jasdooit

Over the course of five days, 176 participants faced challenging conditions while navigating the forests of England, Scotland, and Wales during the Roger Albert Clark Rally.

Snow, ice, fog, and rain made this marathon more difficult, and thousands of fans came to watch the events at this every-two-years competition.

The victory was ultimately claimed by Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss in their Ford Escort Mk2, although Marty McCormack and Barney Mitchell demonstrated the speed of the BMW M3 on gravel.

Other competitors against the Escort groups were the sixth-place Triumph TR7 V8 driven by Mark Higgins and Carl Williamson, but the Lancia Stratos of Seb Perez and Dale Bowen suffered an early exit after a high-speed accident in Myherin forest.

Below are some of the standout participants from the intense competition.

Pryce asserts the major championship trophy

Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss stood out as the dominant victors of this year’s Roger Albert Clark Rally following five extremely tough days.

On his third try at the marathon event, 2022 British Rally champion Pryce partnered with Wales Motorsport and showcased a perfect performance in a Ford Escort Mk2, securing victory by more than two and a half minutes ahead of Northern Ireland’s Paul Barrett and Gordon Noble.

Both Pryce and team manager Meirion Evans considered this event as something left unresolved, but everything worked out perfectly, and the car performed without any issues.

At the conclusion of the 38-mile special stage in Kielder forest, an excited Pryce remarked: “It was quite challenging at times due to the snow and ice, and the rally has been demanding. I’m glad to have made it through and finally check off that crucial box. The only things we’ve had to add to the car are fuel, tires, and brake pads, and that’s all.”

This event has been unpredictable. We experienced high points and low points, but we never quit. We kept going and I’m happy to be here at the conclusion. This project was formed roughly 12 months ago, and Meirion and I have faced similar misfortunes in the past.

McRae makes his debut in the rally event

Hollie McRae’s first experience as a rally driver came to an unfortunate end when she was among several drivers affected by challenging conditions during the Riccarton stage of the Roger Albert Clark Rally.

McRae was beginning her participation in the Mini Rally Challenge, which took place on a single day during the five-day competition, utilizing the Saturday stage route in the Scottish borders.

Alongside her partner Jon Armstrong, the leader of the European Rally Championship, Hollie took part in co-driving and managed to finish the first of six special stages in Tommy’s Fell with a commendable time. Nevertheless, the Riccarton stage was covered in snow and ice, and she was among several drivers who struggled with the challenging conditions.

Over a hill, the car veered out of control and spun into a ditch, flipping onto its roof with just slight damage. McRae and Armstrong were both unharmed but disappointed that her rally driving debut ended early. Interestingly, Hollie’s debut coincided precisely 30 years after her late father Colin secured his World Rally Championship title on the Wales Rally GB in 1995.

Radstrom excites the supporters with a powerful Volvo

The most notable impact from a record of 34 international teams came from Swedish driver Arne Radstrom in his Volvo 262, known as the ‘orange brick’.

Radstrom’s Volvo impressed the spectators as he drove it through the woods during his initial UK rally, and although there were some difficulties, he managed to push the large vehicle to a strong ninth place overall, competing against the faster Ford Escort Mk2s.

Radstrom has been promoting Volvos for 25 years and ultimately fulfilled a dream of participating in the new version of the original RAC Rally.

I get so emotional,” said a weeping Radstrom at the end of the final special stage. “This is my childhood dream coming true when we make it into the top 10. It’s incredible.

That’s the way we push forward,” he remarked about his impressive journey. “It has been extremely challenging from the start with ice, snow, fog, and darkness, among other things. But we managed to get through. I would like to express my gratitude to all the officials for this rally.

It’s a very difficult challenge, and we anticipated it would be tough, so we were well-equipped with spare parts. We encountered some issues because the fuel tank had a large hole and was leaking, and the power steering stopped working, making it a significant challenge.

Edwards fights back

Third place overall at the Roger Albert Clark Rally was an impressive achievement for Matt Edwards and Sion Williams. However, the three-time BRC champion Edwards might have hoped for a better outcome, as he was driving a Ford Escort Mk2 with the CarrPrep team based in Yorkshire.

Edwards was performing well from the beginning, but during Hafren forest on Friday, they encountered a flat tire and had to halt to replace the wheel. Issues with the jack caused them to lose approximately six minutes, resulting in a significant drop in their position.

However, Edwards went all out and continued to push forward, achieving a series of the quickest stage times throughout the rest of the rally, which helped move the car up to third place overall, ending four minutes behind rally winner Pryce.

Edwards stated, “I believe it’s likely one of the finest rallies I’ve ever navigated because, even with all the challenges, I remained focused on the strategy and adhered strictly to the methods that have proven effective.”

Edwards mentioned that the car had never been near falling out of the race, but two additional flat tires, combined with the primary one that took a lot of time, cost them a genuine chance to win.

Skoda Octavia bounces back

One of the tales that captured the affection of participants in the Roger Albert Clark Rally was that of Oldrich Kovarik Sr from the Czech Republic, who drove a unique 1961 Skoda Octavia Super.

Despite having one of the oldest vehicles in the race, Kovarik and his son Oldrich Jr. drove 1000 miles from the Czech Republic to take part in the event, with Kovarik Jr. at the wheel of a Skoda Favorit.

Regrettably, during the early evening of Thursday, Kovarik Sr drove the Octavia a significant distance down a slope beside the road in Crychan, causing substantial damage to the 55bhp vehicle.

Nevertheless, they initiated a massive effort to fix it, acquiring components and machinery from other groups, and eventually, it was back in operation on Sunday. It was met with an enthusiastic response as it moved through the stages, appearing somewhat damaged but still performing well.

The Kovarik family transformed the exciting journey into a mini-vacation, taking some time to explore the UK prior to reaching Carmarthen for the beginning of the competition.

McCormack’s M3 challenger

Having secured four overall victories, Marty McCormack stands as the most successful driver in the history of the Roger Albert Clark Rally, and this time he returned with a fresh challenge.

McCormack and Barney Mitchell competed in the event driving a BMW M3, aiming to challenge the Ford Escort Mk2s. McCormack nearly ended the Escort’s dominance but was forced out early on Monday morning due to a faulty gearbox.

The M3, competing under Category 4 historic rules, is a collaboration between the McCormack family and the MATS organization from Holland. Mats van den Brand has constructed approximately 60 M3s for asphalt rallying but is eager to demonstrate that the M3 can also be effective on gravel, which McCormack achieved by maintaining a position in the top three until his retirement.

The visual and auditory experience of the howling M3 excited the fans in the woods, while McCormack’s energetic driving style created an impressive display. “We’ve been using a Tarmac car for a few years,” McCormack said. “Then Mats mentioned he had built an M3 for gravel and invited me to test it. This is definitely just the start. We love it and had a lot of fun.”

“Did we anticipate arriving here and being the quickest? Absolutely not, never,” stated McCormack, before recognizing that this marks the beginning of an initiative that could transform the traditional rallying scene.