• Apley Estate, and Willey Estate to host rally stages.
• 48km of new stages around Shropshire estates to spice up this year’s festival.
• Apley Farm Shop, a new location for Meet and Greet and start of the dusk stages.
• Spot the rally cars as they travel between stages with 60km of road mileage.
• University of Wolverhampton Telford Campus to host Service Park
• Louise Aitken-Walker, former Ladies Rally Champion returns to the commentary box.
• Advanced tickets only on sale now. No ticket sales on the gate.

This year’s Historic Rally Festival is set to be one of the most exciting so far as the Festival moves to two new stages in Shropshire, a fabulous new Meet and Greet opportunity, the popular Dusk Stages and new location for the Service Park.

Helping to keep spectators up to speed will be former Ladies Rally Champion Louise Aitken-Walker who will again be joining Paul Woodford in the commentary box, at the stage starts and finishes. The popular pairing will be out and about during the event talking to the entrants as they prepare to tackle the stages.

The all-new stages will run on a mixture of surfaces including tarmac, gravel and hard compact dirt roads, providing a lot of excitement for those taking part and thrilling those watching.

There will be two spectating areas, one on the Apley Estate and the other on the Willey Estate which will provide spectators the opportunity to see historic rally cars, with both venues offering a different challenge.

On Saturday 5th October the cars leave the Ceremonial Start at University of Wolverhampton Telford Campus at approximately 09:30 and head out to Apley Estate with cars returning to service at around 14:30.

At 16:00 the cars will leave Service for a regroup at Apley Farm Shop to prepare for the dusk stages. The cars will be flagged away from Apley Farm Shop at 17:00 and head out into the parkland for two stages before concluding the day with a return to Service.

Sunday 6th October, will see the Historic Rally Festival tackle two stages on the Willey Estate as well as stages on the Apley Estate. The morning will see the two venues alternate and the afternoon being based at Apley in the glorious parkland.

Apley Farm Shop, conveniently located on the A442 just South of Telford, will host not just the start of the dusk Stages but also will host Meet and Greet on Saturday afternoon which is a very popular part of the event where you can get up close to the cars and chat with the drivers and co-drivers. The award-winning farm shop will also have parking and camping with easy access to the stages and will also have a wonderful selection of local produce for sale.

The University of Wolverhampton Telford Campus, a well-known motorsport facility for teaching young and upcoming engineers will be the home of the Service Park. Located just outside Telford town centre and close to the road network this will be the base for cars returning from the stages for service and preparation. A free to attend part of the festival you can drop in and see the cars being worked upon and leave for the next stage.

Across the weekend there will be a total of 15 stages with cars finishing on Sunday back at Service around 16:30.

Also as part of the event, Apley will host a show field with various traders, suppliers and a variety of car clubs with cars on display. Located in the show area will also be food vendors and toilets.

Keeping you informed throughout the event will be historic rallying commentator and classic car enthusiast Paul Woodford. He will be joined by Louise Aitken-Walker who has also taken part in the Historic Rally Festival and is a well-known and first-ever Ladies Rally Champion from 1990 competing in a Vauxhall Astra GTE. They both commentated together on the event last year and are delighted to be reuniting again for this year.

Warner Lewis, Rallying History Event Organiser commented: “I am very excited for this year’s event. There has been a lot of hard work in securing new venues to keep the event fresh and provide the drivers with new challenges and also create a spectacle for those watching.”

“We are delighted with the new venues, both Willey and Apley Estates will offer something very different and of course we look forward to the Meet and Greet at Apley Farm Shop. A great location to come and see us and look at the cars.”

“The dusk stages have always proved popular and this year will be different again as we leave from the farm shop to cross the road onto the estate for an early evening challenge.”

“The support we have received from both estates, the University and various local authorities has been amazing. We know that finalising all the details for this year’s event has been close, but we are there now and looking forward to having some fun and welcoming both entrants and spectators.”

This year’s charity will be the Cavalier Centre a fully accessible state of the art equestrian facility located just outside Much Wenlock, in the beautiful Shropshire countryside. The charity supports people of all ages to improve mental and physical health and wellbeing through horse-based activities.

They offer something for everyone, from hippotherapy (physiotherapy on horseback) for toddlers, riding, carriage driving in wheelchair-adapted carriages, alternative provision for school-aged children to confidence building and skills development programmes for adults or Tea with a Pony for people living with dementia.

With a few extra spaces being made available, any interested competitors can submit an entry here http://www.historicrallyfestival.com/site/entries

Full timetable can be found here by clicking the link http://www.historicrallyfestival.com/site/spectator-info

Camping Bookings: https://apleyestate.co.uk/historic-rally-event-camping-4th-6th-october/

Spectator tickets can be purchased via the button below.

