The 2006  Clubmans Gravel Rally Championship  gets underway on March 12.

Colin Hope and co-driver Nick Patrick made up for their dreadful run of bad luck in 2005 by taking victory in the first round of the EuroRallye Cup at the recent Barretts Rally of Kent. The Vauxhall Nova crew made the long trip from Yorkshire worthwhile by finishing 25th overall and 6th in the 1400 class. Despite having no service crew, which meant they had to drive out to the service area to leave their tow car before starting the rally, Hope and Patrick set a good early pace, catching two slower competitors on the opening stages.

They stayed in touch with the leaders, reigning EuroRallye Cup champion Brian McGuinness and new co-driver Ian Harden, and took the lead when the Irishman retired his Vauxhall Nova with engine problems on stage nine. But their bad luck nearly returned on the final stage, as Hope explained. "The car developed a really bad vibration and we had to back off. At one point, we thought the back wheel was falling off. It was a relief to get to the end."