The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally has introduced a Carbon Contribution Programme for the 2023 event which kickstarts an ongoing commitment to aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the prestigious annual motorsport event [26-28 May].

The closed-road stage rally, based in Duns in the Scottish Borders attracts some of the best drivers in the world to the region throughout the weekend as competitors in the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship, Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship and KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship tackle some of the most highly regarded stages in the country.

Organised and promoted by the Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club (JCMMC), the Jim Clark Rally will embark on a project to recognise its impact on the environment and set about reducing its carbon footprint, with officials, competitors and spectators all playing a part in its commitment.

With guidance from the sports governing body Motorsport UK and the Scottish Borders Council, the Jim Clark Rally has selected the Tweed Forum as the Official Carbon Capture Partner for 2023. With stages taking place mostly in and around the Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders, the Tweed Forum programme ensures a relevant and local programme is utilised in the heart of the region used by the rally.

The event has used the Tweed Forum’s tree planting programme, and will be contributing towards new woodland creation in the area. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the Jim Clark Rally is set to plant around 660 new trees this year to reduce the carbon footprint created by the event.

This commitment will see approximately 130 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) being captured over 35 years, with a further dedication to carry out more planting each rally year.

Professor Dan Wright MBE Chairman, Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club Chairman recognises the importance of a sustainable commitment to reducing the impact the event has on the environment.

“Despite the perception, motorsport is far from the most damaging sport to the environment and all stakeholders involved in the discipline are working hard towards lowering the climate impact, for example, more sustainable fuels,” he says.

“But many of these are developing technologies and unviable for an event such as the Jim Clark Rally, and so we have been looking at ways to reduce our overall footprint by utilising a carbon capture programme.”

“It was vital that the scheme was local to the event and a non-profit organisation, so we are delighted to partner with the Tweed Forum’s tree-planting programme in 2023 and make the first and vital steps in the process. There is no doubt our commitment will increase in the future as we all have a part to play.”

Tweed Forum Director, Luke Comins said:

“Organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of addressing the environmental impact of their activities so we’re pleased that the Jim Clark Rally organisers have decided to support our work in this way. As well as capturing carbon, the right trees planted in the right place at the right scale provide multiple benefits including flood risk reduction and biodiversity enhancement. We’re grateful that this high profile event has chosen to back our important work in the Tweed river catchment.”

Clarification

The Jim Clark Rally has this year chosen to make a contribution towards tree-planting in the Scottish Borders to help reduce the event’s carbon footprint. We would like to clarify that this is not part of an officially accredited carbon off-setting scheme. 

For more information on the Tweed Forum visit tweedforum.org
Find out more about the rally at www.jimclarkrally.co.uk

For further media information about Tweed Forum, please contact Karen Finlay, Artisan PR | 07803 945043 | karen@artisanpr.co.uk

Note to Editors:

Tweed Forum is a Scottish Borders-based charitable trust and umbrella organisation whose remit is to promote the sustainable use of the Tweed and protect and enhance the natural, built and cultural heritage of the region.

-Ends

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally has today [3 April] officially launched the 2023 event, which is set to attract some of the best drivers in the world to Duns in the Scottish Borders on 26-28 May.

The prestigious closed-road stage rally released its regulations for competitors which outline the format and route of this year’s spectacular weekend of action, ahead of entries opening on Thursday 6 April.

And interest in the event is at an “all-time high” thanks to a shift in the route during the weekend, as well as being all set to attract a string of top-flight championships and some of the best drivers in the business to the region for the event.

The ever-evolving rally will once again be a round of the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship, bringing the UK’s elite to the two-day event which winds its way through the Borders. Also likely to make an appearance will be World Rally Championship ace Adrien Fourmaux who will drive an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 in a bid for seat time in between his WRC commitments.

The BRC will also be joined by the best-sealed surface drivers in the country as the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship brings a top-quality field and they will be joined by a host of regional series including the A S Performance North of England Tarmacadam Championship, the S G Petch ANECCC Stage Rally Championship and the Armed Forces Rally Team.

The two-day Jim Clark Rally offers over sixty miles of competitive action and will enjoy its traditional Duns town centre start on Friday [26 May] evening before crews head out to tackle a double run over the daunting Longformacus moorland stage with the second pass likely to be under the cover of darkness.

After an overnight halt, Saturday [27 May] will be unfamiliar to many, as six stages in Edrom, Ayton and Fogo, situated to the West of Duns are introduced into the itinerary to test the crews to the limit before an early afternoon, champagne spray and finish celebrations take place back in Duns Town Square.

The highly regarded Reivers Rally takes place on Sunday [28 May] and sees more top-class categories head to the area as the KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship marks its first asphalt round of the season at the event.

