25 November / By David Ferguson
The sight of Dumfries duo Greg McKnight and Harry Marchbank flying through the 29 stages of the Roger Albert Clark Rally in their yellow Escort Mk2 was not a surprise to rally fans aware of their prowess in two-wheel drive machines.
But to see them emerge from the final stage placed third overall and the top Open class crew, McKnight admits, surprised the pair themselves. It was, however, a fitting reward for the blood, sweat and tears – and money – that the timber harvester driver from Penpont near Dumfries has put into prepping the Escort for a shot at the biennial RAC in 2025.
“To finish on the podium in the Roger Albert Clark is just … I don’t know, really difficult to put into words,” said the 33-year-old, still a day after trying to come down to earth.
‘A bucket list event’
“That was nothing like anything else I’ve ever competed in, to be honest. It was a bucket list event – ever since I was a wee boy in Ae Forest watching the event fly by I wanted to have a shot.
“I decided that now was the right time to have a go because Harry and me won the Scottish Two-wheel Drive Championship last year, and I knew I couldn’t afford to compete in that again this year if I wanted to prepare this car for the RAC. And I couldn’t have hoped for better – the whole week was just a whirlwind and it still feels unreal to think we finished third, and won the Open.
“I can still remember standing in the Ae forest watching the cars and the excitement of it all as a wee kid, so I see it as the biggest rally event in the UK. It’s certainly the most challenging event in the UK.
“I had never done Wales before and you’re driving iconic stages in all three countries, to be honest. It’s definitely the most prestigious event out there.”
Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?
His plan worked to a tee, as he explained.
“Because we’d not been out this year we had to get a feel first for being back in the car, and so we set out to just keep our noses clean early on. We wanted to be fast but consistent, and we stuck to that plan all the way through, and with the road conditions terrible in Wales, with snow and ice, it was hard enough just trying to keep it on the road at times.
“We had a spin on the ice but got away with it and didn’t lose too much time and being consistent set us up well for coming back up to Kielder. Then, as the conditions improved, we were then able to open it up and push a bit harder. It also took me until Sunday to properly get a feel for it again and feel confident taking it to the top boys.”
He certainly did that with a battle royale on the final stage, ‘The Bigger One’, deciding the last podium spot, behind winners Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss, and runners-up Paul Barrett and Gordon Noble in their Escort 1800 MKIIs.
“Matt Edwards was 50 seconds behind us going into that last stage. Normally you wouldn’t really worry about 50 seconds as it’s a big difference, but the final stage was nearly 40 miles – this is the Roger Albert! I worked out that if he had taken just over a second a mile out of me, he could pip me for third.
‘This is it – trophies or trees’
“So, I knew that we had to push really hard, and went into it thinking ‘right, this is it – trophies or trees’. We had a big moment, a huge moment; car was completely off the road. But we kept the power on and managed to get away with it and got to the end just three seconds down on Matt.
“We actually caught Paul Barrett in front and followed him for probably a mile and a half, two miles, so that slowed me down as well. Had we not caught Paul I think we would have been fastest on the last stage.
“But we did enough and to actually do the whole event, and finish on the podium in a mark two, it’s just a dream come true.”
As to whether it means he is more likely to be back out next year, he added: “Right now, I just want to enjoy this moment, and let it all sink in, but, to be honest, I’m already this morning thinking ‘we need to sort something out for 2027 and pull a plan together for that again’.
“It does get the juices flowing again and brings the rally bug back. My biggest problem is budget. I had to save everything up for this event, but if I’m going to do it again I really need much more seat time going into 2027.
“And it’s not just me – there are so many people I need to thank, from Harry, who has been the best navigator you could wish for, to two people who have always been in my corner – Andrew and Ann Wood. I’d love to thank them now for their support over the years, and over the next few days I’ll get round to thanking all the many others who have helped and supported me.
“We’ll see what next year brings, but right now I’ll enjoy an end to 2025 that brought me and Harry the best rally experience of my career.”
Greg McKnight and Harry Marchbank celebrate claiming a podium finish and Open title.