09 Aug: Grampian Rally – Preview

 … Grampian Forest Rally, Sat 14th August 2021 …

Attention in this year’s KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship switches this weekend from Dunoon in the West and Lockerbie in the South to Banchory in the north for the third round of this year’s national competition, the  Grampian Forest Rally.

It’s also the third round of the British Rally Championship and as such has attracted additional interest from right across the UK and Ireland. On that basis our lot will face an even bigger threat than they did last month from their BTRDA counterparts and yet honour prevailed with five of our drivers in the RSAC Scottish Rally top ten.

Given the quality of this weekend’s entry it will be one heckuva result if the same can be achieved here. There’s more heavy hitters in this entry list than in a busload of boxers.

Jock Armstrong (R5) currently leads the Scottish series by 7 points from Mark McCulloch (Mk2) with Richard Hill (Evo) in 3rd place. Ian Forgan (R5), Iain Wilson (Mk2) and Ian Baumgart (Impreza) complete the top six, but the trouble is, they are all counting two scores from two events. Right behind them are Freddie Milne (R5), David Bogie (MINI), Garry Pearson (R5) and Rory Young (R5) who are in the top ten with just one score each. That means there could be some dramatic changes at the top come Saturday evening.

The trouble is, rallying is such an unpredictable sport that there is room for some major upsets with both John Wink (R5) and Bruce McCombie (Focus) on ‘home’ turf. Last year, the number 20 seed on this Saturday’s event, Michael Binnie, won the Snowman Rally outright in a Mitsubishi Lancer while two years ago, this year’s number 28 seed, Scott Beattie, finished 5th overall on this very event in another Lancer. And just last month Peter Stewart put in an eye raising drive first time out in the Peugeot 208 Rally4 to finish 18th overall on the Scottish!

And then there’s Mark McCulloch and Iain Wilson both in Escort Mk2s. Can the two wheel drive brigade trump the 4WD lot? The north east stages look to be in pretty good condition and stranger things have happened in rallying.

Fingers crossed for a safe rally but the latest news from the organisers is that this will still be a NON SPECTATOR event. It would appear that the local authority has not revoked  the order which effectively closes the forests to all but rally cars, crews and officials.

One piece of good news (!?) there’s only 21 different classes on this event as opposed to 25 on the Scottish. And we wonder why folk outside the sport don’t understand it.

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Classes Cl C1 SRC Clubman category Two Wheel Drive cars up to 1450cc. Cl C2 SRC Clubman category Two Wheel Drive cars from 1451cc to 1650cc. Cl C3 SRC Clubman category Two Wheel Drive cars from 1651cc to 2050cc Cl C4 SRC Clubman category Two Wheel Drive cars over 2051cc. Cl C5 SRC Clubman category Four wheel drive cars. Cl M1 SRC Modified category Two wheel drive cars up to 1450cc Cl M2 SRC Modified category Two wheel drive cars up to 1450cc (sequential gearboxes prohibited). Cl M3 SRC Modified category Two wheel drive cars up to 1450cc not Clified in Cl M2 (includes any FIA homologated R3 car (naturally aspirated or Turbo) and any forced induction car up to 1000cc. Cl M4 SRC Modified category Two Wheel drive cars over 1651cc with 8 valves or less. Cl M5 SRC Modified category front wheel drive cars from 1651cc to 2050cc with more than 8 valves (includes any FIA homologated R3 car (naturally aspirated or turbo) and any forced induction car up to 1000cc Cl M6 SRC Modified category rear wheel drive cars from 1651cc to 2050cc with more than 8 valves. Cl M7 SRC Modified category Two Wheel drive cars over 2051cc. Cl M8 SRC Modified category Four Wheel drive cars not Clified in Cl M9 or SRC Pro (Cl P1), without a sequential gearbox (including previously homologated FIA Group N 4WD cars). Includes any FIA homologated Rally3 car. Cl M9 SRC Modified category 4 wheel drive cars homologated in the following Classes,or previously homologated as such, providing these run as per their homologation papers: FIA Homologated GpA Four Wheel Drive cars, FIA Homologated Super 2000 cars FIA Homologated R4 cars All Metro 6R4’s and any derivativ Cl SH1 All Historic category 1 and 2 cars. Historic category 3 cars with single cam engines Historic category 4 cars up to 1600cc. Cl SH2 Historic category 3 cars with multicam engines. Historic category 4 cars over 1601cc in compliance with R49.1.5. Cl P1 FIA Homologated Rally1/WRC cars and cars previously homologated as such and FIA Homologated Rally2/R5 cars and any derivative thereof including RHD conversions. Cl BRC1 Cars competing in and complying with BRC regulations for Cl BRC1 Cl BRC3 Cars competing in and complying with BRC regulations for Cl BRC3 Cl BRC4 Cars competing in and complying with BRC regulations for Cl BRC4 and Junior BRC. Cl BRC5 All cars competing in and complying with BRC regulations for Cl BRC5.

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