Author: Matt

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally has received a sensational response to the 24-26 May event, with around 270 cars expected to tackle the three-day closed road event in the Scottish Borders.

Both the Jim Clark Rally [24/25 May] and the Reivers Rally [26 May] have reached a capacity entry, with event organisers making an application to the sport’s governing body Motorsport UK to extend the number of cars able to compete.

Thanks to this being granted, the popular Jim Clark Rally will now see around 140 cars tackle the two-day event, with Sunday’s Reivers Rally enjoying 130 contenders who will head for the Duns-based event to tackle some of the finest closed roads in the country.

This year’s Jim Clark Rally has seen a reinvigorated format, with an extended Friday night route offering an additional challenge for some of the best drivers in the business. The addition of the fan-favourite Langton stage and famous Watersplash, plus an extended leg under the cover of darkness has meant that entries have reached capacity, with a reserve list now being created.

In addition, the Reivers Rally route has also been revised, with a longer day set to round off the spectacular motorsport weekend in style.

Dan Wright, Chairman of rally organisers the Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club, is delighted with the reaction to this year’s refreshed event.

“The response to entries opening has been fantastic,” he says.

“Entries for both the Jim Clark Rally and the Reivers Rally were filled within 24 hours with a substantial reserve list even though we increased the number of competitors this year. This confirms the popularity of closed-road rallying and the Jim Clark Rally events in particular. We never take our popularity for granted and are always striving to give competitors and the public something fresh every year. We will be thrilled to welcome everyone to Duns later this month.”

Sponsored by leading construction materials provider Beatson’s Building Supplies, the Jim Clark Rally gets underway on Friday 24 May from Duns Square, before a double run over stages in Langton, Abbey St Bathans, and Blackadder.

Saturday includes Langton once again, with the addition of Edrom, Ayton and Fogo ahead of the ceremonial finish back in Duns. Crews from the Probite British Rally Championship, Protyre National Asphalt Rally Championship, Burnside Piling Scottish Tarmack Rally Championship, AS Performance North of England Tarmacadam Rally Championship, SG Petch ANECCC Championship, and the Armed Forces series will contest the two-day blast.

Sunday’s Reivers Rally also starts from the Duns Town Centre, with stages in Westruther, run three times and a double run over Scott’s View and Eccles before the Duns finish celebrations and sees the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship join the proceedings.

Spectator Information for the rally will be released in the coming weeks.

-Ends

Regulations for the 2024 Beatsons Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally and Jim Clark Reivers Rally are now available.

📖 Download here:

Competitors

🗳️ Entries open:

🔴 Jim Clark Rally: Thursday 4th April – 19:00

🔵 Reivers Rally: Sunday 7th April – 19:00

Dates: Saturday 6 April 2024
Location: Duns Rugby Club, Langtongate, Duns TD11 3QQ
https://w3w.co/daffodils.prevented.purist

Grid reference: NT 777 536

Join us for a refresher or introduction to marshaling ahead of this year’s Jim Clark Rally.
Volunteering is a great way to get up close to the cars and action whilst providing a valuable service to fans, competitors and the community.

Practical training to include Marshalling on Closed Road Rallies; First Marshal on Scene; Fire Theory; Rally Radio; Spectator Safety and Management.

To join us, please fill out the form HERE

The Beatsons Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally requires an army of volunteer marshals, radio operators and officials to help the safe and efficient running of this years event on 24 – 26 May and registration is now OPEN!

We have roles on and off the stages and if you would like to get involved, please sign up using the RallyStageTeam system or visit: https://jimclarkrally.co.uk/marshals-and-officials/

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally is thrilled to announce its outline format for the 24-26 May event and the return of the famous Langton water splash.

The iconic location, which was the highlight for both fans and drivers alike throughout the history of the rally, has not been used competitively for a decade at the Duns-based event. As a result of a new format for the three-day closed-road rally, the Langton stage will return four times during the weekend.

Nestled in the Scottish Borders town of Duns, the Jim Clark Rally will once again be sponsored by leading construction materials provider Beatson’s Building Supplies, and 2024 will see a refreshed offering which is set to provide motorsport fans and competing crews an exciting weekend of motorsport.

After the now traditional ceremonial start in Duns Square, Langton will offer a spectacular way to kick off the rally on Friday 24May with the short blast opening the rally early in the evening. Crews will then head for a usual moorland blast across the Abbey St Bathans test, before another new addition to the opening leg, Blackadder.

After service back in Duns, the stages will be repeated with rally fans and followers being able to enjoy an entertaining evening of motorsport before the overnight halt. The new look to Friday, sees a switch from the usual two-stages, to a dazzling six-test spectacular and over 35 stage miles, some under the cover of darkness to test the best drivers in the business.

Saturday starts in dramatic fashion with another run through Langton for the eager crowds before the traditional run of Edrom, Ayton and Fogo make up the eight stages on offer, taking the rally to over 88 stage miles for all competing crews.

