Mini Rally Challenge

Ryan and John Evans
Greystoke Stages was the second event for North Wales crew in the Mini Rally Challenge, and the second outing for their newly built R50 Mini. Steady drizzle greeted the morning, promising loose gravel after recent stage reinstatement work — a sharp contrast to the dusty Plains Rally.

Stage one threw the crew straight into navigating off maps rather than pace notes, and into deep ruts on the first square right — ruts were very much the order of the day. A surprise jump at a crossroads caught them off guard, good for a laugh before getting back to business.

Stage two started well until a heavy impact broke the manifold and a suspected puncture had Ryan pulling over to check for damage as the car handled poorly. No puncture was found, but the delay cost around a minute and a half; a steady run to the finish brought the car home. A busy second service saw the manifold replaced with parts from CS Motorsport, other crews pitching in to get the job done in 20 minutes.

Building confidence, Ryan pushed hard through stage three despite a puncture, making it back to service before dealing with it — the wheel itself had cracked. A new wheel fitted, they headed out for stage four: a clean run, though gravel rash and sump-guard surfing made the maps hard to read and harder to call.

Stage five opened at a blistering pace as Ryan settled into the grip and attacked the chicanes — the only casualty a lost mirror on John's side, the side Ryan always seems to favour for close shaves. Three-quarters through, a serious mechanical on the lead car blocked the stage and brought it to a halt.

Seeded 42nd, finishing 26th overall and second in the R50s by just 39 seconds, the crew were left wondering what might have been without the stage-two stop.
A strongly positive event for the Bala and District Motor Club pair — valuable lessons in car management under pressure and growing confidence on gravel, with the camaraderie between MRC crews clear throughout, despite everyone's own troubles.
Tarmac's next for the crew in August, and they're looking forward to seeing how the car behaves off the loose stuff.

minirallychallenge.co.uk

This Saturday, the Nicky Grist Stages, based in Builth Wells, takes place. Although it's not a round of the Mini Rally Challenge, six crews are entered. These Minis just love the WRC stages!! Good luck, teams!

Nick Skelton /Stefan Arndt

After a positive return to the forests at the recent Plains Rally, hopes were high for a fun and competitive day in Greystoke for the next round of the Mini Challenge.

The day dawned with more early rain than expected and a warning from the organisers of very loose regrading in the stages.

Nick, alongside codriver Stefan Arndt set off as 3rd Mini on the road, determined to get off to a fast start.

Traction was low and there were already a lot of deeps ruts in the tight corners from the early competitors. Initial pace seemed fine and a seeming lack of acceleration was blamed on the very loose surface.

Sadly there was more to it, and after just 4 miles the engine cried enough and instant retirement beckoned.

Rallying can be cruel, but the team will brush themselves down and come back stronger for the next gravel round of the series in September.

Thanks to Stefan on the maps, son Max for moral support and Spark Developments for looking after us. And well done to all other Mini crews that battled through the incredibly rough conditions with great spirit and determination.

Here are the Overall 2026 Mini Rally Challenge Standings after last weekend's 5th round.

R50 Drivers - Consistent Catherine Bell has opened up a 9 point lead over Kevin Ablitt. It is getting tighter at the top because Simon Austin, Ruan Lowry, Ryan Evans and Andy Massey all scored more points than the leaders at Greystoke.

R50 Co-drivers - Tarna Ablitt maintains the lead despite a DNF. Andrew Side keeps 2nd place whilst Cal McElhinney and John Evans are closing in with good scores.

R53 Drivers - David Burden now leads from Andrew Otto. Henri Cynwyl's joker paid off as he took maximum points to move into 8th place. Ben Hearsey, 2nd and Alan Kitson 3rd, at Greystoke both move up the places with good points hauls.

R53 Co-drivers - Stephen Moyses and Alfie Element hold onto 1st & 2nd despite being absent last weekend. Tom Hynd & John Evans both move closer with good finishes.

Full tables of the standings are available at https://www.minirallychallenge.co.uk/regs-competitor-info

Here are the results for the R50 and R53 classes from last weekend’s extremely challenging Greystoke Stages Rally.
Admiration for all those who managed to avoid a DNF!
We are currently updating the championship tables….