The Year in Review: Rally
This season has seen Motorsport UK’s many Championships deliver top-class competition and plenty of dramatic action, no more so than in the valleys, forests and on the open roads in rallying. Here’s our review of some of this year’s action…
Fuchs Lubricants Motorsport UK British Historic Rally Championship
A strong season-long effort saw Seb Perez and Gary McElhinney clinch the title in their Porsche 911RS,
getting the better of highly respected former British champion Mark Higgins and co-driver Carl Williamson.
Despite winning just two of the eight events, Perez and McElhinney were consistent throughout and beat their
Triumph TR7-driving rivals to take the title by 40 points once dropped scores were taken into account.
Reis Motorsport Insurance Motorsport UK English Rally Championship
It was a close title battle in the drivers’ and co-drivers’ championships with Elliot Payne and Dan Evans securing their respective titles by a single point, and by winning three of their five events. Payne was pushed hard by Matthew Hirst, who won the Kielder Forest and Trackrod Forest Rallies, but that challenge came to an end when Storm Darragh caused the season-ending Grizedale Rally to be cancelled. Evans’ triumph came after an impressive run of three wins in the final four events.
McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship
A season of domination saw Jonathan Greer retain his trophy and extend his tally of titles to five, three
behind the Championship’s most successful driver, Derek McGarrity. The co-driver title went to Greer’s in-car
partner, Niall Burns. The pair clinched their respective crowns with a round to spare, adding victory on the
Go Tour of the Sperrins Rally to wins in the Echlinville Distillery, Bishopscourt, and Eakin Brothers Brian James Trailers Stages.
Asset Alliance Group Motorsport UK Scottish Rally Championship
Victory on the Grampian Stages, the penultimate round of the season, gave Euan Thorburn his fourth title. He
and co-driver Keir Beaton took the win by 26 seconds, adding to the Polo driver’s victories on the Jim Clark
Reivers and Argyll rallies and podium finishes in the other two rounds. Beaton, meanwhile, went on to secure
the co-driver’s crown in a tight three-way battle after joining Freddie Milne for the Snowman Rally.
Motorsport UK Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship
Matthew Hirst, alongside co-driver Declan Dear, won a record-breaking fourth crown this season after taking
a dominant victory in November’s Wyedean Rally. The Skoda Fabia R5 driver from Doncaster won four events,
but had to work hard for the title, overcoming one Did-Not-Finish and a ninth-place points finish during the
season, and had to fight-off some mechanical gremlins to secure a good result on the Rally North Wales.
He finished eight points ahead of closest rival Russ Thompson.
Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship
Callum Black secured back-to-back Asphalt titles with victory on the season-ending Hills Ford Stages in September. The Ford Fiesta Rally2 driver closed the season out in dominant fashion with victory every one of the last four events after early-season leader James Williams, winner of the opening three events, stepped away from the series. Black’s right-hand man, three-time champion Jack Morton, also sealed the co-driver crown.
British Cross Country Championship
After a tightly-fought battle across this six-round season, Paul Rowlands and Neil Lloyd lifted the trophy on the
final weekend in Wales, finishing just one point ahead of rivals Aston Cox and Simon Kerfoot, despite the latter
pair winning the final event. Richard Watson and Paul Hughes had headed the leaderboard before the final
double-header, but clutch problems ended their hopes while other contenders Phill Bayliss and Lance Murfin
succumbed to puncture problems.
Probite British Rally Championship
Chris Ingram / Alex Kihurani – Toyota GR Yaris Rally2
A stunning victory at the thrilling season-ending Cambrian Rally saw Chris Ingram and co-driver Alex
Kihurani clinch the title. Wins at the North West, Grampian and Ceredigion’s opening leg put former
European Champion Ingram in the box seat but four drivers were still in the chase heading into the final
round, where points were worth one and half times the normal amount. Ingram soaked up the pressure as he
piloted his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 with precision, pulling out a crucial lead in the afternoon to secure the Rally
and the title in style.
Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship
A three-time British Rallycross champion by the age of 20, Patrick O’Donovan is one of the most successful
young drivers in any discipline. Having been newly crowned as European Rallycross Champion, the Peugeot
208 driver secured his third British title with a double race victory in the penultimate round of the year at
Pembrey, doing it in style by winning every session on track throughout both days of competition.