RAC revolution
Non-escort wins RAC rally for the very first time
Storm Arwen might have done its best to throw a spanner in the works, but it didn’t stop the 2021 Roger Albert Clark (RAC) Rally. And, for the first time since its inception, the event was won by a team that wasn’t competing in a Ford Escort. Instead, Ryan Champion became the 2021 winner, driving a Porsche 911.
Since the rally’s inception in 2004, no car other than a Ford Escort MKI or MKII had topped the podium, but after several of their Escort rivals fell by the wayside this year, Champion and co-driver Craig Thorley made history, beating Seb Perez/gary Mcelhinney and Adrien Hetherington/ronan O’neill who completed the podium.
Beginning on Thursday November 25 and ending on Monday November 29, the RAC Rally was the longest event both in terms of duration and stage mileage to be held in the UK for several years. And with the absence of Rally GB from the World Rally Championship calendar, it was the first major, multi-day rally to take place in Britain for two years.
Storm Arwen hit the rally route hard, with high winds and snowfall complicating the final two stages. Most competitors made it through, albeit at a snail’s pace, but others were stranded on the stages with falling trees, many having to sleep in their cars overnight, while still stuck on the stage.
Meanwhile, Tony Jardine’s
Team NET-HERO, competing in a Hillman Avenger, made history by offsetting their entire carbon output for the route via the NET-HERO initiative. They came 75th overall, but with net-zero emissions – proof that classic rallying can still show respect for the environment around it.