6 August 2026 / By David Ferguson
The forests of Aberdeenshire provide the backdrop for an intriguing clash of the leading World, British and Scottish rally crews this weekend in the Voly Grampian Forest Rally.
With the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) coming to the north-east for Rally Scotland’s entry in just over a year from now, and the WRC having a few weeks off between the recent Finland event and the Rally del Paraguay at the end of August, a handful of world crews are taking the chance to find out what Scotland might have to offer a year in advance.
The near 100-strong field is led by current WRC leader Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – who will sport number 199 – and they are joined by fellow WRC stars Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne from Ireland, and Estonians Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja, both in Ford Fiesta Rally2s, while WRC2 stars Nikolay Gryazin and Alexandre Alexsandrov and Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand herald Lancia’s first British appearance since the late 1980s.
The Grampian Forest Rally is based in Milton of Crathes near Banchory, organised by Stonehaven & District Motor Club, and has special spectator stages to enable fans to get up close to the action and stay safe. For details go to: https://www.grampianforestrally.com/spectators
The rally promises not only a long-awaited return to the 2026 Motorsport UK British Rally Championship, after the cancellation of the Kielder Carlisle Stages, but could also go a long way to deciding the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship titles.
With 57 competitive miles across 10 demanding forest stages, crews will tackle some of Britain’s finest gravel roads in what promises to be an unforgettable weekend for competitors and spectators alike.
Scots duo Max McRae and Cammy Fair (pictured above) are in the no1 car, their Pirelli-shod Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, aiming to slot into that position in the BRC by the end of Saturday, which means they need to go faster than current leaders, Welsh pair Osian Pryce and James Morgan, and their fellow Castrol MEM Rally Team Toyota duo of Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss who sit just a point behind the Scots.
Garry Pearson has navigator Hannah McKillop back from American Rally Championship duty and while they are out to seal a fourth SRC win in their Ford Fiesta Rally2, they know that Mark McCulloch and Michael Hendry are desperate to push them all the way, and exploit any slip-ups, in their home-built Proton Satria Evo (pictured).
Former SRC champion Euan Thorburn is also back in his familiar VW Polo with Paul Beaton while the BRC3 category welcomes back the Ford Fiesta Rally3 crews of Aoife Raftery and Kyle McDaid, alongside Chinese driver Junzhe Tang, who is once again partnered by Tsungyu Hsieh.
The National Rally Title battle is finely balanced with Owen Paterson and John Clayton on a victory apiece, leaving the championship tied heading into Grampian,
Stephen Petch / Michael Wilkinson (Fiesta Rally2), Bruce McCombie / Neil Shanks (Fiesta R5), Alan Dickson / Ewan Lees (Skoda Fabia R5) and the returning Icelandic duo Daniel Sigurðarson / Asta Sigurðardóttir (Fabia RS Rally2) are other Rally2 contenders, while local Alford driver Scott Beattie makes his first appearance of the season in a Fiesta R5.
Callum Atkinson leads the Oakbank SRC Challengers and G&M Mechanical Services 2WD Championship after a fine drive at the RSAC Scottish Rally, and is back in his front-wheel-drive Peugeot 208 Rally4, and faces challenges from rivals Craig Rutherford (Ford Escort Mk2), Mike Stuart (Ford Escort Mk1) and Scott Peacock (Ford Escort Mk2), with Chris Collie (Mitsubishi Evo) and Martyn Erskine (Mitsubishi Evo) additional contenders in the Challengers battle.
Natalie Robinson is yet to be beaten on gravel in the Questmead SRC Juniors and will therefore have designs on continuing that run at the Grampian, but fellow 208 Rally4 driver Robbie Wood and Steven Brown (pictured above), and Ford Fiesta Rally4 pilot Meghan O’kane and Skoda Felicia driver Fraser McDougall, are aiming to make things a bit hotter for the young Englishwoman this weekend.
John Rintoul can win the Haddo Energy SRC Super Seniors if he clinches another victory (a fifth of the season) this weekend in his Ford Escort Mk2, and Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup honours will be disputed between championship leader Mike Grant, Martin Lock and Neil Philip.
Calum MacLeod, owner of SRC live coverage partner Royal Aero, also makes his first Scottish rally start in many years behind the wheel of his MG ZR S2000, co-driven by his wife Claudia.