Drivers revved up for weekend spot of rallying

The Legend Fires North West Stage Rally is the largest multi-venue tarmac rally in the North of England and features competitive events for high performance cars.

More than 100 cars will be involved in the annual event, including a souped-up Mini Cooper driven by Fleetwood man Mark Holmes, who is representing Blackpool and The Fylde College.

The event will come to Fleetwood this Saturday after a launch at the Norbreck Castle Hotel on Friday at 6.30pm on Friday night.

Saturday then sees one of the stages beginning along “Fleetwood Waterfront” at 9.20am when the Mayor of Wyre, Coun Tom Balmain, will flag away the first car.

Crowds are expected along Fleetwood beach and promenade to see the cars booming past on the seafront course, including a section on the sunken car park opposite The Mount Hotel.

From there, the action moves to Fleetwood docks at 9.45am, where spectators can view the action through fencing.

Activities return to the Waterfront at 12.45pm and then back to the docks at 1.05pm.

Mark, 46, who runs Mark Holmes Auto Engineering on Kilbane Street, Fleetwood, is a seasoned rally driver who has been taking part in various rally events across the country since 1988.

For the this event he is once again partnering the college, after previously entering the event with his own vehicles.He said: “The Legend Fires rally is a fun event and with all the stages put together, it probably involves driving around 75 miles in total.

“For spectators, the Fleetwood stages are short but definitely worth seeing.

“The Mini I’ll be driving is a former racing car.

“It broke down when I drove it in this event last year, so I’m hoping things will be a bit better this time!”

Saturday’s action then leaves Fleetwood in the afternoon, continuing on the promenade between North Pier and the Norbreck Castle between 3.30pm and 6pm.

To find out more about the full event, visit the Legend Fires North West Stage Rally webiste: http://www.nwstages.co.uk/index.html