Motorsport rally comes to the roads of Shropshire - here is everything you need to know
The Hills Ford Stages Rally comes to Shropshire at at the weekend.
A motorsport event is gearing up to take over roads in Shropshire this weekend, as rally hopefuls compete for the Hills Ford Stages Rally.
The rally is a prominent closed-road motorsport event organised by the Cheltenham Motor Club and title-sponsored by Hills Ford.
The event features a spectator-friendly festival format alongside high-speed tarmac rallying across private estate roads and closed public thoroughfares.
For competitors, who are coming from all over the UK - including a fair number from Shropshire the rally counts toward multiple notable tarmac and regional championships including the Protyre Asphalt and Historic Masters.
But for local people, the rally will also mean a number of road closures for the event. Here is everything you need to know about the event:
When is it?
The Hills Ford Stages Rally takes place on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20. It starts in central Shrewsbury with approximately 150 rally cars gathered on display before competitive action begins.
On Saturday morning, a festival celebrating the rally takes place at Weston Park, featuring trade stands, family entertainment, the iconic water splash feature, and initial competitive stages.
By Sunday, the rally moves to closed public routes across south Shropshire featuring stages in Cressage, Clee Hill, Lawley, Dorrington, and Linley—each run twice.
Road closures
Temporary road closures will be in operation around the five Sunday stages to allow the rally to take place safely. There will be signed diversions in place but the council says if people are travelling through south Shropshire on Sunday they should allow additional time for their journey and be prepared to follow temporary traffic management, diversions and instructions from officials where these are in operation.
A number of road closures on affected stages are planned for Sunday. The rally organisers say their teams will do everything reasonably possible to minimise disruption while maintaining the safety requirements of the event. Theft added that roads will not be closed all day and closures will be managed around the competitive stages, and where it is safe to do so, the rally teams will work to provide access between stage runs.
A spokesperson said: “If you live within an affected area, please follow the specific access information provided for your road and speak to the marshals or officials on the day if you need assistance.
“Once a stage is live, there can be no vehicle movement on the closed road until the safety team confirms that it is safe to reopen the access window.
“This applies even if no rally cars can currently be seen or heard. Course vehicles and emergency or safety activity may still be taking place.
“Please never move barriers, signs or road-closure equipment, and always follow the instructions of event officials.”
Watching the rally
Dedicated spectator areas have been put in place and parking and recommended approaches have been identified for the event. The safest and best way to enjoy the Hills Ford Stages is from the official spectator areas.
Areas have been set up in Shrewsbury Town Centre for the ceremonial start, located around Claremont Street. This provides free, close-quarters access to the cars and crews before they are officially waved away.
For the Weston Park Rally Festival, held within the Weston Park Estate, there are areas to watch as it will be the central hub for Saturday afternoon, featuring four competitive stages, motorsport displays, trade stands, and catering facilities.
Tickets are required for this venue (under-16s are free, advance adult tickets are £10).
Other spectator areas have been set up for Sunday in Ditton Priors, Lawley and Linley.
At Lawley, the Gretton Spectator Area is accessible by approaching from the A49 (Church Stretton) or A458 (Much Wenlock), following the B4371 to Longville in the Dale, and following the event signage towards Gretton.
Clee Hill Spectator Area located near Ditton Priors can be located via the B4344 to Cleobury North, take Oakwood Road, turn left onto Chapel Lane, and continue to Hall Road where the parking and viewing areas are accessed via Ashfield Road.
Linley J4 Spectator Area is a designated zone along the Linley stage with an organized one-way parking system. A separate viewing zone serving the Linley stage to capture additional competitive action.
Organisers say follow the published directions rather than relying solely on Sat-Nav, as some roads may be closed or unsuitable for spectator traffic. Full details and maps can be found at https://hillsfordstages.co.uk/spectators.
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