Mark Sims is more used to taking pictures than being in them, but the tables were turned at the 2025 Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship Prizegiving when he was presented with the Tony Davies Award for his outstanding contribution to the BTRDA series.
Mark has been working behind-the-scenes in the UK’s premier sealed-surface series for 25 years. You’ll know him as a championship photographer who takes the magnificent action, podium and portrait pictures, but he also built the championship website and maintains it to this day – doing the technical stuff, uploading documents and images, plus a lot more.
Keeping a secret from the man behind the lens isn’t easy, so we were delighted when, instead of taking a picture of the Tony Davies Award winner, Special Stage TV commentator Phill Bramhill took his camera off him for Mark to be presented with the award by Jonathan Jackson (Motorsport UK Head of Rallying).
“It was a great honour and a total shock to win the Tony Davies Award this year, and I’m certainly not used to getting my picture taken with an award,” said Mark.
“I have been shooting rallies since I was 13, but I really started to get a strong interest in 1995 when the first autofocus film cameras came out.
“I started our rally photographic website in 1999, and it was the first UK rally photography website on the internet. Jonathan McDonald had his rally news site going at the time with some images which was unique, but for just rally photography RallyGallery was the first. It was all done on dial up, there was no broadband in those days of course, and it literally took hours to upload just a few images. People found it and from selling a few images and from people getting in touch my rally connections grew. I eventually met Andrew Haill, who was running the Asphalt Championship at the time, and that’s where my association began.
“I have always enjoyed asphalt rallies and with the internet and technology becoming increasingly relevant to rallying and media, I was able to help Andrew with the new aspects of technology and media. We set up the championship website in the early 2000s, and the rest is history.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working for the championship mainly behind-the-scenes with the website and its evolution as the years have gone on. In that time, I have worked with some fantastic championship co-ordinators, namely Andrew Haill, Jane Evans, Paul Morris and now Paul Wakely. Each one of them has brought more and more focus and attention to the Championship and helped build it to what it is today.
“The one aspect I really enjoy is working with the championship team, from Russ Otway, my fellow championship photographer, Wayne Goldring at Special Stage and all the crew there, and Paul Evans who is the Championship PR Officer. It’s a strong team and we all support and get on so well.
“Through all of this I have been supported by Bryan Sims (my dad) who has been a constant source of help and a second photographer on so many events over many years. We have shared so many great memories on Championship events over the years and sadly dad’s rally photography career will be coming to an end soon with his illness. Looking at the bright side, Joshua, my youngest son, has a keen photographic eye and loves motorsport. He has already been out on championship events this year helping take photographs of championship crews and will be out in 2026!
“Over the 25 years I have been associated with the championship it’s been a fantastic experience, great event organisers, teams, sponsors, co-ordinators and fellow media team members.
“I hope to support and help the championship further over the coming years.”
Brian Hardie Tony’s Co Driver writing pleased you have been awarded for all your Support of a great Championship which myself and Tony had alot of fun in the 90s. Cheers 🍻 👏