Jim Clark Rally - 26-28 May 23

Johnnie Mulholland / Eoin Tracey (Ford Fiesta Rally3) Livery

Posted: May 24, 2023 2:38 PM

Tarmac Challenge Awaits for SRC Contenders

Posted: May 23, 2023 4:29 PM

The 2023 KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship moves from the gravel to the tarmac for round 3, the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Reivers Rally.

The top of the entry list reads like a modern SRC hall of fame. 3-time champions Euan Thorburn & Paul Beaton line up number 1 in a Polo R5 ahead of the 2021 champions Garry Pearson & Niall Burns, also with VW power.

The most successful crew in SRC history line up 3rd, David Bogie & Kevin Rae have a combined 11 championships between them. They make their 1st start of the Scottish season in David’s beast of a MK2 Escort. If the weather is dry the 2wd car can definitely challenge for a rally win.

2-time champion Jock Armstrong & Hannah McKillop are at car 5. Historically the tarmac hasn’t really suited the Orange Impreza, last year’s Reivers was plagued with brake issues. They come into this round as championship leaders after two top 3 finishes.

Behind the cavalcade of champions come a very strong line up of crews ready to challenge them.

Michael Binnie & Claire Mole make their 2nd start in John Forrest’s R5, provided John survives the National event over the previous 2 days. Michael & Claire took a podium on last year’s Reivers in their Evo and were just 1 second off the podium at the Speyside on their 1st run in the Fiesta.

David Henderson & Chris Lees will be looking to kickstart their Scottish campaign after 2 difficult events.

As will Freddie Milne & Patrick Walsh. The Fabia pilot fresh from a 2nd win of the season on the asphalt in Spain, boding well for the Scottish tarmac.

Speyside winner Finlay Retson has Andrew Roughead in the hotseat this time. Finlay looking forward to experiencing the Rally 2 car on a closed public road event, tarmac being his preferred surface.

They’re followed by the early stars of the Snowman, Scott Macbeth & Dan Forsyth, out in their own Fiesta R5 for the 1st time after their experience of a hired car on round 1.

John Wink has made an excellent start to the 2023 season with 2 podiums on the 1st 2 rounds in his refreshed and upgraded i20. Regular navigator Neil Shanks is back after his Clerk of the Course duties on the Speyside and they’ll be hoping for better luck on the tarmac this year.

The Fabias of Hugh Brunton/Drew Sturrock & Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson follow the i20 ahead of 2 WRC cars.

John Rintoul & Ross Hynd bring their MINI out for the tarmac rounds and Subaru Cup sponsor Barry Groundwater has swapped his S2000 Polo for his S11 WRC Impreza. Rachel Matheson steps into the passenger seat of the Impreza this time round.

Also in the mix, Mark McCulloch & Michael Hendry return to the event where they took a podium finish in 2022. Willie Paterson & Iain Wilson continue their R5 and Rally 2 adventures and Angus Lawrie & Paul Gribben will fly the flag once again for Mitsubishi Evos.

John Crawford & Josh Davison are the 2nd SRC registered 2wd car, just ahead of Bruce & Teri McCombie, making their SRC Mk2 debut in the ex-Peter Garrow Escort.

They’re followed by 2wd points leaders Peter Stewart & Harry Marchbank, the 208 crew will be looking to see how the fwd car compares to Bogie’s MK2 on the tarmac. Other 2wds in the mix include Brian Watson & Sean Donnelly, Dave McIntyre & Cameron Dunn’s C2, Archie Swinscoe & Jane Nicol in the Adam and the M5 class cars of Gordon Murray (Mk2 Escort) & David Wilson (BMW).

In addition, Junior champion Robert Proudlock will be looking to battle Swinscoe in his Adam, just ahead of the Sunbeam of Alister MacArthur and the Mk2 of Paddy Munro & David O’Brien who have enjoyed a great start to 2023 with a new engine in the car.

John Easson award winner Johnnie Mackay heads the 4wd Challengers seeding. Michael Cruickshank is back alongside in the Evo.

Championship sponsor Kevin Crawford & Andrew Stevenson are back after their turbo issues on the Speyside despite Kevin not being a fan of tarmac.