They will also be joined by contenders in the Burnside Piling Scottish Tarmack Rally Championship, as well as the North of England, ANECCC Championship, Northern Historic and the Armed Forces series enjoying a double-header weekend, contesting all three days.

The Reivers rally will also get underway from Duns Town Square, at around 10:00 Sunday [28 May] before utilising the Westruther, Scott’s View and Eccles stages. Totalling 41 stage miles, the compact event will see the finish celebrations just before 16:00 later that day back in Duns.

“We are very excited to be launching the 2023 Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally,” said Dan Wright, Chairman of the organisers Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club.

“The organising team work tirelessly behind the scenes to produce a world-class event and it’s all set to be another fascinating weekend of motorsport for the region. Interest in the rally is at an all-time high and we hope that fans and competitors alike will enjoy the offering we have this year. To keep the event fresh, there is a switch around in the route, meaning everyone can enjoy some new stages and see just what the Scottish Borders has to offer. We look forward to a bumper list of entries heading to Duns this May”.

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally will return to the British rallying calendar in 2023, taking place on 26-28 May.

The popular event will once again return to its traditional host town of Duns in the Scottish Borders for a spectacular weekend of closed-road motorsport.

Announced today [24October], the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship will return to the event as Britain’s premier rally championship brings some of the best drivers in the business to the region to tackle the opening two days of the event which last year saw four-time British champion Keith Cronin seal honours in his Volkswagen Polo GTi R5.

With the news that the event will feature on the BRC roster, organisers are delighted to be able to reveal outline plans for the 2023 offering which includes a new look for competitors to ensure the rally remains fresh and exciting for all.

Once again, two events will feature over the weekend with the Jim Clark Rally taking place on Friday night and Saturday and offering around 67 stage miles, whilst Sunday will host the popular Reivers Rally at just over 42 miles.

After a town centre ceremonial start on Friday night in Duns for the Jim Clark Rally entrants, crews will head out to tackle two moorland stages, one of which will be under the cover of darkness to test the crews to the limit.

Saturday will consist of six tests but will feature stages that formed the Sunday leg of the 2022 event to offer a new challenge for those that contested this year’s two-day rally. Those contesting the Reivers Rally will be able to look forward to the stages that the BRC crews enjoyed in 2022, effectively switching the entire event around.

Across the weekend, the rally will also host some of the most popular stage rally championships in the country and the organising team are anticipating a bumper entry to the three-day motorsport event.

“We are delighted to reveal our outline plans for 2023 and of course welcome the British Rally Championship back to the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally next year,” said Dan Wright, Chairman of the organisers, the Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club.

“We have been working very hard behind the scenes to build on the success of 2022 and part of the plan has been to ensure crews have a new challenge this time around. We want to keep evolving and keeping the route fresh but will still be keeping the fundamental structure of the rally which has proved to be so popular. It’s great to have the support of Beatson’s Building Supplies once again and we look forward to welcoming everyone to Duns on 26 – 28 May”.More information on the event will be revealed in due course.

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally made a welcome return to Duns in the Scottish Borders this weekend [27-29 May], as the popular motorsport event blasted back into action with three days of top-level rallying in the region.

A sensational array of drivers from across Europe and the UK took part in both the Jim Clark Rally and Reivers Rally, with around two hundred and forty crews tackling the closed public roads in Berwickshire.

Sponsored by leading construction merchants Beatson’s Building Supplies, the rally returned after a two-year sabbatical but retained many of the features of past events which has heritage back to 1970.

Friday and Saturday’s Jim Clark Rally would play host to round two of Britain’s premier rally series, the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship [BRC] as well as the Protyre National Asphalt Rally Championship and several regional championships.

It was the BRC contenders that would predictably see the biggest battles played out over the first two days as some of the best drivers in the country and beyond went head to head on the tricky Borders roads for the first time this decade.

Friday night provided a double run over the Longformacus stage and it was Irishman Keith Cronin who set a blistering time over the first pass, eight seconds faster than round one winner Osian Pryce. Winner of the event in 2012, Cronin and co-driver Mikie Galvin were in a league of their own by the time the stage ran again in the dark, heading into day two with a 40 second lead in their Volkswagen Polo GTi R5.

Saturday saw him maintain that gap to his nearest challengers James Williams and Dai Roberts in their Hyundai i20 R5, who would take second spot after a gutsy drive, whilst the podium places were rounded out by Duns driver Garry Pearson in his Fiesta Rally2 and co-driver Dale Furniss.

“It feels great, it’s so nice to get a BRC win again,” said Cronin at the finish celebrations in Duns town square.

“Last year didn’t go one hundred per cent to plan for us. So, it was encouraging to see the pace at Clacton and after we started so well here [Jim Clark Rally], it was all about managing the lead.”

