LtoR: Garry Headridge, Deputy CoC, Mark Taylor, British Rally Championship, Scott Grant, Dumfries & Galloway Council, Jonathan Lord, CoC, and Iain Urquhart from the MSA Scottish Rally Championship.
First held in 1932, this year’s RSAC Scottish Rally on June 29 will be the 68th in the series, and will count towards the British Rally Championship, after a seven year break, as well as the ARR Craib Scottish Championship.
After a successful walkthrough last Sunday with more than 20 key members of the Scottish Rally organising team, final preparations were made for the Dumfries based event.
This year’s route will take competitors through stages at Windy Hill, Ae, Shaw Hill, Loch Grannoch, Clatteringshaws and the ever-popular spectator spot at Heathhall.
Dumfries and Galloway Council sponsors the rally for the seventeenth consecutive year, and ahead of the big day there will be a preview day on 22 June on Dumfries High Street that will bring shoppers the opportunity to view cars and chat with local drivers about the rally.
Jonathan Lord, Clerk of the Course for the RSAC Scottish Rally, said: “This is the first time we have received online entries and we expect well more than one hundred crews to compete on 29 June. This year we have changed the route and taken the stages to the west of Dumfries in the Clatteringshaws area. These are stages we haven’t used for about eight years so it will be a welcome change for drivers and spectators.”
Mark Taylor, Championship Manager for the BRC said: “It is great to be back in Dumfries and taking part in the RSAC Scottish Rally. The rally has a long history of being one of the premier events in the UK and with continued support from Dumfries and Galloway Council, we are looking forward to working closely with the organisers in establishing its status as one of the very best.”
Councillor Finlay Carson, Events Champion for Dumfries and Galloway Council said: “We are delighted to welcome the Scottish Rally to Dumfries and Galloway each year. It is fantastic news that this year’s event will be even bigger and will once again be part of the British Rally Championship.”
Scott Grant, Service Manager Leisure & Sport at Dumfries and Galloway Council added: “Our Council’s Leisure & Sport team, working with the rally organising committee, is hoping that the inclusion of the British Championships will increase local interest significantly. With the Rally returning to stages in the West of the Region, this helps to draw in new local spectators as well as to the preview day.”
The rally will start from Dumfries High Street at 7.00 am on Saturday morning with 9 Special Stages totalling 73 miles in a 150 mile route finishing back in Dumfries on Saturday evening.
Regulations for the 81-year-old event are now available.
http://www.scottishrally.co.uk/documents/Regs.pdf
( More info will follow in due course )