After a season celebrating Colin McRae’s World Rally Championship, British rally fans are bracing themselves for more of the same next season as Rallyday prepares to mark two decades since Richard Burns’ 2001 world title and 40 years since Ari Vatanen wore the same crown.
The Castle Combe-based event, lost to the pandemic this year, has become a staple for rally fans from across Europe and when it returns in September, organizer Tom Davis is determined to make up for a missing year.
“We know rally fans have had it tough, and we’re determined to give everybody something to smile about with an absolutely amazing show on a September date which sits well away from any round of the World Rally Championship,” said Davis.
The 1981 and 2001 campaigns will sit at the heart of Rallyday 2021. Three-quarters of the winning crews were British with Richard Burns and Robert Reid lifting the ’01 silverware and David Richards co-driving British rallying’s favourite Finn Ari Vatanen in their Ford Escort RS1800.
“To be able to put together a day involving the best of those three championships is really something special for us. Remembering those great days from 20 and 40 years ago will help to make the 2021 Rallyday one of the very best yet.
“The last year has been pretty miserable regardless of where you’ve been in the world, but starting to plan events like Rallyday has brought a real ray of sunshine into this corner of Wiltshire.”
Davis added there would be more to come beyond the title commemorations and anniversaries.
“Beyond those celebrations, we’re working closely with M-Sport, with Prodrive and, of course, BGMsport to make sure we have the best and most relevant rally cars out there on display and being driven – and being driven in the spirit in which they were made,” he said.
“Last time out we ran the Rally Legends stage which was an absolute highlight – that will be back with refinements and improvements to make it an even bigger hit and we’ll have the usual rally car packages available to make Rallyday an unmissable day’s entertainment whatever your involvement in the sport.”
Advance tickets at a reduced rate are available from Rallyday.com
