Rali Ceredigion continues to lead the charge in terms of not only providing a high-octane experience for spectators but also developing the Rally’s sustainability credentials in a move that saw it become the first UK rally awarded two-star FIA Environmental Accreditation in 2023.

Since its inception in 2019, the first ever stage rally held on closed public roads in Wales, is now firmly established as a highlight of the FIA European Rally Championship and Probite British Rally Championship calendars.

Organisers of the JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion were also selected as the 2023 recipient of the Motorsport UK Environmental Sustainability Award.

The event set a new record for Carbon Offsetting in Rallying last year, approx. 200,000kg of CO2, a total double the estimated carbon footprint of all competitors, ticket holding spectators and mandatory organiser vehicles.

The 2024 event also brought a significant boost to the local economy, generating an estimated £4.6 million in direct and indirect spend across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys, supporting local businesses through increased footfall, overnight stays, and visitor spending.

The world-class rally action returns this Friday from Aberystwyth promenade, with the competitive action set to unfold across Saturday and Sunday, with brand-new stages in the Elan Valley and a revised Power Stage close to Devil’s Bridge.

Michelle Thomas, Environmental Manager, Rali Ceredigion, a keen co-driver herself, was involved in delivering the FIA Accreditation.

“The FIA environmental accreditation requires the event to meet with a series of criteria to achieve one star accreditation, I could see that the event needed to have a good Environmental Management System (EMS), so we started working on that… prior to achieving one star. Then in 2023, we approached the FIA to go for two-star accreditation and we went for it! The Rally has come on so much, there’s Rali Engage, the organisers are engaging with local schools, bringing communities together and into it… they are going above and beyond to get more people into motorsport.”

Rali Ceredigion continues to lead in terms of recycling and environmental responsibility.

“Obviously we had the new regulations enter in Wales, so as an event all recycling needs to be segregated in terms of waste disposal. All the bins are marked up and we try to do as close to zero to landfill as possible. We wanted to educate the community as well, in addition to looking at spill kits, so if there was an oil spill in servicing, making sure that all the tarpaulins were down on the floor, all the emergency covering and instructions. The marshals are trained too, so following on from that if they had a bad incident, we would report it. It’s our priority to make sure that the environment is well looked after during these events.”

“We wanted to make the event as clean and green as possible, obviously we understand that it’s a motorsport event but the amount of fuels that the Rally cars are using over the weekend is miniscule and the economic benefits for the region are huge, so, that drove the application.” Adds, Charlie Jukes, Commercial Manager.

When getting out of town, the Rally organisers are also aware of its impact on the local countryside.

Michelle adds, “The Stages are kept quite close together, so you can see a couple of cars come through at a time. A lot of the farmers let us use their fields, and we do remind the spectators to be respectful. Plus, it brings a lot of local business to Aberystwyth and the surrounding areas.

“It’s a great event to be a part of! The team are truly ambassadors leading the way here in Wales, bringing the communities together, supporting local schools and businesses while making it a fun event for the spectators.”

Follow the action on Motorsport UK across our social media channels and website this weekend…