Rally

Land Rover’s most capable and durable 4×4 is taking on the ultimate all-terrain challenge with two Defender 110 support vehicles destined for the Dakar Rally 2021. […]

The Great British Rally by Graham Robson is the complete history of British international rally events, starting with the very first RAC rally of 1932, which included 1000 miles of road motoring, when a mere three driving tests were needed to produce a result. By 1951 an international permit had been achieved, a speed element was included, and the ‘Rally of the Tests’ ran until 1960. From 1961, the event took on a number of high-speed, loose-surfaced Special Stages, the Scandinavian influence became clear, and the event took on a World Championship qualification in 1973. In that time, competing cars had progressed from having perhaps 50bhp to at least 300bhp, and even more high-tech machines with 500bhp and four-wheel-drive would follow.

Dakar 2019 has finished after the tenth and final stage that saw yet another strong performance from the MINI crews. Stage 10 was 359 km in total, of which 112 km were off-road Special Stage and ended with the Dakar competitors’ arrival in Lima, capital city of Peru. Joan ‘Nani’ Roma (ESP) and co-driver Alex Haro (ESP) raced Stage 10 according to plan, which was to place their MINI John Cooper Works Rally in a position that would safeguard their overall ranking of second. Finishing 6th in today’s stage ensured that Roma and Haro were successful and the Spanish duo did indeed secure a well-deserved second-place overall at Dakar 2019.

Let’s hit the road! Our Video of the Week this time goes all the way back to 1964. Part of me honestly wishes that wasn’t so long ago, and part of me finds it hard to believe that 54 years have passed since then. But anyway, our video is of a RAC rally from ’64 and features some great cars. From Minis to MGBs, you will find them in this video. There is also an Austin Healey, a Rover, and a host of other cars of the period both British and non-British. One of the things that always strikes me when I watch these old films is how safety standards have changed. These days you would never get as close to the actual racing as spectators used to do. Also helmets and other protective gear just don’t figure into the […]

The 1925 Bentley Super Sports of Graham and Marina Goodwin reigned supreme on the Endurance Rally Association’s The Road to Saigon rally. Holding their lead on the Vintageant category from the start line in Singapore right the way to the finish in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now known. Former Peking to Paris entrant Andrew Webster and his co-driver Ian Robertson took second place in their 1939 Chevrolet Master 85. Rallying over 8,600kms in 27-days, around 35 crews took on a series of challenging regularity and speed trials as they journeyed through Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

The start of the 40th edition of Dakar – the tenth in its present South America theatre – is now only hours away. Shakedown testing is complete and the MINI family of seven international two-man race crews, together with the large support team from MINI Motorsport partner X-raid, are fully prepared to undertake the challenges the Dakar will undoubtedly present throughout its 9,000 km distance that spans 14 race stages. The 2018 Dakar takes place across three countries with the starting point in Lima, Peru on Saturday 6th January 2018, before crossing into Bolivia and onwards to the finish line 14 stages later in Argentina on 20 January 2018. Each country will feature race stages that take place across natural splendor, which also happens to host the toughest cross-country racing conditions known to man and machine.

This will be a straight-forward Time-Speed-Distance Monte Carlo style rally of approximately 60 competitive miles. No unpaved sections. Timing will be scored to one-one hundredth of a minute (.01). All vehicles welcome. Classes: Vintage (pre-1960), Historic I (1960’s), Historic II (1970-1981), Seat-of-the-Pants (let’s not get too serious about this and have fun), and SCCA competitive classes – Stock, Limited, Equipped, and Novice. Awards will be based on the number of entrants per class.

The Endurance Rally Association’s ninth Flying Scotsman Rally ended in a nail-biting finish as the winning crew of Paul Crosby and Ali Proctor suffered two breakdowns in their 1939 MG TB Supercharged on the final run for the chequered flag at Gleneagles, Scotland. The event started at Slaley Hall in Hexham, Northumberland, with over 750miles of rally ahead of the 103 crews.

MINI announced the start of a new chapter in its long, illustrious motorsport history with the introduction of its latest in a long line of cross-country rally car greats: the MINI John Cooper Works Rally. Now there is a new MINI champion in the making… MINI John Cooper Works Rally: racing ahead into the future The introduction of the all-new MINI John Cooper Works Rally underlines MINI Motorsport’s long-term commitment to its involvement in motorsport especially in the arena of rally-raid and the FIA World Cup, the legendary Dakar Rally and the latest long-distance endurance challenge of the Silk Way Rally.

