… Reivers at the Ready …
This weekend’s Jim Clark Reivers Rally marks the halfway point in the 8 round ARR Craib National Scottish Rally Championship.
First run in 1970 this year’s event will return to its roots. Tree roots, that is. Having run as a ‘Closed Public Road’ rally since 1997, using stretches of public road closed by Act of Parliament within Berwickshire, this year’s event will revert to forestry road Special Stages just over the Border in Northumberland.
The event will start and finish in Kelso at the Showground on Sunday 31st May, but the competitive element will all be contained within the massive Kielder Forest complex.
Heading the entry list is five times Scottish Rally Champion and former British Champion, David Bogie with two of his main rivals for the 2015 title right behind him, Jock Armstrong and Mike Faulkner. The number four seed is Newcastle’s Peter Taylor, but he’s no stranger to this area as the family holiday business is based in Jedburgh.
The number five seed, Bruce McCombie, is actually the current leader of the Scottish Rally Championship after three rounds. Consistency, with one second place and two fourths has given McCombie a healthy lead at this early stage of the national series, but Bogie is only 20 points behind.
An added attraction for the 2015 Jim Clark Reivers Rally features the return of the Forces’ Land Rovers. The Armed Forces have long supported the ‘Closed Road’ Jim Clark Rally in previous years as the event provides excellent training in teamwork, navigation, time-keeping and fast driving.
Throughout the year, in their own night-navigation exercises, drivers from all three armed forces compete to win the chance to contest a small number of motor rallies throughout the UK. Not for them Subaru Imprezas or Ford Escorts, they compete in Land Rover Wolf diesel powered 4×4 utility vehicles.
Specially adapted to compete on special stage motor rallies, these great lolloping and lumbering beasts are surprisingly agile in the hands of their experienced ‘pilots’ and provide a treat for spectators as they bring up the tail end of the field. Often regarded as the golden retrievers amongst a field of greyhounds, the Land Rover squadron is well worth watching.
The Rally will start from Springwood Park in Kelso at 08.00 Hrs on Sunday morning the 31st of May with the first car returning there for the ceremonial finish around 15.00 Hrs.
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Spectator Information:
08:00 Hrs, Official Rally Start, Springwood Park, Kelso.
SS3, Harwood, 1st car due 12.12 Hrs
Spectator Area signposted by green arrows from the unclassified road, one mile south east of Elsdon village.
SS5, Comb, 1st car due 13.47 Hrs
Access to two signposted (green arrows) areas off the Forest Drive, one mile south of Byrness on the A68
From 15.00 Hrs, Rally finish at Springwood Park, Kelso
More information: http://www.jimclarkrally.org/spectators.html
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Full Entry List (showing Driver and Co-driver home towns):
1, David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Dumfries/Jedburgh) Ford Fiesta R5+, Class 13
2, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Castle Douglas/Withnell) Subaru Impreza, Class 12
3, Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy (Kirtlebridge/Bingley) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 , Class 11
4, Peter Taylor/Andrew Roughead (Carlisle/Newcastle Upon Tyne) Ford Fiesta S2400, Class 12
5, Bruce McCombie/Michael Coutts (Banchory/Torphins) Mitsubishi Evo 9, Class 12
6, Andrew Gallacher/Jane Nicol (Hurlford/Edinburgh) Ford AG Fiesta, Class 12
7, Mark McCulloch/Michael Hendry (Newton Stewart/Archiestown) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, Class 11
8, Peter Stephenson/Ian Windress (Thirsk/Northallerton) Ford Focus WRC, Class 13
9, Matthew Robinson/Kim Baker (Ripon/Chesterfield) Ford Fiesta, Class 12
10, Steve Bannister/Louise Rae (Malton/Jedburgh) Ford Escort Mk2, Class 6
11, John Morrison/Peter Carstairs (Conon Bridge/St Andrews) Mitsubishi Evo 9, Class 10
12, Fraser Wilson/Craig Wallace (Newton Stewart/Kirriemuir) Mitsubishi Evo 9, Class 10
14, Freddie Milne/Neil Shanks (Banchory/Elgin) Mitsubishi Evo 7, Class 11
15, Seamus O’Connell/TBA (Dungiven/TBA) Ford Escort Mk2, Class 6
16, John Rintoul/Ross Hynd (Leven/Inverbervie) Hyundai Accent WRC, Class 13
17, Dale Robertson/Paul McGuire (Duns/Tranent) Mitsubishi EVO 9, Class 11
18, Rory Young/Allan Cathers (Dumfries/Brampton) Ford Fiesta R5, Class 13
19, John McClory/David M Hood (Strathblane/Elderslie) Mitsubishi EVO9, Class 10
20, Steven Ronaldson/Gordon Chalmers (Inverness/Inverness) Mitsubishi EVO 9, Class 11
21, Ian Baumgart/Mike Dickson (Hawick/Galashiels) Subaru Impreza, Class 11
22, Mat Smith/Giles Dykes (Thirsk/Barnard Castle) Proton Satria, Class 2
23, Steve Petch/John Richardson (Scorton/Exelby) Ford Fiesta S2000, Class 12
24, Scott McCombie/Kevin Sim (Banchory/Banchory) Mitsubishi Evo 8, Class 11
25, John Wink/John Forrest (Huntly/Rothienorman) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, Class 11
26, Ian Graham/Damien Duffin (Portglenone/Ballymena) Mitsubishi Evo , Class 12
27, Willie Stuart/Neil Ewing (Alford/Largs) Ford Escort Mk1, Class 6
28, Allan McDowall/Gavin Heseltine (Tarbolton/Gilberdyke) Ford RS1800, Class 6
29, Greg McKnight/TBA (Dumfries/TBA) Ford Escort Mk2, Class 8
30, Kevin Robertson/Murray Strachan (Insch/Banchory) Mitsubishi Evo 8.5, Class1
31, Scott MacBeth/Callum Atkinson (Rosemarkie/Lauder) Vauxhall Nova, Class 4
32, Ross MacDonald/Matthew Johnstone (Conon Bridge/Aberdeen) Honda Civic , Class 7
33, Garry James Wilson/Scott James Young (Duns/Duns) Mitsubishi Evo 5, Class 11
34, Craig Rutherford/Chris Hamill (Fionnphort/Oban) Subaru Impreza WRX, Class 10
35, Andy Kelly/Roger Herron (Greenock/Dumfries) Ford Mk1 Escort RS, Class 6
36, David Goose/Dick Wardle (Spalding/Pickering) Ford Escort RS, Class 6
37, Brian Bell/Matthew Whattam (Skegness/Selby) Ford Focus 07 WRC, Class 13
38, Alex Curran/Heather Grisedale (Newton Stewart/Grange over Sands) Vauxhall Corsa, Class 4
39, Marcus Noble/Helen Hall (Penrith/Penrith) Ford Escort Mk2, Class 6
40, Barry Lindsay/Caroline Lodge (Carlisle/Brampton) Peugeot 206, Class 4
41, Gordon Murray/David O’Brien (Perth/Duns) Ford Escort Mk2, Class 9
42, Grant Inglis/Robert Gray (Glasgow/Glasgow) Ford Escort Mk2, Class 8
