Starting from the Dovenby headquarters of the M-Sport World Rally Team this was the 44th running of the event organised by Morecambe Car Club, Kirkby Lonsdale Motor Club and West Cumbria Motorsport Club. The 95 crews who started the rally faced a route containing forty-four competitive timed to the second miles, spread over seven special stages in the Lake District forests, with the finish at Penrith.

The rally’s opening leg encompassed an early visit to the Whinlatter Forest for stages through Hobcarton, Comb and Wythop before the first of the schedule’s two Greystoke tests. Service at Penrith preceded two stages in Grizedale that were followed by a second service halt and a repeat of the morning’s Greystoke stage.

Victory went to Frenchman Adrian Fourmaux and his Belgian co-driver, Renaud Jamoul, in a M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5 Mk2. They finished more than a minute and a half ahead of the Fiesta WRC of Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson who were happy to finish as runners-up and take a maximum BTRDA Rally Series points haul.

Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy finished third in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9 ahead of Jock Armstrong and Cameron Fair’s Subaru Impreza. Dylan Davies and Llion Williams completed the top five in their Skoda Fabia R5.

View a gallery of photos from the 2020 Malcolm Wilson Rally, here.