HERO-ERA’s famously challenging Lands End to John O’Groats Reliability Challenge (LeJog) returned from 6-9 December 2025.
Open to a broad cross-section of historic and classic machinery, LeJog’s gruelling 1500-mile route emphasises mechanical sympathy and navigational accuracy over outright speed.
Held bi-annually in the cold, dark and often wet conditions of a UK December, the event has built a reputation as one of Europe’s toughest historic rallies and a rite of passage among competitors – a reputation reinforced this year by incessant rainfall, which organisers described as the worst for 15 years.
This year, more than 50 percent of the crews were LeJog rookies and, with just four gold and three silver medals awarded – alongside nine retirements – the 2025 edition more than lived up to its reputation.
HERO-ERA competition director Guy Woodcock once again served as clerk of the course and, in true LeJog style, faced challenges every bit as demanding as those faced by the crews. Flooding, landslips and emergency roadworks forced Woodcock and his team to implement 17 route changes, while still preserving the character and difficulty of the original itinerary.
‘It’s been busy with 17 re-routes… So yes, the team has worked really hard to keep it all going, but they did it,’ Woodcock reflected. ‘It’s probably the wettest one I’ve done. I think maybe 2017 was wet, but not like this. There was a lot of standing water – so much on the roads that it became a real problem.’
Perhaps unsurprisingly, all four gold medals were claimed by veteran LeJog crews. The standout performance came from Andy Lane and Iain Tullie, who guided their Mazda Eunos Roadster through the worst of the conditions to secure an unprecedented eighth gold medal – extending their own LeJog record.
Further testament to the severity of the conditions was the fact that the remaining gold medals also went to repeat winners: Kevin Haselden and Ryan Pickering in their Mini Cooper S, Mark Godfrey and Martyn Taylor aboard an MGB, and Eric Michiels alongside navigator Aswin Pyck in a Porsche 924S.
With so many rookies in the field, many crews wisely set off with the objective of successfully reaching the finish line, rather than taking home any silverware. The conditions meant that no bronze medals or Blue Riband awards were handed out, but first-time entrants still secured several of the event’s special awards.
John Lomas and Peter Johnson stood out among the rookie crews, claiming a silver medal on Lomas’s LeJog debut. Both, however, are experienced historic rallying competitors, with Johnson having previously won gold at the event. Lomas was also honoured with the Best New Driver award.
‘From the driver’s perspective, it was very, very difficult,’ Lomas reported. ‘Guy [Woodcock] said it would be horrendously difficult and he was right. I managed to find yet another ditch about four-feet deep, but with help from Pete and a marshal we pushed it out. It was just a hard slog.’
Other debutants were also recognised away from the medal classifications. The Spirit of the Rally Award went to Texa, Danna and Andy Sim for their efforts in a 1957 Sunbeam Rapier, while Tim Lawley and Nicu Mladin received the Against All Odds Trophy for completing the event in a FIAT 500F.
Crews overcame several incidents during the four-day challenge, with the notorious Loch Ness Monster regularity catching out multiple cars late on. In one case, progress was only salvaged following a 3am visit to a local farmhouse to secure a tow back onto the route.
Despite the adversity, many have already expressed a desire to return when LeJog runs again in 2027.
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