It's been a difficult few years for British rallying but last week provided a flicker of light at the end of a tunnel.
The overwhelming success of the Roger Albert Clark Rally outlined the passion for rallying in the UK, which has been starved of top-level World Rally Championship competition since the 2019 Wales Rally GB. The buzz surrounding the R.A.C. and its hordes of fans flocking to the stages to witness the likes of WRC stars Oliver Solberg and Kris Meeke wrestle Ford Escort Mk2s through the UK’s most iconic stages came amid a backdrop of some rather big news for British rallying, a positive announcement that has been long overdue.
Next year international rallying is set to return to these shores following confirmation Wales will host the penultimate round (30 August-1 September) of rallying’s second-tier European Rally Championship, after series organisers announced that the rapidly growing Rali Ceredigion event has secured ERC status.
The R.A.C., courtesy of its record 155-crew entry, showcased that historic rallying is booming and is in rude health in this country, and now Britain has a platform to show its support for modern rallying with the ERC coming to Wales.
The ERC news is a much-needed shot in the arm for rallying in this country but there is no hiding from the elephant in the room, that being the WRC is still a major omission from the British motorsport calendar. Sadly, and not for the want of trying, the chances of the WRC returning to this country seem, at this point, remote for the foreseeable future. This is a crying shame for a nation that has produced two world champions in Colin McRae and Richard Burns and a three-time runner-up and likely 2024 title contender in current Toyota star Elfyn Evans.
There was, of course, hope of a bid to bring the WRC to Northern Ireland thanks to the relentless hard graft of Bobby Willis, but it has fallen short in 2021, 2022, 2023 and now 2024, ultimately due to a lack of government funding. I personally find this hard to comprehend when you consider the economic benefits attached to such events and the fact that this country is a global motorsport powerhouse, harbouring a significant multi-million-pound industry, that includes one of three WRC Rally1 teams in M-Sport.
It is increasingly hard to understand the lack of government funding for all major UK motorsport events when you compare it to the scene in Australia. The Australian Formula 1 and MotoGP grands prix, Supercars events and Rally Australia (when it was on the WRC calendar) are/were all backed and supported by government funding to some degree, be it at federal or state level. If only a similar approach was adopted in the UK government. It beggars belief.
However, for now, the news the ERC will have a UK round is something I hope will breathe life into the modern rallying scene. There has been a tremendous amount of hard work from the team behind Rali Ceredigion to secure a spot on the ERC calendar and it shouldn’t go unnoticed. This asphalt event located in Aberystwyth only made its debut in 2019, and in this short space of time has secured a spot on the British Rally Championship schedule and now the ERC. Who knows what will happen in the future, but this is a huge step in the right direction.
Nostalgia is big business and you can argue it has never been bigger. The chance to witness a Lancia Stratos (thank you Seb Perez) scream its way through Welsh forests of Hafren and Sweet Lamb is always going to produce the sell-out crowds
News that the ERC will be heading to Wales next year trickled through just as thousands of fans lined the streets of Carmarthen for the ceremonial start of the R.A.C. Despite the lack of WRC since 2019, the fans are very much still here and eager to lap up any rally offering put in front of them. Of course, this event holds a special charm given the way it has embraced the spirit of the old R.A.C. rallies of the past, helped by a stunning array of historic machines.
It doesn’t matter what the sport, nostalgia is big business and you can argue it has never been bigger. The chance to witness a Lancia Stratos (thank you Seb Perez) scream its way through Welsh forests of Hafren and Sweet Lamb is always going to produce the sell-out crowds that flocked to last week’s modern day 350-mile R.A.C. marathon. The support and buzz for this rally was reflected across social media. A quick glance at Autosport’s social media traffic from onboard and sights and sounds videos through all of our channels, produced in excess of 700,000 views on a weekend that included F1 and MotoGP season finales.
What the R.A.C. proved is that rallying is alive and well in this country. It just needed a focal point, a major event - which is what the R.A.C. has now become - as its box office. It must be said that the likes of Solberg and five-time WRC rally winner Meeke certainly added spice this year and will most likely encourage fellow stars to tackle this unique biennial endurance challenge and help grow the event further when the rally returns in 2025. This success was not lost on the competitors either who hinted at aspects this rally got right, which should be considered by organisers at ERC and WRC level.
“Honestly, it’s been fantastic - from the start in Wales on Wednesday evening last week, there have just been so, so many people,” said Solberg, who led the rally until a driveshaft failure on Sunday night.
“The organisers seem to understand completely how to make it work – they have the service area close to the stages, so we can spend lots of time with the fans and the spectators can see everything and still we’re doing a lot of miles in fantastic stages.”
Speaking to Autosport, Solberg added: “It is simple - the country needs the WRC back as you can see at the R.A.C., a historic rally there are more people here than a WRC race. I think it is important for the WRC to learn that you only need to take 10% from this event in terms of bringing the fans closer so everyone can enjoy the event more.”
I hope last week marks the start of a positive era for UK rallying. And now, with the ERC and Rali Ceredigion, there is another major top-level event just around the corner for fans to go and support in their droves. UK rallying must ride this wave of hope and optimism generated from the R.A.C. and the prospect of the ERC arriving on our shores next year.
