Elfyn Evans says next week’s Voly Grampian Forest Rally (7-8 August) offers “a valuable opportunity to try and learn as much as we can” before the World Rally Championship comes to the same part of Scotland in 2027.
The current WRC drivers’ championship leader (pictured above) will tackle the Aberdeenshire event’s stages with co-driver Scott Martin in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, using the rally as an early step in Toyota’s preparations for Rally Scotland.
“The event’s going to be held in the same area as Rally Scotland in 2027,” Evans told RallyScotland.org. “It’s a valuable opportunity to try and learn as much as we can, ahead of the main event, as it were, in 2027.
“I’ve not visited before. I don’t think I’ve been that far north, actually, so I know very little. I’ve done quite limited rallies in Scotland, maybe more in the Dumfries and Galloway area. I’ve heard great things about the stages. From what I understand, they’re quite fast, but that’s really all I know. That’s why this opportunity is important, to get a flavour, get your eye in and see what’s to come in 2027.”
M-Sport World Rally Team driver Jon Armstrong (pictured below) who will compete with Shane Byrne in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, said the event is a chance to build knowledge for the WRC’s return to the UK.
“I don’t have any experience of those stages,” Armstrong told RallyScotland.org. “But we know the rally next year should be based around the same area, and maybe on some of the same stages. It’s a good chance to get some information and understand what the roads are like, what type of set-up you might need for the car, and how the tyres interact with the surface. It’s a bit of a fact-gathering exercise, and a bit more seat time for me.”
This year’s Voly Grampian Forest Rally is set to feature one of the strongest fields in its history. The event is a round of the British Rally Championship and the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship, with WRC and WRC2 crews joining Britain’s leading national competitors and club crews on the north-east forest stages.
Evans and Armstrong will be joined by M-Sport WRC2 contenders Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja, along with Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand, and Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov in Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 cars. The Grampian will also bring the action close to fans through Banchory’s King George V Park and dedicated spectator areas, including the BA Barn Arena near Kintore.
Armstrong visited the event last year as a spectator and saw roads with a clear WRC flavour.
“The gravel was quite rough, and the forests were quite open in places,” he said. “You can often see through the corners a bit more, and that naturally increases the pace. The roads aren’t super narrow, so you’ve got more room to let the car run on the exit. They’re definitely some of the faster stages you have in the UK.”
Despite the clear preparation value, Armstrong expects a serious fight.
“We’ll just treat it like any other rally and try to be as fast as we can,” he said. “The British Championship level is very high, so it’s not like we’re expecting to be out front easily. With the Lancias going, they’ll obviously be fast as well, and there are drivers like Max McRae, Osian Pryce and Chris Ingram. They’re all proper drivers. I think it’s going to be a big battle, no matter what, and that’s what we’re always looking for.”
