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HERO Challenge Two

HERO-ERA

13th June 2026


HERO Challenge Two 2026
Overall Winners: John King/Miles Fieldhouse (Toyota MR2)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Organiser: HERO-ERA

Date: 13th June 2026

Clerk of the Course: Julia Perry

Route: 167 Miles (6 Regs & 8 Tests)

Base: Kenwick Park Hotel, Louth

Starters: 69


Kenwick Park Hotel on the edge of Louth was the base for HERO's second Challenge event of 2026, with a route almost entirely within Lincolnshire. The rally consisted of six regularities and eight tests; all undertaken within an eight hour schedule.

Sixty-nine cars took the start, although Tristan Judge/Phil Cowdy had issues with their Datsun 240Z running cleanly and were unable to tackle the opening tests and regularities. They had the problem fixed and rejoined the fray at the morning coffee halt.

The remainder of the field started their day's competition with a ten mile regularity which began at Little Cawthorpe and finished by Strubby Airfield, which was the site of the first three tests.

The reg had three timing points, but these posed no issue for the best crews, with three hitting all the controls exactly on time, these were London-Lisbon winners Dick Baines/Harry Baines (Mini Cooper S), John Lomas/Ryan Pickering (VW Golf GTi) and John King/Miles Fieldhouse (Toyota MR2), all were to be in contention for the win throughout the day.

King/Fieldhouse were the only one of their rivals to be fastest in their class on Test 1 and so briefly took the lead, however they were only third quickest on Test 2 and therefore had four seconds added to their total, this put Paul Crosby/Pete Johnson in front, but the Toyota pair were back in the lead after Test 3, where once again they were the best in class.

The 2026 Bob Rutherford Scholarship winner, Jocelyn Jones, was competing on her first event, she was navigating for Dave Alcock in his Datsun 280Z. They were fastest on Test 2 and Jocelyn acquainted herself well on her debut, a missed control and a wrong test blotting her copy book. The pair finished fifth in Class 7.

The tests saw the first retirements of the event. Neither Alfred Dobson/Philip Dobson (MG C GT) nor Carl Bates/Tom Mills (Triumph TR4) made it out of the venue, the latter having problems with the car's plug connections. Soon afterwards the Austin Allegro of David Hemstock/Colin Readwin joined the non-finishers list as the car suffered a clutch failure.

HERO Challenge Two 2026
Test Pilot Winner: Nick Bloxham/Mike Cochrane (Ford Escort Mexico)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Regularity Two ran west from Skendley and finished with a tricky section through Clapgate Farm. A number of crews, including Ken Binstead/Sarah Binstead (Austin Healey 3000), had difficulty finding the route to the final timing point and picked up the maximum one minute penalty at the control. In contrast, Peter Higton/Iain Tullie (Volvo Amazon P131) and Malcolm Dunderdale/Anita Wickins (Renault 8 Gordini) shared honours for the least time lost and this put Higton/Tullie in a joint lead with King/Fieldhouse at the Woodhall Spa Coffee Halt. Lomas/Pickering were in third, one second behind, with Dunderdale/Wickins in fourth.

There was then a lengthy road section which took crews to a second set of three tests, these were at Fulbeck Airfield. Higton/Tullie emerged from these with a one second lead over Lomas/Pickering and King/Fieldhouse, who were tied for second place.

Tests 4 and 6 shared the same start, but different finishes. A few crews picked up wrong test penalties on Test 4, going to the finish of Test 6 rather than the correct stop line. These included Dunderdale/Wickins and James Holt/Archie Holt (Porsche 911SC).

Both Darell Staniforth/Henry Carr (Mini Cooper S) and Lomas/Pickering hit all three timing points of the third regularity exactly on time, this allowed the latter crew to hold a two second lead when competitors arrived at the lunch halt, which was taken at International Bomber Command just outside Lincoln.

Higton/Tullie were now in second place, three seconds ahead of King/Fieldhouse, with Noel Kelly/Phil Savage (Volvo Amazon 122S) in fourth, seven seconds off the lead. Paul Mills/Nick Cooper had missed most of the morning sections after fuel pump issues on their Mini Cooper S, but they rejoined at Lunch.

HERO Challenge Two 2026
Bob Rutherford Winner: Dave Alcock/Jocelyn Jones (Datsun 280Z)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

The afternoon consisted of three further regularities and a final two tests at Manby Airfield. Lomas/Pickering maintained their lead through the road sections, extending it to four seconds after the final reg. Meanwhile King/Fieldhouse and Higton/Tullie traded second place, with the two being tied as they headed to the last two tests.

Kelly/Savage held fourth place throughout but gradually dropped away from the leading trio. Baines/Baines moved past James Thomas/Roland Thomas (Mini 1275GT) for fifth place after the sixth reg.

The scene was set for a dramatic finale over the two Manby tests. King/Fieldhouse were quickest in their class on Test 7 to pull clear of Higton/Tullie, and to draw to within two seconds of the leaders. King thought that the final test was "MR2 friendly" and went for broke; he was beaten in the class by Peter Myles/Jonathan Shepherd (Porsche 911), so added two seconds to his total, however Lomas/Pickering were only fifth fastest in their class and this gave them a six second penalty, leaving King/Fieldhouse to take victory by two seconds.

Higton/Tullie and Lomas/Pickering tied for the runner up spot, with the former crew taking second place on the tie breaker, the least dropped at the first regularity timing point. Kelly/Savage maintained their fourth place, finishing twelve seconds off first and three seconds ahead of fifth placed Baines/Baines.

Nick Bloxham had been fastest on the final four tests and once again took the Test Pilot Award for the fastest combined times over the eight tests. Ryan Pickering was best over the six regularities, dropping five seconds less than Miles Fieldhouse in total, and secured the Clockwatchers Award.


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