2025 Grizedale Stages Report: Bogie takes victory, but the real winner is the rally itself.
SRC Champions David Bogie and Kirsty Riddick won by a comfortable 22 second margin.
Words by James Downie, Photography by Lee Whitehouse, Gary Bray and Paul Marshall, Video by Michael Whiteley for Rally Media UK.
This years Grizedale Stages was an absolute triumph of persistence and resilience for its organising team. In an extraordinary run of bad luck, three times in the previous four years the rally had either had to be cancelled or stopped half way through due to gale force winds or snow, leaving the team at a low ebb. Entries had also suffered in recent seasons, with the December running date very close to some bigger Forest rallies and no major championship to bolster numbers. The 2025 event simply had to run and be successful in order to guarantee it’s future…
Salvation had come this season in the form of the BTRDA and Scottish Rally Championships, both of whom were in need of a new season closer. The rally itself has use of one of the best forest complexes in the UK, and is based in the stunning Lake District National Park, and has a superb compact format offering more stage miles than road miles.With a good entry guaranteed by 2 major championships, it just needed to get lucky with the weather for once.
Although there was a lot of heavy rain before and during the rally, at least the wind stayed away and temperatures remained well above freezing. Everyone could breathe a sigh of relief: the 2025 Coppermines Grizedale Stages would run!
The format was simple: starting and finishing in Coniston, there were to be 6 stages, run in 2 loops of three: Grizedale North, Grizedale East and Grizedale South. North and South were familiar stages, but East was to be run in daylight for the first time since the 1993 RAC Rally…
Having dominated the 2025 BTRDA season, Matthew Hirst had already been crowned champion, and opted to start his winter break early. He was the only notable absentee though, and the entry was strong. Runner up Elliott Payne would face serious competition from Ollie Mellors, making a rare appearance in the Proton Iriz, as well as the likes of SRC regulars David Bogie and Jock Armstrong. Nigel and Kaz Jenkins just needed a finish in the green Nova to take the Bronze star title.
Payne and Patrick Walsh were keen to finish a difficult season on a high, but they wouldn’t even make it to the start line of SS1. Smoke and flames were seen emanating from the Skoda at the Wray Castle start, and rather than risk further damage to the car, the decision was taken to withdraw.
Those who have watched David Bogie on a regular basis over the last 15 years or so will know that the 38 year old from Dumfries is nothing if not entertaining. Throwing the Polo R5 round the twisting undulating forest tracks at some unlikely angles as usual, Bogie and co-driver Kirstie Riddick took fastest time through Grizedale North, only to be equalled by Ollie Mellors and Ian Windress. Ollie may have been quiet of late, but he is a 4 time winner of the Grizedale Stages and knows the Forest as well as anyone.
Second placed Ollie Mellors and Ian Windress round the final corner of the rally with epic views of the Coniston scenery in the background.
The pair were 14 seconds clear of Angus Lawrie’s venerable Evo and co driver Jane Nicol, and 18 clear of Armstrong and Owen Paterson. Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson and the ever popular Neil Roskell and Carl Williamson were 5th and 6th fastest on the opening stage.
Next up was Grizedale East, the shortest of the stages at 4.2 miles, but many would say the trickiest. It was very tight and twisty with blind crests and plenty of places to go off. The last time this stage was run in daylight, Ari Vatanen set the fastest time in a 555 liveried Subaru Impreza, so it was fair to say it was an unknown quantity to the crews on this rally!
Bogie showed his class on this technical test, 10 seconds faster than Mellors and 12 quicker than Lawrie. Roskell moved up a place to 5th overall.
Angus Lawrie and Jane Nicol finished an excellent 3rd overall in the Evo.
Grizedale South started over towards Bowkerstead and finished with the stunning iconic staircase of hairpins overlooking Coniston Water. The 8 miles that linked them weren’t half bad either. Mellors grabbed 2 seconds back on Bogie on this one, cutting the Scotsman’s lead to 8 seconds at the midway service. These two were a long way ahead of Angus Lawrie in 3rd, and a quick time from Petch saw him climb 4 places to 4th. Jock Armstrong was uncharacteristically off the pace in his Fabia: Time loss from a skirmish with a log pile meant they were 5th at service but well over a minute down on the leader.
Jock Armstrong and Owen Paterson had to be content with 5th at finish.
The second lap of the stages would not get any easier. All the rain had made the surface very soft with a lot of mud and standing water, and deep ruts had been created by the first passage.
The second passage of Grizedale North saw the Proton of Mellors claw another 3 seconds back from Bogie as the battle heated up…Lawrie remained a distant and lonely 3rd with Armstrong and Scott Beattie increasing their speed in the afternoon and getting into the top 5 times.
Grizedale East more or less decided the outcome of the rally. Bogie took another 8 seconds off Mellors to extend his lead to 13, which would by a tall order to claw back in the one remaining stage. Lawrie was over a minute behind in 3rd and he in turn was 30 seconds ahead of 4th placed Petch, with Armstrong a further 3 back in 5th.
Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson were 4th on the Grizedale Stages.
There were no changes of position in the top 5 on the final stage…and Bogie completed victory in the end by a comfortable margin of 22 seconds from Mellors, securing the SRC co-drivers title for Kirsty. Alex Vassello and Chris Lees were 9th overall in the Fiesta and claimed third overall in the BTRDA Gold Star championship in their first full season. Meanwhile there was final stage heartbreak for Nigel and Kaz Jenkins. Having overcome all manner of troubles throughout the day, a wheel parted company from the Nova half way through the second pass of Grizedale South, and they couldn’t get to the end of the stage. The bronze star championship going to Dylan Fowler-Bishop and Dan Evans, who opted to miss Grizedale. The category win on the event was handed to Kaz’s son, Luke Watts in has MG.
Luke Watts inherited a first bronze star category win.
The idea of both of the UK’s best national championships culminating with a shootout on the same event is an intriguing one, and one which will hopefully become an end of season tradition. The SRC was the winner this time. Bogie has dominated 2025 in Scotland in a similar way to Hirst in the BTRDA, and it’s a shame that the two didn’t get to fight against each other in Grizedale. That really would have been something to see.
Alex Vassallo, along with co-driver Chris Lees secured the final podium spot in the BTRDA Gold Star standings with 9th overall.
The organisers of the Grizedale Stages won’t be complaining though… this was most certainly a make or break event for the organising team, but their excellent rally absolutely smashed it when the chance came… the weather was kind but not too kind and the rally was challenging but rewarded good aggressive driving. And with 43 stage miles and only 31 road miles, it has a winning formula.
The Rally was wet but proved popular with the clubmen.
At the end of season awards the Grizedale Stages also won the BTRDA Bill Turner trophy for best rally, which must have been immensely satisfying for the team after all the disappointments of recent years and few would begrudge them it in the circumstances. Let’s hope it continues it’s success in 2026…
Final Results:
1. Bogie/Riddick VW 47m18s
2. Mellors/Windress Proton +22s
3. Lawrie/Nicol Mitsubishi +1m33s
4. Petch/Wilkinson Ford +1.55
5. Armstrong/Paterson +2.09
6. O’Brien/McArdle +2.24
7. Roskell/Williamson +2.28
8. Carmichael/Gilbey +2.31
9. Vassallo/Lees +2.48
10. Beattie/Davies +2.50
Check out our video of the 2025 Grizedale Stages…
Event Gallery: https://www.rallymedia.uk/gallery/2025-grizedale-stages-rally
