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Staying with rallying, I was recently invited to a private dinner during the Scottish National Party( SNP) conference in Aberdeen, joining around 20 senior leaders from Scotland’ s energy industry, alongside First Minister John Swinney and several Cabinet colleagues. It was an opportunity to thank the Scottish Government personally for its financial support of Rally Scotland and our ambition to bring the WRC back to the UK. I also made a direct appeal to those representing both oil and gas and the renewable energy sector to get behind the event.
My message was simple: bringing the WRC to Scotland is about much more than motorsport. It offers significant inward investment, international exposure and, importantly, engagement with communities across Scotland, creating opportunities and a lasting legacy beyond the rally itself. I was encouraged by the very positive reception and interest shown by those present.
At the same time, we have been talking with the organisers of the Scottish Rally Championship, who have expressed understandable concerns about their calendar, access to forestry estates and rising costs. We have a commitment from the relevant government officials that investment in Rally Scotland must enhance, rather than detract from, the viability of domestic rallying. As ever, the challenge is translating those commitments into positive action on the ground, something we will continue to pursue.
There was further British success internationally, with Alisha Palmowski securing the F1 Academy title in Austin, with three races remaining. Congratulations to Alisha on a dominant season, following her earlier success in Ginetta Juniors and GB4, where she finished runner-up in 2024.
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Visitors on the FIA European Exchange
Programme at Prescott Hill Climb
British drivers have now won two of the four F1 Academy championships, with Alisha following Abbi Pulling’ s success in 2024. Before F1 Academy, Jamie Chadwick won all three editions of the W Series in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Five British titles across these seven championships is an extraordinary record and a real indication of the strength of female racing talent coming through our sport. The challenge now is ensuring these talented young women have the opportunities and support to progress through the ranks and fulfil their potential at the highest levels.
IDEAS EXCHANGE Away from competition, we were delighted to host ten delegates from five European countries as part of the FIA’ s new European Exchange Programme, an initiative I have been involved in since it was first mooted in early 2025. Much of the FIA’ s recent focus on developing its national sporting authorities, or ASNs, has been directed towards smaller, emerging motorsport nations. These account for perhaps 80 per cent of the FIA’ s 149 ASNs worldwide, but relatively few are in Europe, where most ASNs are well established.
The European Exchange Programme takes a different approach, encouraging ASNs within the region to share their expertise through practical exchanges. Delegates immerse themselves in another national governing body
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Alisha Palmowski won the F1 Academy title in Austin |
GETTY IMAGES / RED BULL CONTENT POOL |
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Revolution Magazine |