Derbyshire’s father-and-son rally team land top Mallorca rally result
The Derbyshire father-and-son rally team of John and Rhys Yates took an incredible result at the weekend’s XXI Rally Clásico Isla de Mallorca [6-8 March], with Rhys winning the coveted event outright and John taking a creditable fifth overall, both piloting RHAMES-backed Porsche 911s from the Team RYR stable.
Recognised as one of Europe’s premier classic car rallies, the XXI Rally Clásico Isla de Mallorca stands among the most competitive stage rallies on the continent. This prestigious event unites a world-class lineup of historic rally cars, legendary drivers, and passionate motorsport enthusiasts from around the globe. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Puerto Portals, it remains a ‘must-do’ highlight for classic motorsport fans worldwide.
Against tough competition and despite only limited outings in the past few seasons, Rhys enjoyed a perfect debut in the Porsche, enjoying an impressive overall victory with co-driver Max Freeman alongside.
A former World Rally Championship driver and British Rally Championship front-runner, Rhys is no stranger to top-level competition but has stepped away from the sport in recent years to concentrate on work commitments. Having contested just two events since 2021, the 32-year-old Chesterfield driver sighted the Mallorca event as the perfect opportunity to enjoy a return to the sport, enjoying family competition with his father John, who recently scooped fifth place at Modena Cento Ore in Italy earlier this year.
Despite his lack of seat time of late, Rhys bedded perfectly into the RYR Team Porsche 911 Carrera 911 RSR and lay third overall after the opening loop of stages in the dusk of Thursday evening.
The opening stage on Friday saw him secure his first stage win over the 12km Pollença-Lluc test, to close the gap to the leaders and end the second day just 19 seconds adrift. But a stellar time on Saturday’s Coll Sa Creu-Coll d'Estords saw Yates take the rally lead, and with five stage wins during the final day from the leg’s six tests, Yates would storm to the rally win, his first overall victory since 2021.
“That’s a fantastic way to return to the top step of the podium” commented Rhys on his rally win.
“I haven’t been able to rally as much as I’d like recently, but when this opportunity came up, I just couldn’t say no. It’s such an iconic event with some world-class stages, and to be able to come and compete alongside your dad in a two-car team is really special. It’s been a great experience and a good start to our Roger Albert Clark Rally preparations, which sees us return to the mammoth cross-UK event in November”.
Celebrating over two decades of heritage, the Rally Clásico Isla de Mallorca is renowned for its thrilling mix of historic racing and breathtaking island scenery. Over 500 kilometres of challenging routes included approximately 170 kilometres of closed-road special stages winding through the picturesque landscapes of Mallorca.
And the celebrations continued for Team RYR as John would also scoop a top result, claiming a credible fifth overall with co-driver Alex Lee alongside. John was piloting his familiar Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 on only his 11th competitive stage rally, and after taking first in class at the Rally Sol de Ponent as a warm-up event, his result was a testament to the RYR Team’s development of the Porsche and John’s ever-improving pace in the raucous machine.
“It’s a really proud moment to see Rhys take the win here”, he said.
“It’s great for the Team RYR and clearly a sign of his natural ability behind the wheel. To jump in a Porsche and win a rally of this magnitude is not easy, but he did just what he needed to. I did my best to chase him down, and I’m delighted to have got pretty close. If you’d have said we would have a win and fifth overall at the start of the week, I would have bitten your hand off. I’m excited to see what’s next for us both really. I just hope I can chase him down a little next time!”