The 2025 Salford Van Hire Neil Howard Stages at Oulton Park once again provided the curtain raiser for the 2025/26 Protyre Circuit Rally Championship. Traditionally, the Neil Howard Stages not only opens the Protyre season but also brings Oulton Park’s busy motorsport calendar to a close for winter. Organised, as ever, by the Bolton-le-Moors Car Club, this year’s event featured 53 miles of technical stages that made full use of the Cheshire circuit’s perimeter roads and infield sections. The rally also included the much photographed water splash on two stages, as well as a gravel section running parallel to the start finish straight, making it one of the most varied challenges competitors will face this season.
The BTCC returned after its annual summer break and to an action-packed race day at Oulton Park. Ash Sutton headed into the weekend as championship leader, with Tom Ingram just behind.
The top spot for race one was taken by Senna Proctor after an impressive qualifying performance he took his maiden pole position in the series. Alongside him was Gordon Shedden, with Rory Butcher and Daniel Rowbottom on the second row. The biggest loser would be Tom Ingram who wasn’t able to set a time due to a mechanical failure and had to start from the back of the grid.
Sam Moffett and Keith Moriarty winners of the 2021 British Rally Championship opener at Oulton Park.
The Motorsport Vision Racing Circuit in the Cheshire countryside is perhaps one of the more picturesque race circuits in the UK and has been hosting rounds of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championships in the form of the Neil Howard Stages for a number of years.
Following the cancellation of the whole British Rally Championships season last year due to COVID, the Championships was itching to get going again this year. Up steps, the Neil Howard Stages
