30/01/2025
Motorsport, Rally, British Rally, Web-Zine, E-Zine, E-Mag, Magazine
Motorsport, Rally, British Rally, Web-Zine, E-Zine, E-Mag, Magazine
Organised by the Quinten Motor Cub and Sponsored by the world-famous co-driver and his motorsports equipment business since 2011 the Nicky Grist stages is based in the Market town of Builth Wells with its picturesque service area on the rugby pitch and overlooking the river Wye. The battleground would be the range of familiar stages in the Halfway, monument Crychan and Lyn Login areas of the Epynt military ranges to the south of Builth Wells.
Based out of the auction mart in Hexham, the former Pirelli (international) Rally, previously a classic staple of the Probite British Rally Championship calendar during the glory years of British rallying. The event can count a plethora of famous winners as diverse as Ari Vattinen or Russell Brookes to Richard Burns, Dai Llewellyn and Mark Higgins… As well as the full complement of McRaes (Alistair, Jimmy and Colin).
All set for a great days rallying across the 3 main Protyre BTRDA Gravel Championships the KFR would utilise 42 miles of prime gravel stages in the 155,000-acre Kielder forest complex, one of Europe’s largest man-made forests.
Saturday, the eleventh of May saw sixty-nine competitors head to Jedburgh in southern Scotland for the third round of the Protyre BTRDA Rally Series, the Border Counties Rally. Forming the first of two consecutive northern-based rounds for the BTRDA gravel series, followed by the Kielder forest Rally in the middle of June.
For the third round of the Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship, we travel 43 miles due south (on the A483) from Welshpool (RD2 Rally North Wales), to Builth Wells showground for the fiftieth running of the Severn Valley “Rallynuts” Stages.
Into their seventh year of sponsoring the Midland Manner Motorclub run event, a bumper entry would greet the Crews in Builth, with Rallynuts featuring on the Probite British Rally Championship roster for the first time along with three other major championships and perhaps the strongest loose surface entry list the UK had seen for a very long time. In BHRC terms, this was the first time since 2017 that it would form a round of the BHRC.
The third Saturday of March saw crews descend on the market town of Welshpool for the second round of the MotorsportUK Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship, Get Jerky Rally North Wales.
Mid-February had seen a very wet and soggy round 1 in Yorkshire, The Riponian, an event that left as many questions as it answered. George Lepley and Dale Bowen took the overall BHRC win in their Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 but were unable to score towards the overall championship in their recently homologated 4WD Grp A machine. Therefore, this left Yorkshire man Matthew Robinson and Northern Irishman Adrian Hetherington heading the championship standings from the returning (to BHRC) former champion Ben Friend in third.
Entering its 71st year, the 2024 Protyre BTRDA Gravel Rally series springs into life this coming weekend (8th/9th March) at its traditional season-opening round amongst the stunning “lakes and mountains” scenery of Keswick and Coniston in Cumbria.
A new championship season also brings a new sponsor, with Protyre extending their BTRDA Tarmac championship sponsorship of over 5 years to cover the Gravel series. With a 2-year agreement and the potential to add a further year the future of the series is secure.
The wider championship consists of 8 rounds, a choice of 6 of which are scoring in each of the main 3 categories, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Star along with Historic and Rally First awards.
The last weekend of September saw the third running of Historic Rally Festival. Based in and around the grounds of the seventeenth century grade II listed Weston Hall in Weston Park, near Telford in Shropshire, this “demonstration rally” (untimed) attracted some big names to classic RAC rally stages with star attractions in the name of former British and World Rally Champions.
Set in over one thousand acres of landscaped parkland, with wide open vistas and its famous water splash, this classic, former “RAC Rally” stage was the perfect venue to host a display of classic rally machinery, but more of that later.
The event, ran by the Rallying History organisation, is the only multi venue MotorsportUK sanctioned demonstration rally in the country where cars run untimed at two venues. Previously held both at Weston Park and Ironbridge power station, this year welcomes a new venue with the event moving o Hatton Grange (from Ironbridge) for a bank of three stages on Saturday Morning.
The third Saturday of November had a distinctly autumnal feel on the Gloucestershire/ Wales border as the curtain came down on the 2023 Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship on the forty fifth Wyedean Stages Rally. The Forest of Dean motor club ran event was once again based out of Forest Hills Golf club in Coleford and included 7 stages spread across the historic Forest of Dean.
The MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series would conclude its 2023 season on the stages of North Wales at the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally. With a planned 5 stages on offer covering 40 competitive miles, the North Wales Car Club organised event would also see the return of the main part of the Clocaenog Forest Complex.