The British Rally Championship (BRC) is back in action this summer with the Voly Grampian Forest Rally on 7-8 August attracting several high-profile drivers including FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) title leader Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin.
The Aberdeenshire event is of additional interest to the WRC contingent as many of the stage miles will have similar terrain to the inaugural Rally Scotland event next year.
In addition to Evans and Martin, who will take part in the event in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, are M-Sport World Rally Team front-runners Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne, who will be on board a Ford Fiesta Rally2.
The quartet will be joined by WRC2 contenders, including M-Sport’s Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja, making their return after an impressive performance with three fastest stage last year. Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand, plus Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov will contest the event in Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 cars as the model makes its UK debut.
The addition of high-profile WRC contenders emphasises the importance of the event, however there is much anticipation for the third round of the BRC season with an intense battle for the title in prospect. The opening round was won by returning former champion Osian Pryce but victory for Max McRae in the Jim Clark Rally will have the crowd cheering on the newest star from Scotland’s rally dynasty.
The title standings remain close at this early point of the season, with Meirion Evans and Garry Pearson just a few points behind. Many of Britain’s leading drivers will be looking to defend home honours on roads they know so well, creating a fascinating fight between established national championship stars and some of the biggest names in international rallying.
The addition of several high-profile names will increase the appeal of the event to the many club competitors who will already be looking forward to attacking stages offering similar challenges to next year’s Rally Scotland.
Clerk of the Course Graham Provest said: “We’ve always believed the Grampian could showcase everything that’s great about rallying in north-east Scotland, but to now have current World Rally Championship contenders actively choosing our event as preparation for Rally Scotland is a tremendous endorsement.”
“What makes this so exciting is that they’ll be lining up alongside the stars of the British Rally Championship, the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship and the club competitors who are the lifeblood of our sport. For one weekend, everyone gets the same opportunity to take on some of the finest forest roads in Britain and measure themselves against the very best in the world.”
The Grampian Rally will also bring the action to the fans, with dedicated spectator areas including the spectacular BA Barn Arena near Kintore, as well as the popular Rally Zone in Banchory’s King George V Park hosting scrutineering, the ceremonial start, regroup and rally finish.
Head here for more information on the British Rally Championship and here for more information on Rally Scotland