“We had to keep our pace up. Today we weren’t quite as flat out as last night, you just can’t let go of the concentration with the level of competition in the British Championship. You start hearing noises & listen out for punctures but it all came good, it was nice to get the win.”

The race to be the top non-BRC crew home centred around the National Asphalt Championship and it would be Steve Wood and Dale Bowen who took the win in their Fiesta WRC.

However it was Duns ace Euan Thorburn who led for most of the day before a hydraulic pipe failure forced him out on the final stage of the rally. Having been out of the driver’s seat for over two years, the local ace would be able to repair the Focus WRC to contest Sunday’s Reivers Rally.

Mark Kelly and Neil Coleman took second with Stephen Simpson and Neil Shanks rounding out the top three.

Pearson would have the honour of the leading Duns driver home, with fellow local Dale Robertson enduring a tough day in his Fiesta Rally2 to finish down in 45^th after getting stuck in a ditch. Cornhill’s Michael Binnie took Duns co-driver Claire Mole to sixth in their Mitsubishi whilst St Boswells resident Ross Hunter finished just outside the top 10 in eleventh with Martin Woodcock alongside.

With the Jim Clark Rally done, attentions turned to the Reivers Rally on Sunday and the KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship contenders would be all aiming for a maximum points haul on their first visit to asphalt in 2022.

But it was Euan Thorburn who was looking for redemption after his last-minute retirement the previous day, stopping the clocks on an equal time with Rory Young in his Fiesta Rally2 on the first stage of six.

Heading into the mid-point service halt, Thornburn and co-driver Paul Beaton opened out a 13-second lead to David Bogie and John Rowan in the raucous MINI WRC and the two crews would fight it out over the final three tests.

Thorburn did enough to keep Bogie at bay in the afternoon loop taking a superb win on his home event, adding to his 2012 victory on the rally. Bogie’s result would also give him maximum points in the Scottish Rally Championship.

Steeped in history, the Jim Clark Rally first ran in 1970 and has remained one of the most prestigious stage rallies in the country. Names on the winner’s trophy include Roger Clark and Ari Vatanen. The event is named after Jim Clark OBE who was a two-time Formula One Champion, a winner of the Indianapolis 500 and a host of saloon and touring car races and hailed from Chirnside.

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally will welcome a dazzling list of rally crews to Duns this weekend [27-29 May] as the best drivers in the UK and beyond head to the Scottish Borders for the revitalised event.

Over two hundred and forty drivers will tackle the closed public roads in Berwickshire across three days of motorsport action, bringing the sport of rallying into the heart of the community. The Jim Clark Rally will play host to the top-flight Motorsport UK British Rally Championship for the first time since 2014, as well as the Protyre National Asphalt Rally Championship and a host of regional series.

Sunday’s Reivers Rally will see contenders in the KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship make their first foray onto asphalt this season in the Borders and will once again be joined by an impressive list of popular regional rally championships.

Sponsored by leading construction merchants Beatson’s Building Supplies, the rally returns after a two-year sabbatical due to the pandemic but enjoys a fresh look, more akin to past events. On offer, will be three days of competition of over around 115 miles of special stages, using classic tests from previous editions, coupled with new twists to challenge the crews to the limit.

Centred around Duns, the market town hosts the Rally HQ and service areas, and the Town Square will see the Ceremonial Rally Starts and Finishes take place on the famous cobbles. Crews will be flagged away from the town on Friday at 19:00 with two passes of the Longformacus stage ahead of them, the latter of which will be under the cover of darkness.

Day two sees a move to the southwest of Duns with Eccles, Westruther and the Scott’s View tests being run twice throughout the day with the British Championship crews tackling Eccles for the third time. The popular rally ceremonial town centre finish celebrations, presentations and champagne spray, will take place from 16:00.

Sunday’s Reivers event is a shorter but no less impressive blast and once again enjoys a ceremonial start at 10:00 from Duns and heads northeast for the popular Fogo, Ayton and Edrom stages before the finish celebrations at 14:00.

Steeped in history, the Jim Clark Rally first ran in 1970 and has remained one of the most prestigious stage rallies in the country. Names on the winner’s trophy include Roger Clark and Ari Vatanen and aiming to stamp their name alongside the legends of rallying are number one seeds, Osian Pryce and Noel O’Sullivan.

The British Rally Championship heavy hitters join the Jim Clark Rally on Friday and Saturday, and Pryce was the runner up in the series in 2021. The Welshman is looking to go one better in his Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 this season and is on track after a round one win in Essex but has a former Jim Clark winner hot on his heels in Irishman Keith Cronin.

Cronin and co-driver Mikie Galvin will look for their first BRC win since 2017 and will also be in a Polo R5. Making it a top-four Volkswagen affair, Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson start the event at number three, making their BRC1 debut in a Polo, whilst teammates Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke join them at car four.

