HENRI Grehan together with his Hereford based co-driver Dan Petrie took their maiden British Historic championship victory in their home Phil Price Memorial Woodpecker National Rally.

The pair in their Plaslime Escort RS1800 took victory after a titanic battle with the reigning British champion Matt Edwards in the Fiat 131 that came down to the final test in Radnor Forest.

Edwards was the first to strike moving four seconds clear of the local boy then took  a further second on the short first Radnor test.

Grehan took six seconds back on the longer Stanlo Tump test to hold a two second lead going into service with another local boy Robert Gough in third some 25 seconds behind the warring duo.

The afternoon loop comprised of the re-run of the Haye Park and the two Radnor tests.

On both of the first two tests Edwards took a second from Grehan to go into the final long Stanlo Tump test dead level, so who was going to blink first?

Sadly for Edwards he put the Fiat 131 off the road leaving Grehan and Petrie to savoir victory on their home rally by 30 seconds from Robert Gough who had the experienced Sam Collis on the notes.

Gough who held third for most of the event comfortably ahead of the Fiat 131 of Nick Elliott before Edwards late retirement. 

Unfortunately it's wasn't a good event for another Herefordshire resident Roger Chilman in the Securcom, Dansford, Connop & Sons, Wales Motorsport backed Escort RS1800 with Lion Williams on the notes.

A slow start after the first two stages saw the duo holding fifth place despite a puncture but the plummeted down the leader-board on the Stanlo Tump stage after distributor issues. Despite a good run through the opening afternoon test retirement beckoned on the next test. 

In the Inter-club event Perry Gardner with Hereford’s Jack Bowen on the notes had a fantastic run to second overall in the Devanti Tyres backed Fiesta R5. Gardner was in the top three all day and moved up to second after Matt Hirst’s retirement.

Rally school owner John Caine had the experienced Andrew Sankey calling the notes in the Subaru Impreza and took an excellent eighth overall.

Neil Weaver in the awesome sounding Vauxhall Corsa S1600 with Jamie Edwards alongside took a convincing victory in B10 and 14th overall.

Multiple Woodpecker Stages winner Richard Gough in his beautiful Rothmans liveried Escort RS1800 took a superb 21st overall & second in class, ably guided by Jonny Evans.

John Brazier and Damian Bird took 41st in there Mitsubishi Evo 

Veteran campaigners Nigel Mee with John Fellows finished 50th in the Subaru Impreza 

Colin Griffiths & Michael Wilding netted 85th in a Subaru Impreza.

The Inter-club event was won by Callum Black and Jack Morton in his new Ford Fiesta Rally 2