Climate-positive Rali Ceredigion

Rali Ceredigion shows how world-class rallying can take credible climate action and set new standards for sustainability.

The 2025 JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion once again confirmed its place as one of the most exciting events in UK rallying, delivering thrilling competition across both the FIA European Rally Championship and the Probite British Rally Championship.

At the same time, the Aberystwyth-based event continued to set a high standard for environmental responsibility, working with Carbon Positive Motorsport for the fourth consecutive year to mitigate and offset 200 tonnes of carbon emissions, demonstrating what can be achieved when event organisers place sustainability at the heart of their planning.

For rally organisers, Rali Ceredigion provides a powerful example. It shows that credible climate action does not sit separately from sporting ambition. It can become part of how a major event is delivered, promoted and understood.

The event

Rali Ceredigion brought together some of the best drivers in Europe for 12 demanding stages and 185 kilometres of closed-road competition.

Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne made history by claiming their first-ever overall victory in both the ERC and BRC. Driving an M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2, Armstrong delivered a commanding performance, building a 29.2-second lead by the finish. The result also marked Ford’s first ERC win in five years and a memorable 1-2 finish for M-Sport.

Behind Armstrong, Estonian crew Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja impressed on their ERC four-wheel-drive debut with a superb second place, keeping their BRC title hopes alive. Polish pairing Miko Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk completed the ERC podium in third, strengthening their European championship position ahead of the season finale in Croatia.

In the BRC, Armstrong and Byrne’s dominant run was matched by Jürgenson and Oja in second place, while William Creighton and Liam Regan secured third, giving them the upper hand in the national title race heading into the final round in north Wales.

Away from the international battle, Jerseyman Sam Touzel and co-driver Max Freeman dominated the National Rally, winning all but one stage to secure a convincing victory. John Dalton and Dylan Davies completed the podium after a fiercely fought contest across the Welsh lanes.

The sustainability challenge

Large-scale motorsport events involve many moving parts. Competitors, teams, officials, volunteers, spectators, service areas, logistics and event infrastructure all contribute to an event’s overall environmental impact.

For organisers, the challenge is to respond in a way that is practical, credible and proportionate. Sustainability needs to support the event rather than distract from it. It also needs to be clear enough for competitors, partners, spectators and local stakeholders to understand.

Rali Ceredigion has taken that challenge seriously. By working with Carbon Positive Motorsport, the event has built carbon mitigation into its wider commitment to responsible event delivery.

The Carbon Positive Motorsport solution

Carbon Positive Motorsport worked with Rali Ceredigion to mitigate 200 tonnes of carbon emissions via the Abergavenny Sequoia Project at the heart of the event’s 2025 environmental commitment.

The partnership gives the event a clear, measurable and motorsport-specific way to address its environmental impact, allowing Rali Ceredigion to point to a defined level of carbon mitgation delivered through a specialist organisation that understands the sport.

For 2025, Rali Ceredigion invested in the Abergavenny Sequoia Project to mitigate its climate impacts and support long-term carbon sequestration through Pending Issuance Units. This UK-based project gives the event a clear and tangible connection to nature recovery, while supporting future carbon removal as the project develops.

To ensure the event could also make an immediate and credible carbon offsetting claim, Carbon Positive Motorsport paired this investment with certified international carbon credits aligned with the Colombia Afforestation Project. These certified units have already accrued, meaning Rali Ceredigion has offset 200 tonnes of carbon emissions while also investing in future climate and nature benefit through Abergavenny.

The Abergavenny Sequoia Project also delivers Nature Positive outcomes. For every non-native Sequoia planted, three native trees are being planted to provide shelter and forage for native wildlife. Through this investment, Rali Ceredigion is supporting long-term carbon storage alongside wider environmental benefits including biodiversity, landscape resilience and habitat creation.

For event organisers, this shows the strength of Carbon Positive Motorsport’s combined approach. CPM enables events to take responsibility for unavoidable emissions now, while also investing in UK-based projects that create longer-term environmental value.

The impact

Rali Ceredigion mitigated and offset 200 tonnes of carbon emissions in its fourth consecutive year working with Carbon Positive Motorsport, turning sustainability from a one-off gesture into an ongoing part of the event’s identity.

The event organisers can demonstrate ongoing environmental responsibility to stakeholders including sponsors, residents and local authorities, helping the event build a stronger story around legacy, community impact and responsible growth.

Steve Smith, founder of Carbon Positive Motorsport, said: “We are very proud to once again support Rali Ceredigion, mitigating 200 tonnes of carbon from this year’s rally alone. We are grateful for the organisers’ ongoing commitment in choosing us as their sustainability partner. This is the largest offsetting project we cover today on a global scale, and a massive thanks goes to the entire event management team who put on such a terrific rally. We look forward to continuing our support when the event returns in 2026.”

Why it matters for event organisers

Rali Ceredigion demonstrates that sustainability can strengthen an event’s reputation with a positive, practical message to share with stakeholders while showing that motorsport is willing to take climate action.

For events who want to meet environmental expectations, support local communities, strengthen sponsor relationships or align with future sustainability requirements, Carbon Positive Motorsport provides a clear route forward.

Organisers can build credible climate action into event delivery by working with a specialist partner that understands motorsport. Events can demonstrate measurable climate mitigation and strengthen their reputation and stakeholder value.

A model for the future of motorsport

Rali Ceredigion continues to prove that world-class competition and meaningful climate action can work together. The event has delivered international-level rallying, national championship drama and a record-setting carbon offsetting commitment, all while reinforcing its role as one of the most forward-thinking rallies in the UK.

For other organisers, the message is clear. Taking action does not have to be complicated, but it does need to be credible.

With solutions created specifically for motorsport, Carbon Positive Motorsport enables events, clubs, teams and championships to take practical climate action.