Rally - Jim Clark Rally

This weekend’s Jim Clark Rally looks like it’s going to be a seriously quick affair. After Wednesday’s heavy rain and yesterday’s showers, the roads are dry, but the verges are lush and green so the ‘big cutters’ and ‘heavy hookers’ are going to drag all sorts of manure across the roads for the later runners. However the front runners who will benefit from the cleaner surfaces will need to watch out when they come round to do their second run on repeat stages. There will be a lot less grip second time through.

This was apparent at the shakedown this morning. It was getting muddier and slippier the longer the session ran. John Marshall went off and clouted the MkII and Craig Rutherford smacked the Honda. Craig’s boys are like ants round the car trying to get it fixed for the Reivers on Sunday whereas John just sent the Barry Den built MkII home and got the Historic car out.

Just heard that there will be no Jock Armstrong on Sunday. The newly re-shelled Subaru (looking good in its new orange and black livery) was due to go to TEG on Wednesday for final set-up, but it wasn’t finished in time. Jock is gutted.

John MacCrone and Stuart Louden are here. John is helping out (he says advising) fellow Muileach Alex Brown in the Saxo. After the head gasket failed at Ingliston Alex rebuilt the engine himself, for the first time. Wisely he didn’t let his faither near it: “When Dad was rallying the camshaft came out the end of the block, he knows nothing about cams on the top!”

Stuart will be sitting beside Robert Barrable in the Skoda Fabia S2000. He was a l,ast minute replacement for Dermot O’Gorman: “I was sitting in the airport lounge in Greece after the Acropolis Rally,” said the name dropper (as you do),” when I got the call, so I had a quick check with work and here I am.”

Running for charity

The rally gets under way at 6:00 pm tonight as the cars line up in Currie Street in Duns ready for the rally start at 7.00 pm when there will be 2 stages through the streets of the Borders town.

And here’s a thought. At 5.30 pm this morning co-driver Glyn Thomas went for a run this morning in race suit and helmet, but no car, and ran through the 16 mile Abbey St Bathans stage for charity. He did it in 2 hrs 56 mins 29 secs – a new world record. 

So what were you doing at 5.30 this morning – and what were you wearing at the time?