The 2026 Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship (SRC) drivers’ and co-drivers’ champions were crowned at round six of the season, the Grampian Forest Rally [August 7-8].
M-Sport driver Garry Pearson secured the drivers’ title with another classy performance en route to victory, while Chris Lees – navigating for Alex Vassallo – became the co-drivers’ champion with second place to Pearson and Hannah McKillop on the two-day event.
Pearson arrived in Banchory knowing a fifth victory from as many starts would guarantee him a second Scottish title after his maiden success back in 2021.
However it was Vassallo and Lees (Fiesta Rally2) who made the brightest start after Friday evening’s pair of stages, holding a slender lead over the returning Scott Beattie / Andrew Falconer (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5).
Championship-chasing Pearson had been slowed by an SS1 puncture, but the retirement of Mark McCulloch / Michael Hendry (Proton Satria Evo) on the same stage with a turbo fire increased the likelihood of Pearson sealing the title with a round to spare.
Displaying the pace that’s made him a contender in the British Rally Championship as well as the Scottish, Pearson stretched his legs across Saturday’s eight stages – taking the lead after SS4 and never looking back.
Vassallo and Lees held onto second, aided by Beattie’s exit with a fuel pressure problem, to ensure that Lees – co-drivers’ champion in 2023 alongside David Henderson – added a second SRC title to his CV.
Stephen Petch / Michael Wilkinson made it an all-Fiesta podium in Aberdeenshire, narrowly beating Bruce McCombie / Neil Shanks’ older Fiesta R5 example to the final podium place by 4.4 seconds.
Chris Collie / Ricky Finlayson (Fiesta Rally2) completed the top-five on Collie’s home event ahead of Scott Peacock / Craig Wallace who, with a stunning final stage performance, overhauled Craig Rutherford / Ashleigh Will to win both the G&M Mechanical Services 2WD and Oakbank SRC Challengers categories.
Rutherford finished just 6.2s adrift of his fellow Ford Escort Mk2 competitor, with Natalie Robinson / Sam Collis claiming third in the two categories in her Peugeot 208 Rally4.
As a result, Robinson also won the Questmead SRC Juniors for the fourth time this season – claiming top points on all of the gravel forestry events so far.
Champions were crowned in both the Haddo Energy SRC Super Seniors and Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup with event victories for John Rintoul (Ford Escort Mk2) and Mike Grant / Graham Kelman (Subaru Impreza) putting them out the reach of their rivals.
The SRC also announced an extension of its title partnership with Asset Alliance Group into 2027 during the Grampian Forest Rally, outlining the series’ appeal and potential as the world prepares to visit Scotland next year.
Garry Pearson, 2026 SRC drivers’ champion, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to win the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship for a second time. Five wins in five rounds is a really strong achievement and means we complete the season with the maximum possible score, which I think we should be proud of.”
Chris Lees, 2026 SRC co-drivers’ champion, said: “I’m absolutely over the moon. I didn’t quite realise this could happen today but the way the points have fallen has gone in our favour. Huge thanks to Alex [Vassallo] who’s been super consistent this year, and thanks to the whole team.”
Fiona Moir, SRC chairwoman, said: “Massive congratulations to both Garry Pearson and Chris Lees for winning the overall Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship titles – throughly deserved. Well done to John Rintoul and Mike Grant for their category trophies as well. We look forward to the rest of the classes and categories being decided at the Galloway Hills Rally on September 12.”