43, Alasdair Reid/Donald Urquhart (Muir of Ord/Conon Bridge) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 , Class 11
44, Jim Robertson/Colin Maxwell (Penpont/Dumfries) Citroen C2R2, Class 4
45, David Thirlwell/Graham Reader (TBA/TBA) Ford Escort, Class 6
46, Kieran O’Kane/Scott Crawford (Larbert/Howwood) Opel Ascona, Class 9
47, Colin Grant/Alan Barnes (Inverness/Preston) Ford Escort Mk 2, Class 4
48, Peter Humphrey/Douglas Humphrey (Dunbar/Dunbar) Opel Kadett Coupe, Class 6
49, Colin Aitchison/Richard Simmonds (Duns/Duns) Vauxhall Chevette HSR, Class 9
50, Thomas Gray/David Wilson (Tore/Alness) Toyota Yaris, Class 2
51, Donald Brooker/Rachel Brooker (Ballater/Aberdeen) BMW 130i, Class 9
52, Simon Hay/Calum Jaffray (Aberdeen/Torphins) Peugeot 205GTI, Class 3
53, Ben Cree/Richard Shores (Thirsk/Thirsk) Peugeot 205, Class 3
54, Andy Chalmers/Martin MacCabe (Fyvie/Glasgow) Peugeot 205 GTI, Class 3
55, Trevor Gamble/Ronnie Roughead (Chester Le Street/Newcastle Upon Tyne) Ford Puma Super 1600, Class 4
56, James Gibb/Iain Robson (Kilmarnock/St. Boswells) Subaru Impreza, Class 12
57, Walter Aitken/Sean Liddell (Duns/Duns) Ford Mk1 Escort, Class 6
58, Iain Heard/Alistair Maxwell (Ancrum/Ancrum) Ford Escort Mk2, Class 5
59, Robert Thomson/Kyle Mackintosh (Auldearn/Auldearn) Mitsubishi Evo 8, Class 12
60, Michael Robertson/Gary McDonald (Letham/Aberdeen) Subaru Impreza, Class 11
61, Paul May/Daniel May (Whickham/ Whickham (Ford Escort Mexico, Class 6
62, Amanda Cornforth-Smith/Derek Cornforth (Thirsk/Thirsk) Ford Ka, Class 2
63, Caroline Carslaw/John Duke (Dunlop/Dunlop) Ford Fiesta ST, Class 7
64, Carin Logan/Christine Sanderson (Kelso/Berwick) Citroen Saxo VTS, Class 4
65, Colin Patterson/Gary Clark (Aberdeen/Alness) Toyota Celica GT4, Class 11
66, Jock McFarlane/George Donaldson (Blairgowrie/Alyth) Ford Fiesta ST, Class 7
67, Alister MacArthur/Chris Robertson (Lochgilphead/Tarbert) Talbot Sunbeam, Class 8
68, Mike Williams/Steve Perry (Heighington/Bishop Auckland) Mitsubishi Evo 9 , Class 10
69, Alan Cowan/Katie Stimpson (Dunfermline/Loanhead) Vauxhall Astra, Class 7
70, Andy Struthers/Peter Weall (Libberton/Lenzie) Citroen C2, Class 1
71, Sue Hynd/Tom Hynd (Inverbervie/Inverbervie) Peugeot 106, Class 1
72, M Thaarique Fazal/Amanda Burney (Gretna/Kirkudbright) Peugeot 205 Gti, Class 3
73, Brian Palmer/Calum MacPhail (Newcastle/Banchory) Land Rover Defender, Class 14
74, Adam Woolner/Stacey Hadlum (Stoke -On-Trent/Coventry) Land Rover Wolf XD, Class 14
75, Blair Thomson/Keith Sharlott (Huntly/Tidworth) Land Rover Wolf XD, Class 14
76, Clive Alford/Steve Jones (Alverston/Huddersfield) Land Rover Wolf XD, Class 14
77, Ross Cookman/Andy Carter (Truro/Braunton) Land Rover Wolf XD, Class 14
78, Alan Paramore/Ben de Ronde (Wellington/Luton) Land Rover Wolf XD, Class 14
79, John Hickinbotham/Chris McCarthy (Selkirk/Stokesley) Land Rover Wolf XD, Class 14
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Provisional Scottish Rally Championship Leaderboard after 3 (of 8) rounds:
1, Bruce McCombie, 80 Points
2, Barry Groundwater, 73
3, Shaun Sinclair, 73
4, David Bogie, 60
5, John Rintoul, 59
6, Jock Armstrong, 58
7, Mike Faulkner, 54
8, Donnie MacDonald, 53
9, Andrew Gallacher, 50
10, Mark McCulloch, 47