The UK’s elite will head for the impressive Borders roads as some of the best rally series in the country join the Jim Clark Rally this May.

The Probite British Rally Championship returns for the Friday and Saturday legs, as do the Protyre National Asphalt Rally Championship, Burnside Piling Scottish Tarmack Rally Championship, AS Performance North of England Tarmacadam Rally Championship, SG Petch ANECCC Championship, and the Armed Forces series.

Sunday 26 May sees the return of the exciting Reivers Rally as the Scottish Rally Championship contenders tackle more icons of the event, including a significantly re-worked Westruther, Scotts View, Macks Mill and Eccles, bolstered by an increase of stage mileage from 2023 to over 55 during the day.

“The Jim Clark Rally organising team has always tried to give both competitors and rally fans a fresh, new and exciting offering year-on-year and 2024 is no exception,” said Dan Wright, Chairman of the organisers, the Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club.

“The entire team has been working hard behind the scenes to come up with a progressive offering for this year and part of that mindset has always been to increase the stage mileage of both events in a nod to the more arduous rallies of the past. The Jim Clark Rally is up from 67 to 88 miles and Reivers from 43 to 55 miles which means we can introduce a whole new format for the weekend.

“Of course, the return of Langton is very close to our hearts and is a symbol of the rally which all the family can enjoy. Other changes to the organisation have meant we can increase the number of cars that can enter to 130 per event, and that means we have one of the most attractive propositions for all in many years. We a very excited to welcome everyone to the Scottish Borders in May, we predict it could be the best edition yet”. More information on the rally will be released in due course.

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally brought some of the best motorsport action in the country to the Scottish Borders last weekend [26-28 May] as the three-day closed road event took place for the 47th time.

A sensational weekend of action brought thousands of eager motorsport fans and casual followers to the region to witness some of the best drivers in the world tackle the iconic Borders roads near the Duns rally base.

But the Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club Ltd, organisers of the popular event, have issued a stark warning to spectators wishing to attend the event in 2024. Due to the actions of a small number of fans, the event was almost halted during the Reivers Rally on Sunday, when the spectators failed to move from their location and stay off the road.

As a condition of the event taking place, once the road has been closed, under the ‘Motor Sport on Public Roads (Scotland) Regulations 2019 and Temporary Traffic Restriction Order’, the law prohibits unauthorised persons to set foot on those roads closed for the rally, which includes spectators attempting to recover cars.

Despite repeated requests by event safety marshals, during the Scott’s View and Westruther stages, several spectators refused to abide by those requests and the stage was halted. A team was dispatched to the location to resolve the issue but could have well caused the cancellation of the stage, or the event.

Clerk of the Course, Jonathan Lord has issued a plea to spectators ahead of the 2024 running of the rally.

“The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally is one of the biggest stage rallies to take place in the UK and attracts attention from across the country as enthusiasts are eager to watch the drivers in action,” he says.

“The safety of everyone involved in the Jim Clark Rally from spectators and residents to competitors and officials is our highest priority.

“Once the road is closed for the rally, it becomes an offence to walk on the road, including heading onto the road to recover or push cars, and it is a condition of use that this is policed. But a small number of people chose to ignore that and sadly we had to stop the stage to deal with their actions and relocate them. That subsequently causes delays and could stop the entire rally, spoiling it for both competitors and fans”.

Lord wishes to reiterate ahead of next year’s event, that spectators are more than welcome at the rally, but must adhere to the safety guidelines.

“It was just a small number of people who caused the issues, but we work closely with the Police and Local Authorities during the rally, and they will have no hesitation in pulling the plug on the event. But I`m confident that our like-minded rally fans will heed the advice for next year and we can continue to enjoy this ground breaking event”.

Organisers will also be looking at ways to improve the spectator experience.

“We have received some feedback from spectators that some of the viewing areas were less than ideal this year. Sadly, we don’t have the luxury of grandstands or stadiums and are working totally with the natural landscape around us and what we can utilise thanks to the generosity of local landowners. However, we appreciate that we need to review these for 2024 to ensure they can enjoy this spectacular event even more.”

Tragically, on Friday night of the event, a spectator took unwell and passed away.

The family would like us to post this message to you all.

I would like to give my sincere appreciation to all the doctors paramedics marshals who were involved in trying to bring my father in law back last night at the spectator area. It was Johns first time at a rally and was excited to be coming along to spectate and take photos. Unfortunately he didn’t even get a chance to have his bacon roll. We lost his wife, Mum and Gran in December and as you can imagine this has been quite traumatic for myself and my wife, brother in law and grandchildren. Also my friends who were there with him.
Everyone involved including all the medical staff and staff working the coffee stall, Marshals emergency services were fantastic and all the spectators who stood in calm whilst he was worked on. From me and my family I have cannot describe the appreciation of the efforts taken by all, Including a very great friend who worked on him relentlessly.

