Get Jerky Rally roars back to Welshpool after year away

After its unfortunate cancellation in 2025 due to storm damage, the Welshpool-based event returned with renewed energy, once again centred around the town’s livestock market service area.

The Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Car Club organised rally held a mid-day regroup and end-of-event celebrations in Welshpool town centre which offered fans a unique opportunity to get close to the cars and drivers.

The rally continued to be supported by title sponsor Get Jerky, which is produced by Trailhead Fine Foods in Welshpool.

Crews tackled six stages covering 45 competitive miles, with the iconic Dyfnant and Aberhirnant forests providing a classic Wales Rally GB-style challenge. Both stages were used twice during the day, and served up demanding condition and plenty of action.

A top-class modern entry headed to Mid Wales,which included British Rally Championship event winner Max McRae, who arrived with co-driver Cammy Fair for a crucial pre-season outing.

Another major contender came in the form of Welshman Meirion Evans, fresh from confirming his 2026 British Rally Championship campaign with the Castrol MEM Rally Team.

Evans and co-driver Dale Furniss piloted their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 and are expected to be firmly in the fight for outright honours on home soil, heading up the Pirelli Welsh Rally Championship contingent.

Elsewhere, Protyre BTRDA Rally Series leader Matthew Hirst and co-driver Jack Bown went out in a Skoda Fabia R5, with Alex Vassallo and Chris Lees (Ford Fiesta Rally2), Icelandic duo Daniel Siguroarson and Asta Siguroarson (Skoda Fabia Rally2), and the in-form Elliot Payne and Patrick Walsh (Fiesta Rally2) all adding to the action.

Across the weekend, their were also Championship fights played out for the ANWCC Forest Rally Championship, West Wales Rally Spares HRCR Stage Masters Challenge, TCS Plant Rally Challenge and Mini Cup Stage Rallying Championship.

In the main race, which many of the fans came to see, it as McRae who came out on top, following in the footsteps of his father Alistair who won the event back in the 1990s.

He came out on top by just over two seconds from Evans and Furniss, with the latter having some decent local knowledge as he hails from the Llanfyllin area.

In a field dominated by drivers and co-drivers from Great Britain - the top five in the race were all from home shores.

Elsewhere, the Sigurdsson’s were down in sixth, with eighth place taken up by Republic of Ireland driver, James Wilson.