• 2005 Rally Regulations • Eligible Vehicles • 2005 Entry List • 2005 Rally Route • Marshals Information ___________ • Rally News • Your RAC Stories • About the Rally • Organising Team ___________

"Thank you for putting on what can only be described as 'one-helluva' rally..."

"Fantastic event, can't wait for next year..."

"Well done ! The best fun we've had since the 80's..."

read more quotes...

Your RAC Stories

Not exactly an exhilirating start to my first time watching the RAC Rally. 1986 - I was living overseas at the time and visiting UK on a course. I decided to drop any studies that weekend, and headed off from N. Yorkshire on the Friday night, to Colerne to have a look at all the pre start stuff. I slept the nightin the car (too broke for a B&B) and got into Azinghmur Barracks no problem on the Saturday morning. It made my day speaking to Skoda Ace, John Haughland. Hey! I was a lot younger back then.....

Knowing I would have to be back in N. Yorkshire for early Sunday evening, I decided to spectate at Chatsworth house. A day having a look around Bath and also getting in the start was fantastic. Another night in the car - a VW Scirocco GTI was as the previous night, cold and uncomfortable, especially at 6 feet tall.

I got to Chatsworth nice and early and was able to get real close to the stage, pity all the safety tape was there. A memorial event as it was for many of us because after that, there would be no more Group B Cars. The day was as good as you could expect giving that it was a spetator stage and it was packed with fellow speccies.

At the end of the stage, there was still time to head North and get another stage in, I forget which one after all these years. That's when I realised the major problem of just how good my early arrival turned out to be a bad mistake! It was frustrating to say the least, sitting in a queue for over 4 hours to get out of the car park! It was pitch black, the end of the day and I still had to drive North. Needless to say, my plans for another stage were thrown out the window.

Now, as a competitor, I wait for stages to start instead of trying to get out of spectator car parks. This rallying thing is just really a big wait but I wouldn't give it up in the month of Sundays.

Kev Kilgour

It was usually about September each year that I would start bothering Lombard for passes, screen stickers and rally plaques etc. for the forthcoming RAC Rally.

Working in the motor trade I'd start with our local rep who would usually be good for at least 4 passes, but trying to organise our annual 'trip' for anything up to 14 of us got more and more difficult each year!

I'd then put in a call to Lombard North Central Head office, somewhere in south London, and try and beg a few more. Favourite scam was I had some motor trade colleagues from other parts of the country, coming with us and they didn't use Lombard. Then followed a call to the MSA, or RAC MSA as it was and try and beg borrow or steal yet more passes.

Once all passes were in place the next vital piece of 'kit' was a copy of the route. A couple of friends in the press helped here (thank you Martin as in Sharp) and a couple or so of us would sit down and plan our route.

As I had easy access to a phone it was always down to me to sort out accommodation, and this was often a nightmare! Over the years we had some fabulous nights away, probably the best at The George III nr Dolgellau. Amazing food, accommodation and views, stunning! Others included The Brigands Inn near Dovey forest, where the beer flowed continuously, as we had to serve ourselves. The funniest was ringing a hotel in Abergavenny, where we had stayed a couple of years or so previously, only to be told that it was now an old folks home!!

On a couple of occasions I also managed to borrow a car from Ford, their press fleet guys were fantastic. This was always reassuring as we didn't like to use our own cars, well 2000+ miles in 4/5 days was a bit much for them! However, one year I was forced to use my bosses brand new black Rover SDI 3500, with manual box. It had about 300 miles on when we left London and about 2,500 when we returned. It had used more juice than some of the competitors, but chucking it around the country lanes in Wales and the lakes, five up, will live in the memory box for years!!

Other highlights included convincing a motorbike traffic cop that we were officials and then being given an escorted trip, down the outside of the road into Trentham Gardens. With the aid of a couple of tyres strapped to the front bumper, pushing a competitor about five miles along a main road and stopping so he could coast into a control and then into service. I won't name names, but he finished the event.

Anyway enough of the old, bring on the new! Can't wait 'til November next year!!!

Paul Adams

I'm not quite sure of the exact year, no doubt someone may tell me, but it was about 1977 when I organised for about 14 of us to travel round the country and "do" the RAC Rally. I'm not sure why it always fell to me to organise, it may have been something to do with the fact that I always seemed to be able to beg, borrow or duplicate a number of passes from Lombard, as I worked in the motor trade at the time and did quite a lot of business with them I suppose they felt obliged.

This particular year, as in most, we always tried to make one of the very early stages, so we would be sure of seeing at least most of the 'star' drivers, before they had their odd moments etc. So we found ourselves, from an overnight in the home town of Buxton, where all had stayed at various friends houses the night before, at Weston Park.

