THE organisers of the Tour of Hamsterley Rally have announced a series of changes to this year’s event, which will take place on Saturday, September 12.

The start, service and finish of the rally will be staged at Streatlam, near Barnard Castle, and the event will consist of two loops of stages, both of which will incorporate stages in Hamsterley and Raby Castle.

The first loop will feature two stages in Hamsterley Forest, followed by a shorter run through Raby. After a service halt, the route will be repeated, but will two further runs through the Raby stage.

In total, there will be 40 miles of racing, with the rally forming part of the new Northern Forest Challenge, which is being run by the Association of Northern Car Clubs.

The Forest Challenge features four events running between September 2015 and February 2016, and also encompasses the Malton Forest Rally, Grizedale Stages and Riponian Rally.