Words: Peter Scott – Photos:  Tim Sawyer from new championship sponsors Hagerty.

The HRCR Clubman’s series started off as usual with the Tour of Cheshire organised by Knutsford and DMC with Clerk of the Course Mike Harrison, ably assisted by Linda, leading the team. The tradition continued with many of the marshals being competitors from the sixties and seventies including top navigator Peter Valentine and his driver Cec Offley and, also being the 50^th anniversary of the club’s famed Motoring News round, the Plains Rally, some of the traditional roads used on the original event were on the 2016 route.

The Bickerton Poacher at Malpas, between Nantwich and Wrexham, was both the start and finish venue and scrutineering took place at Beeston Cattle Market, also the venue for the final three tests.  Competitors were to find that the winter weather had played havoc with many of the roads and even in the days leading to the rally Harrison was having to reroute to avoid deeply flooded roads.

Again as usual, the event was oversubscribed  and had a reserve list but with withdrawals all 85 who wished to start were able to. Top seeds were Matt Warren and Andy Pullan in their familiar Mk 1 Escort and did win the event but although comfortably fastest on the tests with seven fastest times and three second best were just beaten on the regularities by Simon Harris and Matthew Fowle in their Golf Gti. Harris was well off the pace on the tests, only 17^th best, but took second place a full minute behind the winners. Things were close after that with Mike and Matthew Vokes, having a first outing in their pretty and very quick Ginetta G15, only 5 seconds further back in 3

The variety of cars in the top places continued with the Volvo PV544 of Simon and Niall Frost next up and Howard Warren and Paul Bosdet fifth.

Mike and Matthew Vokes finished third in Cheshire on their first outing in the tiny Imp based Ginetta G15. With much less weight and much more power than the  normal Imp previously used they are very optimistic for great results later in the year.  Only problem was ground clearance. Stilts needed for the next event!

Photo captions:
Will anyone beat Mat Warren and Andy Pullan in 2016?

Matt’s dad Howard Warren and ‘Bozzy’ were further back than usual in the Porsche in 5 place.

Despite the best efforts of Simon Harris and Matt Fowle the Golf was no match (sorry) for the winning Escort!

The PV544 of Simon and Niall Frost took an excellent 4

In at the deep end – the Powley family, Roger and Leigh, in their Imp completed the top 10.

Deep water and Minis are not usually a recipe for success – this one made it.

All a bit scary – tests 6 & 7 were the same test run at 30 second intervals and it all got a bit close with quicker cars coming g a bit close to comfort with slower ones.  These tests were eventually scrubbed

Our correspondent Peter Scott performed miracles with the lowly Nissan Sunny on the tests taking 10th fastest overall and only 10 seconds behind third place.