By 
FOUR Tyrone crews are preparing themselves for one of rallying’s biggest tests this week when they tackle the eagerly-anticipated and gruelling Roger Albert Clark Rally.
The bi-annual event will get underway with a ceremonial start tomorrow night before the action starts in earnest on Thursday morning with the first of 35 stages that will take competitors through Wales, England and Scotland, covering over 500 kilometres of tests in the process, finishing with the epic ‘Bigger One’, which is 64.37km in its own right, this day next week after five days of exhausting action.
Joining almost 200 other crews keen to just reach the finish of the final stage next Monday are Clanabogan’s Paul Barrett, who will once again have Omagh’s Gordon Noble on the notes, Donaghmore’s Adrian Hetherington and Moy’s Ronan O’Neill; Ballygawley’s Vivian Hamill and co-driver Andrew Grennan, and Aughnacloy’s Bryan Jardine, who will have Dungannon’s Declan Campbell beside him.
Finishing the five-day epic challenge will be each of their initial goals on Thursday morning, but as the event unfolds, hopes of overall and class victories may come into their minds.
Barrett and Noble have had a horrendous run of luck at the event, failing to finish in each of his previous three attempts, having come close to overall victory on one of those occasions.
But rather than feeling dejected and turning his back on the RAC, Barrett feels the excitement of the event and the effort ahead of and during it are what keep him coming back.
“The effort that myself and everyone around me puts in, the excitement around it and the amount of people who help me [is why we keep coming back],” he explained.
“The effort that family and friends put in, the amount of work the lads put into the car, which is as good as it has ever been. It’s probably the best it’s ever been and I’m in good enough tune myself and me and Gordy are getting on good. The team’s getting on good and it’s more of a challenge for everyone and everyone is looking forward to it.”
Well versed in the RAC at this stage, Barrett knows ‘concentration’ will be key to any success over the five days.
“We’ll need a bit of luck but concentration is serious,” he added. “The last stage is 40 miles. After doing four days of rallying, the last stage is essentially a whole Bushwhacker in one stage. Me and Gordy were doing the pacenotes last night and there are 52 pages of notes just for that stage!
“And after driving for five days, it’s not over until it’s over. You could be leading by two minutes but you get a puncture and the rally’s over – it’s called the ‘sting in the tail’ because the rally is not over until the end of that last stage.
“It’s about concentration, keeping the level of concentration, being tactical to make it work and I feel that Sunday morning is the time it’s going to happen – everyone is going to be tired, everyone is going to be frustrated, everyone is going to be hungry, it’s about everyone pulling together on the Sunday morning and making it happen.”
Donaghmore’s Hetherington, who finished third in 2021, has also endured bad luck at the event, retiring in 2019 and 2023, believes you need to be on ‘the right pace’ from the off and he admits he gladly take a top 10 finish this time around.
“It’s a bit like the Grand National, the RAC, you could be down at the first corner or you could get the whole way! It’s hard to know!,” he observed.
“You have no time to bed in because you can’t let [your fellow competitors] get away from you. If you do, the gap’s only going to get bigger. It’s about finding the right pace that you won’t go off the road and wreck the car!
“If I was getting [third again] I’d accept that now! A top 10 finish would be very acceptable if it was offered to you but there is stiff opposition at the top, the pros are out in force again.
“But there are no guarantees for anyone, sure the second time I did it I blew the car up on the first stage. I only got to the end of the first stage so hopefully we get round it!”
Ballygawley driver, Hamill, meanwhile, enjoyed a successful RAC debut two years ago, finishing sixth overall in a car that was only finished being built just before it was shipped to the start.
And he’s taking a ‘similar approach’ in 2025, having kept the same vehicle in storage since the end of the final stage two years ago.
“We had a great experience and that’s my we’re going back again. The car hasn’t touched the gravel since so we’re going back with a similar approach,” he said.
“I think consistency is key to that event. [With no chance to test the car] I took it easy, I definitely didn’t stick the neck out, but we had plenty of mechanical woes, with stuff coming loose and that, but we were able to get things tightened up and I just let the pace come to us. I got comfortable in the car and once I did I could push on a bit and get more respectable times.
“We were well in the mix on the Sunday morning and then we slid off the road on the ice for about 10 minutes, which knocked us way back but then we made a bit of a comeback and got back to sixth.
“But it’s a finishers rally. If you keep your nose clean and have decent pace, keep the car right because there’s no good being stuck in a ditch or breaking a half-shaft because then you’re out essentially.
“You have to pick where to go hard and where to conserve the car, drive the conditions because you’ll see it all – snow, ice, rain, fog, night – and you just plot your way through it.”
And Aughnacloy’s Jardine is looking forward to being part of the main field for the first time. In 2023 he finished second in the Open class behind the wheel of a 1.6l machine, but he built a new car at the start of the year, a full historic Mk II Ford Escort with a more powerful two litre BDA engine for the 2025 event.
“We’ll aim to take it steady, get around it and have good fun!,” he explained. “Last time gave us a good foundation and it’s probably similar to the same lay-out as last time and the last stage is even a bit longer than the last time!
“While we have an idea of what the event is going to be like, reliability is a big part of it with the car and concentration with yourself. It’s a big marathon and the last day is over 80 stage miles with the last stage being over 40, which is a full rally in one go!
“The adrenaline keeps you going sleep wise and last time, the conditions were very good, it wasn’t too bad. But when we did the two-day, there was frost and fog and it was difficult. The fog is the worst to drive in and if you had five days of that, you’d be struggling!”
