rallyroots.com results@rallyroots.com
rallyroots.com
rallyroots.com

rally results service


Unless otherwise clearly indicated, results on this site have been declared final and are therefore not subject to query or protest

HERO Challenge One

HERO-ERA

11th April 2026


HERO Challenge One 2026
Overall Winners: Steve Chick/Alex Chick (Datsun 260Z)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Organiser: HERO-ERA

Date: 11th April 2026

Clerk of the Course: George Mullins

Route: 128 Miles (7 Regs & 8 Tests)

Base: Holiday Inn, Taunton

Starters: 98


The opening round of the 2026 HERO-ERA Challenge, appropriately the Challenge One, was based at Taunton and used lanes and tracks between that town and the South Coast. The ninety-eight starters were to contest seven regularities and eight tests, all devised by Clerk of the Course, George Mullins, an expert on the area.

Most of the day was to be a mixture of light cloud and sunshine, although there were some sharp showers of heavy hail at times.

The opening ten mile long regularity had three timing points. It started at Batten's Green and went via Blackwater and Fyfett to finish near Royston Water.

There were problems on the run out for the Austin Healey 100/4 of Martin Paterson/Charlotte Crowther which developed fuel feed problems. This was solved by the mechanics and the crew completed the event, finishing fourth in class.

Two cars completed Reg 1 without dropping any time, these were Paul Wells/Phil Wells (MG B Roadster) and Pete Johnson/Paul Crosby (Porsche 944). Fifty-one cars reached the third timing point accumulating fewer than ten seconds of penalties, so it was still all to play for.

The first retirement of the event was the Datsun 240Z of Stephen Hardwick/Derek Hunnisett which broke its clutch on the opening reg.

After the opening section there followed two tests at the former RAF Upottery Airfield at Smeatharpe. Both, especially the second, were quite complex and Test 2 saw 27 wrong tests awarded. As usual on Challenge events, test scoring was on a class improvement system where the fastest in each class received zero penalties, while slower cars received the number of seconds that they were behind the quickest. There was a cap of 20 seconds on any penalty, while a wrong test garnered 30 seconds.

Dave Smith/Suzanne Barker (MG B Roadster) were fastest in Class 5 on both tests and this meant that as they left Smeatharpe they shared the lead with Malcolm Dunderdale/Anita Wickins (Renault 8 Gordini); both crews having dropped two seconds in total.

Fastest overall on both tests was the Escort Mexico of Nick Bloxham/Mike Cochrane, on scratch times they were 12 seconds faster than anyone else. They went on to take fastest time on seven of the eight tests, only losing out on Test 4, where they were awarded a ten second stop astride penalty at the finish line. This performance earned Bloxham another Test Pilot Award. As with many other crews, the pair's overall standing was affected by being held up by non-competing traffic. The Joker System was being used and this reduced a crew's maximum lateness penalty to fifteen seconds.

HERO Challenge One 2026
Third Placed: John King/Miles Fieldhouse (Toyota MR2)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

The winners of the 2025 Challenge Three James Holt/Alister Leckie (BMW 325i) started strongly and shared the lead after Test 1, however, a cone fault on Test 2 cost them ten seconds and twelve position places.

The second regularity started almost at the airfield exit and, having touched Luppitt, finished at Crook. Again, there were three timing points. Dunderdale/Wickins were one of four crews to drop just one second over the section and this moved them into a three second lead, with Bloxham/Cochrane in second place.

There was then the first of two visits to the Wiscombe Hillclimb. Bloxham/Cochrane were best by five seconds up the hill, with John King/Miles Fieldhouse (Toyota MR2) second. Dunderdale/Wickins were one second slower than their class rivals Dick Baines/Harry Baines (Mini Cooper S), so added that second to their total, however, this gave them a lead of two seconds as the rally reached the morning coffee halt. The break was taken at Blackbury Honey Farm near the hillclimb.

Bloxham/Cochrane were still in second, three seconds ahead of third placed Stephen Chick/Alex Chick (Datsun 260Z), the father and son team making one of their occasional outings. King/Fieldhouse were in fourth, seven seconds behind the leaders. It was still all very close.

The third regularity looped around to the north, almost touching Honiton before finishing near Wiscombe Hillclimb, which was then tackled for a second time.

John Lomas/Ryan Pickering (VW Golf GTi) were best over the regularity and this pulled them into the top ten for the first time. Meanwhile Dunderdale/Wickins dropped 24 seconds and six places on the reg, this meant that Chick/Chick now led King/Fieldhouse by two seconds.

On the second Wiscombe test the top two positions were reversed as King/Fieldhouse shared fastest time in Class 8, while Chick/Chick were six seconds slower than Julian Adams/Grant Edwards (Porsche 911SC), leaving first and second separated by four seconds.

At this point Holt/Leckie joined the retirement list; they had picked up a puncture on Test 3 and then another just after the start of Regularity Four, this left them without enough inflated tyres and they withdrew.

Reg 4 was almost fourteen miles long and ran from Butts Corner, via Fenny Bridges and High Weaver, to Aller. Chick/Chick were the only crew to clean the section, but King/Fieldhouse were only one second behind, so the Toyota crew arrived at the lunch halt with a three second lead. In turn, Chick/Chick were eight seconds ahead of Baines/Baines, while the Mini was only a second ahead of Peter Higton/Tim Sawyer (Volvo Amazon P131).

HERO Challenge One 2026
Early Leaders: Pete Johnson/Paul Crosby (Porsche 944)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Lunch was taken at Bridwell House at Uffculme, where there were still 93 cars running.

The fifth regularity started just outside Uffculme; it was seven and a half miles long and had two timing points. Five crews cleaned it, and another seven, including the leaders, lost just one second.

The penultimate regularity used map reading and speed tables and stretched eastwards from Kerswell to the entrance for the Test 5, back at Smeatharpe. There were five timing points and quite a bit of civilian traffic. King/Fieldhouse were a victim of the latter and lost 37 seconds at the section's second timing point; this was reduced to 15 seconds by the Joker, but in such a close contest, this was still a big penalty. They dropped to third place.

Baines/Baines were best over Reg 6 and this moved them up to second place, seven seconds behind the leading Datsun, which now held the lead. King/Fieldhouse were now in third, four seconds behind the Baines Mini.

There now followed four tests, the first a mammoth complicated one using most of the available space at Smeatharpe. Bloxham/Cochrane were fastest here by 32 seconds, with King/Fieldhouse taking second place. In contrast, 32 cars were judged to have taken the wrong route and received a 30 second penalty.

The top three crews put in the best performance in their respective classes and so didn't add to their totals. This trio were now pulling away from the field, as Dunderdale/Wickins, who were in fourth, were 14 seconds off third place.

The final three tests of the event were all at the former RAF Culmhead at Trickey Warren. On the first one Chick/Chick picked up a line fault at the finish line; fortunately for them, even with the ten second penalty applied, they were still quickest in their class and so got away with the error, receiving zero penalties for the test. In fact, they weren't to add any more to their total over any of the tests. This meant that they left Trickey Warren with a lead of 13 seconds.

There was now only a single regularity remaining. This was an eight mile long speed table trial, with three timing points. Baines/Baines were one of four cars to put in the equal best performance over the reg, dropping two seconds. However, Stephen Chick/Alex Chick were only three seconds behind and this allowed them to take the win with a victory margin of ten seconds.

Dick Baines/Harry Baines took the runner up spot, finishing eight seconds ahead of John King/Miles Fieldhouse, who completed the podium.


RESULTS