Organisers have confirmed that they expect a capacity 180 cars to descend on the county for the 2023 Trackrod Rally Yorkshire when it arrives in the region on Friday (September 22).

Most of the action, in the North York Moors forest complexes, takes place the following day with prospective spectators urged to attend the Cropton and/or Dalby stages, either side of Pickering, where access is easier and facilities are provided.

The event, which has run almost continuously since 1977, has grown from a small rally run on farm tracks and local airfield to its current status as the penultimate round of the British Rally Championship and the nation’s premier Historic and Clubman’s (BTRDA) rally series.

Only the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001 and more recent 2020 Covid-19 pandemic have prevented the spectacle taking place during almost half a century of top class rallying in North Yorkshire.

An eclectic mix of vehicles, ranging from 1960s classics to high-tech modern cars, purpose-built to cope with the tests afforded by modern-day rallying, will undertake up to 60 competitive off-road stage miles.

The ceremonial start and finish will take place along Filey’s Beach Road, where most of the cars will be flagged away by the town’s mayor, Cllr Jacqui Houlden-Banks, from 7pm on Friday.

The biggest attraction for many competitors is the challenge of a 12-mile opening stage in Dalby, tackled in total darkness, save for the piercing illumination of rally spotlights - a common feature of the sport half a century ago but much rarer these days.

The British Championship has been dominated by factory-supported star Adrien Fourmaux, who won the first four rounds of the season in his Ford Fiesta Rally2, but missed the last event in Wales at the beginning of the month.

Fourmaux is back and making his first visit to Yorkshire in an attempt to tie up the title, although the door is still ajar for Welsh driver James Williams or Scotland’s Garry Pearson to snatch the crown after taking the top two scoring positions in Aberystwyth.

The rally is split into three sections with the Trackrod Historic Cup contested by iconic cars from the sixties, seventies and early eighties, and the ever-popular ‘clubmans’ BTRDA Championship moving, coming nearer its conclusion in the Trackrod Forest Stages event which includes just the 45-competitive miles run on Saturday.

Both of these events attract a wealth of top local drivers, with North Yorkshire-based Steve Bannister, overall rally winner three times and the most successful competitor in the event’s history, Charles and Elliot Payne, Matthew Robinson, Alistair Ginley, Warren Philliskirk, Terry Cree, David Brown and Pete Slights among them.

Organisers are putting out a final call for Race Marshals for the event, with 20 lucky volunteers selected at random, receiving a £100 cash prize.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact  marshal@rallyyorkshire.co.uk or register for a stage on https://www.rallystageteam.co.uk.

If you prefer to attend the rally as a spectator, you can win your way in with the Gazette & Herald.

We have two complimentary multi-stage passes for September 22-23 to give away. To enter, answer the following question:

What do the years 2001 and 2020 have in common for the event?

Entries must be submitted to gazette.sport@gazetteherald.co.uk alongside your name and contact details by 12pm on Wednesday, September 20. The winners will then be notified.

Newsquest competition rules apply.