Opinion: British rallying is going green again

UK forest-stage rallies are at long last able to restart post-lockdown

More than any other branch of domestic motorsport, forest rallying has suffered dreadfully from the pandemic. While circuit racing was back up and running by July 2020 and resumed again in April after the second UK-wide lockdown, forest rallying didn’t return until this summer. From February 2020 until July 2021, there was not one significant forest rally in England or Wales.

Even though racing was go at the beginning of April, albeit behind closed doors, the issues of controlling fans meant no major gravel rally ran until July.

Some of the reasons behind the ongoing delays to resuming rallying were led by the government’s travel and gathering rules. There was also an acknowledgement that a lack of overseas travel has pushed more people into the UK’s forests for recreation.

But finally there’s better news, with the recent running of the Woodpecker Stages, albeit without spectators for specific logistical reasons.

Demand for competing on gravel shows no sign of being terminally damaged by the long break. Even though costs continue to rise and typical 45-mile one-day forest events now charge entry fees in the region of £600, the oversubscribed entry for the Woodpecker, run in Radnor Forest in the Welsh borders, showed that people still want to compete on gravel.

The hiatus hasn’t just been sad for drivers; it has also hurt firms and individuals who earn some or all of their living from preparing cars, supplying parts and dealing in consumables.

The extended shutdown led to some pundits hailing the end of the sport – but they couldn’t be more wrong, despite the obvious environmental issues that forest rallying has to face.

Graham Hopewell, clerk of the course for the Woodpecker, confirmed that the landowner, Natural Resource Wales, was supportive throughout the process of running his event. However, he still had to redesign it to run solely in Wales, as English forests will remain largely out of bounds until October.

“This year, we had to run only in Wales. We’re also aware that we run through isolated communities,” he said. Rod Parkin, chairman of Trackrod Rally Yorkshire, added: “We’re encouraged by competitor support for forest rallying. There’s still enthusiasm to do these events, but we have to acknowledge that green issues are a factor. The sport needs to be aware of these and plan ahead.”

Competitors naturally shared the enthusiasm for the return of forest rallying. Richard Hill, a leading contender in his four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi, said: “There’s nothing better than competing on stages like Crychan in Wales and Langdale in Yorkshire.” Leading historics competitor Paul Barrett agreed: “You can’t beat the forest to put a smile on your face!”

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