Neil Howard Stage Rally 2026
Rallying at Oulton Park is a spectacle not to be missed.

The Salford Van Hire Neil Howard Stage Rally returned to Oulton Park on Saturday, 7 November, bringing a spectacular day of rallying to the Cheshire circuit and opening the 2026/27 Protyre Circuit Rally Championship season in style.

Organised by Bolton-le-Moors Car Club, the popular event attracted a capacity entry of more than 100 cars, with a fantastic mixture of modern Rally2 machinery, powerful four-wheel-drive specials and classic rally cars providing plenty of entertainment.

Oulton Park was transformed into a challenging stage rally venue, with competitors tackling bespoke routes incorporating sections of the circuit, unfamiliar access roads, tight chicanes and the event’s famous water splash.

With six competitive stages completed, the rally produced a closely fought battle at the front, with just six seconds separating the first two crews at the finish.

Griffiths and Morrison take the honours

John Griffiths and co-driver Emma Morrison emerged victorious in their Škoda Fabia R5, producing a consistently quick performance across the six stages to take overall victory.

The pair finished with an impressive combined time of 41 minutes and 7 seconds, having been particularly competitive throughout the event.

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They were, however,  pushed hard by Michael Igoe and Kirsty Riddick, who brought their Škoda Fabia Rally2 home just six seconds behind in second place.Igoe, a familiar face at Oulton Park and a three-time Protyre Circuit Rally Championship champion, demonstrated that his pace remains very much intact. Despite not being registered for the new championship season, he was certainly one of the main attractions of the entry.
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Third place went to Jack Darbyshire and Matthew Kendall in their Ford Fiesta R5. The pair completed the podium with a total time of 42 minutes and 34 seconds, rounding off another strong performance.

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BMike English and Lewis English finished fourth in their Ford Fiesta, while Mark Gellatly and Harriet Worth completed the overall top five.

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Close competition throughout the fieldWhile the battle for overall victory attracted much of the attention, there was plenty of competitive action throughout the various classes.Wil Owen and Chloe Louise Thomas produced an excellent performance to finish sixth overall and take the Class 3 victory in their BMW.Jordan Murphy and John Hornby claimed Class 2 honours, finishing eighth overall, while Philip House and Nick Beaumont secured Class 5 victory.The variety of machinery provided a real spectacle, with everything from modern Rally2 cars to older rear-wheel-drive machinery taking on the technical circuit stages.The tight nature of the venue meant that precision was every bit as important as outright speed. Chicanes, barriers and changes in surface provided plenty of opportunities for crews to gain or lose valuable seconds, with penalties also playing their part in the final classification.
A full list of results can be found at https://www.rallies.info/res?e=721&i=300