Often described as the “mother of all rally races” the Dakar Rally is, without doubt, the most arduous and demanding automotive race in the world of motorsport. Participation in the Dakar Rally involves months of planning by the teams, the very best of drivers, co-drivers and support crews and, of course, their weapons of choice – with the MINI ALL4 Racing it is a proven, reliable performer that has claimed four consecutive Dakar wins (2012-2015) and four consecutive FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup titles (2012-2015). Lady luck, experience and respect for the terrain the competitors will cover are also major players on the final outcome of this two-week off-road racing spectacle. MINI and its motorsport partner X-raid are pleased to reveal eight crews to participate in the 2017 Dakar Rally at the controls of MINI rally cars. Three of […]

This year’s Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, billed as the world’s toughest endurance rally for classic and vintage cars, will feature a Mini for the first time in the event’s history. Concerned for the Packard, Paul contacted Owen Turner from the Rover Centre whom he had met on last year’s Sahara Challenge, for some advice and seeing just how much work still needed to be done on the old American car, advised against taking it on the grueling 36-day 8,500mile event that journeys through some extremely difficult terrain. Needing a car in a hurry to meet the shipping deadline, the best option was to buy the Mini Owen had prepared for himself for the 2015 Marrakesh event as well as Le Jog. Owen explains: “The Packard needed a lot of work still doing and would not have coped with the […]

Not strictly a British car event, this will still be of interest to those loving classic cars.  The Endurance Rally Association (ERA) has launched an exciting new addition to its 2017 calendar. The Baltic Classic is a two-week rallying adventure which starts in Copenhagen on Sunday 28th May 2017. The route takes in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland before finishing in Berlin on Saturday 10th June. Open to both Vintage and Classic cars, the event loops around and across the beautiful Baltic Sea and will see plenty of gravel driving and exciting forest sections on roads made famous by events such as the Rally of the Thousand Lakes and Rally Estonia. ERA Rally Director Fred Gallagher explains: “The Baltic Classic is aimed at both newcomers to long distance historic rallying as well as experienced ERA competitors. The route […]

It will be ‘all aboard’ for the 110 competitors in this year’s Flying Scotsman Rally as they depart from a new terminus at Belvoir Castle on Friday 15th April for three days of glorious vintage motoring. The Endurance Rally Association’s critically acclaimed event will journey through the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Wolds, onwards to the North and beyond via Northumberland and take in some of Scotland’s finest Lochs and Glens before arriving at the splendid Gleneagles hotel. The cars and crews will cover almost 700 miles from Leicestershire to Perth and Kinross with many off-road tests and challenges set along the route to supplement the on-road navigational and regularity sections.

A Weekend Celebration of the British Lifestyle and all Great British Motor Cars in Bristol, Rhode Island. Thursday, June 9th 2016 The Bristol Hidden Highway Hundred Rally Friday, June 10th 2016 British Motorcar Festival Weekend Begins British Marketplace Open to Registrants – A collection of British Companies and vendors selling British, and British-inspired products and services. Hard to find car spares, motoring accessories, British food, British Car Corral Open to Registrants – An opportunity to buy or sell a British Motor Car or Motorcycle. Bristol Merchants Association Fun Rally – The local Bristol Merchants Association has organized a self-guided scavenger hunt through town. Concours Reception – A special reception for the owners of the British motorcars that have been selected for judging in the Concours d’Elegance. Registrants Reception at Independence Park Friday Night Street Party with Live Music by Abbey Rhode […]

Beaulieu is proud to welcome two new rallies, Simply Aston Martin and Simply Jaguar, to its busy 2016 calendar of Simply rallies. Celebrating two of Britain’s best-loved sports car marques within the successful Simply rally format, these new rallies will join the six already well-established Simplys that will be returning for 2016. Simply Aston Martin will get the show season off to a racing start on 10th April, as owners of all Aston Martins, classic and modern, are invited to display their cars in the grounds of the National Motor Museum. A number of owners’ clubs are expected to attend the new Simply Jaguar, taking place on 8th May, which will gather together a wide variety of sports cars and saloons adorned with the famous leaping cat mascot, with all cars built by the historic manufacturer welcome.

MINI USA today announced the official route for the 2016 running of MINI TAKES THE STATES. The legendary biennial cross-country owners rally will kick off at Road Atlanta in northeast Georgia on July 9, 2016 and finish at the Thermal Club in Palm Springs, CA, on July 23, 2016. In true MINI TAKES THE STATES fashion, the route will not take a direct path from point A to point B. The more than 4,000-mile “track-to-track” adventure will travel up the east coast, across the Great Plains and over the Rocky Mountains before arriving in Southern California.  The legendary adventure, which attracts thousands of MINI owners and enthusiasts every other year, will pay tribute to the brand’s motorsports heritage by stopping at several professional race tracks to host driving experiences along the way.

The Royal Automobile Club has won the 2015 Rally of the Year at the International Historic Motoring Awards for the second consecutive year for the 1000 Mile Trial. The awards ceremony, which took place on 19th November at London’s St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, resembled a ‘Who’s Who’ of historic motoring as famous names from the world of motoring, motor sport and industry gathered together for the events’ fifth annual awards. The Club’s Motoring Committee Chairman, Peter Read, who collected the award, said ‘The 1000 Mile Trial has received many accolades since its relaunch in 2014 we are delighted to have won Rally of the Year 2015 for the second consecutive year, especially against such a high calibre of contenders’.

The inaugural Hope Classic Rally was held at the weekend with over 40 of the world’s most desirable classic cars coming together with stars from sport, TV, film and fashion to raise an incredible £150,000 for the charity HOPEHIV. Taking place over Friday 10th July and Saturday 11th July, the event saw generous participants and a host of celebrities drive from Mercedes-Benz World in Brooklands, Surrey to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire in some incredibly exotic machinery. All the funds raised will go directly to projects run by HOPEHIV, a charity which empowers children isolated by poverty, and often orphaned by HIV and AIDS, in Southern and Eastern Africa to create a better future for themselves.