The RAC Rally of the Tests 2024 – 3rd and Final Leg. Carlisle to Windermere

After three days and one night, 800 miles from Darlington to Windermere to compete in 34 tests and 24 regularities, Dan Willan and Niall Frost scored an incredible third consecutive RAC Rally of the Tests win, the first crew ever to achieve that since the inaugural RAC Rally of 1932.

If you add on the Time Control Sections over three days in a major change of surfaces and conditions, you start to understand the scale of the feat in their Volvo PV544, as the crew and the car gelled to beat the opposition by four minutes. Afterwards, Dan was quick to praise his fellow competitors for unselfishly giving them components to help keep them in the event, but just to ensure the duo got the ‘full house’ of results, Dan won the Test Pilot Award for fastest driver over all the tests, and Niall won the Clockwatchers Award for best navigator.

Paul Crosby and Ali Procter were a battling second in their Mini Cooper S, equalling their best ever on RoTT, and holding off a late challenge from Paul Dyas and Martyn Talyor. After Amy Henchoz and Callum Guy lost time in their Sunbeam Tiger on regularity four in Warcop on this exacting last day, they dropped out of second place where they sat at the lunch halt, but Callum and Amy still managed fourth overall and won their class.

Paul Dyas and Martyn Taylor were extremely happy with the podium place to go with their outright win in 2021. All this despite Paul feeling unwell at start of the rally, and the car clearing itself of a bit of engine roughness early on.

There was praise for the variety and challenge of event under the stewardship of ex-champion navigator Andy Pullan, now HERO-ERA Senior Event Manager, by many competitors afterwards, but he was quick to credit his team rather than himself. Another who was praised by many was 18 year oldstar navigator Oli Waldock, especially by RoTT Triple Crown winner Niall Frost who credited Oli’s performance as ‘superb.’

Together with driver John King, the pair were third on the road and won their class in their Toyota MR2, despite a misfire and bodywork damage after a close call in a cowshed on a regularity. The car is ineligible of the overall positionsbut the crew put it up there, in front of many of the top runners. John was quick put that down to Oli’s navigation skills, “He was always on the money!” The fact is that both Oli and John scored their first top results in a major HERO-ERA event, the Rally of the Tests, the most competitive and relentless of the year.

Running behind the main rally was the RAC Rally of the Tests Lite version, taking in the bulk of the schedule but not all the tests and regularities into the night.

This was keenly contested and won by Dick and Harry Baines in their Mini Cooper S on their first attempt. Second was Malcolm Dunderdale and Anita Wickins in their Mercedes 190 with David Ward, who normally rallies a Ferrari, third in his Lancia Fulvia navigated by Tim Sawyer. This was David’s first major medium distance rally, having competed at the HERO Challenge level for a while, but he and Tim were third overall despite their car’s rear suspension being held together by wood blocks and chains having broken their leaf suspension. For the podium achievement despite the damage, they were also awarded the ‘Against the Odds’ Trophy!

Nerves were jangling for many wanting to finish or with major results on the line as they waited to start the final Leg by going straight into test at Carlisle Airport at 8.00 am. From there the constant pace would keep any car or crew on the edge as RoTT went from regularity back to test and then through farm tracks via gates that were barely wide enough for a Ford Escort, never mind a 90 foot Buick Century of Swiss Carlos Reider and Stefan Roth. There were the other fords ready to drown a car out, or Greystoke forest of RAC WRC and Scottish Rally fame, all part of the incessant itinerary of challenges that had to be met, but so many revelled in. There was even an ex Renault F1 engineer who allowed a regularity to run along his tracks, past the front of the house and out the other side, the event had everything!

There was another story of conquest though, this time a 1961 Morris Minor that looked as if it had just emerged from the Morris Factory in Oxford, as it looked so standard and almost new! Brian and Janette Dwelly had issues with their Porsche 924S so bought the ‘Moggy’ instead! Brian said, “it has been unbelievable, despite the punishment of the last four days,, it hasn’t missed a beat!”

