30 April 2026 / By DAVID FERGUSON
THE Borders Competitions Jim Clark Rally will this year be using new AI technology to identify spectators that put themselves and the rally in jeopardy.
The three-day event in the Borders, run on more than 100 miles of closed public roads, has become one of the biggest rallies in the UK and is now reported to bring in more than £4m to the Borders’ economy. More than 200 crews will compete in the British and Scottish Rally Championship rounds, and other events, over the weekend of 22-24 May.
That means well over 1,000 people connected with the competitors descending on the south-east and Northumberland – the Borders does not have enough hotels to accommodate all – as well as more than 600 volunteers involved in organising and marshalling the event. However, the number of spectators expected over the three days will run into many thousands.
Borders event at heart of innovation on spectator safety
The organisers have managed that well since the 1970 launch of the event, named in honour of the double World F1 champion who grew up between Duns and Chirnside. However, the event did not take place for five years after the death of a freelance photographer and two friends in 2014, struck by a rally car in an area spectators were told was out of bounds.
Last year, tragedy struck again when Welsh co-driver Dai Roberts was killed and driver James Williams seriously injured after their car came off the road and struck a parapet on the Saturday morning of the British event. The remainder of the weekend’s action was abandoned, but it returns this year with even more entries.
Dan Wright (pictured), Chairman of the Jim Clark Rally, was in Duns at the weekend contributing to a Motorsport UK Marshals Training Day, where new local marshals were signing up and existing marshals adding to their training. He explained how Motorsport UK were leading the pioneering of new Artificial Intelligence Safety Camera (AISC) technology.
The camera system, developed in partnership with Croatian start-up Calirad, focuses on identifying spectators in prohibited or dangerous locations along the rally stages. It has been trialled in the World and European Rally Championships and will now be trialled in the British Championship – its first outing coming at the recent Severn Valley Stages.
“The new AI cameras will be fitted in a number of competitor cars through the field,” explained Wright, “and they will identify potential hazards, such as spectators, marshals, media or whoever, who find themselves in a potentially dangerous place on stages.
“Despite the cars travelling at up to 140 kilometres per hour, the on-board cameras record the area around them in extremely accurate detail, including faces peering out from bushes for example, and feed that information and exact location back in real time to the rally HQ.
“There, we will have a team of people watching these pictures who are in radio contact with marshals across all the stages, and able to inform them of potential problems.
“Rally fans and spectators are an important part of our sport, and we want to encourage people to come out and watch the Jim Clark Rally, but we also need to help them understand the dangers, and for them to follow our marshals and be safe.”
Marshals trained to help spectators learn about rally rules and dangers
With the growth in popularity of the Jim Clark Rally many spectators are new to the sport, and so may not be aware, for example, that the event’s special stages – where cars are competing at full throttle – are closed for two hours before the competing cars arrive and remain so until the safety cars come round after the stage is cleared, and declare the road re-opened.
A closed public roads event is different to forest rallies and anyone found on a closed road stage within that period can be fined £1,000. With all stages being monitored remotely by a team including police and emergency services, the presence of spectators in dangerous areas could also lead to the rally being shut down and an investigation launched.
Marshals at a recent training event in Duns were reminded that that also applies to the rally enthusiasts who like to spring into action to help a car that comes off the road and lands in a ditch. Any spectator leaving the safe areas to help a crew on a closed roads event also faces a £1,000 fine and the stage being halted for remaining competitors.
“There will be plenty spectator areas designated on all the stages,” added Wright, “because we know the roads, we know the stages, and we know where people will be able to get good views without risking their safety. Marshals will help people get good vantage points, safely.
“The marshals are all volunteers who are there to guide and help people have a great weekend, and they are critical to our sport. We will have around 400 in the Jim Clark Rally and it’s a great way for people who love the sport to get involved, so we would urge anyone who wants to see the best of rallying to think about marshalling.
“I would also like to thank all the people who live on the roads we use for the rally, because their support is also crucial to enabling the rally to take place, and bringing that economic benefit to the region. We have altered things to help people where possible – to accommodate a wedding this year, for example – and we will re-open the roads as quickly as we can.
“We really want everyone to have an enjoyable weekend that once again shows the Scottish Borders at its best.”
