I’m the rally driver who finished last, but is about to write a really long post as if he achieved something really special. 🙄

Getting back in a rally car at Cadwell Park was always going to be more about the adventure and the story, than it was about the result. I just didn’t bank on such a dramatic first chapter. 

I have spent 15 years commentating on and presenting programmes about rallying, but I’d forgotten just how visceral the emotions are when you hit rock bottom. 

I really did think it was game over when we crashed on our first competitive stage. I felt so stupid, so sorry that I’d put the team and Julia to so much effort only to put the car in the scenery after half a mile. 💥 

I got a wheel on the wet leaves on the outside of the road, so when I put the power down, the inside wheel gripped, the supercharger kicked in, the diff did its thing and I simply wasn’t ready to hang on. I love a tight diff on a front wheel drive rally car, but this time it got me. 

(𝘈𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢, 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.)

I got a text from the team to say it wasn’t over until 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 said it was over, and despite a broken shaft, lower arm and some considerable damage to the gearbox casing, Team Spark Rally Car Hire was about to put on a stunning demonstration of how they do business. 

The car was re-scrutineered, ready for the very next stage. We were back in the game. 

Not only were Julia and I not expecting this, nor were our fellow competitors. The reception we received when we slotted back into the queue for the stage start – horns and fist pumps from every car – was a moment I’ll remember forever.

Our biggest fist pump was for Cameron and Will Barclay in car 58, who had raided their parts box for a spare lower arm. 

After effectively retiring from the rally, taking a maximum and coming back out in super rally, any hopes of a result were out of the window (𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩!). So we went out with no pressure to enjoy the car and the stages.

We’d get another look at how professional and efficient the team is, when I pulled the hydraulic handbrake too hard into the hairpin and broke the master cylinder. The rest of that stage was with no brakes, as the fluid was on the floor of the car, not in the pipes. 

But we limped through the stage and once again got the car repaired and back out. By now the rain was coming down hard and it was starting to get dark.

I’ve never actually driven a night stage before, and I can now say with conviction that the atmosphere inside the car is even more electric than that which I wax lyrical about on live rally coverage, stood stage-side.

On the last two stages, we went for it – we got the car at all sorts of angles and, finally feeling confident and hooked up I began to push the limits, using the diff which earlier got me into trouble, to get me out of trouble numerous times.

We skidded and giggled our way round those final miles, wishing there were a few more stages, and knowing that even a spectacular firework display would not come close to being a good enough metaphor for our day.

I am so in awe of how this team performed, on and off the stages, and I can honestly say a Mini Rally Challenge car on wet, slippery tarmac is about the most fun you can have without a Special Stage mic in your hand. 

Above all else, I really hope I’ve done a good job of showing you how much fun these rally cars are, how easy and rewarding a professionally delivered rally hire package can be, and why you should be speaking to George Clarke to drive my Green Tiger on a round of the Mini Rally Challenge in 2025.

For now, I’ll stick to the day job – I’m safer telling the story rather than BEING the story. But this is a chapter I will remember with an overwhelming sense of achievement and pride, and I want to thank Julia Perry for bringing her infectious personality and professional work ethic to the co-driver’s seat.

I’ll be at The Motorist on Wednesday with the rally car, showing off the battle scars. And we’ll be giving one of YOU the chance to join our kid’s competition winner, Katie at Rally Rides where you’ll get to drive this car on a rally stage in the coming weeks. Watch this space!

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲, 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲, 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁. ❤️

#RoadToCadwell #MiniRallyChallenge #RallyCar #CadwellPark #Rallying #RallyFans #Rally #RallyTV 

📸 Mason Woodford / Paul Marshall

I’m becoming increasingly frustrated by the barrage of lazy criticism from some corners of the internet, aimed at the World Rally Championship.

As a journalist at national level in the sport, my work and that of my colleagues’ is often measured by comparison with people’s opinions of the World Championship coverage. We take no pleasure from this – we stand tall on our own merit, and if there’s a wider impact on the sport, that’s a bonus.

The WRC, whether you’re in love with it right now or not, is the reason we’re all here – we need to believe it will reach heady heights and visit these shores again. Because no amount of profile at club or national level can exist without a sport’s flagship international halo product. The WRC is ours.

I’m writing this as a rally enthusiast and not in any professional capacity, but it’s impossible not to draw on recent experiences; especially given the buzz around the 2023 RAC Rally – an event I will always look back on with pride as a highlight of my career.

Equally, I am conscious of my role as a representative of the championships and brands I present, so I’ll tread carefully as I try to very briefly pick my way through some of the sentiments I’ve read recently about the current state of the WRC.