Greystoke Castle of Lord Greystoke and Tarzan stories was the magnificent setting for a halt and then an amazing test on gravel at the side of the castle that resembled a forest stage but with a cattle grid included! After the first three cars had set off it was time to suspend all the action as every car, crew, official and spectator stood still to mark Remembrance Day, as the poppies that graced the walls of the great building reminded everyone of the sacrifices of others in all the wars.

Included in the Lites brigade were three crews out for practice before they tackle the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge next year. All three were in a variety of 1930s Fangios, from Coupe to Roadster and Master Coupe. Brian Scowcroft was in a Coupe with his friend and navigator Mark Oates who competed on the HERO-ERA Lima to Cape Horn, whilst Brian’s sons Andrew and David were in the Roadster which went off the circuit at a test kart track, damaging the tracking a little but they were soon back in the rally - it was all part of their learnings!

For Brian and John Caudwell in their Chevrolet Master Coupe it was their first rally, both have raced before, but for the brothers, they agreed this was ‘tough,’ but as Brian said; “We will make sure we get enough training and practice before the big event!”

Quotes;

Quotes:

Dan Willan and Niall Frost:

Dan; “That's something else. I don't know what to say, I’m speechless again.”

Niall: “It just puts such a strain on the car and other people in it. It's so stressful and so enjoyable at the same time. It's just mixed emotions, it's just still a bit of a dream. If I’m perfectly honest, I don't believe that we've done it. I've got such an inferiority complex that I don't believe that we've done it, let alone three times in a row.”

Dan: “We just kept our noses clean; I think everyone has their own little issues. On this rally, we did have an issue, but we were very lucky not to really lose any time with it. And we're only really here due to Paul Dyas, who's a competitor, who lent us a part, as did Peter Humphrey. They lent us those parts on Friday morning. If they hadn’t it might have been very different. So, it shows the camaraderie we've got in this sport, it's a great spirit.”

Dan: “I remember years ago spectating on this rally and thinking how amazing it looked. And then I did it for the first time, and I couldn't imagine ever getting anywhere near the top of the results. But just gradually you build up, you build up, then I found this guy, Niall. he's just a wizard.”

Niall: It's a team sport, so three in the team with the car, actually. Dan and I work really well together in the car, nothing's ever too much of a problem, we just understand each other, which is surprising for a Scot and a Cumbrian! It just works, and you just can't teach it. 

“I would also like to highlight Oli Waldock’s performance in this event, absolutely sparkling, and for someone so young, he is future winner without a shadow of a doubt.”

Oli Waldock: “This is definitely the biggest result I think I've ever had; it will be hard to top this one, maybe with a car that can win it we will try and go for it next time. But yeah, great result. Really great. Both of us worked really well in the car together. I’m 19 in January and really looking forward to more rallying next year!”

Paul Crosby; “What a fantastic event. First of all, absolutely epic. every day, every hour, every minute, there was something happening, and it kept us on our toes. A big call out for Ali.P who did a cracking job kept us going the right way, but a big shout out to Andy Pullan for putting together such a superb rally.”

Harry and Dick Baines, winners, RAC Rally of the Tests Lite. Harry: “It was pretty tough, yeah, obviously going around the same regs as the full rally, we just missed the night sections out. The TC sections were great, you know, going through the first one on the Otterburn Ranges, and then the one this afternoon on the ranges, just on full pace, it really, really challenges you to get it right.”

Dick; “The mini held up beautifully considering the punishment. We put some fresh tyres on, and we were a bit concerned whether they were actually going to do the job or not, but they've been perfect.”

Andy Pullan, Clerk of the Course: “I say it's been a really enjoyable few days. It’s kind of people to say they have enjoyed it, but everybody has their own style of event that they enjoy, but I'm really happy with how it's all come together with a lot of teamwork. An event like this isn't me, an event like this is the hundreds of marshals we've had on the side of the road, all the sets of teams that have been doing lots of different venue visits for us up and down the country, and the sweep mechanics trying to put everything together again to keep us all rolling on. Certainly not a one-man team, it's the whole HERO-ERA team that pull it together.”