Riponian Stage Rally 2026

Last weekend I found myself standing in the freezing cold North Yorkshire Ripon forest. As the distant echoes of exhausts and the smell of damp pine assaulted my senses, the 2026 Riponian Stage Rally roared to life. One hundred and thirty-six crews had turned up to tackle forty-four miles of forest and gravel roads.

This wasn’t just a national event; there were several regional championships being contested. Also competing at the event was the opening round of the Historic and Mini Rally Championships. The agile Minis would attack special stages 1 to 3, while the angry Rally2 cars and the sideways Escorts would take on all six stages.

Spectating 

With six special stages, it would be difficult as a spectator photographer to get round all three of them. So I picked one, Cropton. Designated areas had been set aside at each stage for the fans to watch. Parking was provided, accessible via a £20 ticket that was available online from the Ripon Motorsports Club website.  

From my vantage point on a frosty crest, I watched Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh blast through. The Hooch-liveried Ford Fiesta Rally2 dancing on the edge but looking utterly in control. They set the tone immediately, and by the time news filtered through at the end of the day that they’d finished in 38 minutes and 9 seconds, sealing the win. It felt like I’d witnessed something special. Back-to-back Riponian victories for Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh are impressive.

It wasn’t an easy fight though, Joe Cunningham and Joshua Beer were right on the pace in their Fiesta RS WRC, finishing just 17 seconds behind. Liam Clark and Jack Morton were a further 12 seconds adrift and came in third. Less than half a minute between the top three over forty-four flat-out miles, every crest, braking point, and pace note counted.

Riponian Stage Rally Historics 

The Historics were just as thrilling to watch. I’m so used to the forests echoing with Ford Escort MkIIs that seeing #11 George Lepely and Dafydd Evans hustling their Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 through the stages felt like a proper shake-up. They were committed and tidy, and when I heard they’d taken the win in 40 minutes and 28 seconds, I couldn’t help but cheer. Richard Hill and Patrick Cooper #19 kept the Escort faithful happy with second, and Paul Thompson with Josh Davidson brought another MkII home in third.

Riponian Stage Rally Mini Rally Challenge

The Mini Rally Challenge is a one make championship running on tarmac and gravel. The competitors can choose to compete on just the tarmac or gravel or both. Pitched as an affordable way into rallying this Championship is not just for those new to rallying. Teams regularly have experienced members alongside Rally Rookies. William Lumley-Holmes and David Robinson took the overall Mini Rally Challenge win in the Mini Cooper S (R35).

Photographic Post Script

For this assignment I used the Sony Alpha ILCE-6400A, a compact and lightweight weather-sealed APS-C mirrorless camera. It has a 24.2 MP APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor and an upgraded BIONZ X image processor. Attached lens was the Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS. A compact, lightweight telephoto zoom lens designed for Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras, offering a 35mm equivalent focal length of 82.5–315mm. 

Packing my kit away the end of the day, I was frozen to the bone but buzzing. The Riponian Rally reminded me why I love this sport: tight times, spectacular driving, and the raw thrill of watching and photographing cars on the limit in the winter woods. If this is how 2026 has started, the season ahead is going to be great.

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