Mike Moates & Gary McDonald will be hoping for less brake issues on their Impreza this year.

Michael Renton returns to the event where his turbo detonated in spectacular fashion in 2022, Ricky Finlayson stepping into the navigator’s seat for this round. Actually seeing the start would be an improvement for Graeme Sherry & Ewan Lees in their C5 spec Impreza after a rough start to the year. Jordan Anderson & Ian Macdougall will also be looking for a change of luck in their Subaru Cup car.

Scott Peacock & Craig Wallace will be sampling the tarmac for the 1st time in their Evo 8 and looking to consolidate their points lead in the Challengers category. Scott’s neat driving style should suit the sealed surface.

There are a couple of big headlines in the Ladies contest. Points leader Aileen Forrest tops the entry in her Purple Evo but is joined in the 4wd ranks for this round by Meghan O’Kane. Meghan being allowed out to play in her Dad’s Impreza for the 1st time. Just a one off at the minute but if things go well…who knows?

2021 champion Ashleigh Morris is back for the Clark, the rebuild on her Fiesta R200 finally finished. A shakedown run at a rally in Cornwall went well and she should be up to speed by the Sunday having contested the National event.

With points leader Jim Roberston currently only on the reserve list, Richard Stewart tops the Haddo Energy Super Seniors ranks in his Peugeot 208, followed by Ernie Lee’s BMW. They are joined by last year’s Super Senior winner Alistair Brearley, the Escort man back after his Snowman accident. The capacity field of 120 cars get under way from the start in Duns Square at 10am this Sunday, May 28th.

CRONIN/GALVIN CHASE CLARK CROWN

Posted: May 23, 2023 4:13 PM

After a two month break, the 2023 British Rally Championship resumes on Friday evening with the Jim Clark Rally in the Scottish Borders. The Duns-based event marks the first of four summer tarmac rounds on the BRC calendar, before the series returns to the forests in September and October. Ballylickey driver, Keith Cronin, and his Killarney co-driver, Mikie Galvin, won last year’s Jim Clark (Cronin also triumphed in 2012), and they return this weekend with the same Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 that took them to victory twelve months ago, in a bid to make it two-in-a-row. The Irish duo currently lie second in the BRC standings behind Malcolm Wilson Rally winners, Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria.

“We had a good start on the Jim Clark in 2022”, recalls Cronin. “We had lead of eight seconds after the first stage, everything just clicked into place. Then Osian Pryce and Noel O’Sullivan picked up a puncture on the second and were disqualified for running on the flat. That took some of the edge out of it. Hopefully everyone will have a good clean run this year.”.

Cronin is clear that the presence of Fourmaux represents his greatest challenge to achieving a repeat victory this weekend: “Adrien won the Malcolm Wilson Rally and leads the BRC, and he has been out on the WRC events in Mexico and Portugal since then, he actually led the WRC2 field in Portugal before he had to change a wheel. We just did a small test last week, that was my only time in the car since March. We know that M-Sport and Ford have been developing the Fiesta lately too and that work seems to be paying off for them. We’ll certainly be up against it”.

Fourmaux is seeded at No. 1, with Cronin at 2. Behind them, a trio of Fiesta pilots, Callum Black, James Williams and Elliott Payne, will also hope to capitalise on the recent Ford developments. Local driver, Garry Pearson, will be making his first appearance in the Melvyn Evans Motorsport Volkswagen Polo that carried Osian Pryce to last year’s BRC crown, and may well prove to be the dark horse.

The Jim Clark Rally will get under way at 7pm on Friday evening, with the ceremonial start taking place in Duns Square. There will follow two runs over the Longformacus stage, the second after nightfall. Saturday’s action will consist of two loops of the Edrom, Ayton and Fogo stages, with the Finish celebrations taking place back in Duns just before 2pm.

The British Rally Championship will provide live updates from the Jim Clark Rally on its facebook page, @brcrally.

Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin’s British Rally Championship campaign is supported by Molson Group, M O'Brien Group of Companies, Michelin Tyres, Keohane Seafoods, Cremin Coach & Mini Bus Hire, Inver Energy, Cronin’s Homevalue Hardware, Cronin’s Centra (Ballylickey, Leap and Union Hall) and Westlink Service Station. Their Volkswagen Polo R5 is prepared and run by Tom Gahan Motorsport.

