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

Volunteer for the 2022 Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally

It might still be January but the organising team for the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally are already firmly focused on the last weekend of May when the roads around Duns will once again echo to the sound of rally cars.

Running over three days, the Rally Great Weekend will welcome competitors from the:

• Motorsport UK British Rally Championship
• KNC Groundworks Motorsport UK Scottish Rally Championship
• Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship
• ANECCC SG Petch Stage Rally Championship
• AS Performance.com North of England Tarmacadam Rally Championship
• Burnside Piling Scottish Tarmack Rally Championship
• Fuchs Lubricants RACRMC Asphalt/Rally 2 Mixed Surface Rally Championship
• HRCR MOTOSCOPE Northern Historic Rally Championship
  and not forgetting the ever entertaining crews from the Armed Forces Rally Team

To make the event happen we need your help. 

A large marshalling team is required to cover the stages, all of which are run twice: Longformacus on Friday evening; Westruther, Scott’s View and Eccles on Saturday; and Edrom, Ayton and Fogo on Sunday, the start / finish in Duns; and the Service Area near the town.   Whether you are an in-stage marshal, specialise in timing or are a Motorsport UK Licenced Radio Operator, we need you all!  To allow planning to move forward we need to know as soon as possible if you are coming to the event. 

Every volunteer will play a very valuable role in the safe and smooth running of the event.  As well as a warm welcome, you will receive a gift from Beatson’s Building Supplies as a thank you.  To offer your assistance please complete the application form available on the rally website HERE.

If you are not already an accredited marshal, there is still time to get registered at

Online training – Motorsport UK – The beating heart of UK motorsport.  Non-accredited marshals are still very welcome – you will be buddied with experienced registered colleagues.  By registering with Motorsport UK, you will also receive a Marshal’s tabard and registration card; access to Motorsport UK’s Member Benefits Scheme and Motorsport UK’s monthly digital magazine, Revolution.

Between now and May there will also be various opportunities to undertake training – both online through a series of webinars and also face to face.  Details are available on the Scottish Association of Motor Sports Club Training Portal

For more information contact our Chief Marshal, Craig Munro Fisher (Marshals@jimclarkrally.org or 07754 979816) or Garry Headridge, Communication Officer (Comms@jimclarkrally.org or 07780 602480).

Your support in making sure the 2022 Jim Clark Rally is a success is very much appreciated.

Craig & Garry

British Rally Championship returns to the Jim Clark Rally in 2022

The exhilarating British Rally Championship will make a welcome return to the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally on 27-28 May 2022.

In a new look for 2022, Motorsport UK announced a gripping seven-round calendar for next season.

Britain’s premier rallying series will feature a dynamic mix of classic events and exciting newcomers, taking in some of the best gravel and asphalt rallies in the country, visiting England, Scotland and Wales in the process.

Catering for top-flight Rally2 machinery, Junior British Rally Championship contenders and the popular National Rally Title, the new roster will test both reigning champions and new arrivals in a pulsating calendar, with each event stamping its unique mark on the tour.

The British Championship will get underway on a closed road asphalt event for the first time in over four decades as the Corbeau Seats Rally Tendring & Clacton hosts the BRC curtain-raiser in the south east of England. The ground-breaking event was the first English closed road rally back in 2018 and will see the elite BRC contenders tackle the exhilarating Essex lanes in April.

Staying on a sealed surface for round two, the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally takes the series into Scotland in May and the highly regarded stages around the Duns rally base. With a long history of hosting the BRC, the Jim Clark Rally provides a lively encounter for the crews with two days of closed road action in the Borders to test even the most experienced of champions.

July sees a trip to the world-famous Welsh forests of the Nicky Grist Stages. Having made a return to the BRC bill in 2021, a scintillating battle played out across the rapid and flowing stages which have witnessed many world championship clashes. Expect fireworks on the first gravel round of the season.

