The 2026 Borders Competitions Jim Clark Rally returns to the British rally calendar next weekend, once again placing the Scottish Borders at the centre of the UK motorsport scene from 22–24 May.
Based in the heart of Duns, the Jim Clark Rally remains one of the UK’s most iconic asphalt stage rallies and a cornerstone of the national motorsport calendar. It continues to attract the best drivers from across Britain and beyond, whilst delivering a major boost to the Borders community and economy.
The 2026 edition will carry extra significance as the rally community comes together to remember co-driver Dai Roberts, who tragically lost his life during the 2025 event. Throughout the weekend, tributes will be paid to Dai, ensuring his memory remains at the heart of the event.
Backed once again by Borders Competitions, the rally will feature around 95 competitive miles across Friday and Saturday, with the British Rally Championship, Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship and regional series joining the ranks. Alongside, Sunday’s Jim Clark Reivers Rally adds a further 58 stage miles to complete a full weekend of high-speed Border action.
The main rally gets underway on Friday evening with four special stages, ensuring the famous night-time element remains a key feature of the event. Crews will tackle fast and flowing closed-road tests in darkness before returning to Duns for the overnight halt. Saturday’s second leg houses six stages with a demanding day of classic Borders asphalt awaiting crews, before the traditional champagne celebrations in Duns Square.
Sunday’s Jim Clark Reivers Rally sees the Asset Alliance Scottish Rally Championship and RAC Historic Asphalt series provide a fitting finale to the weekend, featuring eight stages.
Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss head to the Borders as the number one seeds after leading the event last year. Evans showed impressive pace on asphalt in 2025 and continues to grow increasingly comfortable aboard the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Osian Pryce makes it a Yaris, one-two, arriving after a sensational victory on the opening round of the BRC in Wales. Pryce immediately re-established himself as the benchmark in the series with a commanding performance on the Welsh gravel
Euan Thorburn leads the Duns drivers and continues to be one of the benchmarks on Scottish Borders asphalt in his VW Polo GTi and will aim to add yet another Jim Clark success to his record. But Garry Pearson has enjoyed the best start to a BRC season yet in 2026 and is long overdue a top result on home soil, driving his M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2.
The next generation of British rallying talent is also expected to shine, with Max McRae continuing his rise in Rally2 machinery. The grandson of Jimmy McRae and nephew of Colin and Alister McRae has already demonstrated impressive speed and will be eager to challenge for top honours on the Borders lanes in his Skoda Fabia Rally2.
Local knowledge could prove invaluable for Dale Robertson in a Ford Fiesta Rally2. Robertson has not contested an event since last year’s Jim Clark Rally, but has shown strong pace on these roads previously and could spring a surprise. A strong top-ten also sees Sam Touzel [Skoda] and Elliot Payne [Fiesta] make the trip.
The Reivers Rally on Sunday is no less competitive, and over 130 cars will line up to tackle the event. Thorburn aims to take a record tally of wins with four in a row, but he’ll be pushed by Robertson and Pearson, which could make it a Duns 1-2-3 on the road. Scott MacBeth, Hugh Brunton, Mark McCulloch and James Ford add some top-flight flavour to Sunday.
Fans can once again look forward to a festival atmosphere throughout the weekend, with Duns Square remaining the focal point for ceremonial starts, finishes, regroup halts and live rally coverage on the big screen in the town.
Many stages offer spectacular viewing spots for spectators, including Abbey on Friday night, and Polwarth, which enjoys two separate locations on Saturday. The Westruther and Scott’s View stages are available on the Reivers Rally Sunday. Full spectator information is available in the Rally Programme, stocked at a wide range of outlets across the region.
Thousands of spectators are expected to descend on the town over the three days, creating one of the biggest sporting weekends in the Borders calendar.
Full spectator information is available on the Jim Clark Rally website HERE where the entry lists for both events can also be viewed.
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