Seeded Entry Lists

Posted: May 22, 2023 2:03 PM

Jim Clark Rally - 26-27 May 23 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST - International / National (BRC/Asphalt)
Jim Clark Reivers Rally - 28 May 23 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST - Scottish

World-class drivers head to Duns for the Jim Clark Rally

Posted: May 22, 2023 1:55 PM

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally has attracted a world-class entry ahead of this weekend’s event [26-28 May] as around 240 drivers get set to tackle the highly acclaimed three-day closed road motorsport event.

Heralded as one of the most popular stage rallies in the UK, the Jim Clark Rally has taken place for almost fifty years and continues to attract leading drivers to the Scottish Borders and the closed public roads in Berwickshire.

And this year will be no exception, as stars from across the world head for the market town of Duns to tackle the top-drawer event, competing across some of the most iconic stages in the country in a bid for the coveted rally win.

Sponsored by leading construction merchants Beatson’s Building Supplies, the rally returns with a slightly adapted format for 2023, with the three days and almost 110 miles of competitive driving split into the now traditional two-event structure. Using classic tests from previous editions, the event remains fresh and exciting with many stages being moved to alternative days.
The top-flight Motorsport UK British Rally Championship returns to the fold for the Friday and Saturday legs, with fans enjoying a glimpse into the pace of the UK’s premier rally series, as well as the Protyre National Asphalt Rally Championship and a host of regional championships.

The KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship contenders will tackle Sunday’s Reivers Rally with a bumper entry list bolstered by an impressive list of popular local rally championships.

The traditional rally base in Duns town hosts the Rally HQ and service areas, and the Market Square in the centre will see the Ceremonial Rally Starts and Finishes take place on the famous cobbles. In a repeat of 2022, crews will be flagged away from the town on Friday at 19:00 with two passes of the Longformacus stage ahead of them, the latter of which will be under the cover of darkness.

However, day two sees a switch to stages in the northeast, with Fogo, Ayton and Edrom being run twice throughout the day before the fan-favourite ceremonial finish, presentations and champagne spray celebrations back in Duns, set to take place from 13:45.

Sunday’s Reivers event is a shorter day but no less impressive and once again enjoys a ceremonial start at 10:00 from Duns and heads southwest for the popular Eccles, Westruther and Scott’s View tests being run twice throughout the day, before the finish celebrations from 16:00.

Steeped in history, the Jim Clark Rally first ran in 1970 with names on the winner’s trophy including Roger Clark and Ari Vatanen, so there is no doubt the race to etch a new name alongside rallying royalty will be an intense one.

Leading the field away is Frenchman and World Rally Championship driver Adrien Fourmaux who is dovetailing a British Rally Championship campaign with his WRC commitments.

The M-Sport Ford factory driver took victory at the opening round of the BRC in March but will be visiting the Scottish Borders for the very first time in a bid to gain additional seat time behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta Rally2 and will be joined by Alexandre Coria in the co-drivers seat.

They will have last year's Jim Clark Rally winners Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin breathing down their necks however as they return in their Volkswagen Polo GTi R5. The breathtaking performance in 2022 underlined their asphalt pace and a repeat victory would also assist the Irishman's quest for a fifth BRC title.

Callum Black and Jack Morton are fresh from a Manx National win in their Fiesta Rally2 so head to Scotland on form. They also lead the National Asphalt crews away and will aim to score well in both championships. Also in a Fiesta Rally2, are James Williams and Dai Roberts who will be using the Ford on asphalt for the first time this season. They took second place in the event in 2022 so will be one to watch in new machinery.

Elliot Payne and Tom Woodburn round out the top five seeds, also using a Fiesta Rally2 and managed fifth pace here last season on only Payne’s second-ever asphalt event at the time.

The Scottish flags will be flying for a swathe of home – heroes as several Duns drivers set out their stall to take a coveted home win. Leading them away is Garry Pearson who has made a switch to a Polo R5 for the remainder of his BRC campaign. He took third last year and could now have the machinery to challenge up front. The experienced Dan Barritt will co-drive.

