BHRC: Le Mans winner enjoys historic rally debut

Former Le Mans 24 Hours race winner Guy Smith enjoyed his British Historic Rally Championship debut last weekend.

Just a week after competing in the legendary endurance racing event driving an LMP2 Ginetta-Zytek the Quifel ASM Team, the 34-year-old made his BHRC debut at the Mid-Wales Stages rally aboard a Ford Escort Mk1 owned by his father Peter.

“It’s fantastic and I really enjoyed it,” enthused Smith. “I was starting to get my head around the pacenotes and understandings what (co-driver) Graham Henshaw was saying. The main thing was to be able to tell my dad that his car was still in one piece!”

Smith finished the event seventh-in-class, just one place behind his father who was driving a Porsche 911RS, a car which lost time due to a puncture.

Smith currently races full time in the American Le Mans Series for Dyson Racing, but will consider further Historic Rally outings later in the season.

“I’ll go away and sleep on it now, but I’d love to come back and do another one if time permits.”

Watch British Historic Rally Championship highlights on Motors TV as part of Race & Rally UK in 2009.


Andy Wilkinson