Max McRae and Cammy Fair claimed a sensational maiden Borders Competitions Jim Clark Rally victory after a commanding performance across two dramatic days in the Scottish Borders [22/23 May].
McRae produced one of the standout performances of his career to master the fast closed-road asphalt stages around Duns. A stunning charge through Friday night’s darkness proved decisive, with the Pirelli-backed Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew fending off relentless pressure from Castrol MEM Rally Team duo Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss and Osian Pryce/James Morgan to claim a hugely popular home victory.
And it was an enthralling contest from the very first stage. Pryce set the early benchmark aboard his Michelin-shod Yaris, edging out McRae by just half a second on the opening Bothwell test. Team-mate Evans responded immediately on the longer Abbey St Bathans stage, taking the fastest time and remaining firmly in contention as the crews headed into first service.
Behind the leading trio, Garry Pearson and Hannah McKillop [Fiesta Rally2] settled into fourth on home asphalt, whilst Sam Touzel/Max Freeman impressed on their British Rally Championship debut in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 to round out the top five.
But as darkness descended over the Borders roads on Friday evening, McRae came alive.
The Scotsman delivered on the repeated Bothwell stage, going seven seconds faster than Evans before mastering the night-time conditions to extend his advantage further. By the overnight halt, McRae and Fair held a commanding 12-second lead.
Pryce admitted setup changes had left him struggling for confidence in the Toyota, while Evans ruefully revealed, like ‘a bit of a donkey’, he had forgotten to connect his auxiliary spotlights before the final stage. Nonetheless, the Welsh pairing remained firmly in the fight heading into Saturday.
McRae wasted little time asserting himself again on day two, producing another blistering stage time to begin Saturday’s action. Any hopes of a Pryce comeback effectively disappeared soon after, however, when an overshoot cost the championship leader around 27 seconds on the opening loop.
Evans remained McRae’s closest challenger over the remainder of the rally and secured a second consecutive runner-up finish to strengthen their championship challenge. The result also completed a strong Castrol MEM Rally Team double podium, with two Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 crews inside the top three.
At the front however, there was no stopping McRae. A controlled drive across Saturday’s remaining stages secured a hugely popular second British Rally Championship victory for the young Scotsman, and his first on home soil.
“This win feels pretty good” said an emotional McRae.
“This one came to us, not easily, but I think we had a really good rally this time. Compared to the Cambrian, this last stage was a lot less stressful!
Massive thanks to the team, and luckily Dad [Alister, 1995 BRC champion] was over to witness this one. Obviously, this win is for Dai [Roberts] and James[ Williams] and their families”.
Equally captivating was the battle just behind the podium positions.
Pearson initially held fourth place comfortably before a Friday night off-road moment opened the door for Touzel. The Skoda driver capitalised immediately on Saturday morning, overhauling the local favourite on the opening stage of the day and maintaining the advantage to the finish. Fourth overall marked Touzel’s best-ever British Rally Championship result after an impressive performance on his series debut.
Local ace Euan Thorburn and Paul Beaton completed the top six in their Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 after another assured run on their home event.
In BRC3, Aoife Raftery strengthened her championship lead with category victory after rival Junzhe Tang was forced to retire following an off-road excursion on Friday evening.
The Junior British Rally Championship and BRC4 categories once again produced some of the closest competition of the weekend, with Ben McFall continuing his sensational start to the season in the Fiesta Rally4.
McFall and co-driver, alongside Damian McCauley, found themselves locked in a fierce Friday night battle with BRC4 newcomer Ross Hunter, eventually reaching the overnight halt with a 16-second advantage, whilst Luke Constantine remained firmly in touch just three seconds further back.
Saturday delivered stage wins for all three protagonists as the fight for both Junior BRC and BRC4 honours intensified throughout the day. Constantine mounted a late charge over the final stages, but McFall held firm to secure his second consecutive Junior BRC and BRC4 victories of the season.
Constantine and Ifan Devine claimed second overall in the Juniors and top honours among the Stellantis Rally Trophy UK contenders, with Hunter completing the BRC4 category podium after an impressive debut performance. Sam Mason rounded out the Junior BRC podium places.
In the National Rally Title category, Owen Paterson and Catrin Price secured a maiden championship victory after a faultless performance aboard their Subaru Impreza. Paterson was left largely unchallenged after both Alfie Hammond and John Clayton suffered separate retirements on Friday night.
The British Rally Championship now enters an extended summer break following the cancellation of the Kielder Carlisle Stages, originally scheduled as round three of the series. Attention will now turn towards the Grampian Forest Rally in August as the title battles prepare to resume later in the year.
