Wrc stars head to Grampian for early Rally Scotland warm-up

Here's the thing about testing new ground: you have to go out and see it for yourself. Based in Banchory, the upcoming event running across 7 – 8 August is set to feature 10 stages and 57 competitive miles over Aberdeenshire’s gravel roads. Many of these tracks share characteristics with the terrain expected to shape next year’s Aberdeen-based WRC round, marking the return of the WRC to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2019 when the new event joins the calendar in 2027, headquartered at P&J Live in Aberdeen.

Heading the international entry are none other than current WRC championship leaders Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin. They will pilot a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 just five days after finishing on the podium at Secto Rally Finland. It will mark Evans’ first competitive appearance on home soil since the 2019 edition of Wales Rally GB. The Welshman admitted that his limited knowledge of the region made the Grampian an especially worthwhile addition to his programme.

“I know very little about the stages up there so, of course, I’d be interested in any opportunities to learn something for the future,” Evans said.

Down in the service park, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team crew Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne will step down from their usual Rally1 machinery to compete in a Ford Fiesta Rally2. They are joined by M-Sport’s WRC2 pairing Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja, who already possess useful knowledge of the event. The Estonians contested the Grampian during their 2025 British Rally Championship campaign and recorded three fastest stage times.

The strength of the WRC2 contingent does not end there. Lancia Corse HF crews Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand, alongside Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov, will give the Ypsilon HF Rally2 its competitive UK debut. Rossel delivered Lancia’s maiden WRC2 victory in Croatia earlier this season, and both crews have remained regular contenders at the sharp end of the category throughout the campaign. North American rally star Brandon Semenuk adds further international interest in a Škoda Fabia Rally2.