Rally - IRC at the Ready

What a difference a week makes. On the day that Rally of Scotland is due to start, the sun comes out. Between the McRae Rally and this weekend we've had everything, including snow, so goodness knows what the weekend will bring.

The great and the good, the rich and the showy have gathered at Scone for the Scottish round of the International Rally Challenge. At least the rally should get off to a good start, Carron Valley at night in the dry, and then comes Drummond Hill, Craigvinean and Errochty tomorrow.

Depending on who you talk to Drummond Hill is soft and cut up, Craigvinean is soft and cut up in places while Errochty is magnificent all the way, and yet some of the works team drivers reckon they are fine after having run through the test on the recce. Whatever, the recce cars were really mucky when they returned to the Service Area.

Having said that, the Peugeot team has been getting out some extra sets of underbody guards ready to replace the ones that come off after tonight's first two stages. These guards come in pairs with one for the right hand side of the car and one for the left and they both run the full length of the underbody. So maybe they know something about Carron that we don't.

Reay MacKay is here already although he's only doing the National which starts tomorrow evening. "We're going to go spectating at Carron," he said, "or just go to the pub." Apparently the service crew are up for both!

After all the trouble he's had with the Subaru he deserves a good run, but he's traced the ongoing problem to electrics. He's now got a brand new wiring loom on the car and everything worked first time he tried, so fingers crossed.