• Apley Farm Shop to host Meet and Greet on Saturday evening.
• Start of the Saturday evening Dusk Stages to be waved off from the farm shop.
• Ample parking available for those attending.
• Camping available and conveniently located for all stages.
• Apley Farm Shop will be open during the event offering local produce.

The Apley Farm Shop, located between Bridgenorth and Telford on the A442 will play a significant part in this year’s Historic Rally Festival. It will host the Saturday Meet and Greet, and it will also act as the start and time control for the dusk stages taking place on the Apley Estate.

With ample space, the award-winning farm shop will also offer a camping field for those wishing to stay over for the whole weekend and providing convenient access for all rally stages throughout the weekend.

Additionally, there will be parking for those attending the Meet and Greet at Apley Farm Shop and the dusk stages on the Saturday evening parking is available closer to the stage outside Stockton House.

All entrants will have their rally cars displayed outside the farm shop as they prepare them for the dusk stages including the fitting of their lamp pods.

The Farm Shop will be open and offering fresh local produce, with the Apley Kitchen Café serving more substantial meals.

The Apley Estate will also be hosting the stages on Sunday with some great viewing locations as well as a static show and food vendors and parking close to the stage start.

Warner Lewis, Rallying History Event Organiser commented: “The Apley Estate has become the central location for this year's Historic Rally Festival and we are delighted to hold the Meet and Greet and start of the night stages and this lovely location.”

“It will provide a great opportunity for the public to see the cars at the end of the first day and prior to them leaving for the dusk stages.”

Graeme Manton, Apley Estate Director commented “We have held a very successful Classic Car Day at our Farm Shop for more than 10 years so this is a fabulous opportunity to be involved in an event which we know will appeal to our customers. We are delighted to be working with Warner Lewis & his team to facilitate the delivery of this exciting & different event which is rapidly becoming a classic in its own right.”

Camping Bookings:
https://apleyestate.co.uk/historic-rally-event-camping-4th-6th-october/

Spectator tickets can be purchased HERE

Competitors can submit an expression of interest here:
http://www.historicrallyfestival.com/site/entries

• Service Park relocates to the University of Wolverhampton Telford Campus for 2024
• Conveniently located on the University campus and close to main routes to the stages
• Service Park is open and free to spectators.

New for the 2024 Historic Rally Festival is the relocation of the Service Park to the University of Wolverhampton Telford Campus, well known for providing motorsport engineering courses for Undergraduates and Postgraduates.

The University is well versed in motorsport with teams participating in various race series and prides itself on providing the students the opportunity to put theory into practice in a fast-paced environment.

The campus will become the home to 80 entrants who will be based at the University as they take part in new demonstration stages at different venues around Shropshire.

With ample parking, rally cars will arrive and depart throughout the weekend as they return from the stages for service and time checks. The Service Park will be open to the public offering a great opportunity to witness the action up close.

Warner Lewis, Rallying History Event Organiser commented: “We are delighted to welcome the University of Wolverhampton to be part of this year’s Historic Rally Festival and very grateful to them in hosting the Service Park for our 80 entrants.”

“The University is well known for its motorsport courses, which benefit from the experience gained in racing in professional race series, which are currently the BRSCC Zeo Prototype and Club Sport Trophy.”

“Hosting the Service Park means that rallying will now be on the campus, and we look forward to welcoming the graduates and offering them opportunities to become involved in this year’s event.”

Dr Aman Dhir, Head of School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematical Sciences commented “It gives us great pleasure to host the Service Park for this very popular demonstration rally. It continues to grow each year and we are delighted to be part of this year’s event and welcome the participants, their crews and spectators.”

“As a University that has been actively involved in teaching and participation in motorsport for ten years, it gives us a great opportunity to work with the organisers and engage with the event, to the benefit of our student experience and that of the wider local community”

Image Credit - Stuart Wing-Capture Your Car Photography

• Historic Rally Festival to support The Cavalier Centre
• The Cavalier Centre supports improved mental and physical health and well-being through horses
• Horse-related activities to suit all ages
• Over 200 volunteers provide help, support and run activities

This year’s Historic Rally Festival has nominated its chosen charity for 2024, The Cavalier Centre in Much Wenlock, Shropshire.

The Cavalier Centre is a Riding for the Disabled charity which supports people of all ages to improved mental and physical health and wellbeing through horse-based activities.

They offer something for everyone including hippotherapy (physiotherapy on horseback) for toddlers, riding, carriage driving in wheelchair-adapted carriages, alternative provision for school-aged children to confidence building and skills development programmes for adults or Tea with a Pony for people living with dementia.

