… Merrick Stages “shaping up well” …
Competitors on next month’s GWF Energy Merrick Stages Rally are being promised an “entertaining but testing” route comprising seven classic stages centred on the Galloway Forest Park.
Two of the stages are in South Ayrshire, while the other five are located around Glentrool, and towards New Galloway. They include those at Drumjohn, Auchinleck, Balloch and Arroch Hill.
With the central service area at Glencaird, the ‘Merrick’ continues to be one of the most compact events in the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship.
Organised by Machars Car Club and Scottish Sporting Car Club, Clerk of the Course, Graham Bisset said: “The event on September 6th is shaping up really well. As always, we’ve had great co-operation from Forestry Commission Scotland. The challenge has been to give competitors the high standard of stages they enjoy – and deserve – while being mindful of forest harvesting operations”.
He added: “Going up to South Ayrshire also gives the event a bit more visibility. It’s somewhere we’ve not been for the past four or five years, and it’s an exciting prospect”.
As well as being the sixth round of the 2014 Scottish championship, the Merrick Stages will also be a counter in the Ecosse Challenge, the Five of Clubs Championship , Machars Car Club Championship, and Scottish Sporting Car Club Championship.
For the fifth successive year, the start and finish, as well as Friday night scrutineering, will be located in front of Rally HQ at the former county buildings in Wigtown.
If you haven’t yet entered, the Regs are here:
http://www.merrickstages.co.uk/images/PDF/2014/merrick_2014_SRs.pdf
Further details on the rally and organising clubs can be found at: www.merrickstages.co.uk