Part of rallying’s very appeal are the extremities drivers and teams push themselves to in the pursuit of greatness. But not that extreme.
The 2023 Grizedale Stages soon became a write-off when the snow just wouldn’t stop falling in early December, but the organising team acted exemplarily when the contest shifted from a sporting matter to simply survival. This is the in-depth story of what happened in December, and the process behind a safe conclusion being reached.
Grizedale is always slightly different on the UK rallying calendar in how late it runs, and that it’s one of the most popular events not to be part of a major championship. Traditionally it attracts a strong entry and 2023 was no exception with BTRDA Gold Star champion Elliot Payne, Ollie Mellors and Stephen Petch headlining the list in their Ford, Proton and Skoda Rally2 machines.
“You had to cut to stop the car sliding off”
Neil Roskell
As always, the event opened with a night stage on Friday evening which Mellors topped, taking an 11-second advantage to bed with him. Waking up the next morning, Saturday December 2, the battle was expected to unfold over six of the finest stages