Local ace Euan Thorburn took the Reivers Rally win last year but this time around, he will tackle both events in his Ford Focus WRC. With Paul Beaton alongside, it's been 12 months since his last outing but don’t underestimate the Duns man in the lanes. Another Duns driver Dale Robertson makes his annual outing and has Keir Beaton on the notes and are piloting a Fiesta Rally2.

Multiple Scottish Rally Champion David Bogie brings the noise with his Ford Escort MKII and is front-running two-wheel drive with Kevin Rae alongside.

One of the most famous family names in rallying will also be represented during the weekend, with Max McRae, son of 1995 British Champion Alister contesting the event. The Australian driver will be fresh from his FIA European Rally Championship debut in Poland and will give the Opel Corsa Rally4 its UK maiden outing in the process.

Sunday’s Reivers Rally sees the Scottish Rally Championship join the lineup and will be headed by Thorburn who will be aiming for the double in his Focus. Pearson will also be looking for a clean sweep as he re-joins for the event, as will 2011 rally winner Bogie. An impressive top ten also includes SRC leader Jock Armstrong and Hannah McKillop in a Subaru Impreza, as well as Cornhill’s Michael Binnie in his Mitsubishi with Duns co-driver Claire Mole alongside.

Spectators will be well catered for across the rally weekend with plenty of opportunities to catch the action on the stages and get up close to the stars and cars during event formalities.

Duns will be a hive of activity during the rally weekend with commentary by Knockhill’s Duncan Vincent and a big screen showing the action from the stages and cars will never be far away during the rally.

Spectator access to watch the action is available on many stages in the rally, with full information available on the rally website and in programmes which are available throughout the town of Duns during the rally week.

Blistering Borders roads await the BRC at the Jim Clark Rally

Posted: May 22, 2023 1:52 PM

The action-packed Motorsport UK British Rally Championship heads to Duns in the Scottish Borders for the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally [26-27 May] – the second round of the series.

The infamous lanes around the market town have been a staple of the UK’s premier rally series over the decades, and as the British Rally Championship enters its 65th anniversary season, the Jim Clark Rally heralds the first of three asphalt events on the roster and a mix of deceptive moorland roads coupled with twisty country lanes.

And the country’s top-drawer series has added a star-studded list of names to the entry list with an impressive array of top-flight crews in Rally2 machinery, joined by Rally3, Rally4 and National Rally Title contenders, each aiming to grab some early top scores to gain momentum at the early part of the seven-round championship.

Fresh from a sensational performance in the World Rally Championship in Portugal, Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux adds a truly international flavour to the Scottish event as he aims for back-to-back BRC wins in his Ford Fiesta Rally2.

The M-Sport Ford factory driver enjoyed a convincing win on the opening round of the season on the gravel of the Malcolm Wilson Rally, but he and co-driver Alexandre Coria will need to bring their `A-Game` to Duns if they are to repeat that maximum score.

Breathing down their necks will be a wealth of top-class BRC contenders, led by none other than last year’s Jim Clark Rally winners Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin. The Irish pairing endured a tough opening round and struggled with their Volkswagen Polo GTi, but the change to asphalt, coupled with Cronin’s extensive experience on the event could well play into their hands. The four-time BRC champion salvaged second in March but will be gunning for a win this time around.

An on-form Callum Black need not worry about his asphalt pace after winning the recent non-championship Manx National Rally, despite making his sealed surface debut in four-wheel-drive machinery. He and Jack Morton will be eying a repeat in Scotland in their sharp-looking Fiesta Rally2.

In the ice-covered first stage of the 2023 season, it was Ford convert James Williams who led the BRC contingent with a stellar performance before Fourmaux got his teeth into the gravel but if that pace continues, Williams could well take his maiden BRC win at the weekend. With Dai Roberts alongside, the pairing have settled perfectly into their new Fiesta Rally2 and is flourishing in their new surroundings.

A career-best third place for Elliot Payne at the Malcolm Wilson Rally is a sign of the youngster's progression but the switch to his non-preferred surface may see him switch tactics in the Fiesta Rally2. A solid score here could bode well for his and co-driver Tom Woodburn’s title hopes.

