Trackrod Rally stars ready to roar into top gear in Filey and North Yorkshire forests

Pryce, heading into the penultimate round in Yorkshire, is leading the title race by seven points from Irishman Keith Cronin’s similar specification Volkswagon Polo GTR5, writes Keith McGhie.

The 29-year-old, from Machynlleth, finished second over the high speed North York Moors forest tracks 12 months ago, missing victory by a mere 33 seconds to triple champion and fellow Welshman Matt Edwards.

Pryce, who made his rallying debut in Latvia in 2009 and recently won his 100th start - the Nicky Grist Rally in his native Welsh forests, knows that if he can go one better climb onto the top step of the podium his year, it could clinch the tittle.

Four times previous champion Cronin is in North Yorkshire and waiting for a slip from triple round winner Pryce, having won just one less round of the championship so far this year

Edwards is also back but driving a striking Fiat 131 Abarth - once a world championship winning car - in the large Historic Cup section of the event.

A capacity entry of 180 cars are involved in what is annually the county’s biggest motorsports event with the majority of the entourage setting off at one minute intervals from the seaside resort’s Beach Road and finishing back at the same spot around 3.20pm on Saturday.

Among those hopeful of a safe but exhilarating run through Dalby, Cropton, Gale Rigg, Staindale and Langdale forests are a dozen or so of North Yorkshire’s most experienced drivers including Thornton Dale's Adam Milner and Sherburn's Steve Bannister, both driving ageing Ford Escorts in the historic rally.

While Milner steers a 1600cc Mk1 Escort Mexico, veteran potato farmer Bannister, who has numerous successes on the Trackrod in a career spanning five decades, pedals a more powerful 2-litre Mk2 version.

Nick Cook and co-driver Dave Raw, both from Whitby, are also in a similar Escort and start just two cars behind Bannister on the road, while Malton pairing Terry Wilson / Tommy Rogers and Scarborough driver Carl Stuttart bring further Escorts to the party.

Pickering garage proprietor and rally regular Steve Magson pilots a much rarer 1981 rear-wheel drive Vauxhall Astra, while near neighbour and local panel beater David Brown pedals yet another Escort.

Stuart Boyes is also a member of the Escort club but pitching his against some more modern opposition in the Trackord Forest Stages event which doesn’t start until Saturday and heads for the same final five stages from the first time starting point of NY500 - a dedicated motorsports and cyclists cafe on the A169 Malton to Pickering road - from around 8.45am.

Special spectator stages are in Cropton (from 9.30am and Dalby forests (from 2.30pm) and advanced tickets are available via the rally website: www.rallyyorkshire.co.uk. There is no facility to pay cash at the entrances. All spectator stages are signposted from the A170 Helmsley-Pickering road.