Past Events
The twenty-one Three Castles Trials run over the last twenty-two years have all featured close competition and worthy winners. Mark Godfrey is the most successful driver in the event's history, having finished in the top three every year up to 2016 with his wife, Sue, since first winning the event in 2009. They finished third in 2022, and Mark then won again, with Ryan Pickering, in 2023, subsequently finishing fourth with Ryan in 2024 and second in 2025. He has five outright wins, including a hat trick with wife Sue in their delightful 1951 MG TD.
In the last two years, the pace has been set by another triple winner, Graham Walker, with Sean Toohey in his Lotus Elan. Added to his win back in 2012, that makes three so far for the Chester driver, a number also reached by the 2022 winning driver, Paul Crosby, who can boast overall wins with two different navigators in his Porsche 911 and one win in the Heritage category with his MG TB.
The oldest car to have won the event outright is Jayne Wignall's 1932 Sunbeam, which won in 2007. Here's the full story in brief, going back in time year by year.
2025 was the 21st Three Castles. Sixty-eight crews started and 59 finished, in largely fine weather. A rally-long battle between Walker/Toohey Elan and the Godfrey/Pickering Escort just went the way of the Elan by a tiny margin of 2 seconds after three hours and 500 miles of rallying. David & Sally Ward had their Lancia Fulvia HF in a splendid third overall, 2 minutes behind and seconds ahead of Peter & Louise Myles in their 911. Paul Crosby and Pete Johnson sadly had the shortest rally imaginable, retiring their rapid Cooper S with transmission failure on the very first test.
2024 saw the twentieth running of the event. Seventy-nine crews started in weather that steadily improved through the week. Graham Walker and Sean Toohey (Lotus Elan) took the lead after a rare wrong test on the first day dropped pre-event favourites Mark Godfrey and Ryan Pickering (Ford Escort) down the field. Their winning margin of 80 seconds was the second-largest in recent times. Their previous win on the event was in 2012, on the 10th ’Three Castles'. The Godfrey/Pickering fightback netted fourth place. Ahead of them, Paul Crosby and Pete Johnson didn't quite win this time but were still a strong second in their Mini Cooper S. The battle for that position went down to the last test, where Paul Bloxidge/Ian Canavan hit a single cone that was enough to drop them to third. Heritage winners, Paul Dyas & Martin Taylor (Bentley Derby 4¼), just led home Sue Shoosmith and Trina Harley’s well-driven Bentley. These crews finished tenth and eleventh overall on scratch, right with the leading Classic cars, showing how well the event suits Heritage cars.
2023 was our 21st year, but the nineteenth running of the Three Castles Trial. Eighty-two crews started an event run in gloriously warm June weather. A promising scrap between Mark Godfrey and Ryan Pickering's Escort and the fast but more fragile Lotus Elan of Graham Walker and Sean Toohey failed to materialise after the leading Elan struck trouble and had to withdraw at the end of day one. Close behind all the way was "Team Acceptable", alias Rod Hanson and Clare Grove, who battled valiantly until the last but finally dropped back on day 3, when the winning margin stretched to 94 seconds. We reintroduced class awards based on index, to general acclaim, and an overall Index prize went to a delighted Duncan and Stephen Wild in their TR4, which finished 6th overall on scratch. Malcolm Dunderdale and Anita Wickins switched to a Heritage entry and duly won that group, in a Ford V8 Coupe.
2022 was our twentieth year, and a special event ensued. Ninety-nine crews started from an original entry of 110. The event returned to its familiar June slot and ran in generally fine weather. A long event tussle between David, played by Malcolm and Anita Dunderdale in their Renault R8 Gordini, and Goliath, played by Guy Woodcock and Claire Pickering's more powerful Escort, was finally resolved after coffee on day 3 as Woodcock and Pickering, who had been held up in traffic on day one and unlike the Renault pair had to make full use of the Joker system, reeled off a string of fast times on the last three tests to take a narrow lead, which they held over the final regularities. Mark and Sue Godfrey were a close third, in their Escort, but were never able to challenge.
