By Andrew Wallace
George, and his wife Rosalind, who now live near Bordeaux and were looking forward to escaping SW France’s 44 degree heat when they came over last month for the four day Three Castles Trial in North Wales.
The pair, who have competed in international historic endurance regularity rallies across Europe, were competing in their 1966 Volvo Amazon 132S on the Welsh event.
Unfortunately they had just got into the top 30 when the car’s differential broke, effectively putting them out of the rally.
The couple have entered Rally Sardinia in September and ahead of that tough event had driven their other historic car, a 1972 Saab 96V4, back to the UK for some modifications.
The specialist looking after both their rally cars managed to get enough done to the Saab so the couple could substitute it for the Volvo on their next rally, just two weeks after Wales.
That was the one day Hero Challenge 2 rally in Lincolnshire, where Team Topp finished 30.
“We knew the Saab had to go back to the garage on the Monday undamaged so they could finish preparing it for Italy and let us drive it the one thousand miles back to Bordeaux the following week,” said George.
Now just two weeks later the couple have again escaped 40 degree heat, and two wildfires less than 10 miles from their home, to tackle another UK rally.
This time it is the three day Summer Trial which runs from July 17-19.
https://www.hero-era.com/rallies/2026/07/summer-trial-2026
George and Rosalind have been seeded 32 out of an 87 strong entry, with crews coming from across the UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland and the USA. The oldest car is a 1935 Standard Swallow, with other marques ranging from Porsche and Minis to Austin, Jaguar and Mercedes. The rally’s youngest car is a 1990 BMW2002.
The rally is based in Durham and the 400 mile route through the Pennines, Teesdale, and the Cumbrian border and includes high speed tests over the army’s ranges at Catterick.
After this event the pair have nothing planned until September and Rally Sardinia, which uses the same roads the World Rally Championship crews will use just two weeks later.
Next year the World Rally Championship returns to the UK after a long break – and for the first time it is based in NE Scotland, using the forests of Kincardineshire and Aberdeenshire.
The host club is Stonehaven and District Motor Club, which George’s father (also George) helped establish in the early ’50s. And his son later became a committee member/director of SDMC in the late 60s and early 70s.
Feature image courtesy of Andrew Wallace- Three Castles Trial 2026 George and Rosalind Topp on a speed test in the Volvo before the differential broke