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Rally News - November 18, 2009

Scotland on Stage

The first RACMSA Rally of Scotland hits the stages of central Scotland later this week on Thursday evening the 19th of November, finishing on Saturday 21st.

Hoping for a 'best of three' will be Kris Meeke. On last month's McRae Rally the Peugeot engine let go on the first stage and then in testing last week, Kris cowped it and dinkled the front wing. So this will be his third outing in the Perthshire forests this year! Third time lucky, eh?

He will be running first on the road as newly-crowned IRC Champion with regular co-driver Paul Nagle in the Peugeot 207 Super 2000.

Guy Wilks completed a full day's testing last week and professed himself quite happy with the Skoda Fabia although this will be his first competitive run out in the car this weekend.

Newly crowned British Champion Keith Cronin will also be having his first run out in the Fiat Abarth Punto ahead of young Adam Gould who has been selected for the all-expenses paid drive in the BFGoodrich and Kronos Racing entered Peugeot 207.

New Scottish Champion David Bogie runs at five while Alister McRae is seeded at ten provided he gets back from China in time! He was campaigning the new Proton on the event last weekend and was hoping to get back over here in time re-acclimatise to the Scottish forests - and the Scottish weather, although it will be midgie-free at this time of year.

A total of 24 entries have been received for Saturday's one day national rally as I went to press, but I managed to compile a few notes on the first of the entries, so apologies to those I have missed out - get your entries in quicker next time.

Gerry Kilmurray
If he gets back from Turkey on holiday in time, Gerry Kilmurray will debut his new Subaru Impreza on the Rally of Scotland. The car isn't brand new, but is new to him, and will replace his original Subaru first used in 2007. Gerry started rallying in a Vauxhall Astra in 1999 and used that car to win the national Scottish Tarmac Championship in 2000. In total he campaigned five Vauxhall Astras, mainly on tarmac events, before switching to 4WD, and predominantly gravel rallies, two years ago. Best results include a 12th on the Merrick the first year he got the Subaru, but he is particularly pleased with his two successive 4th overall finishes on the Derwent Stages Rally in '99 and 2000. Gerry will have a new co-driver for RoS, as the result of a chance meeting in a hostelry with Stuart Loudon at the recent Tunnock's Tour of Mull Rally!

Brendan Campbell
Brendan Campbell is coming back to Scotland - for revenge! He failed to finish last month's Colin McRae Stages Rally and is now seeking to put that right with an appearance on RoS. In the 2004 Northern Ireland Rally Championship he finished third in his class and was top 2WD finisher on the 2004 Circuit of Ireland. More recently he was fourth in the Brougher Mountain Time Trial and 21st on the Bennetts Stores Stages Rally.

Allan Cameron
Like so many residents of the Isle of Mull, Allan Cameron was blissfully unaware of the sport till he encountered the annual Tour of Mull Rally invasion, and like so many of his fellow islanders, became hooked on the sport. He started with a Ford Escort MkII and switched to a Subaru Impreza for this year. He also tackled September's forest stage rally, the Merrick, as a shakedown for the forthcoming RoS contesting the Merrick Stages Rally six weeks ago. He finished 48th o/a first time out on gravel in 4WD and was chuffed with that. On the first day of this year's Mull rally, he celebrated his 60th birthday.

Michael Robertson
After a few sporadic outings in a Peugeot 309 GTI, Michael won the Border Rally Championship outright in the year 2000, before moving on to a Peugeot 106 and actually won his class on the Isle of Man in 2004 with the wee Peug. Until this year he was competing on the Scottish Tarmac Championship in a Renault Clio before acquiring his current Subaru Impreza in the Summer. First time out on the Jim Clark National with the car he was heading for a top 30 placing before a last minute problem, and tackled his first forest event in 8 years when he contested last month's Colin McRae Forest Stages. Co-driving for Michael will be Ian Shiells, Vice President of Aberdeen & District Motor Club which this year is celebrating its centenary, the club's centenary that is, not Ian's.

James Robertson
James Robertson has campaigned a wide variety of cars in a huge number of events across the UK. He replaced his Ford Fiesta ST this year with a Citroen C2 and has been contesting the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship. Adapting to the feisty French flier from the torquey Ford required a whole new approach, but the times are tumbling now and his Citroen was the first FWD car home on the recent Solway Coast Rally.

