Dan Willan and Niall Frost overcame an early brake failure scare to win an incredible hat-trick of RAC Rally of the Tests victories in their all-conquering Volvo PV544.

Organised by HERO-ERA for Pre-1991 cars, the ‘Tests’ harks back to the traditional format of the original RAC Rallies prior to them becoming special stage events, ultimately in the FIA World Rally Championship.

This year’s 22^nd running featured three days of rallying – plus a Thursday evening prologue – that included night sections, forestry, kart circuits and hill climbs, all spread across 34 tests and 24 regularities… plus a pair of Sporting Time Control sections, just in case anyone was left wanting more.

Rally of the Tests isn’t like your average rally. As, perhaps, the ultimate challenge in the historic rallying, it’s relentless and demands complete concentration.

For 2024 the rally began near Darlington with a gruelling 800-mile route that travelled up through Northumberland to Edinburgh, across to Carlisle via the Scottish Borders and then down to Windermere. Along the way the rally visited plenty of traditional venues, and some new ones, such as the Otterburn Ranges, the forests of Kershope, Kielder and Greystoke and Jim Clark Rally territory around Dunns and Warcop.

In total, 79 crews took on last weekend’s challenge, including 18 taking part in the Lite Event, a slightly easier ‘Tests experience’. Attracted by the unique encounter, eager entrants came from right around the globe – from Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Germany, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the USA and the Isle of Man.

Having posted back-to-back wins in 2022 and 2023, Dan Willan and Niall Frost were the pre-event favourites in their Volvo PV544… and, laying down the gauntlet, they were fastest out of the blocks building up a small lead after Thursday evening’s dark and misty Prologue in the lanes around Donington Park.

The pair’s dreams of three consecutive victories, though, almost came unstuck on Friday morning when they had to complete a test and regularity with no brakes. “We managed to get through somehow but it was a bit of a panic!” admitted a relieved co-driver Frost. Once the brakes were fixed, however, there was no stopping the burly Volvo which eventually finished four minutes clear of the opposition to take an unprecedented third win on the trot.

Paul Crosby and Ali Proctor were a battling second in their Mini Cooper S, fending off a late challenge from another of the Volvos, this time crewed by 2021 winners Paul Dyas and Martyn Taylor. The fan-favourite, growling Sunbeam Tiger of Callum Guy and Amy Henchoz had been in the hunt for a popular podium until they lost time on the final afternoon and had to settle for fourth overall and a class win.

Another standout class winner was the Toyota MR2 of John King and Oli Waldock. Despite a misfire and a brush with a cow shed on a regularity, King and his impressive 18-year-old navigator actually finished third on time penalties but were not on the podium as only Pre-68 cars were eligible for overall awards.

Running in the wheel-tracks of the main rally, the Lite section was also keenly contested. At the finish, spoils went to Dick and Harry Baines in their Mini Cooper S with the Mercedes 190 of Malcolm Dunderdale and Anita Wickins in second and the Lancia Fulvia of David Ward and Tim Sawyer on the third step of the podium.

As ever on the Rally of the Tests, all the finishers were worthy of congratulations – none more so, of course, than the truly outstanding Triple Champions.