The PROTYRE Autocare BTRDA Rally Series begins with its traditional visit to the Lake District for the Malcolm Wilson Rally which returns to its traditional one-day format in 2025.
The Malcolm Wilson Rally provides 44 miles of rallying on the classic Lakes Stages, maintained in excellent condition by the Forestry Commission. The event is based at M-Sport, HQ of the Ford WRC Rally Team and is sponsored by the Team Manager Malcolm Wilson.
2024 went down in the history books as the year that Elliot Payne became the first driver to win the BTRDA Gold Star Rally Championship on three consecutive occasions, emulating the success of Matthew Robinson who did likewise in the BTRDA Silver Star Championship between 2012 & 2014 in his Escort Mk2.
However it looks to be another competitive year this season. Kyle White is looking forward to going for the BTRDA Rally Championship Gold Star title this year.
The Belfast based driver will sticking with the Hyundai Motorsport i20 R5 he campaigned in last year’s British Rally Championship but has announced a change of co-driver in Irishman Anthony Nestor.
(Next up would have been the Welshpool-based Rally North Wales but that event has unfortunately been cancelled due to the huge damage to the Welsh forests caused by the winter storms). In early May it will be the very popular Border Counties Rally which has recently been the winner of the Bill Turner Trophy awarded to the ‘Best Event’ in the BTRDA Series.
The Nicky Grist Stages in July precedes the summer break while the Woodpecker Stages brings it to a close before the Series moves on to the North York Moors for the Trackrod Forest Stages at the end of September.
The Cambrian Rally heralds the annual pilgrimage to the forests of North Wales and then the BTRDA is pleased that the Grizedale Stages – already a qualifying round of the Reis Motorsport Insurance Motorsport UK English Rally Championship – has stepped up to close the Series.
