2026 Jim Clark Rally Report: McRae strikes back!
Max McRae was on top form on home ground and took an excellent victory.
Words by James Downie for Rally Media UK, images supplied courtesy of Mark Standley.
Late May is Jim Clark time in the British Rally Calendar. It was round 2 of the BRC this year and marked a surface shift to asphalt following the season opener in the Welsh forests. Based around the town of Duns in the Scottish borders and using its’ traditional fast, tight and bumpy closed public road stages, the Jim Clark Rally took place over the Friday evening and Saturday of the Whit Bank Holiday weekend. This year’s Clark was also round 3 of the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship.
The 2025 rally had seen a tragic fatal accident involving Dai Roberts, and the 2026 Jim Clark needed to go well in order to give everyone a boost. This was achieved in the shape of a popular home win for Scots pairing Max McRae and Cameron Fair in the Skoda Fabia RS. An exceptional performance in Friday night's darkness allowed them to draw clear of the MEM Toyotas of Meirion Evans and Championship leader Osian Pryce before dictating the pace from the front on Saturday.
Meirion Evans won the MEM Toyota battle but couldn’t get near McRae.
The action kicked off with 4 stages on Friday evening, 2 of them in darkness. Pryce drew first blood and went quickest on the opening Bothwell stage from McRae, but MEM team mate Meirion Evans took the next one at Abbey St Bathans.
As night fell over the Scottish borders, it was Max who seized the initiative and leapfrogged both Toyotas over the 8 miles of Bothwell 2 as Pryce struggled with set up issues and Evans with lighting issues. McRae led Pryce by 12 seconds overnight with Evans a further 6 seconds back in 3rd. Garry Pearson and Hannah McKillop in the M-Sport Fiesta were initially the best of the rest whilst reigning protyre champion Sam Touzel had switched from a Fiesta to a Skoda and was playing himself in gently but still holding an impressive 5th overall back in Duns. Euan Thorburn, James Ford and Elliot Payne rounded out the top 8 overnight.
Ben McFall overhauled early leader Luke Constantine on SS3 to head the BRC Juniors after Friday’s 37 stage miles.
First round winner Osian Pryce struggled on the Clark but clung on to the BRC lead.
On Saturday there were another 55 competitive miles across six stages. First up was the 9 miles of Polwarth and McRae was immediately down to work and began a superb sequence of stage times to take the 2026 Jim Clark Rally by the scruff of the neck. Fastest time here was followed by stage wins on the next two at Blackadder and Manderston to extend his lead to a comfortable 25 seconds after the first loop of stages.
Evans attempted to give chase but in reality had no answer to the flying McRae. However he was comfortably able to keep his countryman and team mate Osian Pryce in 3rd. The winner of the Severn Valley had lost time with an overshoot and hadn’t yet got the confidence to push flat out on asphalt in the Yaris. Behind them Touzel nipped past Pearson into 4th and Ford got past Thorburn into 6th, whilst McFall extended his lead over Constantine in the juniors to a healthy 19 seconds.
Garry Pearson had another frustrating run to 5th on the Jim Clark.
The final loop of stages was a repeat of Polwarth, Blackadder and Manderston. The same pattern continued with McRae storming towards a brilliant statement win. He was fastest on the first 2 stages of loop to extend his winning run to 7 stages in a row before backing off and allowing Pryce to take the final stage.
Evans duly notched up 2nd overall and Pryce 3rd to retain the championship lead although both Welshmen had been well beaten on this occasion. Sam Touzel claimed an impressive 4th overall and maximum Protyre points, showing the potential he has in the new car. After another frustrating run, Garry Pearson claimed 5th in the Fiesta. McFall held on to complete another BRC Junior win from Constantine. Crowd favourite Lee Edwards in the howling jaguar engined V6 Escort G3 was 6th among he protyre championship runners
McRae’s final winning margin of 30 seconds was as commanding and crushing as it looks. This time he had one decisively from the front and it was a big statement. At the finish he showed a touch of class too, dedicating the win to James Williams, Dai Roberts and their families.
Final Results
McRae/Fair Skoda 1h13m35.1s
Evans/Furniss Toyota 1h14m05.1s
Pryce/Morgan Toyota 1h14m37.6s
Touzel/Freeman Skoda 1h14m59.0s
Pearson/McKillop Ford 1h15m21.4s
Thorburn/Beaton Ford 1h15m43.5s
Ford/Shanks VW 1h15m48.7s
MacBeth/Falconer VW 1h17m12.6s
Brunton/Sturrock Toyota 1h18m33.0s
Robertson/Beaton VW 1h18m43.6s
BRC Standings after round 2
Pryce 40
McRae 37
Evans 36
Pearson 25
Touzel 22
