Rallying to be used as motorsport’s return to the forest trial

Wednesday 31 March 2021

Image Credit: Chicane Media

Motorsport UK announces that, in advance of rallying’s return to the Forestry England estate, the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire will be used as a test event on 24/25 September.

After continuous consultation between Forestry England and the governing body for UK motorsport, the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire will go ahead as planned in September and will be a test event for Forestry England as they continue to carefully manage high visitor demand.

The two-day event, which is set to be the fourth round of the British Rally Championship as well as points scoring rounds for the British Historic Championship and BTRDA series, will be used to test Forestry England’s capacity for re-starting large scale events. This will facilitate the preparation of supplementary insight and guidance will be produced to allow other events to be run in the forests shortly afterwards.

Motorsport UK CEO, Hugh Chambers said: “We are pleased to continue the progressive dialogue with Forestry England, and we are delighted to see a return for rallying in the forests. We have an excellent track record having organised over 1,000 COVID-19 secure events in 2020, and with the guidelines and protocols we have created as the national governing body, we look forward to working with Forestry England to demonstrate how a safe and successful event can be run in the forests. Following the rally, we hope we can create a model for all future forestry events around the country.”

Jade Colston, Recreation Forester Yorkshire District, Forestry England explained: “We’ve been under intense pressure for months supporting safe visits to Dalby Forest and the surrounding woodlands during the pandemic. We’re looking forward to gradually re-starting events and I’m grateful for Motorsport UK’s understanding and co-operation that means we can host the test rally in North Yorkshire.

“It’s a great opportunity to gather insight, and provide guidance for other motorsport events as lockdown restrictions start to lift. I’ve worked with the Trackrod organisers before so I am confident we will host a successful event.”

Rod Parkin, Trackrod Rally Yorkshire Clerk of Course said: “We are really pleased to have early confirmation that we can run on our scheduled date.  We are extremely grateful for all the help and support from Forestry England and Motorsport UK. The team can now finalise our plans as we can now prepare for an exciting weekend of rallying.”