N E W S
SCOTTISH TARMAC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP AGM, Sunday 24th February
The annual DCC/STRC AGM will be held at Aqua Cure Scotland (courtesy of Bruce Edwards) on Sunday 24th February at 12 noon. Anyone with an interest in the club and/or the Scottish Tarmack Rally Championship will be welcome – as long as they bring their own seat! It has been suggested that Bruce Edwards does not encourage his staff to sit down so does not have any chairs, but I’m sure that’s not true. Anyway, bring a seat, but no deckchairs.
The organisers will also formally welcome their new title sponsor ‘Blue’ who provides waste management and quarrying equipment throughout the UK and Ireland. Further Blue details are available on their website: http://www.bluegroup.co.uk.
Other sponsors include Aquacure Scotland, Grant Construction, Howford Hydraulics, Wheels Around and John Young Signs.
There will be a new class structure this year including the introduction of an over 2000cc 2WD class.
The next round in the championship is the Border Ecosse CC, PJ Planthire Stages at Charterhall on the 30th March, with the following round at Ingliston on the 27th April.
More information on the web site at:
www.dunfermlinecarclub.co.uk
The address for Aqua Cure Scotland is Almond Studio, Lawgrove Place, Inveralmond Industrial Estate, Perth PH1 3XQ – that’s the industrial estate on the north west edge of Perth where if you miss the turning you will be on the A9 heading for Inverness.
If you are coming, then please drop a note to Trix Grant so that she can arrange to have enough cups! Sounds like it might be a long ‘do’.
**
FIVE OF CLUBS RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2013
The organisers of this year’s championship, which will consists of 7 rounds, are proposing to run a test/registration day on Sunday the 10th of March (or it might be the 17th, so best to check) in Ayrshire.
The stage will contain a bit of everything and will be run by John Parker. The cost of the day will be £100 per car, which will include registration into this year’s championship. Places will be limited.
For more details or to book a place, Andy Nicholson at: alnicho@aol.co.uk
The 2013 Five of Clubs Championship will consist of:
March 31, Charterhall Stages
May 13, Hallburn Stages
June 30, RSAC Scottish Rally
July 8, Greystoke Rally
August 12, Solway Coast
September 1, Merrick Rally
October ??, Galloway Hills
**
G O S S I P
Found out the reason for Euan Thorburn’s retirement on the Wyedean Rally, the weekend before the Snowman. He and Paul Beaton were just three seconds off the lead when they came out of the penultimate stage: “The crankshaft broke,” said Euan, “we were very lucky, some of the debris jammed it and stopped any more damage. We got the engine back on Thursday, but then we had a problem with the ECU. We had installed a new one a few weeks back, but when the rebuilt engine went it in, it wouldn’t fire up.”
That resulted in a hectic chase around to get a new one, but the problem was solved rather more easily. “When you fit a new ECU, you have to disconnect the Master switch,” said Euan, “and there are five earth leads on it. Whoever connected it up, connected four earth leads!” Once rectified the Focus was restored to rude health.
And finally ….
This is yet another true tale from that stalwart bunch of scallywags who reside in the Stonehaven area of Aberdeenshire and who have adopted a wayward waif from Carnforth in Lancashire. Anyway, once regarded as a sensible soul with 10w-40 for blood, this mixing in bad company has seen Wayne Sissons slip off the rails of sobriety and sensibility.
Having invested in a new Drenth sequential gearbox, fitted by Arnside Motorsport, Brian Watson was desperate to get out and try it. “I love my toys,” said Brian, but what he didn’t notice was that Wayne had fitted an ‘extra’ which he only found out about at Scrutineering.
Having driven into Scrutineering under the watchful eyes of the MSA’s finest wheel shooglers and massed ranks of rally-starved spectators, he had to manoeuvre the car backwards and forwards into his allotted bay – accompanied by the loud beep-beep of a truck reversing alarm which had been fitted to his gearbox without his knowledge and switched on at that moment by his very good ‘friend’, Wayne Sissons Esq.
Naturally, Wayne had told the rest of the bunch, but not Brian, who initially didn’t twig what was going on, looking all around to see who was making the noise each time he selected reverse gear!
Brian Watson is only 26 – now we know why he looks so much older!
**