The Roger Albert Clark Rally has never been for the faint-hearted. It is a rally carved from cold nights, endless forests, steaming brakes and dedication measured not in seconds but in survival. Yet even by its own mythic standards, the 2025 edition elevated the event’s reputation to dizzy new heights. Five days. Three countries. More than 300 competitive miles. And a constellation of star drivers battling across Britain’s harshest gravel.
The RAC has always traded on nostalgia — Mk2 Escorts, Lancia Stratos, Sunbeams and BDAs screaming through valleys that once hosted the World Rally Championship. But in 2025, nostalgia met a new level of ambition. A record entry, an expanded route and stronger-than-ever competition transformed the rally from an endurance contest into a spectacle worthy of its legendary namesake, Roger Albert Clark. This was not a gentle parade of historic machines. It was warfare in the woods, waged with old-school machinery and modern-day commitment.
Adding to the sense of history and destiny, Hollie McRae — daughter of rallying legend Colin McRae — made her rallying debut on Saturday, exactly 30 years to the day her father clinched the World Rally Championship. Her first stage was more than a personal milestone; it was a poignant reminder of the sport’s enduring lineage and the spirit of competition that runs through generations.
Crychan • Cefn • Llandovery — Opening Salvos in the Welsh Forests
The 2025 Roger Albert Clark Rally roared into life in Carmarthen under cold, slate-grey skies, the town centre packed with fans eager for the long-awaited return of BDA echo and Escort aggression. The ceremonial start brought colour and noise — but once the cars left the streets, the niceties were over. The fighting began immediately.
The opening loop through Crychan and Cefn was a baptism of ice and mud: frozen ruts, greasy braking zones and surfaces that flicked unpredictably between sludge, frost and exposed gravel. It was exactly the kind of terrain that can make or break an RAC campaign before it has even properly begun.
Osian Pryce wasted no time asserting himself. Fastest on the very first stage, his Escort looked perfectly poised, flicking between ditches with the clinical sharpness of a driver refusing to ease into a five-day rally. By the end of the opening leg, Pryce had carved out a 17-second advantage — not enormous, but psychologically significant.
“I’m not here to warm up. I’m here to win,” Pryce said at service.
“Five days or not, you set your rhythm from Stage 1.”
Behind him, the depth of competition was immediately obvious.
Matt Edwards opened with controlled precision, looking every inch a multiple British champion. Paul Barrett delivered the early consistency that has become his trademark. Marty McCormack — chasing a remarkable fifth RAC victory — went on the attack with his usual flamboyance, while Mark Higgins shocked many by running right on the leaders’ pace despite more than a decade away from the event. Seb Perez, wrestling the spectacular but sensitive Lancia Stratos, earned huge support from the banks.
The midfield battle was no less intense: Talbot Sunbeams, Opel Asconas and a full arsenal of Escort specialists — BGMsport, RallyXtreme, Wales Motorsport, Viking, Smith & Jones — all jostled to establish class authority before nightfall.
It wasn’t just a day defined by one star, but by the sheer depth of the field. Five or six drivers looked capable of shaping the rally already — and the forests had barely begun to bite back.
DAY 2 — FRIDAY
Sweet Lamb • Hafren • Myherin — Mid-Wales Bites Back
Day 2 has a reputation: historic RACs are often shaped or shattered in Mid-Wales. In 2025, that prophecy held true. The combined Hafren–Sweet Lamb–Myherin loop delivered everything the RAC is feared for — thick fog choking the valleys, long ribbons of hidden ice under the pines, and deep ruts carved by nearly 200 cars repeatedly attacking the same committed lines. It was a day for survival, not glory.
The defining drama struck early.
Osian Pryce, so composed on Day 1, hit black ice on a long left-hander and slid into a ditch. Spectators heaved the Escort out, but precious seconds slipped away — along with his aura of invincibility. Yet he refused to unravel. Settling back into rhythm, Pryce limited the damage and, incredibly, retained the overall lead by the end of a punishing 60-mile day. Bruised, battered — but still standing.
The chasing pack seized on the chaos.
Matt Edwards briefly grabbed the lead in the morning loop, handling the ice with rally-school precision. Marty McCormack launched an enormous attack over Sweet Lamb before a puncture halted his charge. Paul Barrett wasn’t the outright quickest, but his calm consistency kept him climbing the leaderboard, unfazed by conditions that were stripping confidence from others. Mark Higgins, returning after a 15-year RAC absence, leaned on experience and discipline — not quite matching the front-running splits, but positioning himself smartly for the long game.
The day also saw heartbreak for Seb Perez, whose Lancia Stratos crashed and was retired from the remainder of the rally, ending what had been a spectacular, crowd-pleasing run.
Midfield attrition told its own story:
a Sunbeam sidelined by alternator failure, a BMW E30 burning through its brakes, and a Volvo Amazon stranded on a bank after a half-spin. Across the classes, nobody escaped unscathed.
DAY 3 — SATURDAY
Border Counties • Kershope • Northbound Survival to Carlisle Airport
Day 3 marked the great transition of the 2025 Roger Albert Clark Rally — survival in the morning and a full-country haul from mid-Wales to the Border Counties before settling into Carlisle Airport. Conditions improved slightly as the rally pushed north: cold and crisp, with enough grip to unleash proper speed, though pockets of fog began forming as the route approached Kershope. With that, the character of the event shifted again.
