The five-day, 300-mile Roger Albert Clark Rally starts this week
Photography by Gary Jones
Words by Luke Barry
With each passing year, the hype only seems to grow.
In the absence of a World Rally Championship round, the Roger Albert Clark Rally has established itself as the UK’s biggest (and many would say best) rally as one of few events anywhere in the world that truly tests endurance to the limit.
Held over five days in three different countries and offering over 300 miles of competitive stages, this biennial historic event pushes the mantra of ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’ with late stings in the tail commonplace in the rally’s 21-year history.
Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s 2025 edition:
While lacking the star power of Oliver Solberg or Kris Meeke like last time, 2025’s entry looks to be one of the most competitive ever with a range of drivers all, theoretically, in contention.
Reigning and four-time event winner Marty McCormack tops the entry but is closely tailed by three British Rally champions: Osian Pryce (car #2), Matt Edwards (car #4) and Mark Higgins (car #6).
Jason Pritchard is one of the several victory challengers on this year's rally
Pryce has contested both of the last two editions of the RAC but retired twice, Edwards hasn’t contested the event since 2014 while Higgins hasn’t done it since 2010, but did win the second-ever edition back in 2005.
Other heavy-hitters include Jason Pritchard whose chase for an RAC win goes on after several near-misses, Seb Perez who came agonizingly close to a second podium in as many starts in 2023, Paul Barrett, Barry McKenna, James Ford, Dan Mennell, Ben Friend, Rhys Yates, David Henderson, Matthew Robinson, Jonny Greer, Neil Weaver… on a rally as gruelling as this, genuinely any of these drivers could win.
What’s of added interest is the array of different cars taking the start.
As adored as it is to drive, the Ford Escort (Mk2) can be the nemesis of the spectator on British historic rallies, purely because of how many of them are out in the woods.
Indeed, 14 of the top 20 RAC seeds are Escorts. But there’s a pleasing level of variety in this year’s field, not least from McCormack who brings a BMW M3 E30 to the party.
Will that give him the best chance of winning? DirtFish understands the M3 was a lot faster than his Escort when he back-to-back tested them, but it’s an unproven car on this surface. Either way it’ll be a fantastic treat for the ears of all those planning to watch the rally this week that he, and the MATS outfit that built the car, aims to prove the M3’s loose-surface credentials.
Then of course there’s the Lancia Stratos of Seb Perez. Need we say much more?
With Perez championing a V6, Higgins brings V8 muscle to the party in the same Triumph TR7 he nearly took to last year’s British Historic title, but sadly the Porsche 911 is ill-represented – although it remains the only car other than an Escort to ever win this event thanks to Ryan Champion in 2021.
The biggest intrigue however revolves around the newer four and front-wheel-drive cars.
Neil Weaver will drive a homebuilt Peugeot 306 Maxi Kit Car, with the Group A four-wheel-drive gang including Matthew Robinson (Subaru Legacy) and Kevin Proctor (Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth).
Thursday (November 20) marks the start of a gruelling five days of competition across Wales, England and Scotland with 35 stages separating drivers’ dreams from reality.
The opening leg in south Wales is comfortably the shortest of the rally, but still comprises six stages and 32 miles including classic Rally GB tests Crychan (which opens the event) and Cefn. Back-to-back tests at Pembrey Circuit run in the middle of the leg.
The event remains in Wales for day two, but moves north for Myherin, Sweet Lamb / Hafren, Dyfnant and the short Cwmysgawen stage. Competitive action ends just before 7pm, before the rally heads north to Carlisle where it’s based for the final three days.
As a result, Saturday’s leg doesn’t begin until the afternoon but packs a punch with eight stages in Kielder forest: two runs of Tommy’s Fell, Riccarton, Hyndlee and Kershope.
Sunday takes the rally into Scotland for a mammoth 10-stage leg comprising two passes of Ae, Twiglees, Castle o’er, Craik and Newcastleton, but Monday’s finale is the real monster with the aptly titled ‘The Bigger One’ to end the event.
Shepherdshield, Pundershaw, Roughside and Hopehouse all come first before they all combine to make one, brutal 40-mile stage that concludes the event. The winners will celebrate back at Carlisle Airport on Monday evening.
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: Roger Albert Clark Rally, Roger Albert Clark Rally 2025
Publish Date November 17, 2025 DirtFish
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