If anyone knows how to tackle the Borders roads, it’s Duns man Garry Pearson who will be going all-out on an event which passes his door. Pearson will also raise the bar with a switch to a Volkswagen Polo GTi for the remainder of the season – the very car which took Osian Pryce to the title in 2022 with Melvyn Evans Motorsport. Pearson also enlists the ultra-experienced Daniel Barritt in a bid to nail a victory on home soil.

Alan Carmichael and Arthur Kierans will tackle their first BRC round of 2023 in their Hyundai i20, whilst Hugh Brunton and Drew Sturrock have been looking forward to getting their Skoda Fabia Rally2 onto a sealed surface at the `Clark`.

Stephen Petch has put his opening stage retirement on the Malcolm Wilson firmly behind him and wheels out his new Skoda Fabia Rally2 for the event. Michael Wilkinson joins him in the co-driver’s seat.

Bringing his Ford Fiesta Rally3 to the BRC3 category this season, Johnnie Mulholland will be looking to learn his new machine on a different surface at the weekend as he and Eoin Treacy debut the car on asphalt. With more predictable conditions, the event could well see Mulholland punch in some Rally2 beating times.

Ford Fiesta and BRC4 contender Steve Waugh will be in at the deep end this weekend as he makes his sealed surface debut in the Borders. Having only started rallying last season, he has remained on gravel until now and will be guided through the maiden outing by Mark Broadbent.

Junior British Rally Championship

The fight for Junior BRC honours is likely to be just as intense at the top tier in Scotland and it was Kyle White and Sean Topping who came out on top last time around, even after suffering a puncture on the opening stage and damaging a shock absorber in their Peugeot 208 Rally4.

Eking out most of their advantage in Grizedale, they finished ahead of reigning Academy Trophy Champion Kyle McBride and co-driver Liam McIntyre in the Fiesta Rally4 with Casey Jay Coleman and Adam Coffey rounding out the podium.

But they will be joined in Scotland by Max McRae and Mac Kierans who make a return to the Junior BRC after last season’s one-off outing at the Nicky Grist Stages.

The Australian driver, son of 1995 British Champion Alister McRae, will be fresh from his FIA European Rally Championship debut in Poland and will give the Opel Corsa Rally4 its UK debut in the process. McRae took a podium on his JBRC debut but will be looking to hone his asphalt skills for his ERC campaign this time around.

DirtFish journalist Luke Barry will realise a childhood dream by contesting the very event which sparked his interest in the sport. Born and bred in the Borders, Barry will also be making his driving debut, piloting a Fiesta R2 from the EDSL Sport outfit, co-driven by team boss Alex Waterman and they join the JBRC for the two-day event.

National Rally Title

The race to the National Rally Title gets underway in Duns, with contenders in non-homologated machinery eligible to compete alongside the BRC crews.

Stuart McLaren and Adam Entwhistle bring a historic flavour to the category with their Opel Kadette GT/E. McLaren is no stranger to the series having contested the championship in 2021 and returns to sample the new roster of events this season. Mike East and Glyn Thomas sign up in their Fiesta R2 for a shot at the title and are fresh from a class win at the recent Clacton Rally.

Two days of flat-out rally action await crews with the event kicking off with a double run of the Longformacus stage on Friday night, the second pass under the cover of darkness.

Saturday sees three stages repeated, with new tests from last year set to challenge even the most experienced of contenders. Duns Market Square town centre will host the ceremonial start, re-groups, and finish celebrations in a weekend-long festival-style atmosphere with a big screen broadcasting all the action to the waiting fans.

Just over 67 miles are in store and as last year demonstrated, the event can throw in a curveball to derail championship aspirations, but one thing is for sure, you will witness some of the best drivers in the business battling for tenths of a second in the Borders’ lanes. That’s a sight you won't want to miss.

Entries Received / On Line Entry

Posted: May 10, 2023 2:08 PM

https://www.rallies.info/webentry/2023/jimclark/

Regulations Available Mon 3 Apr / Entry Open Thu 6 Apr @ 7pm

Posted: March 27, 2023 1:14 PM

Jim Clark Memorial Rally