… Mull Hire Classic Rally, Sat 14th March …
The Mull Hire Classic Rally takes place this Saturday on the Isle of Mull with over 40 entries having been received by the enthusiastic organising team. These ‘targa style’ events provide great fun for those taking part consisting of a series of Timed Tests and Regularity sections (where an average speed has to be maintained for a set distance) and linked together by directions to and from the tests. It is as much a team event as any rally with navigators having to be able to count beyond ten fingers and knowing their North from their South whilst drivers have to do what they are told.
Car modifications are very strictly controlled with many of this year’s entries appearing in absolutely bog standard cars or recycling yard escapees. This makes a targa rally one of the more affordable style events for two folk in one car as opposed to Autosolos where the driver is in sole charge and stage rallies where co-drivers have to be meticulous with their Route Note delivery.
And if you think that makes boring watching. Forget it. This year’s entry includes serious targa regulars and first time nutters out for a hooley. But as in any walk of life, ambition knows no bounds. Throwing caution to the wind and cash at his sport Eddie O’Donnell Jnr has replaced his mighty 1 litre Peugeot 107 from last time with a hugely volatile 14 year old Peugeot 206 – a car that is not much younger than his co-driver for the day!
I also fear for the sanity of Tom Hynd who has again ‘volunteered’ to sit beside the Hairy Highlander himself, one Duncan Cameron Esq, while Richard Wardle has proved he is a glutton for punishment having again secured the ‘services’ of rapid pilot and regular Big Mull Rally driver Jonathan Mounsey. Intent on bringing their own brand of mayhem, the Ritchie brothers and Gary Douglas/Brian Pringle (with a secret weapon in the back seat of the 20 year old BMW) will be spearheading the Coltness Bears contingent while Keith Robathan has taken the taxi sign of the roof of his BMW for another assault on this sainted isle.
And speaking of nutters, Fraser Hughes is back for another bash. Last time he and co-driver Peter MacInnes did the whole rally with the hood down on their Mazda MX5 – and boy did it rain. That was one of the wettest Mulls for a long, long time. And they still finished 10th o/a. Amazing.
On a more serious note the top seeds will be led off by Hull’s Andy Beaumont in his sideways Sunbeam Rapier, Northern Ireland’s Michael Reid in an MG Midget and Yorkshire’s Malcolm Davey in his MGB.
The organisers will be publishing diagrams and maps in their Spectator Guide for those who wish to go out and see what all the fun is about. They will doubtless be treated to the whole gamut of handbrakes turns, from the full 360 Whippet (when the rabbit stops and the dug turns in its own length) to the 360 Broken Ratchet (like a wee dug dragging its itchy bum across the carpet) type of attack and everything in between.
More Info:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/MullClassicRally/posts/?ref=page_internal
Spectator Guide:
Entry List (( Driver/Codriver (Home Towns) Car, Year and Class )) 1, Andy Beaumont/Andrew Fish (Hull/Chester Le Street) Sunbeam Rapier H120, 1972, 5 2, Michael Reid/John Lindsay (Belfast/Armagh) MG Midget, 5 3, Malcolm Davey/Paul Slingsby (Bradford/Ilkley) MGB Roadster, 1967, 5 4, Tim Green/Melanie Green (Faringdon) Austin Mini, 5 5, Nick Robertson/Mark Linton (Newton Stewart/West Calder) Volvo 122s Amazon, 1966, 5 6, Colvin Howie/Pam Howie (Inverness) Sunbeam Stiletto, 1966, 5 7, Anthony Peter Tindall/David Richard Smith (Harrogate) Volvo 142, 1971, 5 8, Duncan Cameron/Tom Hynd (Fordoun/Inverbervie) Peugeot 205 Rallye, 6 9, Richard Wardle/Jonathan Mounsey (Settle) Ford Escort Mk2, 1979, 6 10, Guy Waddington/Tim Waddington (Wakefield/Wakefield) Ford Escort, 1980, 6 11, Craig Wallace/Clifford Auld (Toyota Corolla G6R) 1999, 2 12, Ryan Hay/Niall Thomson (Denny/Bo'ness) Toyota Paseo G6, 1996, 2 14, Andrew Tong/Emma Steeley (Aberdeen/Aberdeen) Peugeot 205 GTi, 1989, 2 15, Jamie Stewart/Simon Bailey (Blair Atholl/Edinburgh) Peugeot 205, 1991, 2 16, Ian Rae/Muriel Rae (Blairgowrie/Blairgowrie) Citroen C2 vts, 2007, 2 17, Craig Ritchie/Rod Ritchie (Symington/Lesmahagow) Mini One, 2002, 2 18, Eddie O’Donnell Jnr/Amanda O’Donnell (Salen/Salen) Peugeot 206, 2006, 2 19, Doug Weir/Linda Brown (Peterhead/Peterhead) Mini Cooper, 2006, 2 20, Chris Warden/Ian Mills (Tobermory/Barnoldswick) Ford Fiesta Zetec S, 2005, 2 21, Mark Standen/TBA (Blackburn ) Proton Satria , 1999, 3 22, Fraser Hughes/Peter MacInnes (Conon bridge/Fortrose) Mazda MX5, 2003, 3 23, Ian Buchanan/Gemma Conroy (Fraserburgh/Fraserburgh) Subaru Impreza , 2003, 3 24, Geoff Bateman/Maggy Bateman (Wigton/Wigton) Peugeot 205 GTi, 1988, 3 25, Alan Patterson/Bob Shearer (Perth/Perth) Ford Puma, 2000, 3 26, Paul Rhodes/Adam Sutton (Scunthorpe/Broughton) Seat Ibiza GTI Cupra, 1999, 3 27, Liam Charlton/Luke Tait (Stocksfield) Mazda MX5, 2003, 3 28, Matt Blood/Daniel Blood (Hull/Brough) Peugeot 206 XSI, 3 29, David McLoughlin/Sue Hynd (Foveran/Inverbervie) Peugeot 206, 2004, 3 30, Shaun Fisher/Ross Graham (Tobermory/Oban) Vauxhall Astra, 2005, 3 31, Colin Christie/Dan Forsyth (Huntly/Elgin) Suzuki Ignis, 2004, 1 32, Struan Matchett/James Matchett, 1 33, Frank William Pinder/Liz Pinder (Melrose/St Boswells) Citroen Saxo, 2000, 1 34, Meurig McMillan/Finn McMillan, Nissan Micra K11, 1998, 1 35, Scott Gray/Andy Tinline (Perthshire/Anstruther) Ford Fiesta ST150, 07, 1 36, Colin Baxter/Michael Renton (Tain/Duns) Toyota Corolla, 1998, 1 37, Matthew Doherty/Simon Barnes (Blackpool) Nissan Micra, 1994, 1 38, Gary Douglas/Brian Pringle (Larkhall/Lanark) BMW 316ti, 2004, 1 39, James Corcoran/Jimmy Corcoran (Edinburgh/Edinburgh) MG ZR, 2003, 1 40, Keith Robathan/Fraser William Buckingham (Aberdeen/Aberdeen) BMW 318ti, 2000, 1 41, Simon Thomasson/Finn Thomasson (Tobermory/Tobermory) Toyota Celica SR, 1998, 1 42, Andrew Cameron/David Cameron (Bunessan/Bunessan), 1