9 June 2025 / By DAVID FERGUSON
THE HIGHS and lows of motorsport and life have come home to one of Scottish rallying’s most promising young drivers in recent times.
Robert Proudlock bought his first rally car at 21, and would become the Scottish and British Junior Champion in his first two seasons. He started this season with high hopes after stepping into the higher spec M-Sport Poland Fiesta Rally3, but has found 2025 to bring a whole new world of challenge.
However, as he headed home from the Border Counties Rally in Jedburgh suddenly results mattered less; he was heading back to his partner Lori and their two-week-old son Archie.
Move on a few weeks and he was back out at the Jim Clark Memorial Rally in Duns and things were looking good, the car feeling strong and competitive through the Friday night stages, and into Saturday morning’s start. And then the fateful news that all involved in motorsport fear: a stage is stopped, a crash has occurred and medical teams are on the scene.
With all cars sent back to service, news of the death of popular Welsh co-driver Dai Roberts spread and it soon became clear that the Jim Clark would come to a sad and abrupt close.
“Yes, it’s been quite a few weeks and months,” admits Proudlock, when we catch up to reflect on his recent past.
“Obviously, it was incredible to win the Junior British last year, and this year to become a father has been just amazing. I felt quite guilty going back to rallying so quickly after he was born, and leaving Lori and Archie at home, so it was great to get back and be with them. He’s just amazing and being a dad is a whole new thing.
“Then, next time we’re out competing, we lose Dai at the Jim Clark, just a tragic end to the rally, and the emotions are a bit all over the place.
“Something like that just lays bare the risks of the sport. Everyone in motorsport knows the risks and, if we’re being honest, I think a little element of danger is what creates the excitement and adrenaline, but it’s still very hard to take when we lose someone.
“It’s will stick with me forever, but I think the only way you can look at it is that he died doing what he loved and I think he would hate for someone to fall out of love with rallying or give up because of what’s happened. So, I think we’re doing the right thing by cracking on, keeping the excitement in the sport, getting back out there and competing the way he loved to do.”
Rollercoaster rides are something of the norm in motorsport, but for the former Cargenbridge Primary and St Joseph’s College pupil from Dumfries, the rallying journey has followed an upwards trajectory since he slid into his own first rally car in 2022.
Many will remember his father Malcolm, who drove a Talbot Avenger and Samba in the 1990s before becoming a regular top 10 finisher in the early to mid 2000s (finishing second in the McRae, Snowman and Scottish events latterly) with his Subaru Impreza, and Bruce Harper, Allan Cathers and Steven Clark his main co-drivers.
“It is a familiar story I think for many rally drivers,” acknowledges Robert, “following your dad into the sport. He’s been a huge support and he understands how difficult it is to compete.
“He had a bad accident at the Jim Clark, which kind of ruined his budget for the year – I think he competed up until the point where he’d spent every penny he had! He actually built up a really nice Impreza but didn’t compete because it was so expensive.
“Fast forward to 2022, and he helped buy a rally car and get me started. And once you get in the car yourself and experience it, it becomes quite an addiction. You can’t step back.”
Few, however, could have experienced quite the momentum shifts of the 22-year-old in the last three years. From developing a keen appetite for racing in mountain biking and then motocross, and binging on watching Formula One, there was talent and enthusiasm firing when Proudlock stepped into rallying… and took off.
“That first year was quite mad,” he recalls. “I started off with the Kinloss airfield event for a test and then went into the Junior Scottish Rally Championship, and, phew, it just went.
“It’s getting to the point where we might not have use of the forests much longer, and my dad was keen for me to get a taste of it, so my first gravel event was the Snowman, and that left a huge impression on me.
“Justin Gunning was there in a Ford Fiesta Rally 2 and on the first stage I think he was about a minute faster… so we had a lot to learn, quickly. But from that first stage to the sixth and last stage of the day we reduced it to about five seconds off his pace. That made me excited about the championship.
“Round Two was Speyside, and we were trading stages until the last stage when Justin stuck it off in a ditch, and from that point on we won every round. That gives you huge confidence.
