----- SiteNav ----- |
Rally News - June 7, 2010 More Assorted Mutterings from Scotland - and farther afield TV Times, Sunday 13th June The first Hankook Scottish Rally Championship programme of the year is scheduled for BBC2 Scotland next Sunday 13th June at 19:20 hrs, so if you’re not going to be in, get the recorder primed. If you want to see a trailer for the report, it’s available on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y6zMC8R7ck **** Barbados May 29/30 Sun, sand, sea and sport on stage, what more could you ask – and not a football in sight! The International SOL Rally of Barbados has attracted a few Scots over the years although in diminishing numbers. One regular visitor though is Kenny Hall. He was over there a couple of weekends ago with Fanny Wesselink in his new Ford Puma. The Borders pairing finished 232rd overall and 2nd in class. Also taking part was our own Kirsty Riddick. She navigated Paul Bird in the Ford Focus WRC08 into third place, 11 seconds behind Paul Bourne who was only 1.16 seconds behind the winner, Roger Skeete. Another Scot in the entry list was Marieanne Gray navigating for Welsh driver Richard Lewis, in a Ford Escort. The finished 29th overall and 1st Historic crew although I’m not sure whether it was a MkI or a MkII, as it was different in the Results from the report! So what’s the big attraction? Well it’s a hell of an event at a lot cheaper than you think. The organisers are keen to attract foreign interest and deals include two return air flights, help with accommodation and financial assistance to get the car over. They also offer a full week of festivities with a ‘King of the Hill’ speed event the weekend before the rally and an awful lot of pig roasts and jerk porks (whatever that/they is/are) and cruises on catamarans with cocktail menus that would floor Amy Winehouse. There’s even a cricket match between the locals versus the overseas competitors on the Monday, although Kenny Hall would probably use the cricket bat for fuel for his barbecue! So if you fancy doing something a bit different next season at not a lot of cost, it could be worth a look. Think Tour of Mull, raincoats and whisky, versus bikinis, sun soaked cruises and rum and coconut over ice instead. **** IRC, Sardinia, 4-6 June On the fifth round (of 12) of this year’s International Rally Challenge, the Scottish junior rally team of Colin Smith and Craig Chapman finished 18th overall and 2nd in class N3. They were 25th at the end of Day 1 but whereas some of the professionals were losing the plot and tossing it off the road, our boys remained cool, calm and confident to move up the leaderboard on their first ever event abroad. They were also the only Honda to finish. **** Severn Valley Clubmans Rally, Wales, June 5th Malloch Nicoll and Martin Forrest went to Wales last weekend and claimed 4th overall on the Severn Valley Clubmans Rally in Malloch’s EVO. **** RSAC Scottish Rally, 26th June Ahead of this year’s RSAC Scottish Rally, the organisers are hosting a Rally Preview Day in Dumfries town centre on Saturday 12 June from 10 am to 3.30 pm. Planned events include a forum (12 pm) with some of the event’s leading drivers and a silent auction and tombola in aid of charity. Heading the all-star line-up are Mike Faulkner, ex-Toyota Team Europe boss and current Subaru Group N builder, George Donaldson, Mark McCulloch, Davie Hughes and current Brick and Steel 205 Ecosse Challenge contender Dave Crozier. Mind you, when it comes to role-models, I’m worried about Hughes. Someone will need to hide his fags for the day! Proceeds from the silent auction and tombola will be split between Ward 15 at Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary and Help for Heroes. Prizes include a rally jacket, Colin McRae prints and rides in rally cars on a forest stage ahead of the rally (25th June). T-shirts, mugs and hats will be up for grabs in the tombola. The event will be based just below the Mid Steeple on Dumfries High Street. Rally programmes will be available to buy at the preview day. **** Looking Back on the Jim Clark Reivers Rally There were some raised eyebrows when David Bogie turned up for the Jim Clark in the McGeehan Ford Focus instead of the MG Metro 6R4, but there was a perfectly innocent explanation. “This was the same car I used on the McRae Stages two years ago,” said David, “and Derek phoned me up and said there was 100 kms left on the car before it was due a rebuild. He didn’t want to send it away for a rebuild with so much usable mileage still on the car. It couldn’t have done an International, but it would be fine for the Reivers. He said I could have it for a special deal, so I went for it. It probably worked out cheaper than using Dad’s Metro.” The reason Euan Thorburn didn’t start the International on Friday was because a butterfly valve in the inlet manifold jammed at the shakedown. When they went to start the Subaru up ahead of the rally, it just wouldn’t fire up. By the time the TEG Sport boys had sussed out what it was and got it fixed, Father Time had tick-tocked well past his start-by date! Willie Jarman thoroughly enjoyed his day out in the Scottish borders and was well impressed by the finish, and also by the spectator numbers: “It was great. There were folk in gardens waving at us as we went past. There was more local support on this event than any other I’ve been to.” Jock Armstrong was impressed for a quite different reason: “I’ve never seen so much carnage, on every corner. There were holes in hedges all over the place!” At the end of the rally, Cameron Fairbairn was so hoarse he had lost his voice. He alleges that this was entirely due to the fact that he was constantly having to shout, because his driver, Allan Brodie doesn’t take a blind bit of notice of anything he says. So what’s new? Deal of the week? Graham Roberts bought his Impreza for £4750 two weeks before the JC, and finished 40th overall. It was his first outing for over four years as well! Andy Knight was spotted spectating at the JC and taking an unhealthy interest in Subarus. It would appear that the 1990 and 1991 Tour of Mull winner has gone and gotten himself a Subaru Impreza for this year’s Tour. He hopes to debut the car on the Argyll Stages on 10th July ahead of the October event. Mike Rae was a worried man at the Jim Clark. His wife Karen was due to give birth some time this week, but typical of these selfish women trying to deprive their menfolk of a wee bit time to themselves, she thought she was going into labour on the night before the rally and Mike was well primed that he might get the call during the day on Saturday. It didn’t happen. After worrying him needlessly, Karen’s contraptions settled down again, but nails are gradually getting chewed down to the knuckles in Invernesia. And there’s even more at stake, Mike’s hoping to do the Scottish later this month, but needs to sort out his MG’s Quaife gearbox before then. He uncharitably alleged that I was a jinx because every time he spoke to me at the event, he lost another gear! Talking of luck escapes, Robin (SRC Press magnate and scribeo colourus) and Margaret Wyllie had a seriously lucky escape the other day when driving south on the M40 to an exhibition in Surrey. They had hired a long wheelbase, high roof Ford Transit and had loaded it up with the spoils of Margaret’s business – Holy Socks. You know the kind of thing, gloves for feet with embroidered pictures to brighten them up. Anyway, they had slowed up for a traffic jam, and the 18 tonne truck behind them didn’t. It ploughed into the Transit at 50 mph and shoved the back doors ahead of the rear axle and burst both rear tyres. And yet both Robin and Margaret stepped out virtually unscathed, although Robin had a twisted ankle (any excuse to stop him reaching for his wallet). You see, the woolly socks had acted like a big sponge in the rear and absorbed the worst of the impact while the airbags up front did their job. Even so, the pair were very, very lucky. So perhaps if I buy a pair of Holy Socks and wear them all the time I’ll be lucky too. In fact I might just buy two pairs, thatways I’ll have enough clean socks to last me a full year! **** |