Adding to the day’s sense of occasion, Hollie McRae — daughter of rallying legend Colin McRae — made her rallying debut. Saturday’s stages were more than a milestone for her personally; they were a poignant nod to history, coming exactly 30 years to the day her father secured the World Rally Championship. As she navigated the gravel with focus and determination, it was clear that a new chapter of rallying lineage was quietly being written amid the chaos and drama of the RAC.
Osian Pryce came out swinging from the first stage. His Saturday morning pace was devastating: clean, assertive, and brimming with intent. Three stage wins before lunch restored not only his momentum but also the psychological upper hand. Day 3 proved he was fully in command of his rhythm and confidence.
Marty McCormack was electrifying, firing in two fastest times of his own and reminding the field exactly why he’s a four-time RAC winner. Matt Edwards stayed smooth and measured — the least ragged of the frontrunners — maintaining relentless top-three pace without overreaching. Paul Barrett played the long game once more, methodical and mistake-free, cementing himself firmly inside the top three. Mark Higgins, driving as though he’d never been away, used decades of experience to manage tyres, brakes, and risk with surgical precision.
The midfield offered its own stories and battles. A Talbot Lotus and several rapid rear-drive BMWs stunned with bursts of pace, proving this was no Escort-only affair. Historic 1600cc Escorts fought their own intra-rally war, a spectacular Opel Kadett dominated the under-2-litre RWD category, and a tidy, consistent Datsun 240Z grabbed a surprise class lead through reliability and patience. Yet attrition was relentless: multiple Escorts retired with gearbox or differential failures, while two major accidents in a fog-blurred Kershope brought promising top-10 bids to a premature end.
The afternoon brought an unexpected twist: with traffic backing up on the public roads between stages, organisers were forced to cancel the remaining competitive mileage. It reshaped strategies, calmed some battles, and intensified others — a pause in the fight that nobody had planned for.
By late afternoon, the rally convoy rolled into the vast floodlit service park at Carlisle Airport, the new operational heart of the event. Mechanics swarmed over exhausted machinery at terrifying speed, breath hanging in the freezing air, all aware of what lay just over the horizon.
DAY 4 — SUNDAY
Scotland • Ae • Twiglees • Castle O’er • Craik • Newcastleton — Make or Break Day
If the Roger Albert Clark Rally has a signature, it’s its ability to challenge every ounce of skill and patience. Sunday’s route through Scotland, Ae, Twiglees, Castle O’er, Craik, and Newcastleton delivered exactly that — a relentless sequence of stages where survival and precision were as important as speed.
Day 4 wasn’t about being quick. It was about keeping the car on the road. Gravel, cambers, and blind crests tested every crew to the limit, while pockets of fog drifted unpredictably through the forests and glens. Many described it as “navigating through a grey maze at full throttle, hoping the next corner exists.”
Osian Pryce focused on discipline rather than outright attack. By the end of the day, his lead remained enough to protect, yet small enough to demand respect.
Behind him, the rally erupted into chaos. Marty McCormack retired with terminal suspension damage. Matt Edwards lost significant time after a stage stoppage. Two top-10 Escorts ended a stage on three wheels, and one OTL penalty reshuffled the midfield entirely. Only Paul Barrett and Mark Noble managed to keep anything resembling Pryce’s pace, their consistency quiet but formidable.
Barrett delivered a masterclass in measured aggression, losing less time than almost anyone and keeping firmly in podium contention. Mark Higgins, drawing on decades of experience, nursed his car through treacherous corners and steadily climbed the order. McCormack flashed moments of breathtaking speed but paid the price with suspension failure, while Edwards limited his losses with precise control despite a spin.
The day also produced remarkable stories further down the field. A Talbot Sunbeam crew stopped to help a rival stuck in the gravel, sacrificing minutes. A Mk1 Escort completed every stage with a silent intercom. A 50-year-old Volvo soldiered on with a broken engine mount, held together with ratchet straps.
DAY 5 — MONDAY
Final Kielder Loop • Carlisle Airport Finish — Five Days, Countless Stories
The final morning of the 2025 Roger Albert Clark Rally — centred around the rally’s formidable 40-mile Kielder stage — saw multiple battles unfolding across overall, podium, and class positions. Several drivers remained in mathematical contention: Paul Barrett chased relentlessly, turning up the pace across the last three stages. Mark Higgins delivered some of his best runs of the rally, while Matt Edwards finished with a flourish, matching the frontrunners split for split.
The podium fight was just as gripping. Three Escort crews traded places across the final loop, a Talbot Lotus made a late surge into the top 10, and a Mk1 Escort climbed from 14th to 9th with an inspired final push.
Class battles added their own drama. The 1600cc Historic category went right to the wire. The under 2-litre class swung on a single puncture. Category 1 was won by a Mk1 Cortina that ran faultlessly throughout, while the Open Class was dominated by a Vauxhall Chevette that came alive in the final stages.
As the cars crested the ramp at Carlisle Airport, some were immaculate, others looked like they’d been dragged behind a tractor — but all of them were heroes. The 2025 RAC wasn’t about a single driver. It was about tens of stories, hundreds of moments, and a rally that refused to be reduced to one narrative. Every contender played a role. Every class had its battles. Every crew left Carlisle with a story no other rally can give them.
And at the very front of it all, Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss stood victorious — disciplined, determined, and deserving champions of a rally that demanded everything.
