POINTS mean prizes for Steve Entwistle this weekend, as he heads for Kent and the Hughes Historic Rally.

The Rishton-based driver is currently lying second overall in the HRCR Clubmans Championship, behind Matt Warren.

But Warren isn’t contesting Sunday’s event, which gives Entwistle and navigator Bob Hargreaves the chance to close the gap.

The pair are sandwiched between Matt and his dad Howard, who is lying third overall.

“We need to get as many points as possible, and a top three is really our aim,” said Steve.

“It’s uncharted territory as we’ve never done the Hughes Rally before. But the format looks familiar, with six regularities and s eries of special tests in a one-day format.”

Entwistle, Hargreaves and their iconic ex-Roy Mapple Orangebox Mini have been the surprise package in the HRCR series this year.

That is thanks, in part, to the involvement of specialists Mini Sport of Padiham. Part of their sponsorship package involved building Steve a brand new 1293cc engine, giving them a big power jump from 70bhp to 100bhp.

“It really has made a huge difference on the tests. The extra power means we can really compete for fastest times,” added Steve.