Formerly known as the Kent Forestry Stages, this year's event was organised by Sevenoaks Motor Club with Maidstone and Mid Kent Motor Club and the Bexley Light Car Club, and marshalled by members of local motor clubs who gave up their time for free to ensure the safe running of the rally. It was a chance for some of the best drivers in Southern England to come together, competing for points in five regional championships. A glance down the entry list revealed that Jon Desborough, a presenter on Channel 4's World Rally Championship, was making an appearance, co-driving the Passmores Ltd Ford Escort for Dick Slaughter of the Southern Car Club.
The 57 strong entry list included a broad spectrum of cars, ranging from the ubiquitous Subaru Impreza, to the old favourite the Morris Mini, the classic Ford Escort and a unique, generously powered 3.5 litre Peugeot 206 to offset the 660cc Diahatsu Cuore. Cars of all makes and models, were put through their paces over the 14 stages, finishing at the Kent County Showground early on Sunday evening.
In order to be eligible for the rally, each car had to undergo a meticulous scrutineering process on Saturday afternoon, where officials from the Motor Sports Association (MSA), the governing body
for
motorsport in the UK, closely inspected every entrant. Cars were
checked to be road legal, with valid MOTs, insurance certificates and tax
disks, criteria that all road-going cars are required to meet. In
addition, they were examined to comply with strict safety regulations,
carrying safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, vital if the worst
case scenario becomes reality.
When the event last ran in 2001, current Ford World Rally Championship contender François Duval took the win, and so this year's event had a lot to live up to. And it did not fail to entertain. Bathed in plentiful spring sunshine, the cars were a dramatic disturbance to the quiet of the forest, skilfully attacking the challenging lanes as they twisted through the trees.
The first car to take to the stages was that of Will Nicholls of Sutton & Cheam Motor Club, with Nick Broom of Bournemouth and District Car Club calling the bends. Scything their Subaru Impreza WRX through the demanding forest tracks, they did not relinquish their commanding position all day, finishing top of the time cards on every stage. They finished the rally first overall, a minute and 47 seconds clear of another Impreza, that of Simon Cole and Andrew Morris, who were a mere 17 seconds ahead of car 14 of Graham Roberts and Alan Lock's Impreza WRX, making it a 1-2-3 for the Japanese manufacturer. Roberts and Lock also scooped the award for first place in Class 5, ahead of another Impreza, that of Peter Beards and Guy Weaver, with Leigh Armstrong and Stuart White coming home third in class in their Subaru, asserting the Impreza's dominance in the world of national stage rallying.
James Potter and co-driver Andrew Hebron brought their Mark 2 Ford Escort home in 8th overall, taking the win in Class 4, consisting of cars with an engine capacity of between 2000 and 2450cc. First in Class 3 was the enthusiastically driven Escort RS1800 of Dick Slaughter and his high-profile co-driver, the highest ranked non-Subaru crew, finishing a creditable 4th overall. Second in Class 3 were Stuart White and John "Bigens" Goddard in their '70s Opel Kadett, ahead of the Mark 2 Escort of Peter Rayner and Richard Bonner both of West Essex Car Club.
Royston Carey and Steve Hodgson finished 12th overall, 1st in Class 2. 21 seconds down the road from them was the Peugeot 106 Gti driven by Matt Fowle of Central Sussex Motor Club, with Mark Collings of Southsea Motor Club sitting alongside him. The pair who more frequently compete against each other as navigators in road rallies, the next of which is the Funky Elephant in April, beat the Peugeot 206 Sxi of Trevor Martin and David Henderson, both of Reading’s Craven Motor Club, into 3rd in Class 2, 19th overall.
Class 1 winners were Christopher Draycott and Stephen Peake in their Vauxhall Astra, from Kevin Wills and Kevin Foale's Nissan Micra Kitcar. Kev Brown and Lee Rogers collected the final award, bringing their Astra home 3rd in Class 1, 24th overall.
In an event where 16 cars fell victim to the taxing stages, notably cars 3 and 4, the 206 Special of A.P. and Christine Hartfield and the Impreza P1 of Wug and Max Utting, it was rewarding to see the Mini of Simon and John Bird come home 31st overall, and first time co-driver Phil Kendall of Wessex Motor Club direct Southsea Motor Club’s Andy Stevens’ Peugeot 205 1.6 Gti to 33rd overall, proving that even the big boys make mistakes.
The safe and exhilarating running of the Rally of Kent has once more proved the popularity of rallying in the UK, and reasserted the forestry stages as reputable locations for motorsport. In the light of this year's unmitigated success story, we can but looked forward with eager anticipation to 2004 when we can hope to once more follow the cream of the South's drivers and co-drivers round the forest tracks of Kent.