To that end – and cards on the table – my thoughts are obviously influenced by an incredibly exciting year covering two top-flight UK rally series – the BTRDA gravel Series and the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship. In other words – I’m biased!

This season we saw record-breaking performances from astonishingly young drivers, break-through titles for popular drivers who have earnt their place in our sport and finally made it to the top, and explosive action that has had all of us – even people who probably thought a rally involved caravans and playing bridge before this season – on the edge of our seats.

In Carmarthen last Wednesday there was an addictively wholesome atmosphere at scrutineering, at which point none of us quite imagined what was in store for us as the cars arrived in the town centre for the ceremonial start; crowds of people lining every street along the route in their thousands, to cheer the competitors off to the stages.

Likewise in Aberystwyth back in September, as the Asphalt Championship went down to the wire at Rali Ceredigion; the usually quiet seaside town was transformed into a Mecca for rally fans. Hotels were full, restaurants were fully booked – the whole town felt alive.

In the weeks leading up to these events, the chatter online was overwhelmingly positive, as it was when we all drove home afterwards. Take the Malcolm Wilson Rally for example, the night before which the organisers had to take some very bold decisions in difficult circumstances, leading to a significant redesign of the entire event.

The majority of commentators on social media were rightly full of praise for their efforts, despite being inconvenienced and perhaps even left out of pocket by some of the decisions taken. But even in the same circumstances, and with an equally undeniable resounding success, would that public support have been there if this had been a WRC event?

I know this isn’t necessarily a fair comparison – the weight of public opinion is always going to land softer on a contingent of dedicated, passionate folk who give up their time on a voluntary basis and put so much into a series like the BTRDA, compared to an international event where many more people count the sport as their 9-5.

But where the comparison becomes very relevant is that the momentum of opinion is a living thing. It tends to be (and I think we’re worse at this in the UK than anywhere else in the world, though I’ll happily stand corrected) that if we’ve decided we don’t like something, we’ll stick to our guns and arrive already expecting to rubbish it. Those with a voice will then use their platform to encourage others to rubbish it, too.

I’ve seen a number of comments in relation to the amount of live coverage the RAC Rally had last week; the suggestion being that the WRC could learn a thing or two from what we did. Specifically referring to the number of live streams.

Newsflash! The WRC is literally live ALL the time.

Now you may not like elements of the coverage (and that will always be the case – you can’t please everyone etc.), but my point is that in these particular instances, pre-formed judgements that the “WRC has lost its way” led to a criticism of something that is actually factually wrong.

Are there things that need fixing with the World Championship? Undoubtedly.

Are there people working hard behind the scenes to find answers? Equally undoubtedly.

Has the loss of a UK round of the championship had a part to play in this negativity? Of course it has.

Have the commercial elements of the product got in the way of the quality of the sport, coverage, engagement with the fans and, as a result the ability for the WRC to attract new audiences and filter that profile down through the lower categories? Possibly.

All these things can be fixed; some easier than others. But what’s the point in fixing them if we’re all too busy being negative to notice the improvements when they come?

Manufacturers, governing bodies, government, local councils, local residents and the rest of our valuable stakeholders need persuading that this is a sport worth investing in. They’re going to hear the noise from us – the fans – long before they hear it from men and women in suits around a boardroom table.

I reckon we could start by taking a slice of the incredible positivity that shone out from Carmarthen last Wednesday and apply it to more balanced, enthusiastic, positive reporting. If we do that, we stand a chance of steering the momentum of negative popular opinion when it comes to top-flight rallying towards being a constructive voice.

That doesn’t mean we ignore the things that need to improve. But it’s not helpful to discredit an entire series just because it has a few creases that need ironing out behind the scenes.

I wonder how often we would have done the same thing during one of the so-called (by people like me!) ‘golden eras’, if we’d been able to take to social media and complain every time the chips were down?

Practically speaking, the WRC faces more challenges than just the weight of popular opinion of course. But listening to people with experience of not just rallying, but other sports is a good place to start. I just hope the negative voices die down long enough for them to hear.

We’re all in this together, and we should believe that everything we do or say matters.

Now the dust has settled and I’ve caught up on some sleep, I wanted to post some reflections on a clear highlight from my motorsport TV presenting career.

With star drivers including WRC stars, super rare cars returning to the rally stages after years out of the limelight and a big build-up to the longest rally for over 30 years, I knew this year’s RAC was going to be special.

I was privileged to join a team of nine highly talented and professional presenters, camera ops, producers and drone pilots at Special Stage to deliver an ambitious live broadcast package, quite unlike anything seen in recent years. Live broadcasts from the stages brought the action into homes and offices across the world, with a live studio-based highlights show each evening – inspired by the Top Gear Rally Report programmes of the ‘80s and ‘90s – complete with period studio detailing and dress code!

