Borders Competitions Jim Clark Rally unveils spectacular new-look 2027 route

The Borders Competitions Jim Clark Rally is set to embark on one of its biggest route changes in years in 2027, with a new-look Friday night format, the return of stages south of Kelso, and a sizeable increase in competitive mileage, taking the event to over 115 stage miles.

The event will run from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th May, and will once again bring the very best of closed-road rallying to the Scottish Borders, with Duns retaining its position as the spiritual home and central base.

All pre-event formalities will remain in Duns, including Friday morning’s shakedown, while the traditional ceremonial start, regroup, and finish celebrations will continue to take place in the heart of Duns Square.

But after the ceremonial start on Friday afternoon, the rally will head south to Kelso for a dramatic new chapter in the event’s history. A short holding control at Kelso High School will welcome crews before three completely new-look stages form the opening leg of the Jim Clark Rally, with the spectacular Floors Castle providing the backdrop for the first competitive action.

The stage will take competitors through the castle grounds before joining closed public roads to the west, while a purpose-built grandstand will provide spectators with views of the action.

From Floors Castle, crews will head south-west of Kelso for an 11-mile, extensively revamped Roxburgh test before tackling another completely new stage at Crailing.

The Friday night loop will then be repeated under darkness, adding an entirely different dimension to the stages as the crews tackle the same roads at night. The result is a huge 56 competitive stage miles on Friday.

Saturday will see the Jim Clark Rally return to some of its much-loved Borders classics, with Polwarth, Blackadder, and Eccles forming the backbone of another action-packed day. A further 58 competitive miles will be covered on Saturday before crews return to Duns Square for the traditional ceremonial finish and champagne celebrations.

A compact one-day event on Sunday will give Reivers crews the opportunity to tackle some of the most iconic stages traditionally associated with the Jim Clark Rally’s Friday night action.

Bothwell and Abbey St Bathans will form part of the Sunday route, bringing the classic Borders stages to a new generation of Reivers competitors, while the addition of Manderston adds another new dimension to the one-day challenge.

Around 58 competitive stage miles will be on offer, creating a compact but hugely challenging Sunday blast before the crews return to Duns Square for the event’s traditional finish celebrations.