Resplendent with Lombard stickers, sunvisors strips and even official passes on all the cars we looked quite a site as we pulled into the main entrance and all delightedly flashed our VIP, Sponsor, and Press badges at the marshals who then directed us at a reserved car park. So far so good. We didn't want to walk miles into the stage as we wanted a quick getaway so as to leap frog the field and see them again ASAP. We therefore found ourselves stood on about a 6' high wall just outside the courtyard of their main house. The approach for the drivers was a very fast open 90 left, passing in front of us, then 90 right onto a loose track through a narrow gate heading away from us for about 2/300 yards. Great.

The odd spectator car came through, then the first competitor. You remember when you could tell what make of car it was before you could even see it, well we all knew it was an Escort well before Ari Vatanen appeared totally sideways through the first left and with a quick application of steering he went from full opposite lock and sliding one way to full opposite and sliding the other, in a perfect arc to be lined up to get through the narrow gate. WOW.

We all stood there opened mouthed, then we cheered, the we laughed and it had started for another year. This particular event though was captured for ever as opposite our wall, had been stood Hugh Bishop, well known photographer of the time, whose picture made the front cover of Autosport. Fame at last.

Paul Adams

1970's

As the rally passed through the Scottish Borders annually it , along with the Scottish were the 2 Big rallies in the year I could get to. Earliest memories was being in Craik , frosty cold morning I think it was 1973 or 4 (The year after Roger won it the first time) Green Saabs , Brown MK1 Escorts with the Colibri Lighters livery and numbers up to 250 + Prince Michael of Kent in a Blue? Mk1 Escort Mexico or RS2000 .1976 In Wauchope 2/3am Sunday morning 1977 Castle O'er Lancia Stratos running way down the field what a fantastic sound, could even hear it across the road in Twiglees. 1978 Craik Forest lovely morning listening to MK11's , Stratos, TR7's coming up the stage from the start to where we were spectating...then over to Castle O'er in the afternoon.....beats school anyday!!! 1979 Craik again frosty morning about 20 cars all off at the same corner , but some fantastic sideways stuff from those avoiding it!!

1980's

Still too young to follow whole events, Craik Forest & Keilder in the wet in about 1982? Alen in Lancia 037 remember the cars passing through Hawick in the evening on their way to the Tweed Valley stages.1983 cold & frosty in Keilder service at Hawick the up to Craik. 1984 First time following the rally 3 of us packed off in 2.0 L Ford Capri, picked the Rally up on day2 in The Borders followed it through Keilder,Hamsterley into Dalby Woodyard for the then 40miler , remember 4 or 5 cars at a time then a big wait before any more , down to Wales , Forest of Dean , Brechfa , Dyfi then Ari's champagne celebration in Chester 1885 Delta S4's , 6R4's Big Winged Audi lifting wheels under acceleration in Clumber Park..followed in MK2 Escort Sunday stages, into Forest of Dean, Resolven, Llanafan,Dyfnant ...cancelled after 9 cars due to spectator problems!!!! massive traffic jams in Welshpool(Pre bypass!) Driving up to Dalby then Hamsterley .sleeping at Ogre Hill with your hair frozen to the window...then the stage being cancelled as it was too slippy for 2wd cars to take off from the start. 2 visits to Craik with a visit home in between....for a bath!!!! Down into Keilder , Comb then coming home. 1986 Supercars & fireworks at Harewood House , Hamsterley at daybreak snakes of traffic up into Keilder then on to Cardrona and Craik the following morning.

I'm rambling so I'll cut it short.

Vatanen rolling the Mitsubishi in Grizedale was that 1989? The start of Colin's attempts at winning the event...we always seemed to be driving out of the Lake District when Radio 5 would announce that Colin had been off , had Drive problems or hit a spectators car!! until winning it at last in 1994. THEN OF COURSE 1995 looking good until Pundershaw losing a lot of time to Sainz. Immense in Wales being in Hafren 2nd run through when he re-took the lead never to lose it again. In Clocaenog last stage with the Lion Rampant tied to the top of a fir-tree(my best memories of all RAC's) . Personally the Rally was never the same adventure after then...Silverstone, Dom Buckley setting equal fastest time on SS1 at Cheltenham . South Wales stages loads of traffic crap roads. Missing the traffic jams at Sweet Lamb by sneaking in the "Back Door" into Hafren and spending the day there ha ha!! Missing 2000 & 2002 as a protest to the new spectator regulations, not enjoying 2001 for various reasons. Probably never going back again.........Bring back the good old days. Loads more memories but I've got to get back to work!!

