by Rebecca Hannant
Villages across Beverley and Holderness will host the second East Riding Stages event this weekend.
On Sunday, February 26, 150 rally cars will race around the region. The event, organised by Beverley and District Motor Club, will start in Beverley town centre, where each of the cars will arrive waiting for their chance to race along each stage totalling 45 minutes.
Beverley will also host the fan zone, sponsored by Visit East Yorkshire, where families can get up close to the cars before and after their runs. The fan zone will also host the ceremonial start of the rally and the final prize giving, with a winner’s podium arena within the market square.
The event schedule will see rally cars lined up in vast numbers between 8am and 9am and then a steady stream of cars will pass though the fan zone throughout the day, with the winners receiving their awards at about 5pm.
Spectators will be able to watch the rally’s own TV channel on a big display screen, featuring live interviews and live rally highlights from the competition cars on the stages which will be placed at the fan zone.
The event will see crews race twice around four rally stages on closed roads in the area including Meaux, Benningholme, Skirlaugh, Old Ellerby, West Newton, Whitedale, Rise, Little Hadfield, Seaton, Nunkeeling and Dunnington before returning to the fan zone in Beverley for the finish of the event.
Among the racers will be last year’s winners David Henderson and Chris Lees, who will be returning with their Ford Fiesta R5. Of the 150 cars, it is estimated that the top 10 cars are worth more than £10 million.
The rally’s event director, Richard Vincent, said: “Our 2022 event was so well received by competitors and local residents that Visit East Yorkshire and Beverley Town Council have been very happy to support us in our planning and allowed us to start from this fantastic location.
“We’re delighted to be able to take the event to the next level, by bringing a fabulous fan zone to Beverley town centre, and I’m very happy that Kev Furber will be our fan zone host with his wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for rallying.”
Kev said: “As a competitor myself, there’s nothing more thrilling than seeing that spectators are being encouraged to come along to an event. On international rallies, a marketplace like this is very commonly used for the cars to come together, and that’s what we’re going to replicate here. Rally crews will know that the Ypres Rally in Belgium is a fantastic event that really embraces spectators. The ultimate dream over the next five years is that’s exactly what Beverley and District Motor Club are going to deliver here in Beverley.”
Local retailers, coffee shops, cafes and eateries will be open for business, in association with Visit East Yorkshire. There will also be a series of rally simulators and 3D virtual reality experiences around the fan zone. Interviews, autographs and interactions will also be encouraged with the drivers.
For more information about the stages and for tickets, visit bdmc.org.uk/east-riding-stages.
