The WKD Trained Dogs Rally North Wales will make a welcome return to the British motorsport calendar on Saturday 26 March as event organisers launch the popular Dolgellau based gravel rally.  

Ahead of entries opening on Monday 7 February, the Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Car Club organised event have introduced a host of changes to the traditional rally format which has not run since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As announced in 2021, leading multi-disciplined dog training firm WKD Trained Dogs will become the title sponsor of the highly regarded forest rally. Based in Staffordshire and led by Matt Wiggins, the WKD Trained Dogs team offer some of the best dog training in the UK and join the event for the first time as title sponsor.

Also new in 2022 will be a brand new route for competitors, as the now traditional Dyfi and Gartheiniog forest stages will be joined by the introduction of the legendary Pantperthog test to the itinerary.

The little-used stage will be added to the more familiar loop, offering over 44 miles of top-quality stages just a few miles away from the rally base at Dolgellau Farmers Market.  Coupled with central servicing and an impressive 60 road miles, competitors will enjoy an ultra-compact and cost-effective rally whilst using some of the best stages in the world.

After the rally start at 08:30am at Gwyndaf Evans Motors in Dolgellau on Saturday morning, the iconic forests will house eight stages in the region, with a four-stage loop repeated after a mid-event service halt in Dolgellau before the ceremonial finish at the Farmers Market at around 15:00.

Crews in two-wheel-drive machinery will run at the head of the field in a reverse seeded format, with a short gap separating them from the four-wheel-drive contenders who will still be able to sample the resilient world-famous stages which are reported to be in excellent condition after a recent route survey.

The event is proud to be a round of the Fuchs Lubricants Motorsport UK British Historic Rally Championship and they will be joined by the ever-popular Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Rally Championship which is set to provide a top-shelf list of crews.

Joining the British Historic and the Welsh Championship crews, The Fuchs Lubricants RACRMC Mixed Surface/Rally 2 series will use the event as a qualifier, along with the ANWCC Forest Rally Championship and Mini Challenge. The impressive Bowler Defender Challenge will offer a bumper list of Land Rover Defenders tackling the event in the unique series.  

Event organisers are encouraging competitors to thoroughly read the regulations after their launch on Tuesday 25 January and entry requirements ahead of the opening of entries. Those who are registered contenders in the qualifying championships of Rally North Wales will be offered the opportunity to exclusively enter the rally on Monday 7 February and have a seven-day window to do so. After that time, entries will be fully open for all.

Guy Weaver, Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Car Club Chairman is delighted to see the return of Rally North Wales in 2022.

“It certainly does feel like a very long time since the last running of Rally North Wales and we are delighted to be back up and running once again,” he says.

“It’s clear there is a very positive appetite for stage rallying to return to normal this year and we are very pleased with what we can offer competitors in March. Retaining all the popular aspects of Rally North Wales, we have also introduced a new stage to freshen up the route to ensure we continue to offer a cost-effective rally on some of the most widely acclaimed stages in existence. We look forward to seeing everyone in Dolgellau.”

Event organisers are awaiting confirmation from authorities and landowners on spectator access and further information on the rally will be announced in due course.

The event regulations will be available from Tuesday 25 January and online entry system will be available for championship contenders at 7pm on Monday 7 February  at www.rallynorthwales.co.uk