Dan Bathiey
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A brief history of Britain’ s WRC round
Ever since the RAC Rally was incorporated into the WRC in 1973 it has been the scene of many dramatic and memorable moments, often because of its position in the championship calendar.
Having won in 1972, Roger Clark added a full WRC victory in the 1976 event, thrilling British motorsport fans that had recently been cheering on James Hunt in F1. For almost two decades no Briton had matched this achievement although co-drivers Henry Liddon, Paul White, Terry Harryman and Neil Wilson all tasted the winner’ s champagne. However, the emergence of Colin McRae in the late 1980s raised local hopes.
The Scot’ s reputation for stunning speed but equally spectacular crashes initially frustrated excited fans but in 1994 McRae finally prevailed. One year later he faced up to formidable Subaru team-mate Carlos Sainz to win the title after a thrilling fightback. In doing so McRae became the first British World Rally Champion driver and with fellow Scot Derek Ringer alongside, they were also the first all-British pairing to be crowned. The story hit the nation’ s headlines, and a new British sporting hero was born.
JEP
McRae continued to inspire fans, becoming the most successful driver in terms of WRC wins during his active years. But after losing his crown to Tommi Mäkinen he was seemingly unable to unseat the Finn. In 1997 McRae was partnered with Nicky Grist – a winner in 1993 – and the magic returned at their home round, coming agonisingly close to a second title. The following year saw one of the event’ s most dramatic endings when Mäkinen crashed out in the early stages but still won the championship following an engine bay fire on Sainz’ s car – just yards from the final stage finish!
In 2001, a three-way shoot-out between McRae, Mäkinen and Richard Burns was decided in the latter’ s favour after the Scot rolled out early on. Burns and co-driver Robert Reid became the second all-British crew to win the title in a golden era for rallying.
As co-driver to Petter Solberg, Britain’ s Phil Mills has tasted victory on several occasions at his home round, including a WRC title win in 2003. Future hopes for local success were raised in 2011 when Gareth Roberts clinched the WRC Academy title alongside Ireland’ s Craig Breen on Wales Rally GB before attention turned to Elfyn Evans, who, with then-co-driver Daniel Barritt won in 2017. Will Evans stand on top of the first Rally Scotland podium next year?
JEP
Rallying has always held a special place in the story of British motorsport and, for me personally, it has been a huge part of my life. Having experienced the World Rally Championship from inside a rally car, I know just how unique the atmosphere of a UK rally can be – the forests, the fans and the extraordinary community of volunteers and motor clubs who make these events so special.”
“ We are incredibly grateful to the Scottish Government, Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council for their commitment to this event. Their support has made it possible to bring the World Rally Championship back to the UK, and Scotland provides a spectacular stage for the next chapter of that story.
David Richards, Motorsport UK Chair
Revolution- March 2026
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