Racing lines: rallying to the cause

State of the nation

So what’s his verdict on rallying’s current state of health? “Overall, I’m pretty happy,” says Tullie. “One thing we saw before I joined MSUK was how keen so many have been to get back out rallying. Clubs have adapted with online signing on and paper (rather than physical) scrutineering. In some ways it’s been a benefit, having moved things on in terms of the technical areas, out of necessity. 

“Inevitably, we’ve probably lost a few events across all rally disciplines, but in most cases organisers have been able to get back up and running. One thing I’ve definitely had feedback on, and an area we’re conscious of anyway, is the lowering number of marshals and officials. It’s a struggle to recruit.”

As an established member of the rallying community, Tullie feels the pressure of responsibility.

New ground for him has been his dealings with the UK’s various forestry commissions. “Their senior management have high expectations on sustainability,” he says.

“We’ve got a lot of ideas, but some, such as sustainable fuels, aren’t quick solutions. It’s about a progression. We are working with Natural Resources Wales in particular, because they wanted environmental considerations in their master agreement for forestry rallying.

“Some events now have carbon offsetting programmes, which are good and legitimate. But that has to be part of a bigger remit. We need to look at changing on-event vehicles we are using for officials and service vehicles for competitors. This year we have a head of sustainability, so we’re putting the meat on the bones of that aspect now. We have a tender out for a company to produce a carbon calculator, which can be shared with clubs.

"It would be great to have baseline figures from five or 10 years ago because we’ve already been doing great work on sustainability in forestry rallying – for example, on analysing tread patterns and basic things like servicing on ground sheets, and including spill kits in cars. Now we are under more scrutiny from the general public, we have to progress more quickly.

Tullie says he has been encouraged by the “collaborative” relationship with the regional forestry commissions, whose priority must be to protect and nurture their precious landscapes. At the same time, activities such as motorsport offer a positive contribution to communities, including from an economic point of view. Despite the environmental challenges, the future of forestry rallying doesn’t have to be bleak.

What Tullie can’t tell us is when a British-based event will return to the World Rally Championship. The best hope remains a round in Northern Ireland, following the financial demise of Wales Rally GB – but it’s a work in progress, and one he’s not directly involved in. "We're committed to bringing back the WRC to the UK," is the official line from MSUK, while Tullie understands only too clearly how important it is to rallying in Britain in the long term.


“I’m conscious of the financial difficulties. It was quite close with Northern Ireland for this year, but there had to be a point where a decision was made and unfortunately it was impossible to say the commitment on finances was in place. I know it was very disappointing for the community, as it was for us. 

“A WRC round is not something to be entered into lightly and once you are out of the frame you have that added difficulty of getting back in. One thing we all agree on is the importance of having it, not only from a competitors’ point of view but for marshals and officials. Rally GB has always been the event we all aspire to.”

Tullie has to remain optimistic, otherwise he couldn’t do his job. “We must all pull in the right and same direction,” he says. “We’re seeing it more at club level. You’ve got neighbouring clubs that historically have been at loggerheads who are now joining together to put on a closed-road stage rally. If that collaboration continues that gives us hope.”

Top step

World Touring Car Cup at Vallelunga: Two months after Goodyear tyre failures forced the World Touring Car Cup to cancel its races on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, more turmoil hit the series at Vallelunga in Italy.

The Cyan Racing-run Lynk & Cos, top dogs in this series, couldn’t complete a race distance safely on the spec tyre, according to the Swedish team. Balance of Performance compensation weight made the blue cars by far the heaviest on the grid, which Cyan claimed was the source of the problem. And when the FIA and series promoter refused to act and change the rules, the team followed through on its threat to withdrew its five cars – but only as they completed the formation laps for both races.

Cue an awful mountain of bad feeling. As the Lynk & Cos departed, the other teams also found their Goodyears to be fragile as track temperatures topped 60 degrees C at the circuit near Rome.

Honda driver Nestor Girolami and Audi’s Gilles Magnus won the races, as points leader Mikel Azcona stretched his advantage with a pair of podiums for Hyundai. Lynk & Co’s Santi Urrutia and reigning double champion Yann Ehrlacher had been Azcona’s biggest threat to his first world crown and the pair were due to start on the front row for race two. But Cyan’s withdrawal left an open goal for the 26-year-old Spaniard and has likely cost both any realistic shot at the WTCR crown.

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