Staying in the forests, the Grampian Forest Rally makes a welcome return to the calendar after receiving high acclaim on its inclusion in 2021. The Banchory based rally, just west of Aberdeen in Scotland, provided BRC contenders with a tough challenge as the high-speed forest tests were largely unknown to the title protagonists. The contest for top honours returns to Kincardineshire in August.

The acclaimed Get Connected Rali Bae Ceredigion heralds a newcomer to the BRC tour as the Aberystwyth based closed-road event provides an exceptional challenge across the bumpy and unforgiving moorland roads in September. First run in 2019, the event will offer a journey into the unknown as the Cambrian Mountains provide an ultimate test of car and crew.

The popular Trackrod Rally Yorkshire plays host to the penultimate round of 2022 after making a highly successful return to the calendar this year following an eight-year break. The super-fast and narrow stages in the Yorkshire forests witnessed a thrilling encounter and its Dalby test in the dark will test contenders to the limit at the end of September.

Offering the perfect curtain call on the 2022 season, the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally retains its October slot and rounds out the British Rally Championship in style. Having the potential to see the champion crowned on the Llandudno seafront, the event takes contenders through world-class forest stages in North Wales.

British Rally Championship Manager Iain Campbell said:
“We are delighted to announce our new-look calendar for 2022 which I believe provides exactly the right mix of events worthy of the British Rally Championship marker.

It’s been an ever evolving landscape over the last two years or so and we have all had to adapt to the challenges we were faced with. But 2021 has arguably been the most successful season in recent BRC history with an exciting fight for all classes in the series and a very impressive list of registrations.

Our 2022 offering is an exciting mix of both gravel and asphalt events, each with individual features and formats. This ensures we can provide the traditional challenge that competitors expect from the BRC and they can also be sure of exceptionally high standards of events expected from the series.

The British Rally Championship is highly regarded and we have worked hard to ensure a cost-effective calendar for 2022. We hope that we will yet again see the sensational commitment and action from some of the best drivers in the business next season.”

2022 Motorsport UK British Rally Championship Calendar*
Round 1 – Corbeau Seats Rally Tendring & Clacton – Clacton – 23/24 April
Round 2 – Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally – Duns – 27/28 May
Round 3 – Nicky Grist Stages – Builth Wells – 9 July
Round 4 – Grampian Forest Stages – Banchory – 13 August
Round 5 – Get Connected Rali Bae Ceredigion – Aberystwyth – 3/4 September
Round 6 – Trackrod Rally Yorkshire – Filey – 23/24 September
Round 7 – Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally – Llandudno – 29 October
Reserve Round – Oulton Park Stages –  Oulton Park – 5 November

On a weekend which should have echoed to the sounds of rally cars and huge excited crowds enjoying themselves watching motor sport, there will be instead be the sound of silence and a feeling of emptiness around the Berwickshire roads this weekend.

Thousands of organisers, competitors, marshals and rally fans who should have been in the Scottish borders over the weekend of 29-31 May for the Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally are instead confined to home. Covid-19 has not only blighted all sports and leisure activities, it has scarred the whole nation’s domestic and business life.

It is now two months since the organisers of this year’s event announced its cancellation, but that hasn’t stopped the work or the planning. Already the team are looking ahead to a resumption of something like ‘normal’ next May a year from now.

A vital part of the team is the event sponsor, Beatson’s Building Supplies, who have already committed their support for next year’s event giving the whole amateur organising team a boost. John Marshall, MD, said: “Things are looking bleak at present for all sports, and although times are tough for businesses too, Beatson’s Building Supplies have agreed to support next year’s event. The volunteers did a tremendous job getting the show back on the road last November and things were looking good till Covid-19 struck. So the best we can do is continue to back their hard work and efforts. Here’s to a cracking event next year.”

Rally Chairman Dan Wright welcomed that commitment: “The work that has already been undertaken will not go to waste and will provide a sound basis for next year’s event, whatever is required. To have the continued support of Beatson’s Building Supplies is a mark of confidence in what has been achieved over recent years and takes a great weight off our shoulders as we prepare for next year.”

