Tony Jardine, Communications Director, HERO-ERA, has had an extensive career as a Rally and racing driver, motorsport presenter and even as an F1 Assistant Team Manager. Next weekend he takes on the Roger Albert Clark Rally, with co-driver Ali Proctor, tackling 330 stage miles, a 1000 mile route through three nations across five days.

This year is also Tony’s 50^th year in motorsport, with his first Rally in Kuwait in 1975 being organised by Motorsport UK Chair, David Richards…

Tony caught up with Motorsport UK’s PR and Communications Manager, Charlotte Mackenzie, as he gets ready to go rallying next weekend…

You will competing in the Roger Albert Clark (R.A.C.) Rally in your 1973 1600 GT Avenger, how many times have you taken part in the Rally? Is it one of your favourites?

The Roger Albert Clark Rally is one of my favourites, it’s right up there at the top and it reproduces the RAC rallies of old, when you could use chase cars, when there were massive crowds, it went all round the United Kingdom… the forests of England, Scotland and Wales, which is exactly what this is doing. I think the format of this historic Rally is so popular that it attracts the European teams to come over, 190 crews taking part is phenomenal! I have competed in 15 Historic Endurance Stage rallies including the RAC and the Silver Fern Rally in New Zealand.

In 2023, when we were going down through Carmarthen to the ceremonial start, it was six deep for a long way down to the start, and the stage passes sold out two weeks before, and they continue to sell fast this year. This nostalgia has brought people back and there are really fantastic cars to go and watch, like a Lancia Stratos, a Mk 1 Escort or a Triumph TR7 V8! The crowds come out in their droves.

I don’t know anybody, be it a spectator or an Official, who isn’t excited by the prospect of this event.

You are fuelling with SUSTAIN, a sustainable fuel for the event, can you tell us more?

SUSTAIN fuel is ‘pour-and-go’ for highly-tuned engines, it’s made out of waste animal feed crop and it produces 50 percent less pollution at the tailpipe. I also had the opportunity to talk to Colin Heppenstall, R.A.C. Rally Manager, about the way forward and connect him with SUSTAIN Fuels, and now they are official suppliers, their product is available for all to refuel at all the service parks, other teams will be able to use Sustain Racing C50 fuel and go environmentally responsible rallying.

The R.A.C. and Colin understand that sustainable fuels are the future and will lead the charge… top teams like Viking Motorsport, lead by former WRC World Champion co-driver Phil Mills, also on the event, are using Sustain fuels. If we want to protect historic motoring and we want to protect historic motorsport, then we are going to have to start thinking about the fuel that we use. It’s also a fuel source that protects internal combustion engines, there are options, and this is a great option.

Our main sponsor TRADOAK are a traditional Oak and Timber company who rescue old oak beams, retreat them, and recycle them for reuse. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a barn or a half-timber building, but sustainability is at the heart of their business, so there is great environmental synergy in our team for the R.A.C.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to get into Rally?

Join your local Motor Club, join up with like-minded people who will help you collaborate, help you find a car or maybe you can share a car… then you can start doing local events and build up that way. They will take you on the path through to getting into a Stage Rally. It’s also important to consider doing it as economically as possible, I think that’s the big thing.

Why get into motorsport?

I always loved motorsport, but my passion for Rally was ignited by watching the RAC Rally in 1966, when Jim Clark was driving a Lotus Cortina and Graham Hill was in a Works MINI Cooper S, and I was in Clocaenog Forest in Betws-y-Coed and watched them.

Up to then I had just been a Grand Prix fan… I go racing and rallying, but I prefer my rallying and I have now done 27 World Championship events including Wales Rally GB and the RAC, and I’ve done a further five World Championship Rallies including Sweden, Norway and Monte Carlo.

Find out more about how to get started in Rally here