REPORT / BRANDS HATCH STAGES 2026

02/02/2026 Off By admin

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB SAYER

The 2026 MGJ Engineering Brands Hatch Winter Stages would once again mark the midway point of the Protyre Circuit Rally Championship. Organised by Chelmsford Motor Club, the event offered competitors 35 miles of sealed surface rallying across 8 demanding stages. Traditionally the first event of the year at Brands Hatch, this time marking a landmark occasion in the circuit’s history as the Kent venue enters it’s centenary year.

Whilst the day dawned unseasonably warm and dry for January, the conditions on the tarmac told a different story. Heavy rain in the run up to the event left the surface greasy and treacherous with grip at a premium as crews began dragging mud and gravel onto the line.

The narrative of the morning loop was dominated by one crew: Patrick O’Donovan and Sven Grube. The 2024 FIA European Rallycross Champion, seeded second in his Hyundai i20 R5, showed that his lack of traditional rallying experience was no hindrance to his sheer talent. Flying out of the blocks in SS1 and setting the pace, fastest through by 3 seconds.

Behind him the slippery conditions began claiming victims. The opening stage was red flagged for over 40 minutes following a double incident at Paddock Hill Bend. Bradley Carroll (Escort Mk II) spun into the gravel trap only to be struck moments later by Ryan Fagan’s Fiesta R5 having suffered an identical loss of traction. Fortunately both crews walked away unscathed.

While O’Donovan extended his lead to a commanding 19 seconds by the lunchtime halt, winning all four morning stages in the process, championship leaders John Griffiths and Emma Morrison were having a torrid time of things. The pair stalled their Skoda Fabia R5 at a hairpin in SS1 then followed this up with a violent backwards spin into the barriers at Druids on SS2. Despite a bent exhaust and a popped boot lid they limped on, mounting a recovery drive that would see them sitting 6th overall by lunchtime.

Midday Shock: As crews prepared to head back out for SS5, it emerged that rally leaders O’Donovan and Grube had been disqualified for clipping cones at a split point during the previous stage. The punishment, total exclusion from the event, set off a debate regarding the draconian nature of the regulations with many feeling a time penalty would have been sufficient.

With the Hyundai now removed from the equation, the fight at the top was wide open. Michael Igoe inherited the lead but he had company. Richard Weatherley and Shaun Layland, consistent all morning in their Citroen C3 Rally2, matched Igoe’s time on SS5 and with just three stages remaining the gap at the top was down to 6 seconds.

As dusk settled over the circuit and lamp pods illuminated the track things got really interesting. Weatherley threw caution to the wind in SS6, clawing a second back from Igoe, reducing the deficit down to just 5. Meanwhile, an unexpected battle for the final podium spot emerged between championship veteran John Stone (VW Polo GTi R5) and the international wildcard entry from Barbados, Stuart Maloney.

Heading into the final stage Igoe held a 7 second lead over Weatherley. However, there was to be one more twist in the tale as just over a mile from the final stop control Weatherley’s Citroen suffered a catastrophic component failure. Leaking oil igniting on the hot turbo, forcing the crew to retire from 2nd place as their engine bay went up in smoke.

FINAL RESULTS

Weatherley’s heartbreak was Michael Igoe’s triumph. The no.1 seed kept his cool to win the final stage, thus securing overall victory by a convincing 18 second margin.

”It’s been a good day,” Igoe commented at the finish. “Very tricky conditions for everyone this morning. We kept it clean all day. The last few stages have been more like 90% than 110%, but we’ve done the job, back where we need to be.”

Benefiting from the late retirement, the Barbadian duo of Stuart Maloney and Kristian Yearwood brought their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 home in 2nd place overall. As they were not registered for championship points these would go to John Stone and Rhys Stoneman.

“We loved the new map in the car,” said a delighted Stone, who finished 3rd on the road. “The boys in service worked really hard! We broke a top mount and they sorted it out within minutes. Brilliant job.”

Despite finishing 8th overall, Alfie Threlfall and Patrick Cross (Mitsubishi Evo X) took victory in Class 2, propelling them to the top of the championship standings by 2 points. While Michael Igoe currently sits 5th, the “dropped score” rule means he is effectively the virtual leader of the championship, setting up a thrilling second half of the season.