Those crews who made the Blackpool finish on the Sunday afternoon had survived a 560 mile route using some of the remotest roads in Northern England and Southern Scotland during its three-day course. Notwithstanding the weather the finish must have been a welcome sight for competitors who had endured one of the wettest ever ‘Test’ rallies.

Having tackled a route containing numerous fords through swollen rivers as they neared Blackpool the competitors were greeted by torrential rain of monsoon proportions. There was standing water on long tracts of road, around Bilsborrow and Inskip in particular, making the final leg of the journey just as tricky as some earlier ones.

Following Thursday evening’s prologue, the rally had started proper on Friday with a 225 mile route that took crews via Kielder Forest and the Scottish Borders before finishing in Dumfries. A more southerly course on Saturday took contestants via Kershope Forest, Warcop Military Ranges and Catterick Army Camp before reaching the overnight stop near Darlington. It wasn’t without it’s challenges though as a couple of fords in the Weardale Valley proved especially tortuous with the swollen rivers claiming a number of cars that required help from a rescue vehicle.

At 166 miles Sunday’s third and final leg was the shortest of the rally but it proved just as tough as those on the previous two days. Make no mistake, all credit goes to each and every crew for reaching the Blackpool finish.

Amazingly all but nine of the 68 starters completed the event that was won by Howard Warren and Iain Tullie in a 1962 Porsche 356. They recorded a winning margin of more than two minutes ahead of the 1964 Porsche 356C of Neil Wilson and Matthew Vokes. Finishing third, a repeat of their result from last year’s event, were David Morgan and Martyn Taylor in a 1968 Volvo 123GT.

Almost there… Winners Howard Warren and Iain Tullie pass the Eagle & Child at Weeton in their 1962 Porsche 356.

View a gallery of photos from the 2015 Rally of the Tests, here.

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Run over four days, starting in Edinburgh and finishing in Stratford-on-Avon, the event is designed to revive the spirit and style of an RAC Rally of the 1950’s. With such a tough format to just finish the event is a feat in itself!

The first day’s action featured a prologue test at the Knockhill race Circuit in Fife. Times set here dertermined the running order of the eighty-one starters for the following day’s haul to Penrith in Cumbria.

The route took competitors via a time control outside the Jim Clark Room in Duns where a more modern day rallying icon, former Ladies World Rally Champion Louise Aitken-Walker was doing a spot of marshalling.

Tests followed at Charterhall, where Clark often raced and the most impressive Floors Castle before crews crossed the border just south of Gretna before tackling the daunting roads of the Warcop Military Ranges in the dark.

By the time crews had reached the overnight rest halt Fennell from Dublin and Savage from Bolton-le-sands. Lancashire. had moved up to third a significant improvement on their starting position of ninth.

Day three’s route started with a test at the Lowther Wildlife Park before heading south through the Lake District. The rally then ran through North East Lancashire before crossing the Pennines into Yorkshire. By the time crews reached the Buxton night halt Fennel and Savage were in the lead and they would stay there right up to the Stratford finish.

View a gallery of photos from the 2005 Rally of the Tests, here.

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