1996 WYEDEAN winner Dave Jenkins didn't compete on this year's event because he's devoting his time to his new business of building and reviving Mark II Escorts.
Dave (pictured) won the Wyedean 15 years ago in an Escort Cosworth, but he swapped his modern machine for a drive in an Escort RS 1,800 last year.
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He said: "Escorts have always been popular and they've always worked well.
"They're a good size and handle well, they produce 250 hp which is a lot of power for a 2WD car.
"They are great fun and sound incredible. I enjoyed driving 4WD WRC cars but these are something different. It's just a different type of rallying. It's back to basics. You come back with a big smile. It's sideways driving and spectators love it."
Dave now takes standard Mark II Escorts in road form and strips them back to their shells. He fabricates them to rally specifications, repairs them, then puts them back together with readily built parts. He uses two litre 16 valve rally engines, five speed gearboxes, firm clutches and equally firm suspension.
"I was building Mark II's years ago and I'm back in the game now," he said.
"I've completed my first one, which is worth around £100,000. I want to get cars on local events and look after them. My aim is to do five in 12 months. Mark II's are still the staple of rallying and the market is buoyant. A lot of people who were using WRC's are going back to them.
"Because of their age, they come to me with a lot of damage, but it's mostly superficial really. I've been in the body shop industry a long time. They are very simple, straightforward cars. The technology in them is the same as it was 25 years ago."
Dave says he hasn't retired from rally driving, he's merely taking a break.
"I want to get my business established, then I might build myself something new, maybe a Mark II."