They have an incredible team of over 200 volunteers who refer to the Centre as “their happy place” and the participants describe their time at the centre as “life-changing”.

Rachel Lambert-Jones, Centre Manager describes it as “Our mission is to enrich and empower lives through horses.”

Following years of fundraising by the community to create an accessible and inclusive facility, The Cavalier Centre was opened in 2019 by HRH The Princess Royal. In 2024 the Princess returned to award the Centre with the Kings Award for Voluntary Service.

Warner Lewis, Rallying History Event Organiser commented: “We were invited to see The Cavalier Centre first hand and were so impressed with what we saw and what the volunteers did for people who needed support with their mental wellness, it was an obvious choice for us to nominate them as our chosen charity for 2024.”

The Cavalier Centre: https://cavaliercentre.org/

• Historic Rally Festival to run on 5th and 6th October 2024.
• Two new venues, Apley Estate and Willey Estate set to host new stages.
• Over 50 miles of rallying across at least 11 stages.
• Telford based Service Park free to the public to attend.
• Meet and Greet and popular Dusk Stage on the evening of Saturday 5th October.
• Tickets now on sale.

The organisers of the Historic Rally Festival have announced that this year’s event will take place on the 5th and 6th October and will include new venues and stages.

Now in its fourth year, the Historic Rally Festival has grown to become one of the must-do rally events on the historic calendar and attracts entrants from abroad as well as past rallying heroes. Last year’s entry list included 1984 World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist in an Audi Quattro and 1996 British Rally Champion Gwyndaf Evans in a Ford Escort. Also entered was Motorsport UK’s CEO Hugh Chambers who co-drove for Tim Ashton in the Lancia Fulvia Fanalone, Chambers having his first taste of historic rallying.

The Historic Rally Festival continues to be the UK's only Motorsport UK permitted multi-venue demonstration rally, with whom the organisers have worked very closely with.

Based in Shropshire and the Telford area, this year’s event will be taking in new and exciting stages at Apley Estate and Willey Estate. The Service Park will remain Telford based and be open for free spectator viewing. The new venues will provide a wonderful backdrop as this event continues to grow in popularity.

The Apley Estate will host the Meet and Greet, which will now take place on Saturday evening prior to the start of three Dusk Stages. A chance for spectators to get up close to the cars and wave them off into the sunset as they depart from the Apley Farm Shop.

Tickets are now on sale at £15.00 per person per day with under 14s going free if accompanied by an adult.

Those wishing to submit an expression of interest to enter the event can do this via the website with places limited to 80 cars.

Warner Lewis, Rallying History Event Organiser commented: “We are really excited for this year’s event, and delighted to welcome the Apley and Willey Estates. They are local to Telford and very supportive and have got fully involved in the event, which is fantastic.”

“We also have an exciting new Meet and Greet at the Apley Farm Shop where spectators can also visit the farm shop as well as cheer the cars off as they depart onto the dusk stages of Apley Estate”

Spectator tickets can be purchased HERE

Competitors can submit an expression of interest HERE

The Historic Rally Festival takes place on the 5th and 6th October 2024

IMAGES

Top Left: Andy Krinks - Audi
Top Right: Dave Kedward - Peugeot
Middle Left: Ellis Mendelson - Lancia
Middle Right: Gwyndaf Evans - Ford
Bottom Left: Steve Chamberlain - Mitsubishi
Bottom Right: Stig Blomqvist - Audi

We are pleased to announce the Ceremonial Start Sponsor for 2024 - Questmead Ltd

The company was started in 1993 by Alan Brown as a one man business selling just Mintex Competition products. With continued growth, Alan now has a team of experienced sales staff providing first class technical support.

Questmead have an ever growing, specialised product range directly supplied from well-known and established manufacturers. These include AP Racing Ltd, Fuchs Lubricants (UK) Plc, Exedy Clutch Europe Ltd, Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems and PIAA.

"Questmead and it’s Directors are delighted to be supporting the Historic Rally Festival and helping in bringing the ever popular festival celebration of motorsports to the UK"

We are pleased to announce the Service Area Sponsor for 2024 - Questmead Ltd

The company was started in 1993 by Alan Brown as a one man business selling just Mintex Competition products. With continued growth, Alan now has a team of experienced sales staff providing first class technical support.

Questmead have an ever growing, specialised product range directly supplied from well-known and established manufacturers. These include AP Racing Ltd, Fuchs Lubricants (UK) Plc, Exedy Clutch Europe Ltd, Lifeline Fire & Safety Systems and PIAA.

"Questmead and it’s Directors are delighted to be supporting the Historic Rally Festival and helping in bringing the ever popular festival celebration of motorsports to the UK"