There was a time when the RAC Rally attracted an audience significantly bigger than an entire season of football match attendances. We’re a million miles from those days, but we reached over 1 million viewers across 5 days, three countries, 33 special stages and 350 competitive miles.

I’ve never been involved in something so exciting, and I’m really proud of the whole team for their passion, dedication and professionalism. This really was the biggest broadcast adventure of my 15 year career and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Here’s the final RAC Rally Report show, from the final day of the event in Carlisle if you want to see an example of the coverage…

A new mini-documentary gives fans a glimpse into life behind the lens, as Special Stage Rally TV heads towards its 15th year of producing rally coverage for some of the leading championships and events in the sport.

Ever wondered what goes on behind the cameras during a live rally TV broadcast, or how much technology goes into streaming broadcast quality coverage from the side of the stage in some of the UK’s most remote locations?

Paul Woodford, who has presented rallying and motorsport programmes on the show since its inception takes us on a journey to the North of England, where he joins the Special Stage crew for live coverage of the Kielder Forest Rally, a round of the MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Championship.

Barney Bears and fancy satellites at the ready – its time to hit launch mode and go stage-side with the UK’s leading producer of rally TV.

The online classic car series, Great British Car Share produced for Derbyshire attraction The Great British Car Journey has been shortlisted in the ‘Best use of Social Media’ category of Octane Magazine’s Historic Motoring Awards.

The series, which features motoring presenters Sarah Crabtree and Paul Woodford embarking on themed adventures in a variety of British classics, is broadcast on the Great British Car Journey’s YouTube channel, with bonus content included across the attraction’s social media channels.

The pilot series aired in December 2022 and featured pre-war Austins, in the centenary year of the Austin 7. The positive reaction to the films – which some viewers joked was like a combination of Top Gear and Peter Kay’s Car Share led to Sarah and Paul being announced as brand ambassadors, with four Great British Car Share series planned in 2023.

The first of those series is out now and features the cars from the presenters’ childhoods – with some good, bad and hilarious memories rekindled behind the wheel of a Ford Sierra, Mini Cooper, Mini Clubman, MG B and Rover 216. Great British Car Journey Chairman, Richard Usher even joins the pair to tell his own childhood motoring stories.

The Octane Historic Motoring Awards is a prestigious event in the classic car world, taking place in November at the Dorchester Hotel in London. As well as the nomination for ‘Best use of Social Media’, the Great British Car Journey’s young engineering star, Luke lines up alongside Paul and Crabbers for ‘Apprentice of the Year’.

Watch the Great British Car Share by subscribing to The Great British Car Journey on YouTube, HERE.

For more information about the partnership between Sarah Crabtree, Paul Woodford and the Great British Car Journey, CLICK HERE.

The Clan Crusader and its various evolutions between the early 1970s and the late 1980s remains one of British motoring’s best kept secrets, despite the rise in popularity of this fascinating British sports car.

It’s not secret that I’m partial to a Clan Crusader – I’ve been on a mission to tell the story of this brilliant little classic sports car ever since getting my hands on a very brown example three years ago.

I’ve made various documentaries and motorsport-themed films about the original Clan, but I realised there’s no one-stop-shop guide to the car and the variations which followed on.

So I went back to basics and shot a light-hearted video guide to the Clan, answering some of the most regular questions that come up at the petrol pump, and at classic car shows.

Q: What IS a Clan Crusader?

A:

With the first film in the brand new ‘Great British Car Share Series’, by motoring attraction The Great British Car Journey on the way, watch the trailer for the first series, with Sarah Crabtree and Paul Woodford.

Teaser clips for the first film in the series, which sees Sarah break down in an Austin Maxi and break the news to Paul as he’s about to drive the car have been shared on the attraction’s social media.

The Austin Maxi film will be released on Saturday 25th March. To watch the series, including last year’s pilot Austin Centenary series, subscribe to The Great British Car Journey YouTube channel, HERE.

For more information about the Great British Car Share, click HERE.

2023 Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship to be broadcast in seven part ‘Sideways to Victory’ series in major TV production overhaul

This year’s Motorsport UK Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship will break new ground with a seven-part ‘Sideways to Victory’ entitled series broadcast free to view online.

Brian Chase, Managing Director of Ravenol UK, has been instrumental in restructuring the online broadcast coverage, and thanks to his enthusiasm and commitment rally fans will be able to watch action from the Welsh Rally Championship in a new, innovative and exciting feature-style format.

