John Griffiths and Emma Morrison got their 2026-27 Circuit Rally Championship campaign off to a perfect start with victory at the Neil Howard Stage Rally and Fireworks event last weekend, as another action-packed Oulton Park season came to a close.
John Griffiths and Emma Morrison battled all day with arch rivals Michael Igoe and Kirsty Riddick, who were a late addition to the entry in the Dom Buckley-entered Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, but eventually overcame their rivals, and the tough conditions, to secure victory. Igoe and Riddick ensured it was a tight contest throughout, with the gap between the leading cars never growing to more than six seconds.
However, with conditions deteriorating as a thick fog descended on the Cheshire circuit, the result was called with two stages left to run, denying last years champion a chance to close the gap to the top in the final stages. Griffiths won three of the six stages and tied for fastest with Igoe on two more to complete a perfect day.
Completing the overall podium was Jack Darbyshire and Matthew Kendall after a strong run in their Ford Fiesta R5, whose only incident of the day was a clash with another car at a merge on stage six, which inflicted some cosmetic damage.
Father-and-son team Mike and Lewis English were classified fourth in their Fiesta Rally2, despite suffering from power steering problems. They finished just six seconds ahead of the Citroen C3 Rally2 of Mark Gellatly and Harriet Worth. An impressive sixth overall and best of the two-wheel-drive cars went to Wil Owen and Chloe Thomas in their potent Ford Escort Mk2, and they had just five seconds in hand over the ex-Igoe Citroen C3 Rally2 of rallying newcomer Pete Taylor and co-driver Will Atkins in seventh.
Class winners Jordan Murphy and John Hornby in a Mitsubishi Lancer E9, and Phil House and Nick Beaumont in a Ford Escort Mk2, slotted into the lower end of the top 10, while rallying returnee Rupert Lomax and Andy Darlington rounded out the top 10 in their Ford Fiesta R5.
Salford Van Hire Neil Howard Stage Rally results:
- John Griffiths/Emma Morrison, Skoda Fabia R5, 41m07s
- Michael Igoe/Kirsty Riddick, Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, +6s
- Jack Darbyshire/Matthew Kendall, Ford Fiesta R5, +1m27s
- Mike English/Lewis English, Ford Fiesta Rally2, +1m55s
- Mark Gellatly/Harriet Worth, Citroen C3 Rally2, +2m01s
- Wil Owen/Chloe Thomas, Ford Escort Mk2, +2m13s
- Peter Taylor/Will Atkins, Citroën C3 Rally2, +2m18s
- Jordan Murphy/John Hornby, Mitsubishi Lancer E9, +2m58s
- Philip House/Nick Beaumont, Ford Escort Mk2, +3m24s
- Rupert Lomax/Andy Darlington, Ford Fiesta R5, +3m24s
To view the full stage results, click here.