RALLY CLUB

In the week we crown the first British World Rally Champion since Phil Mills won the WRC alongside Petter Solberg, enjoy a throwback with Elfyn Evans from 2015 when his sparkling career on the world stage was only just getting started.

And from one great champion, to another - SS14 of the Rally Club podcast is a special feature, going behind the visor with five-time Welsh Rally Champion, and 2025 BTRDA Goldstar Champion Matthew Hirst.

From humble beginnings - Matthew and longstanding codriver Declan Dear rolling a hired Peugeot 106 on the Riponian - to becoming the UK’s top club rally driver, this is a success story to rival the best of them!

Normally known for his reserved, gracious nature, Matt steps out of his comfort zone in this interview and takes us on his journey, like you’ve never heard it before.

From the days of being on windscreen-wiping duty for his Dad’s Escort Cosworth at Twyford Wood, to making changes to his daily routine in order to make the marginal gains in one of the sport’s most fierce rivalries.

Inspiring club rallying stories are right at the heart of this podcast, and they don’t come much more inspiring than this one.

Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, join in the discussion on social media and get your Rally Club merchandise at RallyingIsLife.com.

In this episode of Rally Club, Paul Woodford is joined by one of British rallying’s class of ‘26 star performers, Lee Edwards to talk about how a club rally campaign became one of the sport’s best giant-killing performances of recent years.

Prodrive 555 engineering ace Martyn Spurrell takes us back to the glory days of the Group A and WRC Subaru Impreza championship years.

And works driver Chris Birkbeck introduces his latest project - the Astra GTE his Vauxhall teammate Pentti Arikkala drove to 3rd place on the ‘87 Manx International.

Meanwhile, there are some top tips for anyone wanting to get into club rallying or Rallycross, and an appeal to save road rallying in the South East of England.

Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and join in the discussion on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Visit paulwoodford.co.uk/rallyclub

SS12 of Rally Club is packed full of stories, from rising star Luke Constantine to three-time BTRDA Gold Star Champion Elliott Payne.

Group A guru Carl Tuer joins us to talk about Formula 2 Astras, Dave Mathewson and Malton Motor Club Chairman Dan Robinson celebrate a successful launch for Mathewsons Live, and Fraser Hughes tells us about an epic targa rally adventure in the Scottish Highlands.

Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts, and join in the discussion on social media.

RALLY CLUB is back for a second series - more rally stories, more encouragement to get involved with club rallying and grassroots motorsport, and more opportunities to tell the world about our amazing sport.

Episode 11 of RALLY CLUB is a Comp Safari special, recorded at Gisburn where Paul was competing in Pertrac’s immaculately-prepared Bowler Wildcat in the Northern Off-Road Club Championship.

The Bowler isn’t quite so immaculate right now, you’ll find out why. But Pertrac is now focused on getting the car ready for a very special Rally Raid adventure to Algeria later this year.

This episode also features interviews recorded at Mathewsons Live in Harrogate, where Comp Safari cars rubbed shoulders with rally royalty, showing off to a sold-out crowd of tens of thousands of motoring enthusiasts and rally fans.

Once again, Llandudno-based rock band The Screaming Conrods play us in and out, so a big thank you to Dave Paveley and the gang - look out for their new album, due to be released this summer.

Thanks for tuning in - don’t forget to subscribe and share the podcast. Let’s tell the world about club motorsport!

The Lincolnshire Classic Motor Show launched its first year in spectacular style, with a demonstration rally stage hosted by Rallying with Gtouo B.

With everything from a Jim Clark Lotus Cortina to the first Bowler Wildcat to ever take on the Dakar, there really was something for everyone.

This Special Selective episode of Rally Club goes behind the scenes, featuring the people behind the initiative and enjoying some rally car stories, from Group B to Comp Safari.

Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, so you don’t miss an episode.

For Rally Club merchandise, head to RallyingIsLife.com.

#RallyClub

Autotesting is one of the sport’s most accessible categories, with competitors of all ages able to compete on a level playing field in any car.

York Motor Club is on a mission to not only showcase this cost effective motorsport, but also get people involved.

A variety of road, classic, rally and autotest special cars took to a demonstration course at The Motorist in Yorkshire, offering passenger rides and encouraging new sign-ups for Motorsport UK’s free RS Clubman licence.

