Rallying around is so great to witness

The Guernsey Rally truly came back with a bang in 2025.

It burst into life seven years ago, just before I began my Guernsey Press sports reporting career, and has persevered despite bumps along the road to consistently be among my favourite events.

But 2025 is the year that it finally raced to top spot in my annual sporting highlights, against all odds producing its biggest and best event yet.

The rally got off to a flying start initially and spent the following years taking shape, growing and overcoming the initial roadblock of Covid to cement its place in many a Sarnian sports lover’s heart.

Not everyone shared those sentiments. In 2023, the Guernsey Rally was attacked by a few vocal dissenters, with protests and other disruptions not only causing stage cancellations but other problems through the event’s runtime.

The following year’s cancellation – if only for a Environment & Infrastructure ban on events requiring multiple road closures – suggested that the rally might be running on fumes.

Oh, how wrong the doubters were.

Watch our video round-up of the 2025 Guernsey Rally

Fast-forward to this spring and we’re staging our biggest rally by any meaningful metric – the most miles, the biggest field, not to mention the highest standard.

We also had a celebrity starter in Andy Priaulx and a new Friday afternoon stage up near Lihou to keep things interesting.

Although I don’t have any spectator statistics to hand, the number of onlookers lining the safe sections of the course had to be up there.

Even the weather played ball – except when it didn’t.

The cold, wet and generally dismal nature of the Saturday morning stages was a blessing in disguise for Guernsey’s Craig Robert and Chris Guille, who utilised these conditions and their local knowledge to begin chewing into Ross Le Noa and Domonic Volante’s lead and threaten the unspeakable.

Could Jersey’s Le Noa, who had won the last five editions, actually be beaten?

Ultimately, the home challengers fell critically short, but to finish second and just 19sec. down on the Caesarean elite is a result to be incredibly proud of.

The event was staged in the honour of Craig’s late father, Graham, and I would hope the unexpected home hero had done him rather proud too.

While I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing them in their element over the rain-stricken upper parishes, I did relish watching the aforementioned sprint around Lihou headland, the roaring vehicles slicing through the darkness in Friday evening’s Vale stage, and last but not least the dramatic double hairpin of Petit Bot.

Yet the event wouldn’t have provided quite the same spectacle without the volatility in crews’ results.

It’s not that I wanted anyone to crash, break down or, in domestic stars Will Rutherford and Dale Crowsley’s case, suffer a decisive penalty due to a freak incident deploying their extinguisher system.

But while I would have put good money on Le Noa winning, it was virtually anyone’s race beyond that – ideal to keep the neutrals guessing.

The existence of different classes also meant there were victories to be celebrated further down the field.

This led to class honours for Guernsey’s own Paul Trebert and Jason Carre, who finished sixth having gone in as the top-seeded domestic crew, together with Chris Torode and Nick Saunders.

For all the jubilation around the rally, it appears to be on uncertain ground going forwards, with travel schedules now providing an additional obstacle.

The current lack of regular inter-island sailings taking cars on board is an issue that lead organiser Karl Marshall has been quite vocal about, having earlier expressed concerns that the 2025 rally could be the last big motorsport event for the foreseeable future.

However, the event’s future is secure in the short term, with Brittany Ferries putting on an extra boat to support the 2026 edition.

The rally will always have its opponents. But it remains a rare treat, for competitors and supporters alike, to be enjoyed once a year.

I have to credit Marshall and his organisational team’s commitment to easing the burden on the environment and the members of the public who might be negatively affected.

They are out there informing residents on proposed courses months in advance, while taking measures to counteract environmental impact – to the extent that the 2023 event reportedly made history, being carbon-neutral.

Also, hearing heart-warming stories of those proving food, drink and space on their own properties over the course, it feels like the rally has transcended sport to become a real community highlight.

While it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, it clearly is a refresher and a welcome change of pace for so many people around the island. Long may it continue.

And one quick additional highlight on the road, for the road...

I was honoured to attend Orkney 2025 – not as an athlete, but for my first away Island Games as a roving Press reporter. This followed on from the epic Guernsey 2023 home Games and the bar was set very high.

I don’t think anyone expected the warmth of the Orcadian welcome we received. For the friendliness of the people, the wholly unexpected near-constant sunshine, and beauty of the archipelago’s ‘mainland’, it was an ideal environment for Team Guernsey to flourish while keeping an eye on developing towards future Games.

The finest moments for me – if I must pick – remain Chris Bain’s milestone individual gold in the 5,000m and the new-look cycling team’s surprise success, placing second in the medal table despite having no known big-hitters a la Sam Culverwell.

It didn’t feel like a comedown from Guernsey 2023’s roaring highs for me – rather, a different experience with its own charm.

By plying my trade, I was also very proud to be playing my part in how the week was perceived, within these pages chronicling many lasting records of the tales of triumph Guernsey enjoyed.