Instead of just the usual car followed by car standard rally coverage, Ravenol has planned to release three videos from each event. On the Sunday evening following each round there will be a short action-packed teaser film highlighting the drama and spectacle of rallying to whet the appetite of knowledgeable and loyal rally fan and hopefully a new wider audience.

This will lead up to the main adrenalin filled movie ‘Sideways to Victory’ (named in memory of the late great Roger Clark) which will be broadcast on the Wednesday evening, with each round of the Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship featured in the seven-part series.

The third video from each round will be a montage of action clips featuring every registered competitor at least twice – providing they survive the challenge of some of the world’s best gravel forestry stages and pass the camera locations!

Special Stage TV will send four camera crews to each round of the 2023 Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship to capture action footage of all the registered competitors. There will also be interviews from the service parks and at strategic locations along rally routes, while Paul Woodford will be the dedicated series commentator.

Special Stage TV is well known for producing top quality rally coverage and has established an impressive following. Last year its videos recorded 44.1 million views (an average of around 3.7 million views per a month) and received 2 million engagements (comments, likes, etc.).

‘Sideways to Victory’ will be broadcast on the Ravenol UK, Welsh Rally Championship and Special Stage TV Facebook pages – the latter of which has 275,000 followers.

“We saw the need for rallying to reach out to a much wider public, thus attracting not only more people into the sport but also more sponsors,” says Brian Chase.

“The idea is to capture the unique atmosphere that only gravel rallying can bring and convert it into a story where viewers look forward to the next episode. I hope the teams will support us in this exciting venture.”

“It is exciting to be covering the Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship in 2023 and I am looking forward to working with Ravenol on its exciting vision of making some unique and engaging rally content that will be different than anything we have seen previously,” says Wayne Goldring, Special Stage Producer. “We have been given a creative brief that will allow us to bring a new style to the coverage that we produce.”

“I’m delighted to be back presenting the coverage for the Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship,” says Paul Woodford. “Some of the most iconic stages and rallies in the sport, combined with Ravenol’s refreshing enthusiasm for doing things differently, is a combination I just couldn’t resist.”

This year’s Ravenol Welsh Rally Championship will be run in association with Pirelli, which has supported the series since 2012.

“We’re delighted to continue our long-standing support of the Welsh Rally Championship, which is an incredibly popular series that showcases a wide variety of cars and competitors as well as some of the finest stages in the world,” says Jonathan Wells, Pirelli Motorsport Manager UK.

“Although gravel rallying is facing a number of challenges in the current economic climate, the Welsh series is in rude health, which is a tribute to the quality of the organisation and events. These form a great fit with our tyre range, which incorporates all the lessons learned from the FIA World Rally Championship and covers a huge family of all-weather Scorpion products, from the 13-inch GM for historic cars to the renowned 15-inch K and KM for more modern machinery.”

I’m really excited to be working with the Great British Car Journey as a brand ambassador, and teaming back up with the brilliant Sarah Crabtree for The Great British Car Share series.

The response to our first adventure blew us away, so we’re both delighted that you’ll be able to join us for more.

The Great British Car Journey really is a fantastic experience; telling the important stories of our motoring history in a uniquely immersive way. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you absolutely must.

Heartfelt thanks to the GBCJ team for their warm welcome. Let’s go! 🎥🤩

Here’s the press release: https://greatbritishcarjourney.com/great-british-car-share/

The Great British Car Journey, the unique and exciting motoring attraction in Ambergate, Derbyshire rounds off Austin Seven Centenary celebrations with a driving adventure, starring classic car enthusiasts and motoring presenters, Paul Woodford and Sarah Crabtree.

The two petrolheads met for the first time at the opening of the Derbyshire attraction in 2021, before striking a deal with CEO Richard Usher at the recent Great British Car Shows awards dinner, where Paul was the after-dinner speaker and Sarah was presenting the awards, to produce a pilot online classic car series.

As Paul explains, the adventure was a voyage of discovery:

“When Sarah and I met up in Derbyshire for the filming day, neither of us had really had much to do with pre-war vintage cars. Beyond appreciating this era of motoring for its significance in the history of cars, vintage cars haven’t really featured in my career so far.

That all changed upon getting behind the wheel of various Austin models with the brilliant and hilarious Sarah “Crabbers” Crabtree, and I have to admit to browsing the classifieds a few times since!”

During the series, which features ‘Drive’ features of two Austin Seven models, as well as the Austin 12 and Austin 14 Goodwood, Sarah and Paul enjoy a mini road trip, and tell the story of these iconic vintage cars, as well as getting into various ‘scrapes’ along the way.

The full series is available to watch across the Great British Car Journey social media, including the attraction’s YouTube channel, HERE.

Stay tuned to The Great British Car Journey on Facebook and Twitter for an announcement about further series, coming soon!