After the 2020 event was lost to Covid, the seventeenth Three Castles finally ran in September 2021, three months later than usual. Eighty-one crews started, and the result was a second successive victory for Paul Crosby and Pete Johnson in their green Porsche 911. It was Paul's third victory in four attempts, a terrific record against stern opposition, provided on this occasion by Paul Bloxidge and Ian Canavan in a Golf GTi, who lost by just 14 seconds after three days of rallying. Also in the hunt throughout were Guy Woodcock and Lynsey Procter in a Mk 2 Escort and Paul Hernaman and Ray Crowther, who scooped intermediate honours in fourth overall. Irish crew Jack Brien and Stuart Annerley took the award for best on tests after scrapping for the lead on day 1, but were among several crews who found trouble on the event's challenging private road regularity during day 2. The balance between regularities and tests was almost even, and this definitely benefited the best regularity crews. Perhaps the event's greatest triumph was to run Covid-free.
2019 was the event's sixteenth year, again using our new scratch timing format, with a ninety-car entry and a classic close Three Castles finish, with three cars separated by scant seconds after five days of rallying. Paul Crosby and Pete Johnson recorded Paul's second win in his 911. Still, they were so nearly beaten by a hard-trying Paul Bloxidge and Ian Canavan, the Welsh/Scottish crew contesting their last event in Paul's Porsche 911 Carrera. One second was the margin at the close. Former winner Graham Walker came close to, navigated as always by Sean Toohey, in a newly built (and vivid yellow) Lotus Elan. They were just three seconds away in third. In another close finish, Ireland's Mickey Gabbett and Ian McCullough took the Heritage honours by a whole eight seconds in their Alvis Beetleback 12/60 from Peter & Janet Fletcher's Jaguar XK120, with Richard Dresner and Colin Mackenzie 12 seconds back in their lovely Talbot AV105.
Following a sabbatical in 2017, when we hosted the one-day Three Castles Trophy, the Three Castles Trial returned to widespread acclaim in 2018 for its fifteenth anniversary edition. This was the first Three Castles to run using scratch timing and the first in recent years to feature a united route for both Heritage and Classic crews. Dermot Carnegie and Paul Bosdet finally reached the top step in the Classic Trial category in their Ford Escort after many years in which a win eluded them, although they have often been best on tests. They were chased all the way by 2012 winners Graham Walker and Sean Toohey in their Lotus Elan Sprint, defeated by under twenty seconds at the close. Sean took the inaugural Nigel Raeburn Trophy for the best performance on Regularities. Not far behind these two, first-time entrants Duncan Wild and Steve Skepper snatched third on the last test from Peter Keel and Les McGuffog in their Triumph Dolomite Sprint. Malcolm and Martin Davies triumphed in the third Heritage Trial, in their glorious 1934 Alvis.
2016 saw the Classic Trial decided on the last day as the unfancied Jensen GT of regular Welsh Three Castles competitors Bodfan and Bev Jenkins finally triumphed by just two penalty points over multiple winners Mark and Sue Godfrey, with perennial bridesmaids Dermot Carnegie and Paul Bosdet's Escort just four points further away in third. Any of these crews could have won, as the Godfreys topped the list on regularities while Carnegie's prowess at the wheel saw this crew well clear on the driving tests. 2015 winners Paul Crosby and Andy Pullan were a little further away in fourth, just ahead of 2012 winners Graham Walker and Sean Toohey. On the second Heritage Trial, an Irish crew triumphed for the second year, this one being Shane Houlihan and Richard Pain in their lovely Alfa Romeo 8C 2300. Bentley 4¼ crew Stuart Anderson and Richard Lambley had to give them best, but fought all the way.
2015 saw the Classic Trial decided on the last day as a string run across a sequence of driving tests saw Paul Crosby and Andy Pullan's Porsche 911 triumph over Mark and Sue Godfrey's spiritedly driven just-restored MGA. Over on the new Heritage Trial, Ireland's Andrew Bailey and Philippa Spiller dominated proceedings in their Bentley 4 ½ litre, chased all the way by the patinated Frazer Nash of suitably attired Bill Ainscough and Jason Dearden.
