This year the Hughes had found a new base, moving to Ashford for the start and finish provided by the Pilgrims Rest Hotel. The 140 mile route took in Kent's best forest rally stage at Challock and returned to the classic rallying roads of Romney Marsh. The 43 starters were led away by Welsh Retro winners Worth Birkill & Dave Harris, using Dave's post-historic RS2000 as a late replacement for Worth's regular Mini which was awaiting gearbox repairs.

Torrential rain during the night had left the roads of Kent awash, providing the route with numerous fords which had not been there previously. The first regularity section finished in the wet forest, where two tests on the loose surfaced roads were found somewhat slippery. Derek Skinner and Tony Pettie proved best at the opening regularity, but collected a test penalty by making no attempt to stop at an astride line. The Hughes Rally's test handicap system, based on vehicle age category, gave their little Austin A35 a chance to keep in touch with the faster cars. Peter Noad set fastest scratch times on both of these tests but, after handicap, his post-historic Audi 80 GT had to give up 10% of the bogey time to the 60-67 historics and 20% to the pre-1960 cars.

The second regularity section took crews on a loop out and back for a second visit to the forest and a repeat of the first two tests. Most crews didn't pay enough attention to the detail on their map just after IRTC12 and turned into a white road, thinking they had got to the following yellow T-junction. In the resulting confusion two cars, Doug Wright's Amazon and Chris Exelby's MGB, unfortunately had a head-on coming together. The MGB came off better than the Volvo, but both were still driveable and able to finish the rally. Again an A35 proved best at the average speeds, this time it was Laurence Burrage & Brian Mead dropping only 3 seconds on the section. On the tests Noad collected a penalty, so best times were taken by Worth Birkill in the RS2000 and Dave Hughes in his Amazon.

Three tests in the abandoned Templer Barracks preceded the third regularity section, which was to take the rally to lunch at the Woodchurch Rare Breeds Centre. These tests all went to Twigg, although Dave Hughes (no known connection with the name of the rally) managed to equal the Mini's times on the last of the three. Twigg & Blackett's form continued as they achieved best on the regularity section as well. The run in to the lunch halt unfortunately saw the event's only retirement, when the Mercedes Benz 220 SEB of the only all-lady crew, Sarah-Louise Cushway & Issy Housego-Woolgar, expired with no clutch. So at lunch Twigg & Blackett were leading on 404, half a minute ahead of Skinner & Pettie, with Dave Hughes & Ann Locks only 4 seconds behind. Burrage and Mead held 4th from Peter Noad & Peter Cox. In 6th were Birkill & Harris while Beginners Terry & Sue Pickering in their rapid TR3 were only one second further back.

The afternoon brought some respite from the morning's rain. Two consecutive long regularity sections took the rally across Romney Marsh and back to Ashford, where two last tests awaited at Templer Barracks. Skinner & Pettie excelled on regularity four and regularity five fell to Jack Curran & Dave Bardwell in their Cooper S 970. The final two tests saw many, including Dave Hughes, getting very confused by just 4 cones on the parade square. Test 8 went to Birkill while he was joined by Twigg and Hughes for joint fastest on the ninth. Skinner had holed his A35's sump on a badly rutted "yellow" road on Romney Marsh and he took the opportunity of plugging the oil leak before attempting the last test. Some delay occurred here due to tests 8 & 9 using the same route, but running in opposite directions, with a holding paddock at the far end. Delay allowance was given so nobody went OTL at the finish.

Completed results, after scrubbing four intermediate regularity controls where there were obvious errors in the organisers' schedules, showed that Twigg & Blackett had extended their lead from the following pack, which had reorganised to put Skinner & Pettie in 2nd spot. Beginner crews Brian Hodgkins & Steve Freeman (Mini) and Terry & Sue Pickering (TR3) did exceptionally well to capture placings in the top 10. The way they have improved so far this year, these two Newcomers Challenge crews could soon be challenging the Masters for outright wins.

Top 10 Results