Summer Trial 2026 - Preview
*84 Strong Field Heading to County Durham
*Competitive Field Contains Former HERO CUP and Golden Roamer Champions
*2025 Winners Malcolm and Anita Dunderdale Return, but in a Triumph
Durham may not be where your mind goes when you think of Summer, but for the 84 crews entered into the 2026 Summer Trial, the historic city will be the very epicenter of the season. Whilst the footballists cling onto their hydration breaks as they attempt to win the international bladder kicking contest this weekend, the real heat will be in the northeast of England, as for the best three days of summer, the rally comes to town.
The Summer Trial has always been about encouraging the less experienced competitors to have a go at a multi-day event, but such is the draw of this entry level rally, the field also contains a wealth of experience for the newer crews to benchmark themselves against. In amongst those that are now definitely on the more practiced side of things are last year’s Summer Trial winners Malcolm Dunderdale and Anita Wickins, who return this year not in the winning Gordini, but in a Triumph. If they were to defend their title successfully it would be a headline that writes itself.
Indeed, all of last year’s podium are back again. Together with HERO Cup champions, Golden Roamer winners, and those that have been victorious on the international stage, as well as winners of events at home, there are some crews who are going to compete in the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 2028!
For once, it looks like the weather may actually match the title of the event, with the country gripped by a heatwave that has even found its way inside the sturdy walls of Durham Castle, just one of the monuments that gives the city its Unesco World Heritage status. Indeed the city was one of the first to be awarded such a title, alongside the Palace of Versailles and the Taj Mahal. The Summer Trial may not have quite such heritage, but it is now firmly ensconced within the calendar with a legacy all of its own, and Durham will offer a wonderful backdrop for these historic cars to do battle once again.
The wider area is also perfect for a weekend’s rallying, with incredible driving roads and scenery on the doorstep. The northern Pennines skirt the border of the ceremonial county of Durham, and will host many of the weekend’s regularities, though the rally itself pushes as far west as Tan Hill in Cumbria, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
This may be pitched as green level event, but Clerk of the Course James Phillips makes no bones about the fact that competitors will know they’ve been in a rally. “It’s definitely not the hardest event out there”, he says, “but it is a multi-day event, and the Saturday in particular is a proper rally day. There are some challenging regs and some enjoyable tests that will make the competition tight, especially in some of the harder classes.” He concedes though that the route, that has largely been put together by Deputy Clerk of the Course Julia Perry, isn’t designed to catch people out. Rather, it should build everyone into the rally, “those that want to be challenged will be, but those who are looking for something on a different level won’t be disappointed either, it’s tricky without trickery”, says James. He thinks that the route Julia has come up with does a good job of satisfying that ever so difficult brief of keeping such a broad church of competitors entertained.
As well as the plethora of wonderful public roads, there are also some fantastic test venues, including four tests at Catterick that will round off the action on Saturday, and a visit to Raby Castle on Sunday morning (another one of County Durham’s historical landmarks). The tests could prove pivotal in getting a result, especially as there are several of the suitors for a decent overall result all competing against one another in Class 7. That class features Ken and Sarah Binstead, Malcolm Dunderdale and Anita Wickins, Stephen and Stan Chick and Tom and Rachel Woodcock, and others, all of whom are quick round the turns, but only the fastest of which can walk away from the test’s penalty free.
There will also be the inevitable battle of the Mini’s in Class 3, with the Days facing off against the Baines once again. Dick and Harry Baines are proven winners whilst the Days are looking to go a step higher up the podium than they did last year. At the other end of the spectrum in Class 8, for all 1982 – 1990 cars, John Lomas and Mike Cochrane could go well with a rebuilt engine in the Golf, though they will have to beat Noel Kelly and Tim Sawyer, in the more cultured pocket rocket, the Sacré Numéro, Peugeot 205 GTi.
It certainly is an intriguing entry, and with the prospect of a decent route with 12 regularities and 8 tests, the weekend is setup nicely for another wonderful edition of this rally. All that remains to be seen is who will ‘bring it home’ come Sunday.