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Rally For The Ages

HERO-ERA

13th July 2025


Rally For The Ages 2025
Winners: Nick Bloxham/Beatrix Bloxham (Ford Escort Mexico)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA/Ian Skelton

Organiser: HERO ERA

Date: 13th July 2025

Clerk of the Course: Guy Woodcock

Deputy Clerk of the Course: Stanka Obermajerova

Route: 89 Miles (5 Regs, 4 Tests)

Base: Bicester

Starters: 60


The third running of HERO-ERA's Rally of the Ages, was based, as usual, at the company's Bicester Heritage Headquarters. The annual event is designed to introduce young competitors to Regularity Rallying, with entrants having the entry fee refunded if the combined age of the crew is less than 70. Sixty crews took the start, with 22 of the navigators being aged under 18.

To encourage entries, and with Motorsport UK's blessing, the usual age restriction on eligible cars was relaxed. There was a class for post-1990 cars, although these couldn't qualify for overall positions.

Competitors faced a route consisting of four tests and five regularities, with competitive motoring starting within metres of the start with two tests at Bicester Aerodrome. The tests were scored on a class improvement system where the fastest in a class scored zero marks, while the remainder of the class were penalised the amount of time that they were slower than that time, up to a maximum of 20 seconds.

Nick Bloxham, who had his 12 year old daughter Beatrix navigating, was the only driver to be fastest on both of the tests and therefore left the Aerodrome with a clean sheet and a lead of two seconds. Ceri Higgins/Joe Higgins (Austin Healey Sprite) were in second place, one second ahead of Cam Knighton/Alexia Knighton (Toyota MR2) in third.

Arnaud Tortel/Jose Luna (Ford Fiesta) had been equal fastest with Bloxham/Bloxham (Ford Escort Mexico) on Test 1, but missed out a loop on Test 2 and were penalised for a wrong test, adding 30 seconds to their total.

The first regularity used the lanes around Ludgershall, south east of Bicester; it was 17 miles long and included five timing points. Simon Mills/Victoria Mills (Mini Cooper S) put in the best performance over the section, dropping just six seconds; this moved them up to third place overall. Bloxham/Bloxham picked up ten seconds of penalties, the third best score; this left them with a lead of five seconds over Andy Lane/Tom Bennett (Mazda Eunos Roadster), who had been fourth best on the reg.

The route moved towards Oxford for the second regularity, with an eleven miles, three timing point section, defined by a speed table. Matthew Todd/Rebecca Todd (Alfa Romeo 2000 GT) and Roland Thomas/Tamzin Thomas (Mini 1275 GT) shared the honours on this section with penalties of six seconds. Thomas/Thomas had been second best on Reg 1 and they were now in fourth place.

Rally For The Ages 2025
Tenth Placed: Jessica Webster/Gavin Webster (Jaguar Mk2)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA/Ian Skelton

There was a mid-point break back at the HERO-ERA HQ. At this point Bloxham/Bloxham held a lead of five seconds over Mills/Mills, while Higgins/Higgins were in third, ten seconds off first place.

Tests 3 and 4 were repeats of TestS 1 and 2. Three crews tied for the fastest time on Test 3, these were Piers Barclay/Nicholas Barclay (Fiat 124 Spider), James Martin/Phoebe Martin (Peugeot 205) and Bloxham/Bloxham. The latter pairing set the quickest time on Test 4, but they were also penalised ten seconds for hitting a cone, so it was Knighton/Knighton who took honours for best time on the test.

Bloxham/Bloxham now led Higgins/Higgins by seven seconds, with Mills/Mills a further five seconds back in third place.

Three regularities remained to be tackled. The first of these was an eleven mile section around Heathe and Cottisford with four timing point. There was an intricate sector that had a large number of instructions in a short distance, these should have led crews to the third timing point, but a large of number competitors failed to locate the control.

Tim Sawyer/Jack Harvey (Ford Escort Mexico), who had been in fifth place at the break, put in the best performance on the reg and this promoted them to second place, while Bloxham/Bloxham extended their lead, having been second best on the section.

The remaining two regularities had originally been planned as a single section, but the extensive HS2 work going on in the area north east of Bicester led to a number of roads being closed, the result was that there were now two regularities.

Reg 4 was an eight mile speed table section, with three timing points. Michael Andrews/Ralph Andrews (Lancia Delta Integrale) dropped just three seconds over the three TPs, this put them in ninth overall and increased their lead in Class 5. Only a second behind were Bloxham/Bloxham and Sawyer/Harvey, pulling them further away from the main field.

The final nine mile reg finished just outside Bicester. Jessica Webster/Gavin Webster (Jaguar Mk2) and Thomas/Thomas shared the honours of best performance. Again Bloxham/Bloxham were a second off this and, with Sawyer/Harvey being five seconds further back, the father and daughter pairing came home to win by 18 seconds. Thomas/Thomas took the final podium place, with Mills/Mills rounding off the top four. These four crews were well clear of the rest of the field.

After their dominant display, it wasn't surprising that Nick Bloxham won the Test Pilot Award, for the least time dropped over the four tests, and Beatrix Bloxham secured the Clockwatchers Award for the best performance over the five regularities. It was a terrific start to the rally career of the granddaughter of the 1969 British Rally Champion, John Bloxham.


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