The roads set to shape Rally Scotland’s FIA World Rally Championship debut have received strong early reviews from leading WRC crews after last weekend’s Voly Grampian Forest Rally in Aberdeenshire (7–8 August). 

WRC drivers Elfyn Evans and Jon Armstrong, joined by several WRC2 crews, used the event as a first proper look at the type of stages the championship will face when Rally Scotland brings the WRC back to the UK in 2027.

The 10-stage Voly Grampian Forest Rally, a round of the British Rally Championship and Scottish Rally Championship, gave teams, drivers, organisers and officials an early measure of the roads, infrastructure and local appetite ahead of Scotland’s first full round of the WRC.

Evans, the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver and current WRC Drivers’ Championship leader, ran as course car in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 with co-driver Scott Martin. His priority was knowledge rather than a result.

“Overall, the main takeaway is that the stages are really nice and quite fast,” said Evans. “The roads have some camber, the edges are a little rougher than what we used to see in Wales, and that combination makes them interesting.

“We have no experience as a team, or for me as a driver, this far north in Scotland, so any opportunity to learn will help. That was the goal of being here: to look at the stages, do the reconnaissance and get some experience driving them at speed.”

Pictured: Evans gets his first taste of Scotland’s fast forest gravel ahead of Rally Scotland’s FIA World Rally Championship debut in 2027.

Evans also sees clear links with rallies that already have a place in the WRC’s recent story.

“There is a resemblance to Wales, but on the current calendar the closest comparison is probably Chile,” he added. “The roads are fast, flowing forestry roads, and the nature of them feels quite similar.”

Armstrong made the most of his own learning weekend. The M-Sport Ford driver, co-driven by Shane Byrne, won the rally outright in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, beating M-Sport team-mate Romet Jürgenson by 9.3 seconds.

The Northern Irishman said the roads offered the kind of challenge that could give Rally Scotland a strong identity from year one.

“I think it is going to be a unique challenge,” said Armstrong. “You have the speed, the character of the roads, the camber and the flow, but also a bit of jeopardy with the ditches and the rocks getting pulled out. You can’t just go absolutely flat out on a second pass.

“I feel like it could be a modern classic when it gets going.”

Armstrong said the long, fast corners stood out as one of the biggest tests.

“There are a lot of long, fast corners, and those are tricky,” he said. “You need to know where to adjust your line, carry the right speed on entry and not become too careful. You have to keep the speed up and have the car at the right angle through those corners.”

He added that Wales Rally GB was the most obvious historic comparison, while parts of Greece in muddy conditions could also offer a reference point.

WRC2 crews also came away with useful notes. Jürgenson described the roads as having a distinctive rhythm, with crews needing to switch quickly between tighter sections and very high-speed stretches. Lancia’s Yohan Rossel highlighted the importance of confidence on the fast gravel, while Nikolay Gryazin felt the stages offered a challenge with echoes of Wales and Chile.

Pictured: Jon Armstrong on his way to victory at The Voly Grampian Forest Rally

Crowds were also up on previous editions of the event, with strong support around the spectator areas and Friday evening’s rally zone. For Rally Scotland organisers, that response gave another early sign of the demand for the WRC’s return to the UK.

Colin Clark, event director, Rally Scotland, said

“This was an important weekend for Rally Scotland. The crews came here to learn, and what they found were proper WRC roads: fast, cambered, technical in places, and full of character.

“The feedback from Elfyn, Jon and the WRC2 crews matters because they have driven the benchmark events around the world. They know what makes a stage stand out. To hear them talk about speed, flow, challenge and atmosphere gives us real confidence as we continue building towards 2027.

“I’m also very grateful to the team behind The Voly Grampian Forest Rally, who showed the strength of the UK’s rallying community. The organisers, volunteers, marshals and partners delivered a very well-organised event, and the level of interest around it was clear to see. Scotland is ready for the WRC, and weekends like this show why.”

Rally Scotland will be headquartered at The Event Complex Aberdeen, with Rally HQ and the service park based at the venue. The rally will run on closed forest gravel roads across north-east Scotland, using a compact route built around proven rally territory and strong regional infrastructure.

Further details on Rally Scotland’s 2027 route, dates, ticketing, volunteer opportunities and fan plans will be announced in the coming months.