Wigan's Tony Lynch signs off with Lydden Hill double

Wigan racer Tony Lynch enjoyed a fine end to his 2026 season with victory in the final two rounds of the Retro Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill.

Lynch and his Landsail Team Geriatric outfit headed for the famous Kent circuit for the traditional finale featuring a round apiece on Saturday and Sunday, with the former including finals under lights before a large fireworks display.

Three successive wins meant Tony went into the final weekend of racing sitting second in the championship standings, with his focus on seeing off the challenge of rivals Peter Christmas and Paul Buckmaster to end the year as runner-up.

Saturday’s action started in positive fashion with a relatively comfortable victory in the opening heat ahead of new champion John Wood, although the Ford Escort driver was able to turn the tables in heat two as he managed to beat Lynch to the win.

Wood then secured victory in heat three to nap pole position for the final but it was Lynch who made the best start to rocket into the lead off the line.

Despite having Wood fixed firmly onto his tail, Lynch was able to keep his rival at bay in one of the races of the day to take the win, with the pair nearly half a minute clear of the battle for third.

The battle between the pair continued into Sunday’s final round, with Wood having the edge in the opening qualifying heat as he took the win.

Although Lynch jumped to the lead at the start of the second heat, an intermittent issue with the Toyota restricted him to a third place finish although the car was back on song for the final heat at Lynch picked up his first victory of the day – barely a tenth of a second ahead of Wood.

That left Lynch second on the grid for the finale and he slotted in behind Wood going through turn one before making his bid for the lead going down the hill later on the opening lap.

Although Wood would be quicker on the three laps that followed, Tony produced a masterful display to ensure that his rival couldn’t find a way through – ensuring that his season drew to a close with a fifth successive win.

That wrapped up second in the standings, with Tony and the team now turning focus towards trying to reclaim the title in 2027.

“With no title to think about, the pressure was off more than usual going into the final rounds of the season, although we knew there was still a job to do to wrap up second spot,” he said.

“Aside from the second heat on Sunday, the car was fantastic throughout the weekend and a huge thank you to the team for their efforts as we had to be on top form if we wanted to beat Jon.

“The battles between us were absolutely brilliant and I absolutely loved being able to go wheel-to-wheel with him in the two finals, where there really was nothing between us from start to finish.

“Overall, this turned out to be a hugely challenging season in ways that we never expected, but I’m proud of the way that we never gave up and continued to battle for the best results possible every time we went out on track.

“A massive thank you as ever to all of our sponsors and supporters for continuing to get behind us, and we’re already thinking about next season when we want to come back and reclaim that title!”