DEFENDING champion Steve Perez (pictured) won't be coming back to the Forest of Dean to defend his Wyedean crown on February 12.

Perez was a runaway winner of both the 2010 Wyedean and the BTRDA National Championship – but he will not be defending either title.

Instead, the 53-year-old from Chesterfield is putting his immaculate Ford Focus back in the garage to concentrate on rallying in a Lancia Stratos.

His co-driver Paul Spooner told The Forester: "We fully intended to do the Wyedean in the Stratos, because we are concentrating on using that car this year.

"However, the engine went away for a rebuild and it won't be back until the Friday before the Wyedean.

"We wanted to use the Wyedean as a test, but that's now impossible.

"Steve doesn't want to defend in the Focus because he's bitten the bullet not to defend his title.

"He wants to do more historics and he's put a lot of money into the Stratos to get it built and running."

Spooner, who also won the Wyedean in 1999, co-driving for Brian Bell in an Escort WRC, has now teamed up with Nik Elsmore for this year's race.

The Coleford ace has won the Wyedean twice and is desperate to match his father Graham's tally of three wins, which came between 1976 and 1978.

Nik has decided to self-finance a tilt for the Wyedean title in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, which is currently up for sale.

Entries for this year's Wyedean have now passed the 150-mark.