Mark Appleton

Competing as a navigator from age 11 for his father Dick, the pair twice won the HRCR road rally championship and together restored their Mini Cooper S. Mark studied Mechanical Engineering whilst working for Ford but, on graduation, immediately started to organise classic rallies on a full-time basis. His eye for detail and level head suit his role overseeing the day-to-day running of RtG, delivering our high quality, competitive yet friendly, rallies. On events Mark is our Clerk of the Course, ensuring fair play on the road and at the bar.

Keith Ashworth

Self-confessed endurance event addicts, Keith and wife Norah came to rallying in 2011 after racing a Caterham. Hooked on the excitement of competing, and even more on the camaraderie of fellow competitors, their support for RtG was assured. They’ve learnt no matter what the hardships are during the day, the evenings more than make up for it. Experienced competitors, tackling a range of events across six continents, they can be seen in a Bentley 4½ Le Mans or Frazer Nash BMW 328 on RtG events.

Kitty Burdett

Kitty is our newest member of the team, working in our HQ in Leeds. After 5 years in car rental she decided she wanted a new and exciting challenge, which lead her to Rally the Globe. Although completely new to Rallying, Kitty enjoys driving whilst on her travels and has done so on 4 different continents. As a massive animal lover, her travel highlights are the Galapagos Islands, Sri Lanka, Australia and 6 months traveling and volunteering through South East Africa and Asia with a friend after University.

Manuel Dubs

Bringing a broader European perspective to our Board, Manuel is an experienced rally competitor. A Rally the Globe member and entrant since our first rally, the 2019 Carrera Iberia, which he and wife Irene entered in their beautiful 1965 Ford Mustang V8 Convertible. The pair were popular winners of the 2023 Alaska to Mexico Marathon in their Ford Coupe.

Fred Gallagher

A professional co-driver for 25 years, Fred won five rounds of the World Rally Championship (WRC) and, with Ari Vatanen, the 1997 FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup. Fred went on to be Clerk of the Course for the British round of the WRC for 20 consecutive years and for other rallies in countries as diverse as Kazakhstan and Ivory Coast. Fred has been a classic and vintage car Rally Director since 2015 and was pivotal in the creation of the club.

Graham Goodwin

Graham started rallying with wife Marina in 2015 and they’ve clocked-up some impressive results in their 1920s Bentleys known as ‘Pyman’ and ‘Horace’. Internationally the pair have rallied in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. They competed in events ranging from the Mille Miglia and Goodwood to the Le Mans Classic. With nine long distance endurance events under their belts they took particular satisfaction in winning the 2019 Peking to Paris rally, the only team to ever win it in a vintage Bentley. As the founders of Rally the Globe, Graham & his wife Marina participate in the vast majority of RtG events and, invariably, amongst the top runners. Talk to Graham at graham.goodwin@rallytheglobe.com

Gavin Henderson

Gavin and wife Diana have been active participants on classic and vintage rallies since 2015. Their chosen cars are a 1965 Porsche 911 and a 1939 Frazer Nash BMW 328. As well as taking part in RtG events, where they are consistently near the top of the leader board, Gavin has competed in two Mille Miglia and is involved in historic racing with his 1965 Ford GT40 and a 1962 AC Cobra.

Helen Oates

Our incredibly organised and efficient Finance Director, with experience from Deloitte, ASDA headquarters in Leeds, and as Finance Director for a local executive search business.

Helen has been with RtG since its inception, keeping the business side of things on track and making sure all the hotels, lunch and coffee stops and, most importantly, the team get paid on time (for which they are very grateful!). Helen also shares her financial expertise with a local charity, where she is the Treasurer and a Trustee.

Anthony Preston

Anthony brings years of experience to RtG, getting involved in classic rally organisation in 1998, whilst working on his PhD in climate research studies at Oxford University. He left the dreaming spires for the open road in 2004, traveling the globe as a freelance route planner and now works full-time for RtG. Anthony began navigating at a young age for his father, Mike, in a Hillman Imp and Lotus Cortina and has competed in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, enjoying some notable victories.

Loren Price

Based in our Leeds Rally HQ, Loren joined the team soon after it formed in 2019, following 10 years in executive recruitment. Loren works closely with the whole team to deliver memorable rally experiences, paying special attention to the hospitality. Outside of her Rally the Globe adventures, Loren's travel highlights include trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and a close encounter with a baboon in Lake Nakuru National Park.

