The highly-regarded two-day event has long enjoyed a place in the BRC calendar, and its legendary closed roads around the host town provide a sensational mix of deceptive moorland roads coupled with twisty country lanes and the perfect offering for the third round of the season.
Over the decades, its iconic Langton water splash has long been the picture postcard of the British Rally Championship and thanks to a shake-up in the format of the rally, the famous stage returns to the roster after a decade away from the schedule.
Packed into Friday night are six high-speed tests with the second pass likely to be under the cover of darkness to test championship contenders to the limit. Saturday crams in eight tests, taking the total rally miles to 88, over 20 more than the 2023 edition.
And the unforgiving roads will see a staggering entry weaving its way across the Borders landscape, with around 140 crews taking to the event. Once again, the BRC brings a top-drawer list of drivers, co-drivers and machinery all eager to stamp their mark on this landmark rally.
Championship leaders Chris Ingram and Alex Kihurani head into round three with one win under their belts in a Volkswagen Polo GTi. Ingram’s lack of knowledge of the region could play into his rival’s hands; he hasn’t been to the event since 2013, but he will be eager to uphold the Castrol MEM Rally Team honours regardless.
Fresh from WRC Rally Portugal, William Creighton and Liam Regan have enjoyed an impressive BRC form with two second place results so far this season. The M-Sport Ford Rally Team crew will be back in their Ford Fiesta Rally2 and with a stellar asphalt pace of late, may well be looking at a maiden BRC win.
But a glance down the seeded entry list unveils a myriad of likely winners, none more so than Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin who are previous victors on the rally in 2022. A difficult BRC campaign so far has meant they are down the standings, but once Cronin gets hold of his Fiesta Rally2, will be a hard act to follow.
Osian Pryce heads to the Jim Clark Rally fresh from a British Rally Championship win and eager for more big points.
The 31-year old Welshman is third in the BRC points table after winning the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages on gravel last time out. That was Osian’s first BRC victory since the 2022 Rally Yorkshire and Rhodri Evans’ first rally victory as a co-driver.
It’s a very strong championship position to be in heading to Round 3, for despite retiring from the opening round Osian’s DNF on the Legend Fires North West Stages will merely count as one of his two compulsory dropped scores at the end of the season.
