Trackrod Rally Roundup!

The Rallynuts team returned North this weekend to the annual historic Trackrod Rally held in the picturesque Yorkshire Forest. Spanning over Friday 27th and Saturday 28th of  September, the event began with a floodlit ceremonial start along the stunning Filey seafront.  

With the sun shining bright and not a cloud in the sky, the Rallynuts team headed out early Saturday morning to negotiate the epic 58 miles of  Trackrod Forest Stages. Business owner and driver, Paul Bonas alongside co-driver Glen Mercer took on the stages in the official Rallynuts Ford Fiesta R5. 

Running with only four previous races under its wheels and a lot of engine work over the last few months, the Fiesta proved it was out to show the world what it was made of. Confidently blasting through the dirt and gravel track, Bonas and Mercer finished a comfortable 32nd place out of 58 finishers.

Catching up with Bonas after the race, he couldn’t be happier with their performance commenting: "The race went really well! Dalby is one of my favourite tracks with some super stages and really testing routes. Given the car is still quite fresh and has received a lot of work to it, I’m super pleased with how it went today. Glen called some great notes and this really helped us get a shift on – as our confident as a team continues to grow, I have a feeling next season is going to be one of our best.” 

Mercer further added to this: “It was a great race. Given the weather we’ve been experiencing up here to see the stages in such good condition was a fantastic experience – including the unintentional water splash! Paul drove it really well and the car was fantastic given the changes it has gone through over the last few months. We both have recognised areas of improvement, but it’s still fresh for us as a team and I know as we continue throughout the remainder of this season we’ll get better and better each race.”

Whilst there were some minor organisational hiccups along the way, including some problems experienced on the road travelling through Pickering, the weekend overall was an excellent success.

Taking the win of the Trackrod Rally, Matthew Hirst and Declan Dear in their Skoda Fabia Rally 2. Hirst and Dear dominated every stage on the way leading to a 38.9 second lead over last years winner Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh - who had seen a previous podium finish in the 2022 Rallynuts Stage Rally. 

The next stage of the British Rally Championship will see the Rallynuts team tackle the Conwy Cambrian Rally in Wales on 26th October 2024. We look forward to seeing you there!