Hero Challenge Two 2026
Hero Challenge 2
*MR2 Crowned King of Bomber County
*Top Three Split by Mere Seconds as Fight Goes to Final Test
*Baptism of Fire for Bob Rutherford Scholarship Winner
The HERO Challenge Championship returned to action today, with the second round providing a ding-dong battle for the win, that was settled by just two seconds. HERO Challenge Two, based in Louth, Lincolnshire, unfolded over 150 miles, with 6 challenging regularities and 8 fantastic tests. The top spot on the podium was taken by John King and Miles Fieldhouse, with just two seconds between them and second and third place.
Lincolnshire is famous for its big skies, but for the best part of today they were filled with thick cloud, not in keeping with the June date for what is supposed to have been a summer rally. The action today though wasn’t up above, but down below, on the tarmac of the counties fabulous roads. At 08:01 exactly, car 1, a MK2 Aston Martin crewed by Nigel Dowding and Mary Antcliffe, took the starters flag, followed by the 68 other competitors taking part in this one-day event.
The action began almost immediately, with the first of six regularities starting just a few short miles from the start. This would set the tone for the day, with the navigation on the tricky side, but with no real tricks. There were cars going wrong from the outset though, and it was clear that anyone who wanted to win today would need to keep up the concentration levels to succeed.
The mornings action would come thick and fast, with a trio of tests following reg 1, taking place at RAF Strubby, a former Lancaster base. The airfield now boasts a kart circuit, as well as plenty of gravel and broken tarmac on what is left of the airfield. The tests would make use of all of this, with plenty of transitions from grippy to slippery surfaces to keep the drivers on their toes, whilst the navigators called the cones. HC1’s top test driver Nick Bloxham showed early why he was going to be the man to beat on the tests, throwing his Escort around with ease. Others were trying, sometimes too hard, such as Dave Elson and Richard Warner in a blue MG B, who almost span out on the gravel.
Regularity number 2 followed the tests, with the reduction in speed hopefully calming the pulses of the drivers, though perhaps raising the heart rates of the navigators, as they made sense of the tulips and the junctions. More than a few of the local residents may have been confused by the appearance of classic cars on their driveways, as wrong slots were taken, but not nearly as confused as the occupants of the cars as they attempted to work out where they had gone wrong. The reg finished with a tricky section through a farmyard, over roughshod dirt that needed care to pick a safe path through. There were some big penalties incurred on this section, including for some of those that would have been hoping for a podium, like Nick Bloxham and Mike Cochrane, and Paul Crosby and Pete Johnson. Even the local farmers, Dick and Harry Baines lost time in the farmyard and by the time the morning time control came around nobody was in any doubt they were in a rally.
As the first set of results were issued by the timekeepers, the lead was in the hands of John King and Miles Fieldhouse, but not by much, with a gaggle of cars close behind. More tests followed the short break, with three sections at Fulbeck Airfield, another former Lancaster base. The tests would take place on Fulbeck’s kart Circuit, as well as on the gravel tracks surrounding the airfield, that were incredibly slippery in places. The most spectacular loss of adhesion was suffered by Dave Alcock in his Datsun 240z, being navigated by Bob Rutherford Scholarship winner Jocelyn Jones, taking part in her first event. She must have wondered just what she had let herself in for, as the Datsun ended up half in a ditch, with the front of the car pointing to the sky as the concrete ran out faster than the car could turn. Dave kept the throttle pinned though, and extracted them both without too much difficulty, but a wrong test would scupper them anyway, as Jocelyn continues to make the transition from vintage hill climb driver, to classic car navigator.
Another regularity would fill the gap between the tests and the lunch halt, as the cars gathered at the International Bomber Command Centre, home of the UK’s tallest war memorial. There were no doubts some moments of reflection and clarity, and a chance to take stock of a thrilling mornings competition, which had been tempestuous for some. Out front the lead had changed hands, with John Lomas and Ryan Pickering now leading the charge into the afternoon, but by mere seconds, and with three regularities and 2 tests still to go, there would be plenty of chance to gain, or indeed lose time.
As it was those fighting for the win would remain tight with one another during the final regs, with five cars in the mix for victory, including Peter Higton and Iain Tullie in a Volvo Amazon, and Noel Kelly and Phil Savage in another Amazon, and after fighting back up the leaderboard father and son Dick and Harry Baines were still with an outside shout. The penultimate regularity proved the most testing, with five timing points causing everyone to tot up the seconds, though out of all of the top 5 it was King and Fieldhouse that were consistently keeping the penalties in single figures.
The duo in the MR2 still reckoned they were behind going into the final pair of tests though, with them needing a good performance from the flying wedge to ensure they pulled back as much time on Lomas and Pickering as was possible. Despite not topping their class on the final test, the Golf of JLo and Ryan finished much further down the order and by the time the results were finalised John King and Miles Fieldhouse had done enough to triumph, by a mere two seconds from John Lomas and Ryan Pickering in second, and Peter Higton and Iain Tullie in third, with the Volvo equal on penalty time with the second placed Golf.
The win marked another success for Rally of the Tests winner King, and former Bob Rutherford Scholarship winner Fieldhouse, who capped a great day rallying with the top step of the podium. Second placed navigator Ryan Pickering won the Clock-watchers award for the best performance on the regularities and Nick Bloxham again won the driver’s Test Pilot award, for best performance on the tests.
John King, first placed driver – “It was tough. Miles was always on the money, but we thought we had fallen away. We were third at lunch, but we kept it tight during the afternoon. We knew we needed two good tests at the end though, and in the end, it went our way. It was a tough field, full of tough guys, this was a proper rally, and it feels so good to win it.”
Miles Fieldhouse, first placed navigator – “It was fine margins all day long. It was nice to do it after things didn’t go our way in Challenge 1 and after rotten luck last year on this event. What goes around comes around I guess, and it’s nice to end up with a positive result.”
John Lomas, second placed driver – “It was good, challenging, HC2 is always harder than HC1, we just aren’t quick enough on the tests, so we need to go away and find a few more horsepower.”
Ryan Pickering, second placed navigator – “More of a challenge than HC1, good roads and great company, we just weren’t as good as Miles and John. I can’t wait for HC3.”
Peter Higton, third placed driver – “It’s been pretty good, yeah, a good day. It’s been very enjoyable, my first time with Iain and he was brilliant.”
Ian Tullie, third placed navigator – “Peter drove really well. It was a great event, great regs and tests, we’ve really enjoyed it. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, we will try and get them next time.”