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Summer Trial

HERO-ERA

17th-19th July 2026


Summer Trial 2026
Winners: Ken Binstead/Sarah Binstead (Austin Healey 3000)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Organiser: HERO-ERA

Date: 17th-19th July 2026

Clerk of the Course: James Phillips

Route: 376 Miles (15 Regs & 8 Tests)

Base: Radisson Blu, Durham

Starters: 82


The peripatetic Summer Trial was based in Durham for 2026. The event offered competitors three days of competition, with an early afternoon start on Friday, before a very full day of rallying on Saturday; proceedings concluded at Sunday lunchtime. The base was the Radisson Blu Hotel beside the River Wear in central Durham. The 376 mile route included 15 regularities and eight tests.

Eighty-two cars took the start at 14:00 and headed out to the west of the host city for five regularities. On the opening reg Chris Day/Claire Day (Mini Cooper S) made a perfect start by arriving at all three timing points exactly on time and maintained their clean sheet, however 38 other crews dropped less than ten seconds over the section.

Another regularity followed before a coffee halt at Carterway Heads, by this point the lead was shared by Peter Johnson/Jo Johnson (Porsche 924S) and Tim Lawrence/Richard Lambley (BMW 325i), the latter crew, a first time pairing, had originally been entered in the driver's MG, however issues with that car led to them borrowing James Holt's very successful BMW.

There were three more regularities before competitors arrived back at Durham, these were mainly over the deserted moorland roads in the environs of Derwent Reservoir.

By the end of the day Johnson/Johnson had eked out a slender one second lead over Lawrence/Lambley, while Ken Binstead/Sarah Binstead were in third, two seconds further back. The Binsteads had had a trying time just prior to the rally; they had intended to use their Datsun 240Z and had left home towing it, however at a stop en route they spotted that the car was leaking fuel. They quickly retraced their steps and collected their Austin Healey 3000.

The 2025 winners Malcolm Dunderdale/Anita Wickins (Triumph TR8) were tied for third place on nine seconds.

Dick Baines had had to find a new navigator as his regular partner, his son Harry, was busy harvesting, so Iain Tullie was brought in to read the maps. This was another first time pairing. They didn't get off to the best start as they were held up by two tractors at the start of the fifth regularity and arrived back at Durham in 26th place.

Summer Trial 2026
Second Placed: Tim Lawrence/Richard Lambley (BMW 325i)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Saturday provided the meat of the event, with six regularities and five tests. A test at Diggerland, Langley Park, opened proceedings. Day/Day were fastest here by two seconds.

Two regularities then took the route to its most northerly point, Langley Castle near Haydon Bridge. Despite being delayed by some cyclists just before a timing point, Johnson/Johnson had extended their advantage over Lawrence/Lambley to two seconds, while Dunderdale/Wickins were now in a clear third place, a second ahead of Binstead/Binstead.

The course moved southward to the lunch halt at Eggleston Hall. Two regularities had been planned for this sector, but the second had to be cancelled after roadworks, which should have been completed, hadn't been, leaving deep ditches down the middle of the road.

Johnson/Johnson arrived at Lunch finding themselves with a nine second lead, with Binstead/Binstead in second. A mix up over the time dropped at the first timing point on Regularity 2/3 caused Lawrence/Lambley to add nine seconds to their total, they fell to third. Halfway through the event, all eighty-two starters were still running.

The fifth regularity of the day used the lanes around the reservoirs south of Middleton in Teesdale, while the final reg of the day ran from the A66 to the Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in England.

These two sections saw the lead battle close up again, with Johnson/Johnson reaching Tan Hill with a two second advantage over Lawrence/Lambley, with Binstead/Binstead one second further back.

The day concluded with four tests at the Catterick Ranges. Twenty-five crews, including all of the leading runners, beat the bogey on the first one. In the lead battle Binstead/Binstead dropped least and arrived back in Durham in first place.

The best performance of the day was put in by Paul Wignall/Phil Savage (Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint) and this put them in second place at the overnight halt, however they were to go no further as the rear axle on the car had broken and they became the first retirement of the event.

This left Lawrence/Lambley and Johnson/Johnson tied for second, three seconds behind the leaders. Johnson/Johnson had added nine seconds to their total on Test 2/3 after clipping a cone.

Summer Trial 2026
Third Placed: Dave Batchelor/Jackie Batchelor (Triumph TR4)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Leg Three was a half day contest starting at 07:45 and finishing at 12:00; it was planned to include three tests and four regularities, although the third of these had to be cancelled due to an objection from a householder, who had been consulted prior to the event.

Day/Day were to be quickest on all three tests, giving Chris Day another Test Pilot Award, he'd been 43 seconds quicker than anyone else over the eight tests. The pair finished in ninth place overall.

Over the first half of the morning Binstead/Binstead and Lawrence/Lambley were evenly matched, both dropping six seconds by the coffee halt, which was taken at Raby Castle. Johnson/Johnson fell to fifth after picking up a stop astride penalty at the finish of Test 3/2. Dave Batchelor/Jackie Batchelor were now in third, although the exhaust on their Triumph TR4 was beginning to fall apart.

Jayne Wignall/Kevin Savage (Sunbeam Tiger) were in fourth, just one second off third, while Baines/Tullie, after their tractor issues on Day One, were up to sixth place.

Two regularities remained, but these included the toughest navigation of the event, so the atmosphere was tense amongst the leading runners. Binstead/Binstead need not have worried, they cantered through the section, coming home with an extended lead of five seconds, and Sarah Binstead secured the Clockwatchers Award, beating Lambley by eight seconds.

Lawrence/Lambley took the runner up spot, while Batchelor/Batchelor survived their exhaust problems to take their first podium finish.

Seven crews failed to make the finish, these included Joanna Wickham/Guy Wickham, who had the axle mount break on their MG TB, and Rob Smith/Richard Stanier whose Volvo P1800E was stopped by a broken gearbox.


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