bloxham/Darkin back into the lead, as they were fastest in their class, a feat that they'd achieved on all six tests. It was no surprise therefore that at the Finish Bloxham won the Test Pilot Award for the fastest total scratch times.

Remarkably, after the test there was a four way tie for second place, with McQueen/Cochrane, Bloxidge/Bloxidge, Willan/Fieldhouse and Ken Binstead/Sarah Binstead (Austin Healey 3000) all seven seconds behind the leaders.

Two regularities remained to be contested, the first of which started at Hook Norton and ran around the western edge of Banbury. It was a London Map section; there were four timing points.

Holt/Leckie shared best on the section with Bloxidge/Bloxidge, pushing the latter pairing into a shared lead with Bloxham/Darkin. McQueen/Cochrane were now just a second further back in third.

The final reg was another using a speed table, it started at Chacombe and eight miles later finished at Greatworth; there were three timing points.

In such a close contest it was to be decisive. Bloxham/Darkin lost 32 seconds at the final timing point and, with their Joker already used, this was added to their penalty total in full; they fell to ninth in the final standings. The other leading contenders all dropped at most a handful of seconds, but it was McQueen/Cochrane who appeared at the top of the leader board as the finishing line was reached. This was the pair's first outing together since the 2024 Rally of the Tests and gave the Cortina its maiden victory.

Bloxidge/Bloxidge took the runner up spot, just one second behind the winners, while their was a tie for third place as Binstead/Binstead and Willan/Fieldhouse ended on the same total, three seconds off first place. The tie was broken by the crew with the smallest penalty at the first regularity timing point; Binstead/Binstead took the final podium place as they were exactly on time at TP1A, while Willan/Fieldhouse had been a second late.

Holt/Leckie recovered from their Test 5 indiscretion to finish in fifth, while Baines/Baines were sixth with Harry Baines securing the Clock Watchers Award for the best performance over the event's six regularities.

A class win and the points for winning the Test Pilot Award meant that Nick Bloxham held a seven point lead in the HERO Challenge, with just one round remaining. Mike Cochrane now topped the Navigators' Challenge Table, five points ahead of Miles Fieldhouse and six in front of Harry Baines.


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