Finishing line excitement at prestigious rallying event
Colin Mc Rae’s father Jimmy in action on a previous rally in 2017 on the Welsh leg of the Roger Albert Clark Rally in his Vauxhall Firenza.
ONE of the biggest rallying events in the UK will see cars cross the finish line in Carmarthen this coming autumn.
There is much excitement among petrol-heads for the return of the Roger Albert Clark Rally, which is only eligible for cars registered in categories and classes predating the early 1980s.
Organisers have confirmed that the five-day rally between November 25 and 29 will finish at the showground at Nantyci, Carmarthen.
Held every two years, the event is among the largest of its kind and was established in 2004 to recreate the route of the classic RAC Rally across the UK.
It is named in honour of 1960s and 70s British rally driver Roger Albert Clark, who passed away in 1998.
This year’s rally will be the longest and toughest special-stage rally on the UK calendar, with the Welsh leg being the event’s most ambitious to date.
Drivers and their navigators will cover 350 miles on forest special stages, starting near Carlisle in Cumbria, the host city for the event.
Three days of stages will be held in the Kielder Forest and in southern Scotland, before the action moves to Mid Wales on Sunday, November 28, for the Dyfnant, Gartheiniog and Dyfi stages.
The rally’s last day, Monday, November 29, will see cars race in the Brecon Beacons and then on to West Wales.
The biggest news for rally fans locally is that Carmarthen has been selected as the prestigious rally’s finish.
The stages on that final day are Epynt, Halfway, Crychan and Gwibedog forests, with the Crychan section near Llandovery covering almost 11 miles.
After the four stages are repeated, the rally will make its way to Carmarthen for midafternoon.
The event, which was last run in 2019, saw local co-driver Arwel Jenkins take the win in the Roger Albert Clark Open Rally with Barry Jordan driving a Hilman Avenger.
Rally manager Colin Heppenstall is planning to make this 14th edition of the rally at least as tough as the hugely successful 2019 event.
He said: “It is fair to say that the 12 months since the 2019 rally have been a tough time for rallying.
“We wanted to underline our commitment to running the Roger Albert Clark Rally as planned in November 2021 and we hope that this will give everyone something to plan for and look forward to, whether they are competitors, marshals or spectators.”