Protyre Asphalt Championship set for sensational start on ERSR

The 2026 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship is set for a sensational start with around half of the East Riding Stages Rally entry made up of registered championship contenders.

Defending champion Sam Touzel will join the reigning Protyre BTRDA Series and five-time Pirelli Welsh champion Matthew Hirst on the impressive list of starters.

Sam Touzel / Max Freeman at the 2025 East Riding Stages Rally. Photo: Rally Media UK

Sam was the class of the field last year and will start as favourite for maximum points on the opening round of this year’s sealed surface series, when he and co-driver Max Freeman contest the event in their Michelin-shod Smart Scaffolding/Trade Centre UK Fiesta Rally2.

Sam arrives in the host town of Beverley match fit, having scored an impressive top 10 overall result on the recent Galway International Rally in his PB Engineering-run car.

The reigning champion will face stiff opposition, notably from three-time series runner-up Neil Roskell, who also contested Galway, and together with co-driver Jack Morton will be aiming for nothing less than outright victory in his ND Civils/Witham Oils Fiesta Rally2.

Neil Roskell is a familiar sight on the East Riding Stages entry list. Photo: Rally Media UK

Gravel expert Matthew Hirst might be a newcomer to the Protyre Asphalt Championship, but as the current Protyre BTRDA Series, five-time Pirelli Welsh rally champion and twice top-10 East Riding finisher, the Doncaster ace will be in the mix for a top result – despite the fact his Delta Salvage/Witham Motorsport Škoda Fabia R5 is far from the latest spec compared to some of its Rally2 rivals. Nevertheless, he is a fierce competitor no matter what the surface and will undoubtedly be fighting hard with the asphalt aficionados.

Mathew Hirst/ Declan Dear have supported the event since the start and are one of the crews tipped for the win. Photo: Rally Media UK

This year’s new-look two-day East Riding Stages Rally begins with four stages / 18 stage miles on Saturday (21 February) evening run in the dark over the Yorkshire Wolds just to the west of Beverley. Sunday 22 February contains a further 10 stages, all run in daylight, before the finish ceremony in Beverley.

There are a host of other fast Fiesta Rally2 crews aiming to get their Protyre Asphalt Championship off to a strong start and put themselves in early contention for the end-of-season prize of a test in a Ford Puma Rally1.

With a full season in his Trick Motorsport-prepared and East Budleigh Garage-run Hydroline Solutions Fiesta Rally2 under his belt, Brad Cole will be a title contender this year. The Somerset driver will return to East Yorkshire with more speed and confidence and, together with co-driver Jamie Vaughan, will be aiming for a very strong points finish.

David Wright was on the cusp of maximum Protyre Asphalt points several times in recent years, although things like a spin backwards through a hedge – which happened on last year’s East Riding – have cost him dear. A clean run in his GPM/DamperTek/Grove Hill Garage Fiesta Rally2 will no doubt put him and co-driver Jane Nicol in contention for the win.

Former Escort Challenge frontrunner Aled Wyn Morgans has swapped his Escort Mk2 for a Fiesta Rally2. He and co-driver Jack Bowen gave the Aberystwyth Motorsport car a pre-season shakedown run to third in class on the recent single venue Snetterton Stages Rally, and will be one to watch this year.

Other championship contenders in Fiesta Rally 2 cars include Nathan Bolton/Phil Kenny, Darrell Taylor/Martin Brady and Mike English/Andy Robinson. 

John Stone/Rhys Stoneman will be challenging for maximum points in their Legend Performance Volkswagen Polo R5 GTI, while Hugh Brunton/Drew Sturrock also appear in a Polo GTI. Mark Ewing/Sion Cunniff, Roger Duckworth/Alun Cook and Aileen and John Forrest have entered in Fiesta R5s.

Other leading 4WD cars aiming for a top overall position, but primarily Class B victory, include defending class champion Adrian Spencer (co-driven by Mark Hewitt in his RED Industries Adgespeed Subaru Impreza S11 WRC replica). Steven Harvey/Robert Bryn Jones and David and Adam Mclachlan are also in Imprezas.

Luke Constantine/Ifan Devine had some bad luck on last year's ERSR but will be hoping for a better finish on the event this year. Photo: Russ Otway / Mark Sims.

Reigning Protyre Asphalt Junior champion Luke Constantine will be contesting the event with co-driver Ifan Devine in their very rapid Opel Adam R2.

Huw James/Lewis Sim return to defend their Class C and Escort Challenge titles in their A&D Tyres Escort Mk2. The Llanon driver was on sensational form last year, winning his class three times (including on the East Riding) and finishing sixth in the overall drivers’ standings.

They’ll be up against the likes of Phil Turner/Frazer Moss, Gareth Bevan/Dafydd Evans, Russell Addyman/Kev Wilson, Mark Jasper/Don Whyatt, Tim Phelps/Peter Wilson, Kyle Adam/Steven Brown and Ben Hardy/Daniel Long (all in Escort Mk2s).

Lee Edwards/Sam Spencer will also be targeting both Class C and Escort Challenge honours (titles the Oswestry driver won in 2021) when they contest the series in their rapid V6-engined Blakemore’s Autos/Evans Construction/P&B Tyres/Bailey Performance Escort G3.

There is no guarantee a Ford will win Class C – not with the likes of Max Murray/Matthew Owen (Manxman’s BVS Vehicles Citroen DS3 R3T), Gareth Price/Liam Evans (BMW Compact), Gareth Humphreys/Aaron Mallin (Mini Cooper S R53), Andy Brinkley/Helena Mayall (BMW E38 M3) and Dan Taylor/Andy Conibear (Hanlons Brewery/Prescott Brewery BMW Compact) in the mix.

Reigning Class E champions Alyn Welsby/Dan Parsons return in their road rally spec Cymru Camper Furniture/Davies & Davies Furnishers Escort Mk2 and will be battling for the title with the likes of Neil Jones/Alan Thomas (Escort Mk2) and Nathan Evans/Rhys Edwards (911 Sport/JD Tyres/The Kitchen Installers Renault Clio 3 RS).

The large assortment of cars continues with defending Class D champion James Lightfoot (co-driven by Chris Pattison in his Peugeot 208 Rally4), Chris Richmond Hand/Shaun Richards (DC Motorsport Toyota Starlet), Jeff Simm/Daniel Callaghan (Suzuki Swift Sport), Steven Lawrence/Karl Edwards (Honda Civic), Ben Lyon/Jack Corlett (BL Plumbing & Drainage/DPM Renault Clio), Charlie Wright/Adam Westerby (Harper University Fiesta R2T), Peter Harrison/Nigel Morris (Peugeot 106) and Jack and Helen Hall (Proton Compact) – to name but a few.

There is a strong entry in the BTRDA Historic Asphalt Cup section, led by Mark Holmes/Tom Simkiss (ND Civils/Mark Holmes Auto Engineering Escort Mk1), Andrew O'Hanlon/Kevin Hogan (Mini Cooper S), David Iwan Jones/Nigel Roberts (HIJ Electrical Contractors/Mill Farm Eggs/Wales Motorsport/JD Tyres/GNJ Construction Escort Mk2), Shane Gamble/Julia Perry (Mini Cooper S) and Matthew Baddeley/ Graeme Wood (Self Storage Company/Stratos PDI Escort Mk2).

Action from the East Riding Stages Rally will be streamed live and free-to-view on the Special Stage TV Facebook and YouTube channels.

For more information on the Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship, please go to asphaltrallying.com.

About Protyre

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