THE UK’S OTHER FLEDGLING RALLYING DYNASTIES
From the McRae clan to the Higgins brothers and of course Gwyndaf and Elfyn Evans, British rallying is accustomed to families and generations of those families competing – and winning – at home and beyond. The Llewellin story is just the latest example, but Tom is by no means the only youngster following in Dad’s footsteps this year. Here are MN’s two picks of young guns with a famous name who are worth watching in 2021:
Elliot Payne
Born: January 4, 2003
Father: Charlie Payne
(2016 BTRDA Gold Star champion)
2021 programme: Junior BRC and selected R5 outings
It’s impossible not to be hugely impressed with what we’ve seen from Elliot Payne so far. In six senior rallying starts following three Junior 1000 seasons, Payne has already won a round of the fiercely competitive BTRDA R2 Rallye Cup, bagged an overall podium and scored a sublime fourth place at Snetterton last month on his four-wheel-drive debut. Elliot’s father was competing and finished 30 seconds behind his son! This season will be a blend between Junior BRC in a Rally4 and sporadic drives in a Fiesta R5 and the 18-year-old cannot be discounted from success in both.
Eamonn Kelly
DOB: January 2, 1999
Father: Donagh Kelly (2015 Irish Tarmac & National champion)
2021 programme: Junior BRC
At just 22 years old Kelly is a fresh face to rallying but is incredibly almost exactly four years older than Payne! The pair’s careers haven’t really intertwined thus far but they will in the Junior BRC this season where both will pilot Fiesta Rally4s. Unlike Payne who went junior rallying, Irishman Kelly stepped straight into stage rallying with a Honda Civic and secured several class wins before stepping up to a Fiesta R2T in 2019. Last season was shaping up incredibly promisingly before Covid-19 curtailed the calendar as Kelly scored three class wins from as many starts.