Local drivers Dan Mennell and Paul Thompson fight it out for glory in Trackrod Rally Historic Cup

Once again this major sporting event is bringing thousands of visitors to the region, filling hotel beds and showing off the glorious Yorkshire scenery to hundreds of thousands of on-line followers.

As a round of a number of championships, including the final round of the Fuchs British Historic Rally Championship and round five of the Protyre BTRDA Rally Series, the Trackrod is one of the UK's most prominent gravel rallies and gives competitors a rare chance to compete over the famous Yorkshire forest stages.

Organised by Trackrod Motor Club, the event is based in Filey where documentation and scrutineering will be held during Friday. The Historic Cup contenders will start from the Filey seafront at 7pm and head into Dalby forest for a spectacular 11-mile special stage in the darkness.

On Saturday September 27, the event continues as the Historic Cup contenders are joined by those in the Trackrod Forest Stages, with the restart at the NY500 cafe near Pickering for a full day of competition including the famous stages of Cropton and Dalby.

In the Historic Cup, the big battle is between two local drivers as Dan Mennell from Malton and Paul Thompson from Driffield go head-to-head in their Ford Escort Mk2s for the coveted Category 3 title within the championship.

Baz Jordan and Arwel Jenkins have already taken the overall crown in their Mitsubishi Galant VR4, but the battle between Mennell and Thompson will be one of the key elements of the historic rally.

Adding interest and quality to the field will be former three time British Rally champion Matt Edwards in Richard Jordan's Ford Escort Mk2 as Edwards begins his preparation for November's Roger Albert Clark Rally.

The 2024 Trackrod winner Ben Friend will be right in the mix, along with Nick Elliott in his Malton-built Fiat 131 and Malton rally legend Steve Bannister, who is celebrating his 50th year of competition.

There is also plenty of local interest in the Trackrod Forest Stages, which is where the Protyre BTRDA action is centred. Harrogate’s Elliot Payne and Doncaster's Matthew Hirst are the big two contenders in Ford Fiesta Rally2 and Skoda Fabia R5 respectively.

They will be chased by fellow Yorkshiremen Liam Clark and Alex Vassallo, both in Ford Fiesta Rally2s.

Among the two-wheel drive contenders in the BTRDA Rally Series, the field is headed by Andy Davison in his Sunbeam VXR, while a major battle is likely among the smaller engined cars including the Ford Fiesta R2 of Lewis Hooper, the Nissan Micra of Dylan Fowler-Bishop and the Vauxhall Nova of Nigel Jenkins.

The first crews will start arriving back on the seafront in Filey from around 4pm on Saturday for the ceremonial finish and traditional champagne spray.

Spectators are welcome at Filey where access is free of charge.

Spectator access into the forest special stages is via advance purchased tickets only and full details are at the event website at rallyyorkshire.co.uk