David Roberts

With Jo his wife ‘Team Roberts’ started competing in 1998 on Euroclassic tours and British rallies before striking out in 2007 on 15 endurance rallies run by the late Philip Young. Despite “True Grit” and “Against All Odds” awards, a win eluded them until 2018. Jo says “Our only rallying regret is that we didn’t meet Philip Young earlier…”. David and Jo are an essential part of the Rally the Globe team, along with many of Philip Young’s former colleagues and competitors. They are regular entrants, with a class win in their Chrysler 75 Roadster on RtG’s first Marathon event, the 2023 Alaska to Mexico. Talk to David at david.roberts@rallytheglobe.com

Iain Tullie

Iain hails from Yorkshire and is a lifelong member of Ilkley & District Motor Club as a competitor, organiser and marshal. His successes in competing include several regional road rally and two HRCR championships, as well as six FIA Historic Regularity Trophies. Having being a motorsport professional since 2007, working with M-Sport, Motorsport UK, and as Route Designer for Classic Events Winter Trial, his skills, previous experience and contacts add further strength to our organising team.

Ari Vatanen

One of the all-time, Group B, rally driving greats, he was 1981 World Champion and winner of the Paris Dakar Rally an incredible four times. In 1997 Ari, with Rally the Globe’s Fred Gallagher, won the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies with Citroën Sport. The pairing scored a famous podium finish on the Safari Rally in an Escort WRC for the Ford factory team in 1998. Ari says “Historic rally events have real appeal; they are full of spirit, comradeship and enjoyment and that’s my kind of lifestyle...”.

Mick de Haas

Mick clocked up at least 60,000km of rallying before asking his wife Grace to join him on an endurance rally across the USA in 2015 and ‘Team de Haas’ was born. Together, they have rallied on numerous occasions in Europe, Africa and Asia, “And we are still talking to each other!” says Mick.  Mick’s company, MdH Consultants, develops and activates sports marketing campaigns for global companies in programmes that have included the Olympics Games, International Soccer, Formula 1 and Le Mans 24 hrs.

Jim Gately

Being from the Western United States, Jim was relatively new to rallying at the inception of Rally the Globe, but had always enjoyed it tremendously. His rally cars include two 1937 Cadillac convertibles which he restored, and they often make trips across the world to compete in vintage rallies. Jim has had success in many different events in the US and Europe, including the Great American Mountain Rally and in the Vintage Category of RtG’s first event, Carrera Iberia, where he partnered with Tony Brooks as his navigator in the extremely rare Kurtis Comet.

Alan Beardshaw

Alan and Tina completed their first classic car rally in 2007 and went on to compete in many events, including the Mille Miglia and the Mille Milas in Argentina. They moved into Endurance Rallying in 2014 and have competed all over the world, with success in our first ever event, Carrera Iberia, in 2019, and again on RtG’s Carrera España in 2022. They love the adventure, exploration and camaraderie of long distance events, spending time in the company of like-minded friends.

Jack Amies

Jack started his career with a modern apprenticeship in vehicle engineering. After qualifying he worked as a restorer of vintage Lagondas and Bentleys, striking out on his own in 2009 to specialise in vintage sports car preservation and improvement. He has taken part in a number of rallies all over the globe, as a co-driver and mechanic.

Dick Appleton

Dick started rallying in 1971 with a 1965 Morris Mini Cooper S, going on to navigate stage rallies including the Lombard RAC Rally, Ypres 24 Hours and the Monte Carlo Rally. With son Mark as principle navigator, he won the 1997 Safety Devices Road Rally Championship. A retired Civil Engineer, involved in rally organisation since the 70s, he now spends much of his time route checking and navigating the advance car on long-distance rallies. He says he enjoys both the adventure and contributing to making things ‘perfect’ for competitors.

Chris Brown

Owned by Chris Brown, who works alongside Ryan Hallett and Marcus Jones, Sharp Films produce our stunning videos. Chris describes himself as a lifelong petrolhead ‘lucky enough to combine my biggest passions – film making and cars’. Ryan acts as second camera operative, assistant and driver. He keeps Chris fuelled with food for late-night footage editing. Ryan also videos and photographs other adventure sports, including mountain, road and BMX cycling. Meanwhile Marcus, who is passionate about cars, confirms “There’s nothing quite like capturing an epic shot of a vintage Bentley as it powers through a spectacular foreign landscape!”

Gerard Brown

A professional photographer for more than 25 years, with 50 rallies under his camera strap Gerard is best known for his work on endurance rallies. He is proud to be a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and cites his creative preferences as landscapes, the environment and human interest. Gerard says “When you’re moving by car across continents and through countries you’re exposed to everything. The back of beyond borders, accommodation and food with a local flavour, and real people. Those who live and work off the beaten track are usually a lot more interesting…”

John & Gill Cotton

Competing in motorsport since 1968, John introduced his wife Gill to rallying a decade later. When Philip Young kickstarted the historic rallies scene in the late 1980s, John was an early adopter, navigating five Monte Carlo Challenge events. Meanwhile Gill was a successful navigator on similar events, plus three RAC Rallies and was Secretary of the UK’s biggest Rally Championship for 15 years. Regulars on the RtG team, they have reconnected with friends from the earliest days of historic rallies and made new ones in our growing “rally family”.

