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Gremlin Historic Rally

Brecon Motor Club

15th August 2026


Gremlin Historic Rally 2026
Winners: Mick Valentine/Ryan Pickering (Ford Escort)
Photograph: © Mark Griffin

Organiser: Brecon Motor Club

Date: 15th August 2026

Clerk of the Course: Jason Murphy

Route: 160 Miles (7 Regs & 9 Tests)

Base: Three Cocks

Starters: 74


The organisers of the Gremlin Historic had a character building week leading up to the event. The succession of summer heatwaves had left the countryside tinder dry, wildfires were breaking out in numerous locations. The Gremlin, as usual, made extensive use of the Epynt Military Ranges, and the landowners, the Ministry of Defence, asked for extra details of the organising team's contingency plans for reducing the fire risk.

Brecon Motor Club met the challenge and received authorisation to proceed with the rally, however a test, due to run twice, was scrubbed as it used tracks amongst the forest above the Rifle Range.

Further problems were caused when a large wild fire broke out around Dolauhirion, just north of Llandovery. The third regularity of the event was due to use lanes that were now closed due to crews fighting this fire. The first part of the section had to be cut, with the regularity now starting a little further along its route near Cynghordy.

Putting these difficulties aside the team was rewarded with a near capacity 74 car starting list for Round Five of the HRCR Club Championship. A well supported Club Rally was included and made up a third of the entry; course definition for the regularities in this event was by tulip diagrams, rather than the more demanding navigation of the Inter Club Rally.

Unlike the previous two runnings of the event, the 2026 Gremlin reverted to a single day format, dispensing with the Day One evening sections. Competitors would tackle a 160 mile route, with seven regularities and nine tests. It was to be a tough event with even the top runners finding difficulty in finding the correct route.

Bev Blacker/Sam Spencer (Ford Escort) took honours on the test at Brecon Cattle Market that opened proceedings; they were one second faster than Lewis Ayris/Matt Outhwaite (Ford Escort) and Dan Darkin/Nick Darkin (Mazda MX5).

The opening regularity started on the outskirts of Brecon and looped southwards to finish near Defynnog. Andy Pullan/Mark Appleton (Peugeot 205 GT) put in the best performance over the ten miles to briefly take the lead, one second ahead of Darkin/Darkin and Mick Valentine/Ryan Pickering (Ford Escort).

A 20 mile regularity with five timing points, which passed the Usk Reservoir, took the rally to the morning coffee halt at the Owls Rest, a famous bikers' stop, at Llandovery. Ayris/Outhwaite dropped the least over the reg and this put them into the lead, six seconds ahead of Pullan/Appleton. Valentine/Pickering were in third, just ahead of Martin Payton/Miles Fieldhouse (Volvo PV544), who had been second best on Reg 2.

At this point the Club Rally was being led by Mark Lillington/Jon Harvey (VW Golf GTi), who had a five second advantage over the field. Unfortunately, mechanical problems were to stop the Golf when the rally moved on to Epynt soon afterwards.

Gremlin Historic Rally 2026

The shortened third regularity saw Pullan/Appleton drop the least penalties and they moved back into the lead. There then followed four tests on the Ranges where the leading Peugeot struggled against the more powerful cars and the erstwhile leaders fell to fifth after Test 5. Ayris/Outhwaite were fastest on two of the tests and second quickest on the other two, this put them back into first place with a twelve second advantage over the field.

A further regularity, mostly on the Epynt tracks, completed the first half of the rally. By the time that crews reached the lunch halt at the Fedw Equestrian Centre, just off the Dual Carriageway, Ayris/Outhwaite had extended their lead to 16 seconds, with Payton/Fieldhouse in second, having moved past Valentine/Pickering on the reg.

Pullan/Appleton were amongst a number of crews who went wrong on Reg 4, arriving at the final control eight minutes late, however the Joker system was being used on the event for timing points on the public road and this ITC was one of only two on the section with that safety net; this meant that the pair held on to sixth position. Top seeds Garry Preston/Iain Tullie (Mini Cooper S) made the same error, however they were to finish well down the order after, later on, completely missing a time control.

There had been a number of retirements on Epynt, most significantly the Escort of Clive Baty/Henry Carr had been stopped by engine maladies, and Ed Linton/John Youd had the gearbox fail on their Imp. Simon Mellings/Karl Ellis had put in the best performance over Reg 4, but then were forced to withdraw at the halt as their Toyota MR2 had holed its sump.

A Targa permit had been added to the main event, there was one entrant, Colin Woodhouse/Rhys Williams (Rover 25), however they went out with a broken strut before the halfway halt.

Tim Sawyer/Suzanne Barker (Ford Escort) led the Club Rally at Lunch, they were 20 seconds ahead of David Crooks/Andy Wisedale (Vauxhall Nova GTE), who, in turn, were only four seconds in front of third placed Oliver Burton/Riata Marinelly (MG B GT).

Both Regularity Five and Regularity Six were back on the Ranges, they were split by four further tests.

Ayris/Outhwaite struggled on Reg 5, dropping 30 seconds at both the first and third timing points; in a tight contest, this dropped them to fifth after the section. It was Valentine/Pickering who were best, by five seconds, over the reg and this moved them back into the lead, although there were still six further crews within 30 seconds of first place.

The leaders were fastest on Test 7 and in the top five on the other three, so emerged from the final test with a gap of 18 seconds over the field. Second place was now held by the first time pairing of Guy Woodcock/Emily Anderson (Ford Escort). Ayris/Outhwaite had moved back up to third after Test 9, but a ten second cone penalty on Test 11 dropped them behind Payton/Fieldhouse.

Two tough regularities remained, the first on Epynt and the final one starting at Hundred House and finishing near Clyro. Pullan/Appleton were best on both and this moved them up to third place at the Finish.

Valentine/Pickering extended their lead on Reg 5 to 24 seconds, and, although they picked up more penalties than their rivals on the final regularity, they came home with a winning margin of 16 seconds. Payton/Fieldhouse took the runner up spot, with Fieldhouse finishing with the honour of having dropped the lowest total of penalties over the Gremlin's seven regularities.

Sawyer/Barker extended their lead in the Club Rally throughout the afternoon and finished with a lead of over a minute, taking a comfortable victory.

Given the challenges that faced the organisers prior to the event, it was amazing that the 2026 Gremlin actually took place, but 64 challenged but happy crews made the Finish at Three Cocks.


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