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HERO Challenge Three InterClub

HERO-ERA

3rd-4th October 2025


HERO Challenge Three Interclub 2025
Winners: John King/Matthew Vokes (Lotus Elan)
Photograph: © Paul Freeman Photography

Organiser: HERO-ERA

Date: 3rd-4th October

Clerk of the Course: James Phillips & Guy Woodcock

Tests: 177 Miles (8 Tests, 8 Regularities)

Base: Chepstow

Starters: 32


The HERO Challenge Interclub event was Round Six of the HRCR Club Rally Championship. It was based at the very hospitable Chepstow Racecourse, with the first third of competition taking place on Friday night.

Heavy rain, the southern edge of Storm Amy, began to fall just before the start and continued throughout the duration of the evening sections.

Thirty-two starters took the flag at 18:00 and immediately tackled two long tests around the inner ring of the Racecourse. Most of the two tests followed the same route, with a variation at the end. They were both around a mile and a half in length.

Nick Bloxham/Emily Anderson (Ford Escort Mexico) beat the bogey on Test P/1 by 13 seconds, then by eight seconds on Test P/2. This gave the pair a six second lead over Paul Dyas/Martyn Taylor (Ford Cortina) as they left Chepstow to tackle two regularities and a further test.

The first regularity skirted up the western side of the Forest of Dean and contained four timing points. Navigation was keeping to the shortest route through a series of spot heights. The third timing point was to the north of Stowe Green, the previous control having been at Bream Cross. Despite the navigation having been checked by non-competing navigators, a number of competitors found a shorter route than that intended, using the narrow lane on the edge of Sling. This meant that they missed TP P/1C. Penalties at that and TP P/1D had therefore to be cancelled.

REGULARITY P/1 NAVIGATION

RS P/1 - 162/564½ 008¾ Depart NNW
Go via the following Spot Heights, do not pass a place of worship with a spire
187 82 67 113 189 165 138 116

TP P/1C was at 565 071½
The shortest route was via 579½ 080

The third test of the evening was another lengthy one, 1.64 miles at Wyesham. Once again, Bloxham/Anderson were fastest; they were 17 seconds quicker than Dyas/ Taylor, giving the Escort pairing a 21 second lead over the Cortina.

The route moved back south to the Chepstow base with the second 17 mile regularity; five timing points had been planned, but the final one was lost due to flooding blocking the road leading to it. However, there was a tricky section leading to the fourth TP around Whitelye; this caught out everyone, with all triggering their Joker, which reduced their penalty to 15 seconds.

As the crews returned to the Racecourse, Bloxham/Anderson held a 24 second lead, although they had been almost five minutes late finding TP P/2D, the Joker saved them. Dyas/Taylor were in second place, they were eleven seconds ahead of Niall Frost/Amy Henchoz (Volvo 142).

Phil Cheek/Anji Martin had had to cut out half of the evening section after the rain had got into the electrics of their MG B. They got going again on Saturday morning, but became the only retirement of the event when the gremlins returned later in the day.

Saturday dawned with dry and sunny, but very windy conditions. There were two tests at Chepstow to open proceedings, the first a repeat of the previous night's second test, then a shorter one in the car park. Bloxham/Anderson were fastest on both and extended their lead to 50 seconds, with Frost/Henshoz now in second.

The first regularity of the day started at Devauden and went via Llansoy and Cobblers Plain before finishing at Llanishen. There were three timing points. While the second was further north taking crews to the morning coffee halt at Winter's Cross, near Ross-on-Wye. This section had three timing points and passed through Llangrove and Glewstone.

The two sections made little difference to the lead battle; Frost/Henshoz narrowed the gap by a single second. A close fight was developing for third place as Dyas/Taylor and John King/Matthew Vokes (Lotus Elan Plus2) were just a second apart.

Six crews, including all of the leaders, either beat or matched the bogey on the first of two tests at Ross Cattle Market. David Ward/Tim Sawyer (Lancia Fulvia 1600HF) were quickest on the second test at the venue, with Dyas/Taylor and King/Vokes one second further back. Bloxham/Anderson were three seconds off the fastest.

The third regularity took the route to the lunch halt, which was at the Rolls of Monmouth Golf Club. The reg snaked around Orcop and Garway, with three timing points. King/Vokes and Ken Binstead/Sarah Binstead (MG B) put in the best performance over the eleven mile section, while Bloxham/Anderson dropped 28 seconds and Frost/Henchoz added 40 to their total.

Despite their difficulties on the third reg, Bloxham/Anderson still held a 46 second lead at Lunch, with King/Vokes now in second. Peter Higton/Ryan Pickering (Mazda MX5) were in third, but were fortunate to be there; they had decided to get fuel before the halt and mistakenly filled the car with diesel. They managed to rectify the problem, and, with the only time control being at Lunch Out, made their time to get out on the afternoon section.

Higton/Pickering were only a second ahead of Frost/Henchoz, who in turn were a second ahead of Dyas/Taylor. The top five crews were now well clear of the remainder of the field.

Three regularities and one test remained to be tackled over the afternoon. Frost/Henchoz were two seconds better than anyone else over Reg 1/4, which was ten miles long around Coed-y-Fedw and Llangovan and had three timing points. This moved the Volvo pair back into third, as Dyas/Taylor were over a minute late at TP 1/4B, the Joker cut this to 15 seconds, but as they had already used the Joker on Friday evening when they were 27 seconds late at TP P/2D, that penalty was now reapplied in full.

The final test of the event, which was at Lord Harlech's home at Cefntilla Court near Usk, did little to change the positions as 11 crews beat the bogey. Dyas/Taylor fell further back as they were seven seconds off the target.

Two regularities remained to be contested, the second one was the sting in the tail of the event, with numerous crews reporting difficulty finding the correct route. Most significantly, Bloxham/Anderson had a nightmare trying to find the way to the second timing point which was in Wentwood. They were four minutes late and, having used their Joker to the full on Friday, they had to add the maximum one minute penalty to their total. In contrast, King/Vokes and Frost/Henchoz dropped just ten seconds over the whole section.

This meant that at the Finish King/Vokes came home with a victory margin of 17 seconds over Frost/Henchoz, who finished second. Higton/Pickering were third, which, with two round sremaining, kept the navigator with a good chance of retaining his HRCR Club title. Having led for almost the entire event, Bloxham/Anderson finished fourth, although Bloxham won the Test Pilot Award for the least time dropped over the eight tests; his times were 50 seconds faster than Paul Dyas, who was second. Matthew Vokes was equally dominant in the Clockwatchers competition, having picked up 38 seconds fewer penalties over the eight regularities than any other navigator.


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