Fraser Louden
It's over 13 years since Fraser started rallying, first with a Toyota Corolla, then a Mazda 323, before acquiring the Ford Puma in 2005. His best results were in the 2006 Scottish Championship when he won Class 3, but late last year he bought a Subaru Impreza. On the Snowman Rally this year, his 17 year old daughter Abi made her debut as co-driver. During the Summer school holidays she spent a lot of time with her Dad working on Notes, delivery and timing. The hard work paid off. Two good finishes on the Speyside and McRae have her all fired up for the RoS.

Brian Watson
When Brian Watson's Audi Quattro developed engine problems last year he thought it was about time he traded up and appeared in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO8. Everything was going well till the Speyside when the steering column dropped in his lap! Fortunately he survived that and a 28th place finish on the recent McRae Rally proved he's back on track.

David Killin
David Killin's Opel Kadett must be the oldest special stage rally car still regularly competing on events throughout Scotland and further afield, and not just contesting Historic rallies. He has been using the same 1974 Group 1 Opel Kadett for the past 17 years? The car has just been completely rebuilt ahead of Rally Scotland by Alan McDowall, Alan Forrest and Tommy Brown of FATS Motorsport and given a shakedown on the recent Colin McRae Rally. Twice Scottish Historic Rally Champion, David's most satisfying result in the car was 28th o/a on the 2006 Snowman Rally against a whole array of much more modern machinery.

Scott Murray
The Peugeot Ecosse Challenge in Scotland has introduced many young drivers to the sport including Scott Murray, although he'd rather forget his first event. He crashed on the last stage of the Scottish Rally. He fared better in 2008 battling all year long in Class 3 with Mark McCulloch and in the Scottish Junior Championship, just losing out on the final rally of the year when the Peugeot struck a rock and bent the chassis leg on the McRae Stages. He borrowed his Dad's Subaru Impreza for last year's Galloway Hills Rally - and finished 9th overall first time in 4WD! He now has his own Mitsubishi Lancer which he will use on the RoS, but first time out with the car on the McRae he struggled to get on terms with its left hand drive configuration and then damaged the differential on the last stage.

Dougal Brown
A newcomer to rallying, Dougal contested 2 events last year in his 1600cc Talbot Sunbeam, the Granite City and the Speyside. Head gasket failure curtailed his debut, but 2nd in class on the Speyside was just the incentive he needed. A full season this year started well with a class win on the Snowman but his season went downhill from there. When the Sunbeam bowfed a large rock in a ditch on the Scottish it was time for a new car. It took five weeks to prepare a MkII Escort which promptly melted a piston on the Speyside, but 2nd in class on the McRae shows that the enthusiasm and the talent are still there.

David Wilson
Son of Warwick Wilson, the Scottish Toyota Starlet driver from the 80s, David is one of this year's six Junior finalists in the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship, but few had heard of him at the start of this season. After an impressive run on the Snowman, an errant snowbank got in his way and he finished 68th, then got as far as the third stage on the Granite before his Lancer 4 failed him. But he really came to attention on the Scottish when he finished 12th despite a huge rear-end modifying 'off' and topped that with a superb 7th on the Speyside. He crashed on the Merrick but bounced back yet again on the McRae with 10th. The raw talent is all there, it's just about consistency now.

Neil Morrison
If you need any lessons on budget rallying, Neil Morrison is your man. His Talbot Sunbeam was bought on Ebay and has done 13 rallies since he got it and prepared it. On the way he has achieved two class wins and two seconds in Scottish Rally Championship events.

Barry Groundwater
In 2002 Barry Groundwater won the Scottish Group N Championship title, but he rates this year's second place on his home event, the Granite City Rally, as one of his most satisfying performances, despite the fact that he has previously won the Pirelli National and Park Systems Furniture rallies outright. Barry started rallying 15 years ago in a Mazda, but a career highlight was competing on the 2006 Rally GB. Sadly punctures marred his performance, but at least he finished, many didn't. He'll have a new co-driver on the RoS as 16 year old step-son Daniel realises a lifelong ambition to compete on a rally - before he declares his next ambition, to drive!

Gordon Murray
The ex-mountaineer (Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn amongst his conquests) and motocross rider, Gordon Murray took up rallying in 2003 as a 'safer' form of sport. He's now on his second Subaru Impreza and rates his best performance as 10th on the Merrick Stages two years ago. He also will have a new co-driver on the RoS. Danny Small has worked on the car and serviced on rallies since Gordon started rallying and as a reward gave him a run out on the McRae Stages. He was hooked, hence another appearance on the forthcoming International.

