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Rally For The Ages

HERO-ERA

11th July 2026


Rally For The Ages 2026
Overall Winners: Nick Bloxham/Beatrix Bloxham (Ford Escort Mexico)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Organiser: HERO-ERA

Date: 11th July 2026

Clerk of the Course: Gethin Phillips

Route: 80 Miles (4 Regs & 4 Tests)

Base: Bicester Motion

Starters: 76


The fourth running of HERO-ERA's Rally For The Ages was, as on the previous three occasions, based at Bicester Motion. The event is designed to encourage a younger element to sample Regularity Rallying; to this end, any crew whose combined age is less than seventy will have their entry fee returned. In 2026, 36 of the 76 starters were eligible for the refund.

Prior to the mid-morning start, an introduction was given to the art of the discipline for those unfamiliar with the format of the rally. The crews then embarked on an 80 mile route, the competitive elements of which consisted of four tests, all at Bicester Aerodrome, and four regularities in the Oxfordshire lanes.

Tests were scored on a class improvement system, where the fastest car in each class scored zero penalties, while those behind were penalised the number of seconds that they were slower than the quickest in their class, up to a maximum of ten seconds. There were also penalties for hitting a cone, not stopping correctly or taking the wrong route on a test.

On regularities competitors had to stick as closely as possible to a set average speed, with secret controls, timed to the second, recording how close they were to that average. Different average speeds could be used within a section, so crews might have to maintain an average speed of 20mph for 1.2 miles, then 23 mph for the next 2.8 miles.

Proceedings opened with two tests. Three crews managed to be quickest in their class on both, so emerged with zero penalties; these were the 2025 winners, Nick Bloxham/Beatrix Bloxham (Ford Escort Mexico), Francesco di Valmarana/Serifina Valmarana (Lancia Fulvia Monte Carlo) and James Bate/Caleb Bate (VW Golf).

The first regularity started at Fritwell and ran through Somerton, to finish at North Aston. There were two timing points, with navigation being by a table giving a list of instructions, with the speed and time at which an instruction should be reached. The secret checks would be at two of these instructions.

Three crews arrived exactly on time at both timing points, so added zero to their penalties; these were Edward Vandyk/Henry Vandyk (Ford Escort), Alistair Leckie/Jess Simmons (Saab 900 Turbo 8v) and Bloxham/Bloxham. This meant that the latter crew maintained their clean sheet and now led Leckie/Simmons by two seconds.

Regularity 2 went from Middle Barton to the edge of Chipping Norton, going via Little Tew. It was ten miles long and contained three timing points. A speed table gave the navigational instructions; this listed the time that should be reached at every tenth of a mile.

Jack Hall-Smith/James Hall-Smith (Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF) were best over the section, dropping two seconds, one second better than Bloxham/Bloxham, who now held a lead of ten seconds over Bate/Bate.

Rally For The Ages 2026

A coffee break was then taken at Banbury Hill Farm, near Charlbury. At this point Leckie/Simmons were in third place, a second behind Bate/Bate, with Valmarana/Valmarana two seconds further back in fourth.

This was as far as the Riley 12/4 Special of Rory Cunningham/Harry Fox-Edwards got; engine maladies stopping the machine. They were the only retirement of the event.

The route moved back eastwards after the halt, with the third regularity skirting Kiddington Hall and Glympton Park, before finishing at Sturdy Castle. It was a Jogularity section, where landmarks and junctions were listed with the ideal times against them. The secret timing points would be at an entry in the list. In the nine miles there were three timing points.

Leckie/Simmons hit all three timing points on their target time and, with nothing added to their penalty total, they moved into second place. Bloxham/Bloxham were second best, dropping a second, so maintained their ten second lead.

Bate/Bate dropped out of the top ten as they were eighteen seconds early at the first timing point and 24 late at the final one. The Joker System was being used on the event, this reduced a crew's biggest lateness penalty to 15 seconds; it is designed to allow for delays caused by meeting non-competing or farm traffic. This meant that Bate/Bate had their penalty at the third timing point reduced to 15 seconds in their penalty total.

The final regularity was planned to run from Charlton-on-Otmoor to Piddington, with three timing points in its ten miles. Navigation was by a speed table. Unfortunately, Thames Water had started to dig up the road just after the first timing point and, with the timing requiring the original route to work, the latter part of the section had to be scrubbed.

With it being a straight run, with no junctions, from the start to TP4A, six crews hit the timing point exactly on their ideal time, these included Bloxham/Bloxham who extended their lead as Leckie/Simmons were a second early at the control.

There now remained the two final tests back at Bicester Motion. Both Bloxham/Bloxham and Leckie/Simmons were fastest in their respective classes on both and so the two crews ended in first and second place, separated by eleven seconds. Valmarana/Valmarana moved up from eighth place after Reg Four to third place overall after the tests, to claim the final podium spot.

Seventy-five crews made it back to the Finish having had a bright sunny introduction to the sport of Regularity Rallying, but with the father and daughter pairing of Nick and Beatrix Bloxham showing that they were the class of the field for the second year running.


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