Jim Clark Rally - CANCELLED

No Jim Clark Reivers Rally in 2016

Posted: May 26, 2016 3:04 PM

"The Jim Clark Reivers Rally which was scheduled to be run in Kelso and the Scottish Borders on the 5th of June will not now take place. The organisers of the annual event, which commemorated the life and achievements of Scotland's first Formula 1 Motor Racing Champion, Jim Clark, made the very reluctant decision at a special meeting convened this evening (24th May).

Entries for this event closed officially at 5pm yesterday (23rd May).
"We had received insufficient entries by the closing deadline to make the event financially viable," said Club Chairman Dan Wright, "this is an amateur club and we are all volunteers, we simply cannot afford to run the event at a loss. We do have limited funds in the bank but these are being held in reserve for next year's event when the Jim Clark Rally will return to a closed road format."

“It was a very difficult decision to take," said Dan, "and yet it was relatively easy. We had no choice. To carry on and run this year's event at a loss would jeopardise next year's return to the event's traditional format.”

Dan paid tribute to the team which had spent the last 12 months working on the event, especially in light of three major re-routes which had been forced upon them in recent days. "First we had to change the route to avoid a pair of nesting goshawks in Wauchope Forest," said Dan, "then another pair was found close by another stretch of road forcing another major re-route. And a final re-think was underway to accommodate another rally event in three weeks time in the same area."

Faced with all of these difficulties and the lack of entries, the organisers had little choice. First run as a closed public road event in 1997, the Jim Clark Rally can trace its roots back to 1970. That first event used a variety of farm, forest and military roads before becoming one of the UK’s premier forest stage rallies in the 1980s. The event reverted to a forest rally format following the tragic events in 2014 and the subsequent investigation. An accident claimed the lives of two media personnel and a guest travelling with them.

A ruling from the Lord Advocate was expected earlier this year but he is still awaiting one final report. The organisers are confident once this has been completed that the event can revert to its more traditional format.

The club is grateful for the many messages of support received not just from rally fans but from the Borders folk themselves who have supported this event since it started. Note: All competitors who have entered this year's event will receive a full refund as the club greatly appreciates their support"

Entries Recevied / Entries Open

Posted: April 5, 2016 6:41 AM

Available at:

Jim Clark Memorial Rally

Jim Clark Rally Returns to Forests

Posted: December 8, 2015 6:19 AM

The organisers of the annual Jim Clark Rally have announced that they will again run a forest based Special Stage Rally next year, provisionally on the weekend of 4-5th June 2016.

Hopes that this annual event could revert to a closed public road format have been delayed due to continuing investigations, with a ruling from the Lord Advocate's office not expected until sometime in 2016. That time frame leaves the organisers with no choice but to delay plans for a resumption of their closed public road event until 2017.

It takes fully 12 months to organise a one or two day special stage rally in Scotland whether in the forests or on closed public roads. And whilst some events can be organised in a shorter timescale, due to long established partnerships with Local and National Authorities, a six month timescale for next year's event simply is not viable.
The organisers reluctantly took this decision at their most recent meeting. First run as a closed public road event in 1997, the Jim Clark Rally can trace its roots back to 1970. That first event used a variety of farm, forest and military roads before becoming one of the UK's premier forest stage rallies in the 1980s. For 2016, the organising team will build on the successful format created earlier this year and are already planning to introduce some additional new stages to test the UK's top amateur rally drivers again next June.

The Jim Clark Rally will again be part of the national Scottish Rally Championship which itself is undergoing a revamp for next year with 7 rounds in place of 8 and the six best scores to count.
Further information will be issued as and when available.

Event Website

Posted: December 8, 2015 6:17 AM

Jim Clark Memorial Rally