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Dansport Historic Rally

Sponsored by Dansport

Matlock Motor Club

21st-22nd February 2026


Dansport Historic Rally 2026
Winners: Dan Willan/Mark Appleton (Volvo PV544)
Photograph: © M&H Photography

Organiser: Matlock Motor Club

Date: 22nd February 2026

Clerk of the Course: Kelvin Phipps

Route: 175 Miles (6 Regs & 9 Tests)

Base: Chesterfield

Starters: 60


With some late withdrawals, a number of reserve crews made last minute journeys to Chesterfield to ensure that there was a capacity 60 car starter list for the Dansport Historic Rally, Round One of the HRCR Club Championship.

Competitors left the Casa Hotel at 18:00 on Saturday evening to tackle two regularities and a test in the dark, with steady rainfall throughout. There were then a further eight tests and four regularities on Sunday.

Regularity One was not an easy introduction to settle the nerves. Firstly, for the organisers, an arrow near the first PC, designed to keep cars away from a PR issue, mysteriously changed the direction in which it was pointing. This led to crews taking the wrong route and the time penalties at the first timing point had to be cancelled. Then for competitors, there was the challenge of a tricky and complex section around Highoredish Farm, west of Matlock, the location of ITC 1C.

The Joker system was being used on the Dansport, this reduced a competitor's maximum lateness score to 15 seconds, if that penalty was greater than 15 seconds. Thirty-five crews triggered their Joker as they struggled to find the correct route to ITC 3C, the majority were over a minute late at the timing point and so took the maximum 45 second joker saving, meaning that they had no cover for any further delays in the event.

Dan Willan/Mark Appleton (Volvo PV544) were best over the reg, dropping 20 seconds; they shared the lead after the section with Steve Head/Niall Frost (Ford Escort), the latter having to use a 13 second joker saving to match the Volvo pair. At this point, Mick Valentine/Ryan Pickering (Ford Escort) were in third, one second behind the leaders, but to do this they had used their full 45 joker saving at ITC 1C.

These dramas were immaterial to Derek Skinner/Sue Skinner (Ford Cortina GT), their car's gearstick came right out of the gearbox causing them to become the first retirement of the event. They were joined shortly afterwards by Ian Prout/Kev Bryant who lost all their electric after the alternator failed on their Austin A40.

For the survivors there was then a test at the woods at Walton Lodge. Nick Bloxham/Richard Crozier (Ford Escort Mexico) blitzed through the mud to beat the bogey by seven seconds, 25 seconds faster than any other car. This pushed them into a 21 second lead, with Head/Frost in second.

The slippery conditions claimed one victim, the Ford Fiesta of Hugh Garnish/David Bell; they slid into the mud and couldn't get out until the recovery vehicle arrived after the test was closed. They withdrew.

The second regularity created less drama, it saw Bloxham/Crozier extend their lead as they dropped eight seconds less than Head/Frost. Andy Lane/Iain Tullie (Mini Cooper) were best over the section; this moved them up to ninth place in the overnight standings.

There was a break in the constant rainy weather on Sunday, with sunshine and dry conditions throughout the day. The downside of this for the rally was that it brought hordes of tourist, cyclist and walkers out into the Peak District and Derbyshire Dales, however it seemed that most crews experienced few hold ups.

From the Casa Hotel restart competitors faced three further tests at Walton Lodge on the edge of Chesterfield. The first of these proved to be a disaster for the overnight leaders; Bloxham/Crozier went off the slippery track and lost over a minute before regaining the road. This dropped them to seventh place, while Head/Frost took fastest time on the test and the lead.

Willan/Appleton were three seconds further back in second and closed the gap to the leaders to one second on Test 3, then moved in front after the fourth test. They were one second in front of Head/Frost as they left Walton Lodge for Regularity Three.

Dansport Historic Rally 2026

Reg 3 had just two timing points and the top two crews matched each other over the Matlock Moor section, both dropped seven seconds. Meanwhile Valentine/Pickering moved up to share second place with Head/Frost. Paul Dyas/Martyn Taylor (Ford Cortina) made their first appearance in the top ten after the reg; they were to get to a shared seventh place after Reg 5, but then had a troubled final regularity, missing a route check and ending the event in twelfth place.

The fourth regularity ran from west of Matlock, via Winster and Bradbourne, before finishing at Mouldridge Grange. Head/Frost had just got back into a narrow lead after two timing points, when a half shaft broke on their Escort and they were out. It was Valentine/Pickering who emerged in the lead as crews reached the morning Coffee Halt at Alstonefield, which followed the reg. They were now three seconds ahead of Willan/Appleton, who were fourteen seconds ahead of John Haygarth/Andy Pullan (Opel Kadett). The top three were now pulling away from the remainder of the field.

Dave Alcock had had to call in Andy Darlington to navigate on the day before the event as Baz Green, his original partner, had to pull out; at the Coffee Halt Alcock/Darlington had put their Datsun 280Z into tenth place overall and were the leading Expert crew. They were to go on to retain the top Expert position until the Finish, winning the Brad Piercey Trophy, as they had moved up to sixth place overall.

From Alstonefield, the route took in two tests, the first near Stanhope and the second at Paddock House Farm. These two tests narrowed the gap between the two leading crews to a second as they embarked on Reg 5, the longest of the event, which had five timing points. Willan/Appleton briefly took first place early in the section, but by the end Valentine/Pickering had pulled ahead and held a seven second lead at the lunch halt. Haygarth/Pullan were still in third, 20 seconds off the lead, but 33 seconds ahead of Lewis Ayris/Matt Outhwaite (Ford Escort) who were in fourth.

The final regularity started at Sterndale Moor and zig-zagged its way to Over Haddon, then through numerous junctions around Middleton, before finishing at Rowsley.

Ayris/Outhwaite were the first to have problems, they caught up a tractor and couldn't get past before losing a minute at the second timing point on a track through Kenslow Farm. This dropped them from fourth to sixth. They then had problems on the final test, which meant that they finished in eighth place overall.

There were also dramas for John King/Amy Henchoz (Mazda MX5) who had taken the best time over the fifth regularity. On Reg 6 the car started to overheat and they had to stop to let it cool down. They were classified in thirteenth place at the Finish.

Most significantly, on the latter section of the regularity the leaders, Valentine/Pickering, were caught in traffic and were 24 seconds late at the final timing point; this gave Willan/Appleton a nine second lead with three tests, back at Walton Lodge, remaining.

Valentine/Pickering closed the gap by three seconds over the tests, but this still left them six seconds off the lead. Despite finishing second, Mick Valentine did have the glory of sharing, with Dan Willan, the best performance over the event's nine tests.

The winners had entered the Dansport as a practice run for the Three Legs of Mann in March, the HRCR event proved to be the perfect rehearsal as they lifted the winners' trophies.

Third place was taken by John Haygarth/Andy Pullan, with Pullan just edging out Appleton for the honour of the best performance of the six regularities. Bloxham/Crozier recovered to take fourth place, although a full minute behind Haygarth/Pullan, and only just in front of top seeds Dan Darkin/Nick Darkin.

The Wheeldon Trophy for the highest placed Novice crew went to Tim Birkin/Ruth Birkin, who brought their Ford Escort into 23rd place overall. The Club Rally, which ran alongside the main event, but with easier navigation on the regularities, was won in convincing style by the Hillman Imp of Ed Linton/John Youd.


RESULTS