… New Look for 2015 Jim Clark Rally …
The organisers of the annual Jim Clark Rally have confirmed that they will run a Special Stage Rally on Sunday the 31st of May 2015.
However, this year’s Jim Clark Reivers Rally will be rather different from recent events. It will not take place over Closed Public Roads in Berwickshire, as has been the case for the past 15 years. This year’s event will revert to the format first run in 1970 when the organisers used private Forestry Commission roads.
The route has yet to be confirmed, although the rally will be based in Kelso from where competitors will drive over the Border to contest a number of Special Stages in the giant Kielder Forest.
Clerk of the Course, Colin Smith said: “We wanted to maintain the continuity of an annual motor sports event in the Borders and following Borders Regional Council’s decision to withdraw permission for a Closed Road event, this was our only option. The Forestry Commission have been very helpful and we are looking at a route with around 45 miles of forest road tests.”
Meanwhile, plans are well underway for the 2016 Jim Clark Rally. Clerk of the Course for this two day Closed Road event, Russel Blood said: “Over the past few months the team had been continuing with preparations for a two day Closed Road rally event this year, but that is not going to happen so we will now concentrate our efforts on the 2016 event. Current plans are that this will comprise a two-day Jim Clark Rally (Friday/Saturday) followed by the one-day (Sunday) Jim Clark Reivers Rally.”
This new plan has already received the backing of many of the UK’s top rally championships. There will be no official ‘MSA British Rally Championship’ this year as the Motor Sports Association, motor sport’s governing body, are in the throes of a major re-organisation of Britain’s top rally championship series and is planning to launch a completely new premier British rally championship competition in 2016. The two day Jim Clark Rally will play an integral role in this.
Both the national Scottish Rally Championship and Scottish Tarmack Rally Championship are supporting the Jim Clark Rally and Reivers organising teams as is the British Asphalt Rally Championship plus local national and regional championship competitions.
“It’s not only the competitors, clubs, championships and rally fans who are offering encouragement,” said Jim Clark Rally Chairman Dan Wright, “but local businesses and local people have rallied round to support the continuation of this major sporting event. We have also received tremendous support from both Mr John Lamont MSP (member for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) and Michael Moore MP (member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk). Having such support allows us to plan ahead with growing confidence.”
**