Perfect Payne wins Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally

The Tweed Valley and Wauchope Forests echoed to the sound of rally cars for the first time since 2019 on Saturday [14 May] as the Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally blasted back into life with Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh taking victory in their Ford Fiesta Rally2.

Payne was third after the opening stage of the event but recovered to seal the top spot by 14 seconds from David Henderson and Chris Lees in their Fiesta R5. Number one seeds Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson rounded out the podium in third, driving their Fiesta WRC.

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Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally returns

Some of the best gravel rally drivers in the UK will tackle this weekend’s Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally as the Jedburgh based event returns on Saturday 14 May after a two-year hiatus.

Forced to cancel in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, the revived event welcomes contenders from the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series who will contest the forest rally for the first time since the early 1990’s. They will be joined by the S G Petch ANECCC Rally Championship and Motoscope Northern Historic Championship, bringing a host of competitors to the region from across the UK.

Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally open for business

The Brick and Steel Border Counties formally launches its return to the British motorsport calendar today [1 April] as the 14 May event releases its regulations and more information on the Jedburgh based rally.

Due to the pandemic, the highly regarded forest rally has not been able to take place since 2019 but makes a welcome return this spring and the resurgence has attracted the attentions of some of the most popular rally championships in the country.

Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally back in action for 2022

The popular Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally will make a welcome return to the British rallying calendar in 2022 after securing a slot on the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series roster.

In a shift from its traditional March date, the 14th May event will once again be based in the picturesque Scottish Borders town of Jedburgh and provide some of the best rally drivers in the UK with classic forest tests in the renowned and little-used Tweed Valley and Wauchope Forest complexes.

Pearson ready to start SRC season at the Border Counties Rally

Duns rally driver Garry Pearson opened his KNC Scottish Rally Championship campaign with a superb second overall at last weekend’s Border Counties Rally in Jedburgh (16th March).

Pearson and Welsh co-driver Dale Bowen overcame almost biblical conditions in the Kielder and South of Scotland forests to secure a solid start to his season in the Asset Alliance Group & George Anderson Builders backed Ford Fiesta R5.

Motorsport UK Championships Update

Welshman Tom Cave scored his first BRC win in a four-wheel-drive car with victory on the West Cork Rally.

Pearson ready to start SRC season at the Border Counties Rally

2016 Scottish Rally Championship runner-up Garry Pearson will be aiming to finally get his season underway this weekend, as he tackles the Jedburgh based Border Counties Rally (16th March).

After the opening round of the 2019 KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship was cancelled due to the thick ice in the Highlands at the Snowman Rally, the second round now becomes the season opener and takes crews into the super-fast Kielder forests of the North East and the South of Scotland.

Border Counties Rally

After missing the 2013 edition of the Border Counties it was a pleasure to be back in Kielder again, albeit not as a snowy as last year. It was all about the 3 Ford Focus WRC crews as they filled the podium at the end of the event. David Bogie & Kevin Rae were dominant and went fastest over the opening 4 stages to open up a comfortable margin to ensure victory. Euan Thorburn & Paul Beaton had started out better than Stephen Petch & Michael Wilkinson in their newer Focus WRC but by stage 4 they had sneaked ahead by a single second. Petch then went fastest through the final test to secure 2nd place behind Bogie with Thorburn rounding out the top 3, 4 seconds back.

Border Counties Rally

We really do seem to have been blessed with fantastic weather this month and especially on this event, in recent years. The Border Counties was, however, all about the domination of David Bogie & Kevin Rae (Evo IX). They eventually won by almost two minutes. The battle for 2nd place was only split by 9 seconds however as Mike Faulkner & Peter Foy (Evo VI) took 2nd place after a dramatic re-build following his crash on the Malcolm Wilson 2 weeks earlier.

Border Counties Rally

After missing the Border Counties in 2010 we had to come back in 2011 for what is one of our favourite rallies. The stages may have been thin on the ground but what was on offer was trully challenging. Spending the day in Wauchope Forest it was plain to see that David Bogie & Kevin Rae are a class act in their Evo IX, winning by 34 seconds. 2nd overall were Mike Faulkner & Peter Foy (Evo VI) which is an excellent result given the disadvantage of their older vehicle. Completing the podium a further 34 seconds back were Euan Thorburn & Paul Beaton (Evo IX).