David Hughes
A former winner of the Solway Coast Rally and regular competitor in the Scottish Championship, David Hughes took a year out last year before being lured back into the driving seat for this season. Previously a top ten finisher, it has taken him a wee while to get back into full stride but 9th on the recent Merrick Rally showed that he's back on track and ready for a full season next year.

John McClory
John McClory shuns the limelight at all times but is one of the unsung heroes of Scottish motor sport. He only started rallying six years ago and has been campaigning an Andrew Wood Motorsport Honda Civic, updating this to a Civic Type R. A regular class winner, he's now trying to improve his overall finishes and had been working with Andrew Wood to launch a new 'budget' category for drivers of Honda Civic rally cars. For the past few years his company Brick & Steel Construction has enthusiastically supported the 205 Ecosse Challenge and the new Honda category is seen as providing a controlled step up for newcomers to progress.

Billy Davidson
A newcomer to the sport, ex-motor cycle racer Billy Davidson only started rallying this year after a bet with John McClory backfired! For his first event, he hired a Proton from Andrew Wood Motorsport and finished 68th on the Border Counties. And the rest, as they say, is history. He's now got a Honda Civic and is planning to contest the new Honda Challenge running within the Scottish Rally Championship next year.

And let's not forget the servicemen and women either. There will be six Land Rover crews out on the event continuing a long tradition of honing their driving and navigational skills on the forest roads of Scotland.

And finally, I couldn't resist this one. One of the Coltness Bears was out marshalling on the test day ahead of RoS and when Kris Meeke went off, he nabbed the crinkled front wing. He later got Kris to sign it and it will be auctioned off at the Scottish Championship awards night. Ya beezer!

The Route:
Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

International Entry List:
1 Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000)
2 Guy Wilks/Philip Pugh (Skoda Fabia S2000)
3 Keith Cronin/Greg Shinnors (Fiat Abarth Punto)
4 Adam Gould/Sebastian Marshall (Peugeot 207 S2000)
5 David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
6 Franz Wittmann/Bernhard Ettel (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
7 Jonathan Greer/TBA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
8 Dave Weston/Ieuan Thomas (Subaru Impreza)
9 Alastair Fisher/Barry McNulty (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
10 Alister McRae/Bill Hayes (Proton Satria Ned S2000)
11 Eamonn Boland/MJ Morrissey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X)
12 Kaspar Koitla/Andres Ots (Honda Civic Type-R)
14 Jock Armstrong/Kirsty Riddick (Subaru Impreza)
15 William Bonniwell/Neil Ewing (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
16 Sebastien Rousseaux/Serge Legars (Subaru Impreza)
17 Euan Thorburn/TBA (Subaru Impreza)
18 Donnie MacDonald/Paul Beaton (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
19 Malloch Nicoll/Bob Lumgair (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
20 Daniel Siguroarson/Martin Brady (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X)
21 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts (Ford Fiesta R2)
22 Tim Stebani/Ferdinand Heindlmeier (Opel Corsa OPC S2000)
23 Kris Hall/Robbie Durant (Ford Fiesta R2)
24 Barry Greer/Susanne Wright (Ford Fiesta ST)
25 Tom Cave/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta)
26 Martin Kangur/Kuldar Sikk (Honda Civic Type-R)
27 Janos Puska di/Csnyi Botond (Honda Civic Type-R)
28 Laszlo Vizin/Gabor Zsiros (Honda Civic Type-R)
29 Tony Jardine/Tom Cary (Ford Fiesta ST150)
30 Ferenc Levai/Attila Taborszki (Honda Civic Type-R)
31 Colin Smith/Craig Chapman (Honda Civic Type-R)
32 Stuart McQueen/Neil Shanks (Ford Puma S1600)
33 Peter Taylor/Paul Hughes (Ford Fiesta R2)
34 Gerri Pranzoni/TBA (Suzuki Swift S1600)
35 Nigel Feeney/Hannah Cessford (Subaru Impreza WRX)

