Peter Stephenson, CEO of Billingham-based Able UK and title sponsor of the event, has been seeded No 1 for the Riponian Stages Rally this weekend.
Stephenson will be co-driven by Ian Windress in a Ford Focus WRC for the event, which starts from Thirsk Auction Mart on Sunday morning.
And he will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins on event, run over 40 stage miles in the North Yorkshire forests around Helmsley.
Seeded second for the rally - jointly orgainsed by Ripon MSC and the East Cleveland-based Whitby DMC are eight-times winner Charlie Payne and Carl Williamson in their Fiesta WRC, fresh from finishing fourth in last weekend’s Weir Engineering Wyedean Forest Rally.
They are seeded just ahead of Ian Joel and Graham Wood (Escort Cosworth).
Heading a strong historic class are Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis (Escort Mark II) along with from Charlie Taylor and Alan Ward in a similar Escort.
Ford Cortina driver Bob Bean has also entered the rally he first won in 1980.
Also in the historic class are James Grayson and Simon Spinks (Escort) in their very first rally.
Redcar’s Chris Roe makes his 2015 ANCC Forest Championship bow in the event.
With Bob McKenzie from Skelton retiring from the sport, he’ll be partnered by fellow Stockton DMC member Mark Whitehouse from Billingham in his Vauxhall Nova.
“Disapointingly we still haven’t recieved our new gearbox shaft so we won’t have our competition gearbox in,” explained Roe, who finishe third in the overall championship, second in the forest championship and first in class in the forest championship last season.
“This year after Bob’s retirement Mark has agreed to sit alongside me for the Riponian and, depending on how things go, he may complete the full season. Mark has never read descriptive pace note before so it may take a little time to get into a rhythm.
“Hopefully we can score some good points.”
Meanwhile the organisers have made a point of thanking everyone involved for supporting and securing the event for another year. They are especially keen to thank the three main sponsors of the event - Able UK, Matthew Robinson of Robinsons Road Planing and Baz Jordan of Jordan Road Surfacing, without whom the event would not have run.
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