Duns is strongly represented too with local ace Euan Thorburn contesting his first event since 2020. Driving his familiar Ford Focus WRC, the Scottish Champion has Paul Beaton on the notes and will also tackle Sunday’s Reivers. But the fight for bragging rights will be on between him and fellow Duns driver Garry Pearson. Driving a Fiesta Rally2, Pearson will be putting all his local knowledge to the test and could well secure his first BRC win on home soil. He has Dale Furniss in the co-driver’s seat.

James Williams and Dai Roberts round out the top five in their Hyundai i20 R5 and will be searching for more BRC podiums after a Clacton third overall. Behind them, a blistering array of crews and cars all eager to sample the Border roads as it returns to its May slot for the first time since 2014.

The Reivers Rally also sees a sensational entry thanks to the Scottish Rally Championship, headed by 2011 rally winner David Bogie. Driving a fan favourite Mini JCW WRC, Bogie and John Rowan will be using the machine on asphalt for the first time, as they resume their SRC bid. Currently, joint leader of the series, Bogie will hope to pull out a lead on nearest challenger, Cornhill’s Michael Binnie in his Mitsubishi who starts at four with Duns co-driver Claire Mole.

Another Duns driver Dale Robertson tackles his first rally since 2019 and has World Rally Championship co-driver Stuart Loudon in the co-driver’s seat for both the Jim Clark and Reivers Rally. They will use a Fiesta R5, as will Freddie Milne and Patrick Walsh would round out the top five.

Spectators will be well catered for across the rally weekend with plenty of opportunities to catch the action on the stages and get up close to the stars and cars during event formalities.

The Town Centre of Duns will host the Start and Finish celebrations with commentary by Knockhill’s Duncan Vincent and a big screen showing the action from the stages. Mid-event regroups will also take place in the centre, meaning cars will never be far away throughout the weekend.

Spectator access to watch the action is available on many stages in the rally, with full information available on the rally website and in programmes which are available throughout the town of Duns during the rally week.

The Jim Clark Rally is also a round of the AS Performance North of England Tarmacadam Championship, ANECCC SG Petch Rally Championship, HRCR Motoscope Northern Historic Rally Championship and the Armed Forces Rally Championship. The Reivers also welcomes the Burnside Piling Scottish Tarmac Championship and Fuchs Lubricants RACRMC Asphalt/Rally2 Mixed Surface Rally Championship.

Plans progress for Jim Clark Rally return

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally will blast back into action in 2022 after a two-year hiatus and the Duns based event is preparing to host some of the best drivers in the UK this spring [27-29 May].

Over two hundred competing cars are set to tackle the closed public roads in Berwickshire and organisers have announced that regulations for the popular Scottish Borders rally will be released on the 14 April, just ahead of entries opening four days later on the 18April.

With the rally hosting some of the most popular stage rally championships in the country, the organising team are anticipating a bumper entry to the three-day motorsport event.

“The rally organisers have been working extremely hard to create one of the most spectacular Jim Clark Rally weekends for many years and we are delighted to be progressing our plans towards yet another exciting event for the region in May,” said Dan Wright, Chairman of the organisers Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club.

“Announcing the opening date for entries to the rally is a thrilling time for us all as it brings all our hard work together. We are certain that competitors, rally fans and the community will love what we have in store this year and we look forward to welcoming everyone to Duns at the end of May”.

Due to the pandemic, the rally has not run since 2019 but will return this year with a new look, longer event, and the inclusion in the calendar of many top-line championships. For the first time since 2014, the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship will contest the event, bringing arguably some of the fastest drivers in Europe to the region. They will be joined by the sealed surface experts in the Protyre National Asphalt Rally Championship.

The AS Performance North of England Tarmac Championship, ANECCC SG Petch Championship and popular Land Rovers in the Armed Forces Rally Championship will also contest the event but will continue into Sunday 29 May. The KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship joins the fray on the final day, as does the Burnside Piling Scottish Tarmack Championship.

Duns Square will host the now traditional ceremonial start on Friday evening before crews head into the stages for two moorland tests, likely to be under the cover of darkness before returning to Duns for the overnight halt.

Saturday hosts a further seven competitive stages with Duns once again hosting the finish celebrations and champagne spray in the early evening.

Crews in the Reivers Rally will enjoy six classic tests on Sunday with an early afternoon finish to round off a blistering motorsport weekend.

Spectator information will be released closer to the rally and there is an opportunity for those who want to get up close to the action and volunteer to marshal on the event, to attend a dedicated Marshals Training Day in Duns on 9 April. For more information on how to marshal, spectate or enter, visit the event website: www.jimclarkrally.co.uk