Why Is East Yorkshire Man Paul Woodford Tackling the UK's Toughest Road Rally?

Imagine driving through twisting farm tracks and dark forests in the middle of the night, with only a map and a co-driver to guide you. Sounds a bit mad, right? Well, for motorsport fanatic Paul Woodford from South Cave in East Yorkshire, it's a dream come true.

This October, he's set to take on the Rali Cilwendeg, one of the UK's most legendary and difficult road rallies. And in a brilliant twist of history, he's following in the tracks of another hero from Hull, who made his mark on the very same event over half a century ago. This isn't just any race; it's a huge test of skill, endurance, and teamwork.

A bucket list challenge, 50 years in the making

For Paul Woodford, competing in the Rali Cilwendeg is a massive deal. It's an event that many people in the rallying world talk about with a bit of awe. "It's been a bucket list item for such a long time and I never thought it would quite happen," Paul admitted. What makes this rally so special? It's a highly technical, overnight event in West Wales that's usually dominated by local crews who know the tricky roads like the back of their hand. "It's really a lot of local Welsh crews that do it, because it's so specialised," he explained. People who love this sport really love it, and they find ways to get involved.

But there's a great story here that connects back to his home city. Paul is thought to be the first driver from East Yorkshire to tackle the Cilwendeg since a certain Ron Shipp, a legend from Hull, finished in an incredible fourth place way back in 1974. Ron, who was a sales director at the caravan company Swift Group, was a seriously talented driver.

His brother, Alan Shipp, remembers his skill well. "The rallying was only part of his expertise," Alan said. "He was rallying from the early 60s until the mid-70s when he started to do caravan rallying - he was one of the best in the country." Ron was a big name, even competing against icons like Roger Clark in the RAC Rally. He was part of all sorts of motoring adventures, from a non-stop Land's End to John o'Groats trip in a motorhome to setting a world speed record for towing a caravan. Taking part in this rally is Paul's way of connecting with a piece of Hull's sporting history.

So, what on earth is a road rally?

When you think of rallying, you might picture super-fast cars with roll cages, and drivers in helmets and race suits skidding around a forest stage. That's stage rallying. A road rally is a bit different, and in some ways, it's even more of a brain game. Competitors don't wear helmets or overalls, and the cars have fewer modifications. It's a sport that demands huge concentration from both the driver and the navigator, who have to juggle precise driving with constant map work, often in the dead of night. Paul perfectly describes road events as like "toughmudders in rally cars." It's a proper endurance challenge that tests every part of you.

The Rali Cilwendeg is the ultimate example of this sport. Paul and his navigator, Joanna James, will face 10 hours of non-stop rallying. The event kicks off at 10 pm on Saturday, 18th October, and runs straight through the night. The route is a mix of controlled-speed sections on public roads and special tests on private land like farm yards, quarries, and forest tracks. There's only one break all night, just for a quick refuel. It's a tough and gritty part of motorsport that many people don't know about, but the atmosphere it creates is electric. If you want to find more about this kind of motorsport, you'll see it's a real community.

The path to the cilwendeg

You don't just turn up to an event like the Cilwendeg. It takes a lot of preparation. "The Cilwendeg is kind of the ultimate road rally," said Paul. "The road rally thing fits with a pathway into the sport that is super accessible." Over the past year, with support from Motorsport UK, he's been getting deep into the grassroots side of the sport. "I've had a road rally car built, which I've been using for '12 cars' - which are smaller, navigational type events on early evenings, run by local motor clubs." He also mentioned, "autotesting - all the stuff that costs pennies to enter, pretty much. That's been a way of getting my head into this."

This shows that you don't need a massive budget to get into rallying. It can start on a local street, with events organised by motor clubs right here in East Yorkshire. To get a feel for the Welsh roads, Paul recently travelled to take part in Rali Bro Teifi, another event in the same area. This whole cycle of preparation and competition, from local events near people's homes to the big one this October, is what makes the journey so exciting. He's been training hard all summer to be ready for this moment.

What to expect on the big night

The Rali Cilwendeg isn't just a race; it's an experience. Despite running overnight, it pulls in big crowds. The atmosphere is incredible. Paul paints a vivid picture of the mid-race chaos. "You get to about 2:30-3am and everybody is absolutely wiped," he explained. "The garage sells out of Red Bull. Everybody is filling up rally cars and having a good old social - and the police are there because they follow the route around... I've never seen that on a road rally before."

The challenge is immense, but the feeling at the end makes it all worthwhile. "When you get to the finish it's a wonderful atmosphere. Everybody has driven through the night. The cars are absolutely tired, the drivers and navigators are ready for sleep and everybody is there enjoying breakfast and a results celebration. It's a mad part of the sport that more people should know about." It sounds like the best kind of exhaustion, shared with a community of people who all love the same crazy sport.

Bringing a brilliant sport back into the spotlight

In his day job, Paul Woodford is a commercial director at an IT firm, but his passion is clearly for rallying. He's a huge champion for the different types of rallying and believes more people should get to see it. He points out that 40-60 years ago, the sport could pull in bigger crowds than the English Football League. His efforts are part of Motorsport UK's 'Streetcar' campaign, which aims to get more people watching and taking part in these accessible events.

"It's certainly gaining in popularity and I think it needs a bit of an injection of information because people don't realise how much is going on around them, and how accessible it can be. I guess doing this was partly about me bringing this part of the sport out of the shadows a bit."

If you want to find out more about this exciting sport, you don't have to look far. Check out local clubs like Beverley and District Motor Club or North Humberside Motor Club. They have all the info you need to find events or even get involved. And this summer, you can follow Paul's journey to the Cilwendeg on his YouTube channel to see what this brilliant sport is really like.