Herefordshire rally driver Roger Chilman came out on top in the Riponian Stages rally tests on Sunday, with Aberystwyth-based co-driver Patrick Walsh.

In a nip-and-tuck fight for the lead which saw up to four protagonists in with a chance of taking the win, it was the Ford Escort MKII crew of Chilman and Walsh who kept their cool over the final loop of stages to set their stall out early with a maiden win in the Fuchs Lubricant British Historic Rally Championship.

“That’s a fantastic win,” said Chilman.

“We had a really clean run today and went as quick as we wanted to go and really enjoyed the day.

“Some great stages out there but they were a bit tricky, although there was a lot more grip than we thought there was going to be. That said, there were some slippery patches around.

“Tom [Walster] has been amazing today considering it’s his second time in the car so he will be a real factor in the championship. But this is a great start to the year”.

Patrick, a capital projects officer at Hywel Dda NHS Trust, is a freelance rally co-driver, guiding national-level competitors to success across the UK & Ireland, Western Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

His key achievements include:

• 2019: 1st Overall British Rally Championship Co-driver

• 2012: 1st Overall British Historic Rally Championship Co-Driver

• 2010: 1st Overall Dunlop Irish National Rally Championship Co-Driver

• 2007: 1st Overall Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Co-Driver

• 2003: 1st Overall Welsh National Forest Championship Co-Driver