National Entry List:
101 Barry Groundwater/Daniel Paterson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
102 David Wilson/Keir Beaton (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV)
103 David Hughes/Bruce Harper (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX)
104 Gordon Murray/Danny Small (Subaru Impreza)
105 Gerry Kilmurray/Stuart Loudon (Subaru Impreza)
106 Scott Murray/TBA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution)
107 Sandy Arbuthnott/Ian Arbuthnott (MG Metro 6R4)
108 Bruce McCombie/Michael Coutts (Subaru Impreza)
109 Brian Stephen/Sean Donnelly (Ford Escort)
110 Fraser Louden/Abi Louden (Subaru Impreza)
111 John McClory/David Hood (Honda Civic Type-R)
112 Brendan Campbell/Martin McGarrity (Ford Escort)
113 Brian Watson/Graham Bruce (Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII)
114 Alan Mayhew/Bryan Newton (Subaru Impreza WRX)
115 Mike Grant/Graham Kelman (Subaru Impreza)
116 Andrew Browne/Niall Gavin (Peugeot 205 GTI)
117 Dougal Brown/Allan Matheson (Ford Escort)
118 James Robertson/George Myatt (Citroen C2)
119 Allan Cameron/Angus Williams (Subaru Impreza)
120 John Lawson/Alan Maxwell (Ford Escort Mk II)
121 Neil Morrison/Sandy Morrison (Talbot Sunbeam)
122 Billy Davidson/Martin MacCabe (Honda Civic)
123 Michael Robertson/Ian Shiells (Subaru Impreza WRX)
124 David Killin/Clive Black (Opel Kadett Coupe)

The Land Rovers:
201 Ewen Christie/Ross Cookman (Land Rover Wolf XD)
202 Steve Partridge/Curtis McKerlie (Land Rover Wolf XD)
203 Paul Wright/Mike Eldridge (Land Rover Wolf XD)
204 Duncan Lilwall/Craig Teasdale (Land Rover Wolf XD)
205 Alan Paramore/John Clayton (Land Rover Wolf XD)
206 Derek Hope/Ross Wotherspoon (Land Rover Wolf XD)

Spectator Information:

Friday 20th November

Stages 3 & 7 - Craigvinean
Car Park C - From the A9 north bound follow the signs to Inverness. Once past the junction for the A822, signposted Crieff, turn left at the tourist sign for 'The Hermitage'. Follow the Rally of Scotland spectator signs to the spectator car park which is in a grass field. It is then a short walk on a gravel road up to the spectator viewing area. There will be limited disabled parking at car park C.
Car Park D - Turn off the A9 onto the B898, signposted Dalguise, go past the first forest entrance on the left and approximately 1.5 miles further on there is a second forest entrance. This is the entrance to Car Park D. Follow the Rally of Scotland spectator signs and park on the right hand side of the gravel road to allow other cars to exit from the spectator viewing area.

Craigvinean car parks C and D will open at 05:00. Car parks C and D are for advance ticket holders and, strictly subject to availability, will offer tickets for sale on the day £15 per adult / £5 per child.

Stage 4 - Blackcraigs is a non-spectator stage

Stage 5 - Errochty
Car Park E - From the A9 North exit at the turn off for Killiecrankie, then turn left onto the B8019 over the Garry Bridge. Follow the Rally of Scotland spectator arrows past the end of the stage till you enter the spectator car park on your right. The car park is roadside parking on a Forestry Enterprise road with a walk up to the junction. Please park on the right hand side of the Forestry road to ensure other cars can exit from the stage spectator area.
Car Park F - From the A9 take the B847 towards Trinafour, car park F is near the start of the stage.

Errochty car parks E and F will open at 09:00. Car parks E and F are for advance ticket holders and, strictly subject to availability, will offer tickets for sale on the day £15 per adult / £5 per child.

Stage 6 - Drummond Hill
Travel through the town of Aberfeldy and take the bridge over the River Tay towards Weem on the B846.
Car Park G - Approximately 5.5 miles further on, the Rally of Scotland spectator signs will direct you onto the unclassified road towards Kenmore. The spectator arrows will direct you to the car park. From here it is a steep uphill climb to the spectator viewing area.

Car Park H - Bear right onto the unclassified road towards Fearnan, the car park is 2.3 miles from the B846 on a narrow unclassified tarmac road.

Car parks G and H will open at 10:30 and are for advance ticket holders and, strictly subject to availability, will offer tickets for sale on the day £15 per adult / £5 per child.

Service Park - Friday - Blair Castle
The service park will feature a big screen, commentary, toilet facilities and refreshments.
Service B is at 11.27am and Service C is at 3pm.
From the A9 North follow the signs to Blair Atholl B8079. Turn right off the A9 and continue through Blair Atholl village till you see the main Castle entrance gates on your right. The car park, located in a field, is on your right hand-side and please follow the instructions of the stewards. It is a short walk to the main service area where toilets, refreshments and the latest results will all be available.
Car park B will open at 9am and there will be limited disabled parking. Access to the Blair Service Park is included in the Alba Rally Pass and Friday Day Pass. Tickets will be available for purchase on the day, strictly subject to availability, for £10 per adult / £5 per child.

SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER

Stages 8 & 11 - Achray
From the A84 out of Stirling, turn left onto the A873, sign posted Aberfoyle. Pass the end of the special stage, where there are no viewing opportunities and turn right at the roundabout into Aberfoyle. Once in the town, turn right onto the Duke's Pass and follow the Rally of Scotland spectator signs to the car park areas on Forestry Enterprise land. DO NOT park on the main Duke's Pass road.

Achray car park I will open at 05:00 and is for advance ticket holders and, strictly subject to availability, will offer tickets for sale on the day £15 per adult / £5 per child.

Stages 9 & 12 - Fairy Knowe
From the A84 out of Stirling, turn left onto the A873, signposted Aberfoyle. Pass the end of SS8/11 Achray, where there are no viewing opportunities and turn right at the roundabout into Aberfoyle. Once in the town turn left over the bridge, signposted Kirkton. Please observe your speed in here as it is a residential area with lots of young families. You will then pick up the Rally of Scotland spectator arrows that will direct you to the car park area on Forestry Commission Scotland land. Please park on the right hand side only to allow other cars to exit.

Fairy Knowe car park J will open at 05:00 and is for advance ticket holders and, strictly subject to availability, will offer tickets for sale on the day £15 per adult / £5 per child.

Stages 10 & 13 - Loch Ard
From the A84 out of Stirling, turn left onto the A873, signposted Aberfoyle. Pass the end of SS8/11 Achray, where there are no viewing opportunities and turn right at the roundabout into Aberfoyle. Once in the town continue on the B829, signposted Milton and Kinlochard. The Kinlochard road is very narrow and twisty and is also used by the rally cars to get to the start of the stage. Once in Kinlochard follow the Rally of Scotland spectator arrows which will direct you on to the Forestry Commission Scotland road that will take you to the aqueduct via a convoy system. Please park on the right hand side to allow other cars past. This is a one-way system through the forest and you exit back onto the public road at Milton.

Loch Ard car park K will open at 05:00 and is for advance ticket holders and, strictly subject to availability, will offer tickets for sale on the day £15 per adult / £5 per child. There will be limited disabled parking.

Please keep the road from Kinlochard (alongside Loch Chon) to Inversnaid clear - there are no spectator viewing opportunities on this road.

Stirling Service Park - Friday evening and Saturday
There will be a big screen, disabled parking (on a strictly first come first served basis), toilet facilities and refreshments at the Stirling Service Park.

Service D at Stirling is from 18.20 on Friday
Service E at Stirling is at 06.40 on Saturday
Service F at Stirling is at 11.26 on Saturday
Service G at Stirling is at 15.56 on Saturday

Stirling Service Park site opening times:
Thursday: 1000-1400
Friday: 1600-2300
Saturday: 1000-2000

Stirling Service Park trading hours:
Thursday: 1000-1400
Friday: 1600-2000
Saturday: 1000-1700

There will be very limited public parking at Forthside (for Stirling Service Park) from Monday 16 - Friday 20 November inclusive. However, the normal Springkerse to Forthside 'park & ride' service will be available from Monday 16 - Friday 20 November with the standard fare being applied £1 adult / 50p children).

There will be no public parking at Stirling Service Park (Forthside) on Saturday 21 November. Instead, a free of charge park and ride service will be available from Castleview to Forthside Service Park from 9.15am - 5.00pm on this day. This service will run approximately every 15 to 20 minutes.

Castleview is just off the M9 motorway at junction 10. To find the site using an in-car satellite navigation system, enter the postcode FK9 4TW as your destination point.
Springkerse is at the east of Stirling, just off the A91 at Springkerse Retail Park. To find the site using an in-car satellite navigation system, enter the postcode FK7 7TL as your destination point.

Ceremonial Finish - Stirling Castle
The National B crews, who tackle the first 3 stages of the Saturday loop will have their finishing ceremony at the Castle Esplanade. This starts from 12 noon and finishes just as the live television coverage of SS12 begins.

There is no public parking at Stirling Castle for the ceremonial finish. A free of charge park and ride service will operate from Castleview to Stirling Castle from 9.15am - 5pm. This service will run approximately every 15-20 minutes. Castleview is just off the M9 motorway at junction 10. To find the site using a sat-nav system, enter the postcode FK9 4TW as your destination point.

Viewing is free of charge.
Note: there will be toilet facilities and catering vans at all stages.

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