Join Paul Woodford in the Rally Club Spark Mini for stories from the people behind the scenes of this fantastic initiative, and a sideways chat round a hot and dusty grass autotest course.

Listen back to series 1 of Rally Club, and don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, follow on social media, and tell the world you’re in the RALLY CLUB.

Club rallying and grass roots motorsport is all about the journey.

Whilst some competitors use the pathways designed into our sport to progress to bigger challenges, others are happy to stay immersed and build their legacy in a particular category or championship.

SS10 of RALLY CLUB goes on one final journey for this first series of the podcast. Telling the story of competitors like Bernie Nolan and Roger Stanford, who have swapped stage rally and historic touring cars for the lanes of North Humberside Motor Club’s classic tour.

Young Cole and Mabel are at the start of their respective motorsport journeys, while Ian Barnes has been competing in club rallying since the 1970s and still, in his seventies, loves nothing more than throwing a rally car around.

2025 was the ‘Year of the Micra’ - I said so! For Dylan Fowler-Bishop and Dan Evans, winning the BTRDA Bronze Star title in their 1400 Micra was not only a dream come true, it opened doors to the next opportunity.

And when a double Junior Rally Champion and Mini Rally Challenge Champion joins forces with a two-time BHRC title winner, big things can happen. As Charlie Mathewson and Josh Carr have found out in their first British Rally Championship season together.

However your club motorsport journey looks so far, I truly hope you enjoyed being with me on this journey through the stories of our sport.

I’ll be back for Series 2 of Rally Club, with some Special Selective episodes of the podcast thrown in for good measure in the meantime.

For now, thank you for following on social media, for subscribing wherever you listen to your podcasts, and for lending your enthusiasm and support to helping me make Rally Club a success.

Here’s to the journey.

#RallyClub

We’re going back to the eighties in this Special Selective episode of RALLY CLUB, as Paul Woodford gets behind the wheel of Spark Developments’ 200bhp fire-breathing Peugeot 205 GTI.

It’s the second round of the brand new, super accessible club Rallycross series, organised by the Minicross Drivers Association and we’re back at Blyton Park in Lincolnshire.

With an eight-strong team of entries across the Classic and Rally Car classes, Team Spark have put on one heck of a spectacle, all in tribute to Bill and Kath Skermer, two people who need no introduction in the world of club Rallycross.

Hear from Championship Coordinator, Jordine Crooks, from Spark’s Jamie McBain, and a host of competitors from all corners of the Rallycross paddock.

How will Paul get on with a powerful, lightweight 205 GTI racer, after the user-friendly R53 Mini last

Time out?

Find out on Rally Club!

SS9 of RALLY CLUB is a works Escort special, with stories from one of the foremost authorities on Boreham-built rally cars, Dave Watkins.

Keeping the Escort theme, Jon Seth tells us how he chanced upon a significant Motoring News Championship Mk1 Escort, which he’s now campaigning in its original, unique livery.

Paul speaks to the rally driver, tackling an adventure with a difference in the name of charity, and the organisers of the brand new North West Rally Legends event talk about the inspiration behind bringing rally cars back to Haigh Hall for the first time in 40 years.

We also talk road rally logistics with a competitor’s perspective of the Rally App Live system, which has benefitted and divided road rally and targa organisers in equal measure.

And it’s Rallycross week, as Paul prepares to saddle up in the Spark Developments squad for the second round of the Minicross Driver’s Association Championship, driving a fire-breathing 205 GTI in the pre-90s Classics class.

Subscribe for future episodes and bonus content, and follow RALLY CLUB on Facebook and Instagram to join the discussion.

#RallyClub

SS8 of Rally Club takes us back to the heady days of Formula 2 rallying, with Nissan Sunny driver Chris Butcher and Andy Dawe, who worked as a mechanic at the Nissan Motorsports Europe works outfit during the kit car era.

Motorsport UK Rallies Manager, Jonathan Jackson provides an update and takes your questions following a successful trial of the new road section insurance scheme, and we check in on the MDA Rallycross Championship organising team as preparations continue for the second round of the series at Blyton Park.

We also look ahead to the Plains Rally, with BTRDA Historic Cup Chevette driver Ben Jemison, and new Mini Rally Challenge competitors Tim Kirvan-Rodgers and Mason Woodford.

Subscribe for future episodes and bonus content, and follow RALLY CLUB on Facebook and Instagram to join the discussion.

#RallyClub