2014 saw a fantastic reversal of fortune on the very last regularity, which enabled Mark and Sue Godfrey (MGB) to clinch their fourth win by just eight marks against seemingly impossible odds, again denying Graham Walker and Sean Toohey (Lotus Elan). Jayne Wignall and Kevin Savage (Sunbeam Tiger) likewise finished strongly to deny Dermot Carnegie and Paul Bosdet (Ford Escort) a seemingly certain podium for the second year running.
2013 saw a third win for Mark and Sue Godfrey's redoubtable MG TD (pictured right), which edged out 2012 winners Graham Walker and Sean Toohey (Lotus Elan) and challengers John Abel and John Dennett (Sunbeam Tiger) while Dermot Carnegie and Paul Bosdet's podium bid faltered at the last after the event's lone Ford Escort suffered a mechanical delay that made them OTL at the final control.
2012 finally welcomed Graham Walker and Sean Toohey (Lotus Elan) to the winners' circle. They beat twice previous winners and multiple runners-up Mark and Sue Godfrey (MG TD) by just one mark after four days of rallying in unusually challenging weather conditions. Charles Colton and Jess Dickson came through on the last test to take third place in their Porsche 911.
2011 welcomed another new winning crew to the rostrum, as Steve & Alex Chick in their 1959 Mk I Austin Healey 3000 narrowly triumphed over John Abel & Tony Davies (Lagonda M45) and previous winners, Mark & Sue Godfrey (MG TD). Tied for third with the Godfreys before a tie decider were Steve Farmer and Adam Spiers, in their Jaguar E Type.
In 2010, we saw our first-ever double winners, as Mark & Sue Godfrey sealed back-to-back victories in their redoubtable little MG TD. This year, their closest challengers were Graham Walker & Sean Toohey, who were improving year by year and were due a win. John Abel & Tony Davies ran them very close, as did fourth-placed former winners, Jayne Wignall & Kevin Savage, in their 1932 Sunbeam 20HP Sports. Mere seconds decided things: the Three Castles is known for its close finishes.
The 2009 event concluded with event-long leaders Mark & Sue Godfrey (MG TD) as the winners, having lost 17 marks, despite a few anxious moments on the final day as Howard & Matt Warren (Porsche 911) closed to within seven marks, ultimately claiming second place with 24 marks lost. Chasing them home were Ian Chalmers & Jane Webb (MGB) on 31.
2008 saw our closest-ever finish with three crews separated by just one second! The winners tied on just 16 penalty points, but Charles Colton & Peter Stokes (BMW 3.0CSL) edged out Charles & Kit Graves (Jaguar XK150) by virtue of their slightly lower regularity penalties. The previous winner, Howard Warren, was third with his son Matt in his Porsche 911.
2007 saw another close finish from which our first pre-war winner emerged victorious. Jayne Wignall & Kevin Savage brought their 1932 Sunbeam 20hp Sports through to win by just eight seconds from John & Pauline Dignan's MGA.
2006 was the year in which enthusiastic event sponsor, Howard Warren, navigated by the experienced Brian Goff, managed to win his home event by just nine marks, from a very competitive Mark & Sue Godfrey in their delightful and very rapid MG TD.
2005 was the year of the very late entry - it came from Nicholas & Lesley Pryor, with their familiar red MGA going on to triumph over far more powerful cars and proving once again that the class improvement formula to which we run the Three Castles really does give everyone a chance.
2004's winners were Harvey & Jan du Cros in their Healey 3000. You can tell they enjoyed it - they were back in 2006 for a third year. 'The whole event was excellently prepared and presented, ' they said.
The first winners, in 2003, were Richard Fenhalls & Heather Milne-Taylor, who went on to check every detail of the 2004 and 2005 road route, for which we were most grateful. This remains an event put together by active competitors, for competitors.
Join us in Wales - you've terrific roads and tight organisation to look forward to on the next Three Castles Trial, too. It'll be great fun - and after all, that's what it's all about.