The 2026 Motorsport UK British Rally Championship returns to action after its extended summer break this weekend (7/8 August) with the eagerly anticipated Voly Grampian Forest Rally.
Featuring 57 competitive miles across 10 demanding stages, the Aberdeenshire event is not only one of the highlights of the BRC calendar but, this year, also serves as the official FIA candidate event ahead of Rally Scotland’s return to the FIA World Rally Championship schedule in 2027.
With just the opening two rounds completed, Osian Pryce, Max McRae, Meirion Evans and Garry Pearson are locked in a thrilling four-way battle for this year’s coveted British Rally Championship crown.
However, the Grampian Forest Rally boasts an added layer of intrigue thanks to an exceptional list of guest entries, giving fans a rare opportunity to see leading FIA World Rally Championship competitors going head-to-head with the country’s top domestic talent.
With the Banchory-based event taking place on forest roads similar to those that will feature in next year’s Rally Scotland, a number of high-profile international crews are using the rally to accelerate their preparations for the UK’s long-awaited return to the WRC calendar. All will compete in Rally2 machinery matching the specification used by the leading BRC contenders.
Heading the impressive guest entry is current FIA World Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans, who will tackle the Aberdeenshire stages alongside co-driver Scott Martin in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Remarkably, it will be the Welshman’s first competitive event on home soil for six years.
“The event’s going to be held in the same area as Rally Scotland in 2027,” Evans told RallyScotland.org. “It’s a valuable opportunity to try and learn as much as we can, ahead of the main event, as it were, in 2027.
“I’ve not visited before. I don’t think I’ve been that far north, actually, so I know very little. I’ve done quite limited rallies in Scotland, maybe more in the Dumfries and Galloway area. I’ve heard great things about the stages. From what I understand, they’re quite fast, but that’s really all I know. That’s why this opportunity is important, to get a flavour, get your eye in and see what’s to come in 2027.”
Fellow WRC star Jon Armstrong is on a similar mission as he prepares for the UK’s welcome return to the globe-trotting World Rally Championship next season.
“I don’t have any experience of those stages,” Armstrong admitted to RallyScotland.org. “But we know the rally next year should be based around the same area, and maybe on some of the same stages. It’s a good chance to get some information and understand what the roads are like, what type of set-up you might need for the car, and how the tyres interact with the surface. It’s a bit of a fact-gathering exercise, and a bit more seat time for me.”
Armstrong will be joined by fellow WRC2 contenders Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja of M-Sport, together with Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand, plus Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov, both crack crews competing in Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 machinery.
Despite using the event as valuable preparation, Armstrong is expecting fierce competition throughout the weekend.
“We’ll just treat it like any other rally and try to be as fast as we can,” he said. “The British Championship level is very high, so it’s not like we’re expecting to be out front easily. With the Lancias going, they’ll obviously be fast as well, and there are drivers like Max McRae and Osian Pryce. They’re all proper drivers. I think it’s going to be a big battle, no matter what, and that’s what we’re always looking for.”
The Grampian Forest Rally will also bring the action closer than ever to spectators, with Banchory’s King George V Park providing a central hub alongside dedicated viewing areas, including the popular BA Barn Arena near Kintore.
For more information on the Voyl Grampian Forest Rally click here and on 2027 Rally Scotland click here.