I have been involved with rallying for a number of years whether navigating, driving, spectating or marshalling and can say John would not have wanted the rally to be stopped or cancelled on his behalf.

RIP Johnny, you will be missed greatly.

Mark Stewart.

The Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally brought some of the best drivers in the business to the Scottish Borders this weekend [26-28 May], as the three-day motorsport event took place on the closed roads around Duns.

The market town offered a fantastic backdrop for the rally, hosting the event service area and the centre itself seeing the cars assemble for the start and finish celebrations throughout the weekend. A big screen played live coverage of the rally to the fans who were able to get up close to the cars as they passed through Market Square.

A top-class line up of contenders from across the world gathered to contest the highly regarded rally, with almost two hundred and forty crews tackling the closed public roads in Berwickshire on both the Jim Clark and Reivers events.

Sponsored once again by leading construction merchants Beatson’s Building Supplies, the Jim Clark Rally took place across Friday and Saturday, hosting Motorsport UK British Rally Championship [BRC] as well as the Protyre National Asphalt Rally Championship and several regional championships. Sunday saw the KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship contenders join for the Reivers Rally.

The British Rally Championship attracted top-level crews and it was unsurprisingly a familiar name that secured the overall rally win. The Jim Clark Rally enjoyed its traditional format of two tests during Friday night and an action-packed evening saw World Rally Championship contenders Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria open up a twenty-eight second advantage by the time the sun dropped over the North Sea.

The all-French Ford Fiesta Rally2 crew, are regulars on the WRC tour and as M-Sport factory drivers, would be hard to bet against. That lead, over last year’s victors Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin would be more than enough to ensure they could manage their lead throughout Saturday’s stages, returning to the Duns town centre to spray the champagne as worthy winners.

“We can be really happy with that, and the car has been in a good position all weekend so yes, very happy,” said Fourmaux.

“We were really enjoying the rally; it was really technical and slippery in places. We had a really good day yesterday and then we could just enjoy the stages today.”

“I am really enjoying [the British Rally Championship] and it is very different being on the gravel and then the tarmac. It is really interesting.”

Cronin managed to salvage second place in his Volkswagen Polo R5 whilst the Duns honours were upheld by a flying Euan Thorburn who took third place in his similar machine and Paul Beaton alongside.

The battle outside the top three was intense and a gutsy driver from Citroen C3 Rally2 driver James Ford, saw him take maximum National Asphalt Championship points and fourth overall with Neil Shanks in the co-driver’s seat. David Henderson and Chris Lees rounded out the top five in their Fiesta Rally2.

Local hopes had rested with Garry Pearson thanks to his third overall last year on the event, but the Duns driver suffered a painful weekend behind the wheel. A brush with a bale on the opening stage of the rally rearranged the bodywork of the Volkswagen Polo before he sadly crashed out for good on the very next stage.

With Thorburn claiming the podium, it was Dale Robertson who was next best Duns driver home in eighth in his Fiesta Rally2, whilst St Boswell’s Ross Hunter took 13^th in his Mitsubishi Evo and the all-Duns crew of Michael Binnie and Claire Mole took 14^th spot in their similar machine.

On Sunday, attention turned to the Reivers Rally and the battle for the rally win enjoyed some familiar names. Thorburn secured a win here last year and once again was fastest on the opening stage, fresh from his podium place the day before. Henderson was his nearest challenger, and the two drivers enjoyed a tit-for-tat battle for victory throughout the day’s six tests.

It was Thorburn’s time on the second pass of the Westruther test which decided the outcome, and despite Henderson’s best efforts, could not catch the local ace as he stormed to back-to-back Reivers Rally wins. Henderson had some consolation in taking maximum Scottish Rally Championship points with second overall.

Hugh Brunton and Drew Sturrock secured the third and final podium place in third in their Skoda Fabia R5. 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 event is at risk of being halted by the authorities if spectators do not abide by the following:

• Spectators must not walk on a live rally stage – it is an offence to do so and occurrences could lead to the rally being halted.

• Spectators must NOT assist or recover stranded or stopped rally cars on the stages

• The Police and authorities are willing to make arrests and prosecute should these requests not be adhered to.

The organising team

It is with immense sadness that we inform the community of the passing of a Jim Clark Rally spectator, who was taken unwell and pronounced dead at the scene, on Friday 26 May 2023.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 7.40pm on Friday, 26 May, 2023, police were made aware of a 73-year-old man having taken unwell at the Jim Clark Rally in the Abbey St Bathans area of Duns.

“Emergency services attended and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Officers remain in attendance.”

Jim Clark Rally Officials acted immediately to assist emergency services after receiving a notification through the command centre. We remain in contact and continue to assist emergency services.

The thoughts and condolences of everyone at the Jim Clark Rally go out to man’s family, friends and loved ones.