At this stage, no-one is quite sure how badly the sport of rallying will be affected. The sport’s governing body, Motorsport UK, are already looking at new formats and these will of course be determined by any new regulations and requirements by local and national government.

Like any front running rally crew, the team is poised on the start line just waiting for the flag to drop, and get motor sport back on the road for the weekend of 28-30 May next year.

Fingers crossed everyone, stay safe, and stay healthy.

From all of the 2021 Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally organising team.

Attached copyright free photos (Credit: John Fife) highlight Beatson’s continued support.
Issued by John Fife on behalf of the Jim Clark Memorial Motor Club

The organisers of the Jim Clark Rally are delighted to announce that Beatson’s Building Supplies will be their headline sponsor for this year’s event which will take place over the weekend of 29-31 May 2020.

Scotland’s top independent building supplies company, Beatson’s are as well known in motor sport as they are in the building trade.

The company already sponsors the annual Beatson’s Building Supplies Mull Rally in October each year and they sponsor the Spectator’s Bridge at Knockhill Racing Circuit.

Former motor racing driver, and currently enjoying a successful switch to rallying, Managing Director John Marshal said: “My son Ross, who is also a director in the family business, and I both enjoy motor sport and this involvement is all about putting something back into the sport from which we derive so much enjoyment.”

“Having our name associated with two of Scotland’s best rallies helps the business as well,” he continued, “the Mull Rally is pretty unique because of its Inner Hebridean location. The Jim Clark Rally is pretty unique too, but is more easily accessible for rally fans as it takes place on the Scottish mainland. Jim Clark was also one of my boyhood heroes when I was growing up and it’s just a pleasure to be able to support two of Scotland’s best loved motor sporting events.”

Rally Chairman Dan Wright said: “We are delighted to welcome Beatson’s Building Supplies on board as the Jim Clark Rally’s headline sponsor. This will provide a great boost to the whole team who have been working hard to make this year’s event even better.”

Deputy Clerk of the Course Colin Smith added: “Plans are already well advanced for this year’s event at the end of May so the news from Beatson’s Building Supplies is a big encouragement for the whole team behind the scenes. This year we are planning 13 Special Stages using 7 separate stretches of public road. This will include one brand new section that hasn’t been used before! The Regulations are being finalised now and Entries will open at the beginning of April.”

Beatson’s Building Supplies is the biggest independent building materials supply firm in Scotland servicing the whole of the building industry across the country from its five central locations in Alloa, Stirling, Dunfermline, Cumbernauld and Penicuik.

The Jim Clark Rally will take place on Saturday 30th May and will be an ‘Interclub’ status event. The Jim Clark Historic Rally also takes place on Saturday 30th May and will be a ‘National’ status event. Signing on, and scrutineering, will be available from Thursday 28th May, with recce being on Friday.

The first car will leave the start ramp at 1000 on Saturday morning, with the first car expected to finish the event at 1900. There will be 3 stages run twice during the day, with an expected distance of 48 miles. In the evening 1 stage will run twice with an anticipated distance of 22 miles. This gives a provisional total mileage of 70 miles. Prize giving will be on the podium.

The Jim Clark Reivers Rally will take place on Sunday 31st May and will be an ‘Interclub’ status event. Signing on, and scrutineering, will be available on Saturday 30th May. (Time to be advised.) The Reivers recce will take place on Sunday 24th May starting at 0900.

The first car will leave the start ramp at 1000 on Sunday morning, with the first car expected to finish the event at 1400. There will be 3 stages run twice during the day. This gives a provisional total mileage of 45miles.

Rally HQ will be at Duns Rugby Club, where camping will also be available. Service is also in Duns and will be on grass. Route note suppliers will be: Scotmaps, On the Pacenotes and Pattersons Pacenotes.

Entries are expected to open on Thursday 2nd April.

For more information please contact the Entries Secretary: Lindsay Burnip lindsay.burnip@jimclarkrally.org