Andy Inskip

Andy is a veteran of the historic rallying scene having supported an incredible 80 plus events across the globe since 1998. He started his mechanical education working weekends and school holidays at a local garage, later buying a Mini to compete in autocross, and a Twin Cam Escort Mk1 to forest rally. Owning a van and trailer led him to supporting others on events and partnering with former rally driver Tony Fowkes as on-event support for many years.

Paul Heal

First navigating for his brother in 1966 in a Mini Cooper ‘S’, the following 10 years saw good performances in Motoring News events and a win in the South West Championship. Paul’s had a hand in organising over 30 local club rallies, the Palladwr and Great Bustard rallies included, and has driven a course car on six Wales Rally GB’s. Digging out his ageing MGB, with son Matthew he regularly reached the top 5 of various UK and occasional overseas classic rallies. Having developed a warm relationship with rally organiser Philip Young, and following his retirement as a partner for a global accounting firm, Paul became part of the organising team.

Dr John Llewellyn

When not tending his smallholding or campaigning for conservation in his native Wales, Doc Llewellyn keeps our team and crews serviceable in remote parts of Asia, Africa and Europe. A UK trained GP, his travel medicine experience led to decades supporting expeditions, sports teams, and travellers, plus a 25 year stint in India and Africa as medical adviser to the UK Diplomatic service. Happier on a touring cycle than in a car, he’s been known to stow a bike in the back of the RtG Medics’ Van.

Charlie Neale

Charlie has been involved with cars and long-distance rallies for many years, as an HGV delivery agent, an experienced driver for media crew members, and more recently as a sweep mechanic. Equally at home in the load bay of an Antonov transport plane, driving a Toyota Hilux, or under the bonnet of a Bentley, Charlie has seen it all. Wherever you find him though, you’ll find him to be reassuringly calm and comprehensively competent.

Sarah Ormerod

A US registered EMT since 2014, Sarah is a Registered Paramedic, with Advanced Life Support qualifications. In 2003, whilst based in Muscat, Oman, she fell in love with rallying and has worked as a team manager and coordinator for drivers and teams in national and regional FIA Championships, as well as the WRC Production World Cup. Other organisation roles include in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Rally Oman, Abu Dhabi F1 and Detroit Indy GP. She confirms “Despite being American, I’m not too annoying” , loves cooking, sour beers, and her rusting, reliable 1989 GMC pickup.

Marcus Rowe

Describing himself as a writer, adventurer and linguist, Marcus first rose to prominence when, at 18, Minor Matters published his article on driving a Morris Minor to Istanbul. A degree in Arabic and Chinese involved trips on the Trans Siberian Railway, to North Korea and to China’s far western Xinjiang province. Whilst studying in Morocco he dodged landmines to drive his Morris Minor across the Sahara desert to The Gambia. A competitor in vintage and sportscar rallies and trials, when not behind the wheel he is found leading groups up snowy Scottish mountains.

Jim Smith

A career with Vauxhall led, in the 1990s, to running their British Touring Car Championship off-track activities, including getting to know John Cleland, Yvan Muller and Gerry Marshall. On retirement Jim started rallying ex-works Astras with old friend Peter Stone, crashing in Tunisia on their first event, then, on the London to Dakar, “We managed to [hit] the only tree in the Sahara”. Jim swapped to the organisational side of things in 2010 and “...never regretted the move”.

Russ Smith

Age 3, Russ was introduced to the Lombard RAC rally and has continued spectating, and later marshalling, ever since. When studying Motor Sport Engineering he joined the University’s Motor Club to organise events and, with a loan, bought his first rally car – a 205 Gti. Russ has navigated and driven on numerous road and stage rallies, including the Manx International. He even entered a Reliant Robin in the Leukaemia Rally. Russ says “We have a great team… I really enjoy the camaraderie between organisers and competitors, particularly after a long day on the road.”

Jamie Turner

From a family of motorsport competitors and with a mechanical background, Jamie started his involvement as a competitor at the age of 7 and has never left. Having taken part in around 600 events all over the world, Jamie is often seen working tirelessly in various car parks around the globe to keep competitors and their cars on the road, before relaxing with a gin and tonic after a long day.

Owen Turner

Starting out soap box racing and go-karting, Owen began auto tests then road rallying, before joining the emerging UK endurance rally scene in the UK. Success led to work preparing cars, and after 20 years in the family garage he moved away to start a workshop in Suffolk.

Owen has competed in many rallies including London to Cape Town and Peking to Paris, and worked as a sweep on numerous international events. He can be found dispensing valuable advice in the car park and finding ingenious ways of rectifying problems.