Rallye Harewood 2025

British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), Yorkshire Centre organised its first out of season non-Championship event, the Rallye Harewood 2025. The normal Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship runs from March to September. This was a hillclimb but a hillclimb with a difference. A rally style hillclimb running through daylight and into the darkness on Saturday 13^th December 2025. This meant that most cars would be fitted with extra Cibie’s or simlair or indeed the large light pods. A few had moved over to the modern LED’s.

Harewood does have a rich rallying history and heritage. It was used as a special stage in the Lombard RAC Rally and Rally GB through to the early 1990s. Rallying legends including Hannu Mikkola and Juha Kankkunen have taken on the hill. Britain’s own Roger Clark driving the Cossack Ford Escort MkII RS1800 has also competed at Harewood.

Rallye Harewood 2025 offered the starting 77 competitors a chance to tackle the famous Yorkshire hill with practice and competitive runs in daylight and darkness. A number of Harewood regulars would also be taken part in the event.

With each competitive run been treated as a Special Stage with cumulative times used to determine the winners in each of the different classes. The cars ranged from modified road and stage rally cars, right up to the more powerful specialist R5 and Rally2 rally cars. If any driver failed to finish a run, say due to a mechanical issue or not having all four wheels within the track limits at the finish a nominal time of 90.00 seconds would be awarded.  

Rally cars of interest.

Included on the entry list were a few unusual and interesting cars. A twin engined VW Scirocco driven by Kimberley Mather and the 6.2 litre Chevey engined, 4 wheel drive Simmbugghini driven by Steve Hill.

The event was a pre-booked, all ticket event which was a sell out. First practice got under way at about 10:30, under a bit of winter sunshine and though this did not last but at least it didn’t rain. Drivers reported that the track conditions were damp and very slippy. A couple of timed runs were completed before a late and much longer lunch-break,than normal.

Then with darkness closing in, second practice got underway followed by two more timed runs, it was the timed runs in the morning and the afternoon that were added together for the final results.

Joe Cunningham

Joe Cunningham won the first Round of the Protyre Autocare Circuit Rally Championship 2025-26 at Oulton Park and came second in the Jack Frost Stages Rally at Croft Circuit last weekend.

John Stone

John Stone driving his VW Polo GTi R5 who was lies fourth after Round 3 of the Protyre Autocare Circuit Rally Championship 2025-26 which took place at Donnington Park Circuit on 30^th November.

Charlie Mathewson

Charlie Mathewson from the TV program Bangers and Cash on the U & Yesterday channel. Driving his VW Up having just sold his Mini Cooper S, which he used to win the Mini Rally Tarmac, Mini Rally Gravel and Mini Overall Champion for 2025.

Paul Woodford

From Special Stages TV and Rally TV presenter Paul Woodford was driving his Mini Cooper S, which he is using to shine the spotlight on accessible “Grass Roots Rally Adventure”.  This was the fourth discipline that Paul has take part in his adventure.

Roger and Scott Moran

Father and son Roger and Scott Moran sharing the Skoda Fabia R2, today, both British Hillclimb Championship Champions. Roger won the Championship in 1997, while Scott has won the Championship six times in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016 driving a Gould. Scott has also held the Hill record at Harewood in 2006, 2013, 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately the car had a water pump issue and Scott shared the Skoda Fabia VRS diesel of Alastair Moffatt.

Simon Green

Driving a Subaru Impreza “Colin McRae Series” Simon Green stood out. Simon has not taken part in the 2025 Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship but was second in the 2024 Championship and is a long time sponsor of the Championship with his family business KT Green, which is just down the road from the hill in Otley.

Driving a Ford Fiesta R5 Jonathan Mounsey, a Harewood regular from several years ago, was second in the Harewood Speed Championship in 2019. Jonathan along with several other Harewood Hill regulars driving cars that they have used during this years championship, fitted with extra lights or light pods to their cars. He went on to set the Fastest Time of the Day during his second timed run.

Jonathan set the Class 1 D record back on 16^th September 2018 for road cars production over 2000cc, 4 wheel drive, driving a Mitsubishi Evo VI. This record has only just been beaten by James Hudson driving a Subaru Impreza back on 2^nd August 2025. James was also taking part in this event but unfortunately had an issue during his second timed run which put him out for the rest of the day.

Rallye Harewood 2025 Award winners.

Fastest Time of the Day.

Jonathan Mounsey driving a Ford Fiesta R5.

Fastest 4-wheel drive car with a valid Motorsport UK Rally Log book.

Joe Cunningham driving the ex- Mads Ostberg’s Ford Fiesta.

Fastest 4-wheel drive car without a valid Motorsport UK Rally Log book.

Eynon Price driving an Audi Quattro TT.

Fastest front wheel drive car.

Andrew Foster driving a Vauxhall Corsa.

Fastest rear wheel drive car.

Peter House driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Rally2.

Fastest Rally Category 1 Car with a valid Motorsport UK Rally Log Book.

Anthony Shield driving a Ford Escort MkI BDA.

Fastest Rally Category 3 Car with a valid Motorsport UK Rally Log Book.

David Wingfield driving a Ford Escort RS2000 MkII.

Driver of the day, as nominated by the Chief Marshal.

Steve Hill driving the Simmbugghini.

Car of the day, as nominated by the Chief Scrutineer.

Ian Hunt and all the way from Sweden, Hans-ake Soderqvist driving an Austin Mini Cooper S MkI.

Fastest Under 25 driver.

Tom Weaver driving a Citroen Saxo VTS.

Full Events Timed Results: Saturday 13 December Rallye Harewood 2025

List of Award winners: Rally Harewood 2025

Many thanks to BARC Yorkshire Centre for the opportunity to be track side during 2025. Lets not forget all the volunteer Marshals, Medical and the Darlington & District Rescue Teams, along with all the back office staff without which the events at Harewood Hill could not take place.

Next event at Harewood Hill will be Practice Day for BARC Yorkshire members on the 22^nd March 2026 and the first Championship event will be the Spring National event which will take place on 12^th April 2026.

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