England’s Third Closed Road Rally involved over 100 cars, 48 miles, 18 stages and was spread across three counties on Saturday, September 7th, 2019.

Despite its popularity, some residents took to social media complaining about the road closures and the lack of notice.

The brand new closed road event, organised by Cheltenham motor club, was based in the picturesque surroundings of Eastnor Castle, and attracted a high quality entry of 110 cars for the tough, demanding stages. They included three stages in the Deer Park at Eastnor.

The overall event winners were Martin and Dawn England in the Fiesta R5, on what had been a tough day for competitors, but one most throughly enjoyed. One local resident said: "No warning of event or road closed until reaching the actual point where the road is closed, I’ve had to do an approx 30mile detour. My time and fuel. Not impressed. "I’ve since passed numerous cars on the main road, most with very loud exhausts. Please do not come back here again."While the rally's road closures angered some, credit is given to the organisers for a top quality event, given it was the first one, but also the local residents and landowners for their support of the rally which is appreciated by everyone involved, Paul Willetts said. He added: “It was nice to see so many people out watching the cars pass in the stages but also on the road sections.”See the full rally report in this week’s edition of the Ross Gazette, or subscribe to our online edition here