Home success in Woodpecker Stages Rally
Hometown duo Joe Price and Chris Brooks were among the winners at the annual Woodpecker Stages Rally in Ludlow.
Price was assisted by Brooks in the Ford Escort MK2, sealing the B11 class honours and first two-wheel drive home – 10th in the overall standings.
Also from Ludlow, John Antony Caine drove his Subaru Impreza to 13th spot overall, with co-driver Lucy Wilding.
Current British Rally Championship leader Matt Edwards dominated the event, sealing the Jordan Road Surfacing BTRDA title in the process.
Edwards, guided in the co-driver’s seat by Darren Garrod, overcame a puncture on the Haye Park test to take victory in his Fiesta R5 by more than 30 seconds from Luke Francis and John Roberts in their WRC version of the Ford.
“This is such a sentimental title for me,” said Edwards.
“I love all the events in the series but this one is fantastic and has some amazing stages. It’s a real honour to win this one and get the title in the bag.”
Around 140 rally crews left the start line on Saturday morning with competitors from around the world enjoying a new format with two-wheel-drive crews running first on the road, followed by the four-wheel-drive versions soon after.
Organised by Sixty and Worcestershire Motor Club, the weekend marked the 35th anniversary of the rally which took crews into the Marches and Powys forests.
