Rallye Prescott: Legends into the Darkness

Cold hands, hot coffee and the unmistakable sound of rally engines echoing through the trees. Rallye Prescott provided a fitting celebration of the season on Saturday 7 November. Bringing together legendary machinery and familiar names, the event offered plenty to enjoy in daylight before delivering an entirely different experience after dark.

The morning brought a proper autumn chill. Cups of coffee served almost as much purpose warming our hands as keeping us awake. However, following the cars through a camera viewfinder soon demanded our full attention. With this calibre of machinery and drivers tackling Prescott’s bends, there was little opportunity to relax once an engine note announced the next arrival.

Our entertainment had actually begun before we reached the venue. Following Steven Hall’s trailered Talbot Sunbeam into Prescott, we spotted a “Sponsored by the wife” sticker on the back. That promptly started a debate in our own car, with one of us suggesting that perhaps we should get one too. Whether that proposal makes it any further remains to be seen, but the Sunbeam certainly delivered once it reached the hill.

Roger Moran was equally impressive in the Škoda R5. Its purposeful appearance and pace highlighted just how far rally machinery has developed. It also provided a fascinating contrast with the older cars sharing the course. That variety was one of the day’s great strengths: different generations, different sounds and plenty of reasons to keep watching.

Rallying Legends Take to the Hill

Among the headline attractions was Nicky Grist, a name forever associated with some of rallying’s greatest moments through his partnership with Colin McRae. His iconic Toyota Celica GT-Four ST185 brought another chapter of that history to Prescott, with both Grist and three-time British Rally Champion Matt Edwards taking turns behind the wheel.

Seeing such significant machinery on the hill gave the crowd a memorable encounter with rallying heritage. The Celica’s presence was special enough standing still, but hearing it approach and watching it power past gave those familiar Castrol colours their proper setting. These cars deserve to be heard as well as admired, and Prescott gave spectators the chance to enjoy both.

The icons certainly did not stop there. Martyn Spurrell put Colin McRae’s Subaru Impreza WRC through its paces. Its blue-and-yellow livery remains instantly recognisable. There are few combinations of colour, shape and sound that stir rally fans quite like a Subaru in those colours, and its appearance was another highlight.

Paul Chandler’s MG Metro 6R4 brought its own unmistakable character. Compact, purposeful and dominated by that enormous rear wing, it remains a remarkable sight. Against the autumn backdrop, it provided another reminder of the extraordinary variety that makes historic rallying so compelling.

Adam Crowton added to the spectacle in the Opel Astra GSi, while Marcus Padgett’s appearance in Mark Higgins’ Nissan Sunny offered another welcome piece of rally history. Each brought a different personality to the hill, keeping the action interesting throughout the day.

This was a celebration with real depth, where the next car could be just as absorbing as the one everyone had been waiting for.

Prescott Comes Alive After Dark

As daylight faded, Prescott changed character.

The familiar course became a ribbon of tarmac disappearing between dark trees. Headlights picked out the bends, spotlights swept across barriers and grass, and the sound of well-tuned engines blasted into the darkness.

Cars announced themselves through noise and approaching beams of light before briefly emerging into view. Moments later, they vanished further up the hill, leaving spectators waiting for the next arrival.

For us, photographing the action became an even greater challenge. Balancing darkness, dazzling lamps and moving cars demanded plenty of concentration, but it also produced some of the day’s most atmospheric moments.

Watching a car climb away, its rear lights shrinking into the distance while its headlights illuminated the road ahead, captured the appeal of the evening perfectly.

The crowd remained absorbed as the temperature dropped. Conversations about favourite cars along the spectator areas were regularly interrupted whenever another engine approached. There was a shared sense of enjoyment, with everyone appreciating.

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Thanks to Jeff Silver Photography, David and Andrew Harbey for this Rallye Prescott Hillclimb report. All of this season’s Hillclimb reports PistonClick have covered can be found by following the link below.