“I was driving a Vauxhall Adam club car, which was a great wee car – sequential gearbox, about 150 brake, so a basic, weak car, but capable at the same time.
“It taught you how to use the momentum of the car, because you couldn’t rely on power, and we were putting it in the mix of maybe where it shouldn’t have been.”
Robert finished 2022 as top Scottish Junior, and picked up the Colin McRae ‘If in doubt, flat out’ award at the SRC Awards, which capped an impressive debut year in rallying. But it got even better in 2023 when he shifted into an Opal Adam R2 Car, and won the BRTDA Junior title and Rally2 Cup. After trading the Adam in for a Peugeot 208 Rally 4 for 2024, he stepped up again with Steven Brown his navigator, and showed great consistency to win the Junior British Rally Championship, and retain his place in the Motorsport UK Academy.
“It has been a bit mad, but brilliant,” is his summary. “We’ve driven in all sorts of weathers, hugely different stages and gone from just turning up at these championships seeing new faces, guys who have been at the top of the sport for a while, and new cars I’ve never seen before, to suddenly competing at the top with them. It’s pretty unbelievable.”
He doesn’t say that with any self-congratulation; he still seems genuinely stunned. At 24, Robert still works in the family business, the 17th century Mabie House Hotel, just south of Dumfries. He remains a grounded character, one who looks out for and wishes competitors well. His approach is possibly best summed up by his social media moniker, ‘Fun Bobby Racing’.
“My dad and I have always had the same outlook,” he says, “not to take it too seriously. Yes, you’re not saving and spending all that money just to have a laugh, you want results, but I think if you’re going to get good results you have to try and take some of the pressure off by taking everything in and enjoying it.
“I’ve never wanted to be up myself, if you know what I mean, and my dad and I still don’t take ourselves too seriously, but you’ve still got to work hard at it. We have probably sent out hundreds of emails to potential sponsors, and made tons of phone calls, and I’ve been very lucky that some great people have agreed to sponsor me.”
This year, added sponsorship – including Dirtfish and Beatson’s Building Supplies – has enabled another car upgrade, to a first four-wheel drive with the M-Sport Poland Fiesta R3, but a loose nut caused issues in the opening BRC event at East Riding – he and new co-driver Dan James still managed a BRC3 class win – before retirements at Kielder and the Border Counties.
The pair were back on the pace in the Jim Clark, and led the class until the tragic accident.
“It’s been a challenging first half of 2025 in so many ways,” Robert acknowledged.
“We actually spoke about maybe taking a year off and saving money, and then giving it a really good shot again in 2026, because obviously the higher you get up in the sport, the more money you’re spending and the wallet was getting a bit light.
“But then we got in talks with KG Motorsport, who gave us such a fantastic price for this R3 car that we just couldn’t turn it down. It’s an absolute magnificent car and it has taken everything to the next level.
“It’s also down to generous sponsors, and they also give you the belief that you can be successful in the sport. And there’s also the fact that having more and more logos across the car means you have to perform because there’s more people you don’t want to be letting down.”
And as well as co-driver Dan keeping him right, Robert acknowledges the support closer to home.
“I have a great support team from Lori and the family around me, who let me do this, and I owe it to them to do the best I can while I’m in the sport. Lori is a great equestrian, but she suffered a brain injury and so knows the risks that come with sport. She has fully recovered and I’m so proud of her.
“And I’m indebted to people like Andrew and Ann Wood at Woodsport who’ve been there and done it, and supported me from the start. I mean, Andrew’s the only person to listen to in the service park when it comes to that sort of stuff.
“Their advice and support at the events, way beyond just making sure we have good Pirelli tyres, is typical of the way people look after each other in motorsport I think. Tyres are expensive, but you need to know you can rely on tyres which is why we go for Pirelli every time.”
So, what’s next?
“People ask ‘how far do you want to go’, and my answer is simple: all the way to the top.
“I’d love to compete in the European Championship and the World Rally Championship, but right now you’re just looking at the next rally and trying to improve on the last one.
“For us, that will be the Scottish Rally Championship next month which is only about 10 miles away from my house, so I’m really looking forward to that one.
“I’ve always aimed high in whatever I do, so who knows where we’ll end up!”
