There's a moment every rally fan knows — standing at the edge of a special stage, the air thick with pine and hot brakes, a howl ripping through the trees a full second before you ever see the car. Your heart doesn't spike. It just matches the engine.
That's not a hobby. That's a lifestyle. And it's the only one we've ever known.
Welcome to Rallying Is Life — premium rally-inspired clothing, gifts, and accessories, built by people who actually live this stuff.
How it started
Rallying Is Life was founded in 2023 by Dan Ellmore — a historic rally car owner, genuine motorsport obsessive, and someone who's spent the best part of 15+ years elbows-deep in both the sport and the clothing manufacturing trade that feeds it.
We didn't start this as a merch sideline for a marketing agency. We started it because Dan kept wanting rally kit that felt like it belonged to the community — not to a boardroom — and figured the only way to get it was to make it himself. So he did.
What began as a small Etsy shop in March 2023 has grown into a full Shopify store, a trademarked logo, partnerships with the people who actually move the sport forward, and a range that now ships worldwide — the US, the EU, Australia, and anywhere else a rally fan happens to be reading this from.
What we stand for
We don't do corporate values bullet points. Here's what actually matters to us.
Rallying is a lifestyle, not a hobby. Every word we write and every stitch we sew is grounded in that belief. We're not here to sell you "lifestyle products" — we're here because this is the lifestyle.
Built from the inside out. Dan's been in the sport for 15+ years. The products, the partnerships, the ranges — they come from real involvement, not from watching rally on a screen and guessing what fans might buy.
The community comes first. Drivers, co-drivers, marshals, and the people who turn out in the rain to watch — they shape what we make. When the community speaks, we listen, and the range changes because of it.
Honesty over polish. We're playful, a bit cheeky, and not afraid to admit a rookie mistake on our own homepage. We'd rather be genuine than smooth.
Supporting the sport. A chunk of what we do puts money back into grassroots motorsport — through memorial collections, licensed driver merchandise, and event sponsorship. Not because it's good marketing. Because it matters.
What we make
Premium rally-inspired clothing, gifts, and accessories. Hoodies, T-shirts, quarter zips and sweatshirts, jackets, caps and beanies, mugs and pint glasses, cushions, stickers, baby grows, boxer shorts (yes — including the Massive Balls Boxer Shorts, because we're not above a cheap laugh and neither are you), belts, co-driver bags, rally books, and the occasional umbrella for when the Welsh weather does what Welsh weather does.
Every product name is borrowed from the real map of world rallying — the famous stages, the legendary cars, the corners and forests and mountain passes that have written themselves into rally folklore. The El Condor Co-Driver Bag. The Epynt Superlight Waterproof Jacket. The Fafe Stealth Embroidered Cap. The Brenig Harness Belt. The Lancia 037 Hoody. The Metro 6R4 Baby Grow. Not random names — the stage or the car that suits the product.
We also carry ranges that mean something. The Colin Ellmore Memorial Rally collection honours a genuine loss in the community and puts money back into grassroots motorsport. The Steve Johnson Memorial Tour range includes a donation to St Andrews Hospice from every item. The Will Gollop Supporters Club re-release is officially licensed driver merchandise — proper stuff, made with the family's blessing, with a donation to Parkinson's UK from each item. The Special Stage TV range lets you wear your love of rally coverage on your chest (we sell the merch; we leave the coverage to the people who do it best).
Our journey so far
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Early 2023 — Brand inception
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March 2023 — Launched on Etsy
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September 2023 — Partnership with Special Stage TV to supply their crew clothing
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December 2023 — Special Stage merchandise range added to the store
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February 2024 — Partnership with Special Stage TV for livestream giveaways
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March 2024 — Partnership with Mini Rally Challenge for the 2024 season
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April 2024 — Sponsorship of the Alan Healy Memorial Rally
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January 2025 — Created the Shopify store
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February 2025 — Partnership with Special Stage TV for weekly Throwback Thursday videos
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March 2025 — Partnership with Mini Rally Challenge for the 2025 season
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March 2025 — Trademark achieved for the Rallying Is Life logo
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July 2025 — Partnership with McKlein Publishing to sell the Metro 6R4 book in the UK
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July 2025 — Goodwood Festival of Speed Metro 6R4 book launch and on-site sales
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August 2025 — Launched the Steve Johnson Memorial range, including a St Andrews Hospice donation from each item
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September 2025 — Sponsorship of the Colin Ellmore Memorial Rally live stream
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December 2025 — Launched the Rally1 Ultra Heavy premium garment range
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January 2026 — Launched the Will Gollop Supporters Club range, including a Parkinson's donation from each item
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February 2026 — Partnership with Special Stage TV for Fancam Friday giveaways
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March 2026 — Partnership with Sven Grube & Alfie Element for the 2026 season
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May 2026 — Reached 1,000 completed orders across the Etsy & Shopify stores
