Roger Albert Clark Rally 20-24th November 2025

Osian Pryce wins longest and toughest UK historic stage rally!

Since Rally Wales GB November 2019 Britain has lacked a round of the prestigious World Rally Championship, depriving the sport's many UK fans the chance to see a truly international entry tackle some of the most challenging and charismatic forestry rally stages in the world. Crychan, Myherin, Hafren, Dyfnant, as well as those daunting north of the border stages and the notorious Kielder Complex!

Enter the Roger Albert Clark Rally - R.A.C for short - run by the eponymous motor club operated by the redoubtable Colin Heppenstall, architect of the ambitious bi-annual, five-day rally for historic, pre 1990 rally cars. Attracting a record number of 193 crews this year, the rally encompassed 3 home nations to provide competitors with 330 stage and 940 liaison miles, innovatively running two days out of Carmarthen showground and two days from Carlisle airport with an interim service area in Welshpool.

For organisers and teams, the rally presents logistical and cost related challenges. Coping with scrutineering on Wednesday followed by a ceremonial evening start in Carmarthen town, before action starts for real Thursday morning with the first loop of stages through Crychan and Cefn forest before service followed by two mixed surface stages at Pembrey Circuit then a second loop. Friday saw competitors head into mid Wales for Myherin, Hafren and Dyfnant stages before the rally hub moved to Carlisle Airport for Saturday, Sunday and Monday stages, with first car scheduled to start the final SS 35 stage at Kielder 14.23 hrs and due back over the finishing ramp at Carlisle Airport 17.17 hrs. For most, that means a week away from home. In addition, twenty-seven MINI Coopers joined the event just for the MINI Challenge Kielder stages. 

As if by magic, ambient temperatures dropped during Wednesday Scrutineering meaning competitors faced frozen surfaces on almost all stages for at least their first pass. That said, camaraderie and driving standards among theglittering international entry were high and accident attrition low. Ironically, some of the latter northern stages were the first that crews experienced free from ice and snow! 

Looking like a 'Who's Who' of national rallying the entry list showed the weapon of choice for over half the field as being Pirelli-shod MkII Ford Escorts, as driven by former BRC champions Osian Pryce and Matt Edwards, but 2023 winner Marty McCormack had eschewed his 2023 R.A.C winning Escort for a Dom Buckley run BMW M3. Spectator favourites included Mark Higgins' Dave Appleby Engineering run Triumph TR8, and Seb Perez's Lancia Stratos, complete with wailing Ferrari engine and Amigos Tequila graphics. 

McCormack, Pryce and Paul Barrett were early pace setters, before Pryce broke free and established his rhythm at the head of the field to stay just ahead of the competition. McCormack retired on the last day with gearbox failure and Perez withdrew after an 'off' damaged his transmission. After 5 days of hard rallying, it was Osian Pryce/Dale Furniss atop the podium with Omagh's Paul Barrett/Gordon Noble second and Greg McKnight/H.Marchbank third, all driving 1·8 litre Ford Escort Mk IIs'. The only non-Escorts in the top ten were Mark Higgins TR8 seventh and modest Swede Arne Radstrom's well-driven Volvo 262C ninth. 

And so ended another successful Roger Albert Clark Rally and huge credit to the organising team plus network of UK motor clubs assisting by operating the 35 stages, although one was cancelled due to spectator traffic congestion.Can Ford's Escort MkII continue to reign supreme on this matchless rally? We'll find out in after the next R.A.C rally, November 2027! 

Ken Davies ©