The 2025 Cambrian Rally delivered everything a season finale should. Drama, tactics, pressure, and one of those moments motorsport quietly files away as history.
Run on October 25th as the final round of the Probite British Rally Championship, the event returned to the classic North Wales gravel forests of Brenig, Clocaenog and Alwen.
Organised by North Wales Car Club, the rally also counted towards the BTRDA Rally Championship and Welsh Rally Championship, drawing one of the deepest entry lists of the season.
And by the end of the day, it had crowned champions and revived a legendary family name.
McRae Victory Seals a New Chapter
Up front, Max McRae and co driver Cameron Fair claimed a landmark victory. It was McRae’s first ever British Rally Championship event win, achieved in style on his first competitive outing on gravel in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
McRae wasted no time, topping the opening stage and immediately setting the tone. The rally, however, was anything but straightforward. A mid event puncture brought tension into the cockpit and tightened an already fierce battle with Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja, who applied relentless pressure throughout the afternoon.
It came down to the final forest.
Max reacted, exactly as champions do, delivering a committed, controlled stage time to secure victory by the narrowest of margins. Jürgenson and Oja finished second, with Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss completing the podium in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
He wasted no time, topping the opening stage and immediately setting the tone. The rally, however, was anything but straightforward. A mid event puncture brought tension into the cockpit and tightened an already fierce battle with Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja, who applied relentless pressure throughout the afternoon.
It came down to the final forest. He responded exactly as champions do, delivering a committed, controlled stage time to secure victory by the narrowest of margins. Jürgenson and Oja finished second, with Meirion Evans and Dale Furniss completing the podium in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
For the McRae family, the result carried extra weight. Max became the first McRae to win a BRC round in 27 years, following his father Alister McRae, who last achieved the feat in 1998. Rallying has a long memory, and this one will stay.
Championship Composure Under Pressure
While the battle for victory played out at full attack, the championship fight required something different.
William Creighton and Liam Regan arrived knowing exactly what was required to secure the 2025 British Rally Championship title. No heroics, no unnecessary risks, just a clean and intelligent drive.
Fourth place was enough.
Across constantly changing gravel conditions and variable grip, Creighton managed the rally with maturity beyond his years, keeping rivals in check and points safely in hand. When the final stage dust settled, the title was theirs after a season long fight that underlined just how competitive modern British rallying has become.
Juniors, National Honours and the Bigger Picture
Beyond the overall headlines, the Cambrian Rally decided multiple championships and highlighted the strength of the support categories.
In the Junior BRC, Kyle McBride and Darragh Mullen sealed the title in their Peugeot 208 Rally4, the reward for a season defined by consistency and development. Elsewhere, Rob Cotton secured the National Rally title, proving once again that success on Welsh gravel demands precision as much as speed.
Conditions throughout the event were classic Cambrian. Fast but technical forest roads, changing weather, evolving lines and grip levels that punished even small mistakes. It was a rally that rewarded thinking drivers and calm crews, especially with championships on the line.
A Rally Worthy of Its History
For North Wales Car Club, the event marked 70 years of organising motorsport, and the return to classic forest tests felt like a fitting tribute to that legacy. The Cambrian Rally has always been about more than just results. It is about endurance, tradition, and the quiet pressure of forests that have seen generations of drivers pass through.
This year, it delivered champions, a first time winner with a famous name, and a reminder of why British rallying continues to matter.
Some rallies end seasons.
Others define them. The Cambrian did both.
