Encompassing three and a half demanding days, 720 miles, 30 tests and 22 regularities, the FIVA registered 2025 RAC Rally of the Tests concluded on the 9th of November, 2025 in Llandudno with an unexpected yet richly deserved victory for John King and Matthew Vokes in their Lotus Elan Plus Two. Against all predictions that the lightweight sports car would struggle to survive the punishing mix of forests, farm tracks and rough tarmac, King and Vokes not only defied the doubters but clinched their first major win, finishing more than a minute ahead of fierce rivals Paul Dyas and Martyn Taylor in their Lotus-engined Ford Cortina. In third place, and separated from second by mere seconds for much of the final day, were Belgium’s Kurt Venderspinnen and Bjorn Vanoverschelde in their Lotus Cortina—completing an all-Lotus podium that would have delighted Colin Chapman himself.
An emotional John King celebrated the triumph on the Llandudno Promenade, reflecting on a year spent preparing the Elan Plus Two specifically for this event. “It's great, but I’m a bit emotional,” he admitted. “The Lotus has come good, we've come good. The car was bought for this event from the start of the year, feeding it in slowly and sorting out lots of little problems. She’s come good—there are loads of rattles—but she’s fundamentally done a great job. They were saying she wouldn’t last… but no pressure. Matthew has been brilliant; as long as I wasn’t stupid on the tests we were quick, and we had to be because it’s such a tough group. All three of us were in the same class, so we couldn’t afford to drop time. Everybody was keeping each other honest, but I couldn’t have scored such a great win without a great navigator in Matthew.” Vokes, who had twice finished runner-up in the event in previous years, added: “I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet. To finally win it is special—it’s the one everybody wants to win. We had great competition from the other podium crews, though it was a shame what happened to Kurt and Bjorn. And to John—what a great drive in quite a car.”
King’s progression through the ranks of FIVA Professional Member HERO-ERA —from Dolomite Sprint, to Toyota, to the Lotus—now leads him toward the 2028 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, for which he has acquired an 89-year-old Dodge that will debut on the Flying Scotsman next year. Meanwhile, Dyas and Taylor, long locked in battle with three-time winners Dan Willan and Niall Frost, once again finished second, a result they accepted with good humour. “What a day,” Dyas said. “It’s been nip and tuck all day with Kurt and Bjorn. We’ve just been flat out today—you don’t want to be flat out everywhere, but you need those couple of seconds. What a battle.” Taylor praised the depth of the challenge: “On an event of this length and difficulty, Guy Woodcock really has thrown everything into the mix. The mountainous terrain, the gravel tracks, the farm roads—it becomes very difficult, but really enjoyable. It produced a great battle with Kurt and Bjorn in the Lotus-engined Cortinas.” Dyas noted the reliability of their Cortina: “The Twin Cam engine has gone well. I’ve put half a litre of oil in, that’s it. But second place again—we thought we might have had a shout, but John has driven a brilliant rally. Everybody had money on the Elan breaking—even John! But he’s driven it like he’s stolen it and hasn’t broken it. A well-deserved win.” Taylor added: “It defies the odds—a Lotus sports car winning the Tests. But fair play to John and Matthew; they’ve done a fantastic job.”
Belgian crew Venderspinnen and Vanoverschelde, who narrowly missed out on victory two years ago, celebrated a hard-earned third place in their faithful, green-flashed Lotus Cortina. “It was a good battle,” Kurt said. “On the RoTT you have to be focused 100%, but we were unlucky to catch a van for about a mile and a half, losing considerable time. But we will be back next year.” Bjorn added: “We dropped 15 seconds at one timing point, so we fell to third, but it’s always a great battle. A podium on such a challenging event is a pleasure—and always fun trying to beat the UK crews.”
The final day began with two airfield tests, where Steve Head and Oli Waldock set the tone early by attacking in their Escort RS2000 with total commitment. Crews then tackled Shropshire’s narrow lanes, diving into farms and estates mid-regularity, including the private estate known as The Meres, where the 100-year-old landowner—a former Army Major—stood outside to wave at competitors. In a poignant moment, all competition paused at 11:00 a.m. at Rednal Kart Track for a two-minute silence in honour of Remembrance Sunday, observed by competitors and spectators alike.
The day’s challenges continued with two dramatic hillclimb tests, the first running straight through the centre of a barn and the second over extremely slippery hill roads where traction was scarce. Christopher and Claire Day tackled the climb in their Mini Cooper S, though a stop to read a code board forced them into wheel-spinning recovery, sliding backward to regain grip. Meanwhile, the Hillman Imp of Mike Dent and Mark Gilmour announced its arrival with a raucous engine note echoing across the valley before bouncing and sliding its way cleanly to the finish. Among standout performances was that of young navigator and Bob Rutherford Scholarship winner Miles Fieldhouse, navigating Martyn Payton’s Volvo PV544. The pair secured fourth place overall despite earlier issues, earning Fieldhouse the Newcomer Navigator Award, while Payton won Best Newcomer Driver. Payton praised his navigator: “This boy has been absolutely fantastic. He’s come of age on this event.” Fieldhouse agreed: “It just clicked. We’ve had ups and downs, but I’ve loved every second.”
The rally concluded with three spectacular tests around the Great Orme—legendary WRC territory—bringing the 2025 event to a thrilling close. Clerk of the Course and HERO-ERA Competition Director Guy Woodcock reflected on a day filled with variety and history. “The competitors have had a wonderful day,” he said. “Ten tests today, finishing with three around the Great Orme where so many Wales Rally GBs and RAC rallies have played out. We’ve had great regularities and a few tricks up my sleeve. This area loves rallying—you knock on a door and people welcome the old cars. We had Dutch, German and Belgian crews telling us how much they loved it. It’s a challenge for them to go back to old-style trip meters rather than modern satnav systems, but that’s what the sport is about: tradition.” Woodcock emphasised the event’s authentic 1950s–60s ethos, its use of public roads and private estates, and the privilege of giving crews access to the Great Orme in reverse direction to keep them guessing. Looking ahead, he noted that HERO-ERA’s season continues immediately: “Next, we’ve got LeJog in a month. We’ll go from Land’s End to John O’ Groats for the last event of the year. We will have run 13 rallies and over 100 rally days—it’s been a tough but satisfying year.”
