… McRae Gravel Challenge, Sat 23rd Sept 2017 … One day. One event. One forest. In memory of one man …
Coltness Car Club have finalised plans to run a rather unique event on Saturday the 23rd of September.
With the support of the McRae family and additional valued support from friends at The Cobble Shop, Scotfab Ltd, JW Design, Pearsons of Duns, J.Kirkaldy, DW Plumbing, Mercury Motorsport and a certain Quintin Milne Esq, the Lanarkshire based Car Club will organise the ‘McRae Gravel Challenge’ in Craigvinean Forest in Perthshire.
The event will mark the 10th anniversary of the loss of a much loved and revered car club member and supporter, one who progressed through car club ranks, Scottish rallies and British championships to become World Rally Champion in 1995, Colin McRae MBE.
With the support of Forest Enterprise, the McRae Gravel Challenge will be contested over 4 stages in one of Colin’s favourite forest tests. Two spectator areas will be created in the forest from which rally fans will see two runs, one in the morning and one in the afternoon with full public broadcast commentary facilities provided at the main Spectator Area.
It is also intended to have an interview and chat session with drivers at the lunch halt in front of the main crowd.
This gravel challenge will run under strict rally rules with compliant cars crewed by licenced drivers and co-drivers. Neither will it be an annual event. There is no intention to organise a yearly tribute, but the club feels it right to stage this 10th anniversary memorial gathering in one of the forests where Colin recorded a most remarkable result.
It was way back in 1990 on the Chesterton Hackle Rally run through the Perthshire stages and Colin had borrowed his ‘Uncle Shooey’s’ Pinto engined Mk2. It was raining that day. It was raining so hard that water was cascading off the mountains and washing away roads. In fact, the route had to be modified in places as the day wore on. It was running down Marshals’ necks and out the bottom of their trousers. It flooded streams and rivers and roadside gutters and simply didn’t let up.
And yet through those dreadful conditions a skinny wheeled, red and white Escort danced and splashed never seeming to find any grip, but unrelenting in its pursuit of speed and pace. It swept away the opposition and recorded a victory that will remain etched forever in the minds of those who were there, and saw, and were enthralled, and didn’t mind the rain!
It would have taken a very foolish man or a very brave punter to have bet on a 2WD car doing the business against all the 4WD machinery that day in such treacherous slippery conditions. And yet, it did. It was all part of the magic of the man.
Regulations for the event are being finalised now and Entry Forms will be available shortly. There will also be a limit on entries for this one-off event and full details will follow. Priority entry will be given to previous winners of the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally.
Keep an eye on the Coltness Car Club website for details.
http://www.coltnesscarclub.com/