Having done all the hard work in the lead up to the previous year’s event, the organisers kept the same format for 2002, albeit with different routes through the stages. All the livestock movement restrictions had been lifted and The Shrewsbury cattle market had now returned to full operation.

The rally once again used the Shrewsbury Albrighton Hall Hotel for documentation and prizegiving.

This year there were three separate events over three different combinations of stages.

The changes this year being the historic and post historic sections of the Bulldog Historic had completely separate results, at the request of the British Historic Rally Championship organisers. The Bulldog Clubman’s Rally was now a round of the new ANCRO Clubman’s Championship.

All three rallies started in Newtown with service in Sweet Lamb and Dolgellau.

There was a strong entry for Bulldog Rally with over forty of the 4x4 turbo Mitsubishi’s and Subaru’s then being used in the World Championship. The list of driver’s of these cars contained all the leading names in British National Rallying. Fifty four crews finished out of the seventy seven starters.

The battle for the lead of the rally was between Julian Reynolds, Steve Petch and Roger Duckworth. Duckworth had a slow start allowing Steve Petch to lead for three stages before he slipped down the order. Finally it was a battle between Reynolds and a charging Duckworth. At the end Julian led by just over 5 seconds.

David Stokes/Andrew Stokes on only their 2nd forest event after that 22-year lay off won their class in the post historic event and in doing so beat the crew who were to become that year’s Historic Champions. Although there were only twenty seven starters, an amazing twenty three cars finished.

The Bulldog Clubmans was the home of the 2 wheel drive. Most being the one of the ubiquitous Escort variants. Those that had not been lured into historic category. After forty four miles of rallying it was Simon Crooke who beat all the two wheel drive entries in his Escort Cosworth. He was fastest on all 5 stages and won by a large margin. There were a healthy forty starters and twenty seven finishers on the Clubmans Rally.