Brian Riddell

1986

My son, George and I set out in my Ford Orion to marshal on the RAC on the stage at Ogre Hill, just off the A68 in the Otterburn Ranges. Our position was at the top of the hill.Generally the hill was used by the Army to test and fire from Tanks so you can guess what the 'road' up was like! To say the least it snowed nearly all day up there, it snowed horizontally and was a little cool. Eventually all the Rally passed through and we were free to leave the stage. it takes no imagination to realise what the road down was like,generally used by tanks and now in really wet conditions about 200 cars had assisted with the muddy surface. We gently slid off into a ditch and had to be pulled out by a four wheel drive,only slight cosmetic damage.

Off to Castle Or, near Hawick. Sleep in the car, stage opens at 0330, acting as Radio, Peterborough One. Five minutes after the first car a smell of burning.The main cable loom to the dash panel in gentle flames. I turned everything off and the smoke and flames went out. got to the loom and with a penknife and tape separated out all the burnt portion, miracle of miracles it all worked after an hours work.

Next stage for us was Wigan, stopping to make enquires about a replacement loom at the local Ford dealers we were effectively put off by being told that it was a major job and would entail two days work at a dealer in Carlisle, we decided to carry on without the professional help. We had some lunch at the top of the M6. I bought my wife a box of chocolates (no expense spared you see) in a heart shaped box. On to Wigan,nine miles out from the Service Area which was also a Motorway Services to sign-on I was ill, I knew I was very ill for some reason. My son who is a police officer was fortunately driving, we debated whether to stop, I decided to make a run for the Service Area. We arrived and George dived for a telephone (No mobiles those days)

he literally pulled a man out of the phone-box telling him he had to make an emergency call for an ambulance. The man asked the relevant questions of George and came to our car, he was one of the doctors on the Rally Medical Team, He started the treatment with injections etc. A Police car arrived and put on his flashing light, the ambulance turned up to take me to Wigan General Hospital. George became an Ambulance chase car especially when the Blue Light went on during the journey. When I arrived the staff viewed me with some suspicion. I was covered in Ogre Hill mud and smelt something like a sewer, I think they looked through my pockets for any alcohol. I told the doctor that I thought that I was having a Heart attack, the doctor was very sceptical and examined me. I was left for a short time then a nurse came to me and said that I was being kept in for a few days. I asked why, because you appear to have had a Heart Attack. I was admitted to the Coronary Care Unit and it was confirmed that I was quite ill.

I could hear the Stage being run from my bed. The next morning BBC TV turned up to make a film about Heart Attacks and I became the Star! Later that day my Heart stopped but I am OK now. This is not a ghost writer. I left hospital after some wonderful care 12 days later, two people died off heart attacks whilst I was on the CCU. So I was very lucky. By the way, I was not qualified to be accepted by the RAC Motor sports team as a qualified marshal last year even after their training!

Ray Pobgee

A friend (Andrew Abrahams, hi Andrew if you read this!!) and I were covering the 1990 RAC rally for the RS Owners club magazine "Rallye News". We had decided to follow the rally around the country in my MK2 RS2000, Friday morning before the rally dawned and I was due to go to work as normal, I came out of the house but no car. Some "kind" person had nicked it during the night, mass panic ensued and after much phoning of the police they managed to locate it, relieved I breathed a sigh of relief until they told me it was on is roof as the thief has wanted the wheels!!

We ended up following the rally in Andrew's RS1600i and discovered that the ground clearance was not quite the same as a Mk2!! we ended up stuck fo an hour and a half on a white near Dalby woodyard, we could hear rally cars but not see them!, the most vivid memory was parking up at the end of the Pundershaw stage to spend the night in the car and wait for the stage early the next morning, dawn broke and we awoke to find thick ice on the car windows......on the inside!!!

Jim Holmes

November 1972, I had just passed my driving test. Since 1968 and the first Escort Twin Cams I was always interested in rallying. I remember listening to the radio under the bedcovers eagerly awaiting the latest Monte Carlo Rally bulletins.

November 1972, special stage 1 was Braham Park, just outside York, it was a very cold frosty Saturday morning if I remember. I walked to the hillside just past the entrance to the house. The gravel track is cut out of the hillside, steep banking on one side and a steep drop on the other.

Suddenly the first car appears, it is Stig Blomqvist in the Saab 96 V4, the track turns sharp left and the car looses grip, it crashes through the fencing and rolls. It lands on its wheels turn rounds and heads back to the stage goes up the steep incline and rams the banking opposite. Instantly without any prompting, hordes of spectators climb the banking and physical lift the Saab to face the correct way and with a cheer, Stig continues his journey in a rather battered looking car.

I think he won the stage but I am hooked.

Adrian Lee

Copyright 2004-2005 R.A.C. Rally Ltd